How do you find the perfect Spanish translator?

Posted On October 1, 2012By TranspanishIn Spanish Translation, Translation Buyers/  No Comments

Finding someone to translate from or to Spanish won’t be a difficult task. There are plenty of people willing to offer their services in this area. However, finding the perfect Spanish translator, finding someone who is actually going to do a good job, is not so easy and there are many pitfalls that the inexperienced in this field can fall into.

What follows is a basic list of the most important factors to take into consideration when looking for the perfect Spanish translator. Ignoring the following essentials is the best way of wasting money on poor translations, so take heed and place emphasis on what counts.

 


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Native Speakers
95% of the time it is imperative that the translator is a native speaker of the target language so that he/she is able to effectively translate the nuances and subtleties of the source language into a target language document of equal tone, meaning, and quality.

Translation Studies
Naturally, the translator will need to have excellent knowledge of both the source and target languages to be able to offer his or her translation services, but it is difficult to know how good a person’s language skills are before employing them and working with them for a while. This is why it is sometimes useful to the stick with translators that have earned formal qualifications from recognized translation study programs.

Getting Specific with Spanish
If you are looking for a Spanish translator, which country are you going to be targeting? The Spanish that is spoken in Mexico, for example, is very different to the Spanish spoken in Venezuela or the Spanish spoken in Argentina. If you are targeting a number of Spanish speaking countries at the same time, you will need to find a translator who can write for you in neutral Spanish. The important thing to note is that not all translators will be able to translate in neutral Spanish, but instead will lean towards one or two dialect in particular.

Communication Skills
Above and beyond their translation skills, it is likely that you will be communicating with your translator from a distance. Therefore, they need to exhibit excellent communication skills, quickly respond to their emails, understand what you need from them and ask for clarification when they have doubts.

Specialist Translations
It is foolish to think that you can use the same translator for all your translation requirements. There are times when you might need a specialist translator (for instance a legal, medical, or political translator) because the translator you normally work with might not even understand the meaning of the documents that he or she needs to translate in his or her native language.

Samples and References
Always ask for samples of past translations and for references from past employees for obvious reasons.

Cost
Bear in mind that it is not always the most expensive translator who ends up providing the best service and the best translation. When translators are just starting out they might charge less, but this doesn’t mean that the quality of their work will be less reliable.

Translation Agencies
If you are finding it difficult to make a decision and hire a translator by yourself, seek some help from a translation agency as they will have lists of translators for every language, every country and every specialism. Most agencies also include a proofreading of the translations that their translators provide at no extra charge, which is another added benefit from going down this route.

 

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How To Avoid Bad Clients

Posted On October 1, 2012By TranspanishIn Tips for Translators/  No Comments

As we all know, many translation jobs involve one-time or first-time clients. This is true even for the most seasoned translators with developed client lists, or agencies depending on repeat business. And because so many jobs involve an unknown client, we can find ourselves with more exposure to risk than other, non-freelancing professionals. What is this risk, exactly? Well to put it un-delicately, getting a bad client.


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What makes a client “bad”?

A bad client doesn’t necessarily have to be an unprofessional one. True, not getting paid for work that you completed according to specifications, or seeing those specifications mysteriously change without warning, can put a translator’s frustration level right up there near the top. Sometimes, though, all it takes is an unrealistic expectation. Like no warning that the English to German translation was actually old English, or that the ten pages due tomorrow were in 0.2 size font. Fortunately for us, most companies – whether they have an online presence or not – have an online reputation. They key is looking beyond their company website and digging into the places where other translators go.

Places to do your due diligence

The best way to make sure you are dealing with reputable companies is to participate in the community. Since most professional communities these days, particularly in the translation industry, tend to have a global reach, the best places to do this are sites dedicated to translation professionals in particular, or freelancers in general. They don’t have to be job boards per se, but any place where contractors can provide feedback on the clients they work with is likely to be a good source for checking out a potential client. Other sources of information include user-generated and third party-moderated databases like the Better Business Bureau (limited to North American companies), or sites that connect freelancers with companies that outsource.

Some of these sites are:

Even if you tend to cross industries, like many freelance professionals do, checking out a client before you accept a job is always a good idea. The same goes for agencies that employ many contractors, although some of these already maintain internal databases of approved clients. Of course if you’re a contractor, the reverse is also true – your potential client might read up on you!

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