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.
