Translation Quality – How to Enhance You Translation Quality
by Are you trying to translate an article and you can’t seem to impress the client? Here is how to change all that.
Ever heard the phrase ‘Lost in translation’? The reason as to why this phrase is very common is because of the simple fact that there is nothing like a perfect translation. You will always end up losing something from the original tongue. Either the humor or that tiny little meaning (you could almost catch it between your thumb and the index finger) that makes all the crucial difference. Question is, if we cannot have a perfect translation what then? The answer is we can only improve the quality of translation to near perfection. So, how do we do that? Fortunately, this article gives a guideline on how to enhance translation quality for that near perfect read.
First things first. You have to know the language you are translating. Of course it would be best if you are a native speaker of say, Swahili for you to translate, but it is acceptable if you use the language on a daily basis. Thorough knowledge of the two languages is the whole idea. You wouldn’t like to change the meaning of the information or use ambiguous words that might end up being translated as ‘what did you just say?’
Even with the knowledge of the two languages at your finger tips, you will still need to use the spelling and grammar check. This can be easily achieved by changing your spell check settings to the language you are translating. This may not be totally effective but you can add some words to the ‘add to dictionary’ option and the words will be saved for your next translation. It gets better as time goes by.
Check your punctuations. Some languages have lots of these and though it feels like you are shouting as you type, they are important in sentence construction. Lack of punctuations might alter the meaning of the sentence and also show inattention on the part of the translator.
Did I say spelling and grammar check? Yes, do this several times over during your translation. You can never be too confident. Mistakes happen even in our mother-tongue.
Watch out for prepositions and tenses. This is where wannabes are separated from the professionals.
Finally, get someone else to go through your work. Even when you are an established translator, nobody is perfect and clients know that only too well so let someone go through your work just in case. In the end, the customer is right. Always.
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