Translation services are becoming widely popular these days. It is required by both private enterprises and government agencies. As business operations become multinationals, there is always a chance that you are confronted with the problem of language barrier. As you expand your market into virgin territories you have to deal with alien cultures and languages. There may be chores of documents that require to be translated into English or from your language to the language your clients or customer speaks. That is why you need the service of a language translator. Some may question the need for translation especially when there are automated computers or online programs that can translate major foreign languages into English. But language translation is not that simple. Computer programs cannot give accurate translation. The system merely translates by randomly picking words that are pre-programmed. As such, the intended meaning may not be conveyed by the translated document. Literal translation is not true translation. There are so many dynamic words and phrases that lose meaning when translated literally. Only an expert translator can do justice by translating with the right intent, right tone, and correct grammar. The documents that they translate are many. Apart from physical documents such as newspaper and magazine write-ups, annual reports, product labels, manuals, instructional materials, and marketing collateral, they can also translate digital and other documents including materials on CDs, subtitles, and voiceovers.

A language translation company also offers language interpretation. Many people use the terms translation and interpretation interchangeably. But technically speaking both the terms are different. Interpretation is oral whereas translation is written. So when someone expresses the meaning orally, he is actually interpreting and not translating. You may require services of language interpreters during meetings and conferences involving foreign clients and officials. Such a job requires high languages skills and deep experience. Simultaneous interpretation especially only is an expert’s job.

A translation service provider also employs medical and legal translators. Medical translation is especially helpful when you deal with foreign healthcare seekers. Such a translator makes sure that there is no communication gap between you and your patients.

There are a variety of factors involved in translation including grammar, the writing flow of the text, and cultural factors. These factors should be kept in mind whether translating orally or in writing:

Oral Translation

Simultaneously interpreting, understanding, and speaking at the same time can be challenging. In fact, translators reveal that this is the most difficult process. In order to achieve accurate results, the chosen language translation service provider needs to have a high level of competence, experience, and an in-depth culture on both cultures. It is also important to be good at “summarization” because the key points of the texts need to be highlighted.

And because vocabulary evolves through time, the translator need to be updated and their vocabulary enriched regularly. Some professional characteristic this type of person should have include quick reaction, intuitiveness, and clear articulation.

Written Translation

The next type of translation is, of course, the written translation. Written translation is relatively easier than oral translation because the person has time to digest and process the information he has been given. There is no need for react quickly because you have sufficient time to think and understand the text in front of you.

In addition, if you’re at a loss to translate a particular piece of text, it is possible to consult a dictionary or a specialist. The end result should not be forgotten though. The translated text should convey the exact meaning and language of the source language.

Importance of Good Language Translation Service

The importance of getting a competent, highly trained, and dedicated language translation service company cannot be emphasized enough. With the varying cultures around the world, there are certain cultural norms, language nuances, and specific situations in which only the locals can relate to. For this reason, it is crucial to get a translator that are aware and understand all these.

Unfortunately, not all language translation service companies have the necessary local expertise to accurately translate the exact meaning of the given text. The process is quite complication and requires the localized knowledge and exposure. In fact, even multinational companies have encountered some obstacles in their marketing campaigns abroad because of simple miscommunication.

For example, Colgate launched a toothpaste brand called Cue in France. In this country, the word “cue” is associated with a porno magazine. On the other hand, Coors wanted to use its slogan “turn it loose” in Spanish. The translated texts that were marketed implied that the product will make people suffer from diarrhea because of loose bowels.

With these examples, it becomes easily apparent that a single mistranslated word can lead to significant damage to your company. It can twist the overall meaning of the text. It is truly crucial to get a good language translation service company.

In a practical context, consecutive interpretation takes place when the interpreter does not have all of the text, but a good portion of it. The information that the interpreter delivers may not be complete, but it has the power to stand alone, if necessary. The most important usage of consecutive interpretation is when rendering speeches, court witness testimonies, job interviews, training activities, press conferences or even jokes. In such cases, it is recommended, sometimes necessary even, that the idea is complete before it is interpreted.

Consecutive interpretation may be considered the classic form of interpretation and has many advantages. The first obvious advantage of consecutive interpretation is that it does not require the equipments that simultaneous interpreters need. Simultaneous interpretation requires sound proof booths, microphones, headphones and interpreter consoles. High overhead costs are avoided in consecutive interpretation.

Secondly, simultaneous interpretation is very demanding, so any job that exceeds 20 minutes of interpretation duties requires the services of an additional interpreter. In case of longer assignments, two interpreters alternate with their tasks so that the workload is reduced and shared between the two. So, except in situations where simultaneous interpretation is necessary (like large conferences or meetings), consecutive interpretation is most suited.

In consecutive interpretation, listeners can wait for natural pauses in the body of the text. In simultaneous interpretation, there are minimal chances of omission of facts because interpreters do not have to commit too much to their memory. However, since the interpreter has not yet heard the entire speech, there may be certain shortcomings or messages being quoted slightly out of their context. In consecutive interpretation, the interpreter already has the main gist of the message. Therefore, the interpreter may be able to adapt the translation to its proper context more suitably. The interpreter pays attention to larger chunks of messages and the message may be reformulated according to the context. In this case, interpreters not only have to understand the languages, they also need to remember the entire gist of the message. This is where the ability to make notes become important. Since the interpreter does not have to pay attention to listening to each sentence and interpreting it line by line, they can pay more attention to processing the text and reformulating the message. Thus, a message that is interpreted in this way is more listener-friendly. It is not monotonous and may contain references that have more appeal to the listener. The interpreter has more flexibility and may tailor the message to suit the cultural context, if necessary.