Choosing a professional translation company is no more a novel approach. It has become a mainstream practice for all those businesses that deal in a foreign market where people don’t speak the common tongue rather they prefer their native language.
We are living in an era where commencing a business, making it available online, and reaching out to markets located in the distant corners of the globe doesn’t require a person to be filthy rich. The advent of the internet and its quick proliferation among different industries and countries has made it possible for even small companies to target foreign markets.
But to thrive in the foreign market instead of just surviving, businesses need to use the simple approach of ‘As the country is, the same should be the guise’. This simply means, instead of imposing English, you should try reaching out to the market in their native language. In other cases like legal documents, and contracts, this might be compulsory.
Deciding to work with a professional translation company is the right thing to do but are you sure the translator working on your project is skilled enough to live up to your expectations? Let’s discuss some necessary skills that every professional translator should possess.
Language expertise
The first and foremost skill any professional translator should have is language expertise. He must have an in-depth understanding of both the source and target language. A professional translator doesn’t need to be a native speaker but he should have great fluency in both the languages he is working on.
Language expertise always hinges on mastering everyday vocabulary along with the differences in specialized terminologies and notions that can change the whole meaning of a sentence or paragraph. A professional translator that can translate document from English to Spanish should have excellent knowledge of local slang and regional dialects because both of these can influence comprehension.
Ability to accept criticism
A good translator does not put his work and experience above everything else, even when the client is not happy with the outcome and there are areas for improvement. You can get a feel of this in the first meeting with the translator or the translation company.
If the translator who is going to translate the document from English to Spanish is not ready to listen to your ideas, and objectives and is not ready to incorporate a bespoke approach, you should start looking for other options.
Skilled translators demand nothing less than perfection for themselves and they always work hard to deliver quality work. Even the most seasoned translator has room for improvement and they are always ready for review and criticism.
Attention to details
When it comes to professional translation, even minor details matter. A single misplacement of words can change the entire meaning of a document and it can prove to be catastrophic for your business. Professional translators always strive to maintain consistency and they always use reference material whenever required in their document translation services.
Apart from this, a skilled translator should always maintain the style of translation the client prefers otherwise, even with 100% accurate translation, the client won’t meet his objective. Whether the client prefers a personal tone or a professional tone, the translator must oblige to it. You may visit Languex.co if you require fast, accurate, and certified portuguese translation or other languages.
Unparallel time management skills
Tight schedules and strict deadlines are common in the world of translation and if a translator offering document translation services doesn’t have good time management skills, he will never deliver projects on time. Businesses are quite specific about the time they want their documents to be translated within and failing to do so leads to loss of clients and reputation.
In high-stakes situations, clients usually ask the translator to deliver the project within a short time and translators can’t even compromise quality and accuracy for making up for the strict deadline. Rushing through the project without experience in working on strict deadlines will often result in multiple errors in the translated document.
Integrity
A good translator is always honest about his work, the progress of projects, the quality of delivery, and pricing. If a translator is not honest about these things, none of the clients would trust him, regardless of his reputation, skills, and the number of years he has worked in the translation industry offering official document translation.
Succumbing clients by offering low prices and then making an extravagant bill in the end by taking cover of fine print are some bad practices of the translation industry but if you are working with a good translator, you won’t have to deal with such malpractices.
Just deciding to work with a professional translator for official document translation isn’t enough as you also need to ensure you are working with the best translator. Look for the above-mentioned qualities while narrowing down the options of a translation company and choose the best one available according to your budget, preference, and objective.
