Translating your company around the world
Translation software may have let you down, but there are other options for crossing the language barrier.
Sid Smith, The International Art Materials Trade Association, Huntersville, N.C.
As an avid reader of Fortune Small Business, I zeroed right in on the March 2008 story “Goodbye Language Barrier?,” only to be disappointed in the answer, that current software packages are still very poor in doing electronic translations into other languages. As an association for manufacturers and retailers, we have members all over the world, and our Web site and e-mail lists are the only practical way to reach most of them. How are other companies, organizations and Web sites translating large amounts of information into several different languages? Can it be done inexpensively?
By Emily Maltby, Fortune Small Business staff writer
Dear Sid: Don’t fret if your Dzongkha grammar is rusty. It’s still possible to take your biz to Bhutan, or any other non-English speaking country.
Let’s break down your options, which, of course, depend on your needs. Software may be your best bet if you are doing cursory research in another language or are translating simple text for personal use. Stan Bassett, President of TopTenReviews.com, admits that the best software his team has tested is still not suitable for professional use.
“If you are trying to get the gist, software can get you through easy, conversational messages. But in that case, you might as well use the free online translators,” he says.
When your messages are for public distribution and must be perfect in the destination language, however, you will need more.
FSB checked back with Nick Leighton, the small-business owner who tested the software packages in our March issue. Leighton’s PR firm NettResults works in Korea, Japan, Russia, Italy and other countries around the world, and he must ensure that the 30 pages that get translated each day for his clients are conveyed correctly.
“We rely on professionals outside the company to translate and also on bilingual teams internally to rewrite it to avoid misinterpretation,” says Leighton. “It’s not just about the words; it’s about the culture. In the U.S., you can say ‘run like a deer’ but in the Middle East, it makes more sense to say ‘run like an oryx.’ These nuances even exist for the same language, such as Spanish for Mexicans and Spaniards.”
Darren Jensen, COO of Agel, a nutritional-supplements company based in Provo, Utah, helped launch his company simultaneously in 12 countries. Agel set up a back office that deals just with the company’s Web site, to facilitate changing the site into additional languages as the company expands.
“Make sure it is easy from the back-end to modify the site,” Jensen recommends . “That way, your Web site will adapt to whatever the default language is for the consumer’s computer.”
Jensen tried software and quickly found out that human translators are essential to both build the Web site in multiple languages and grow the company internationally.
“When we started, it was essential that we have staff in each country, namely, operations managers and finance managers, who were bilingual. It disrupts the flow of the company if key people abroad can’t communicate,” he says. “But to consolidate our customer service in the U.S., we looked for an area with a quality work force that spoke every language possible. Brigham Young University caters to Mormon missionaries who speak dozens of languages, so that’s where we decided to be headquartered.”
Chuck Cherel of Languages Unlimited in Vienna, Va., a translation agency that specializes in patents, agrees that universities are a great place to tap into local talent: “Ask the language departments if they have any seniors with a B.S. or B.A. in French who may want some side work. That’s also the least-expensive way to get human translators working for your company.”
But Cherel notes that hiring professionals is the most reliable way to go.
“Firms that specialize in translating can translate 2,000 to 5,000 words a day and can handle technical, legal, and other special-industry vocabulary,” he explains. “Plus, reliable translation firms require more than one set of eyes to look at the assignment and, if necessary, editors can debate meaning. If they can’t come to a conclusion, they can describe the discrepancy to the client and ask for the client’s preference.”
Rates for most translation firms depend on the language, the assignment and the deadline. Some firms charge per word count (Leighton pays his outside translators about $40 per page, defined as 250 words) while others like Languages Unlimited charge between $25 and $100 per hour.
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DiggI would never use a college student to do business translation, I’ve been that college student and a BA/BS student even after having studied abroad 4 years of study does not give you the level to do proper translating and in any case a translator should always be translating from their ‘foreign’ to their ‘native’ language for the result to sound correct to a native speaker. The best is to use a team of two bilinguals with opposite ‘native’ languages.
Hello Mr. Smith,
Have you considered contacting a Teacher’s association that might be able to refer your organization to language teachers to translate for you?
We are developing our site ( http://www.sellmyinventory.com ) into several languages in the near future and believe this to be our best option.
Hope this helps.
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Tips for Buying Translation Services
In today’s global economy, companies are faced with cultural and linguistic challenges which can rarely be handled using internal resources. To communicate with speakers of other languages, companies often outsource the translation of documents and collateral to outside vendors. How do you select a translation service provider that best suits your needs? The short answer is you get what you pay for. The long answer is given below.
Translator versus translation company
Most translation in today’s market is done by independent contractors – the translators – who work for translation companies. In a recent survey conducted by the American Translators Association, work for translation companies accounts for approximately 60 percent of translators’ revenues. The value added to the translation process by the translation company is the ability to select translators and editors with appropriate linguistic and subject matter expertise, and the ability to manage multilingual projects.
Cost of translation
Consider the cost of translation, not just the price. You can pay a low price yet incur high costs if the translation you receive is of substandard quality and either has to be re-translated or used as-is. Poor translation can cause incalculable damage to the your brand and credibility. A translation service provider that consistently delivers high-quality services can keep your costs low.
In the U.S., the rates for translation are typically given on a per-word basis. The word count can be determined easily by using the word-count feature in MS Word. However, several questions arise: What constitutes a word? Should you pay for a list of brand names that does not require translation at all? How about xml tags? And tables with numbers only? MS Word will count each word indiscriminately. It’s up to you and the translation company to determine which portions of text should not be translated. If you receive a quote from a translation company based on word count, make sure you’re charged for text that actually needs translation.
According to a survey conducted by the Common Sense Advisory, Inc., rates charged by translation service providers typically range from $0.17 to $0.29 per word. These rates are all-inclusive (not only the translation but also the project management time, editing and quality-assurance procedures) and should not be compared to the lower rates charged by individual translators. The rates at the lower end of this range typically apply to Spanish and Portuguese. The higher end rates apply to Asian languages and right-to-left languages (such as Arabic and Hebrew).
Negotiate your per-word rate on the basis of the number of words in English. Word count of the same text in two different languages can differ by as much as 40 percent—this is especially true for Asian languages. Use the English version as the basis, regardless of whether it is the source or the target language. This practice ensures the word count is clear to all involved parties and no unpleasant surprises arise during invoicing.
Language dialects and idiomatic expressions
The use of one language varies greatly by region. For example, Spanish is used differently in Spain, South America, Mexico, Florida, and California. Choosing an appropriate regional variation allows you to address your audience in the language they’re most comfortable with and avoids potential politically charged issues (as with mainland China versus Taiwan, or Croatia versus Serbia).
If your source language is English, think international from the beginning. Use “translatable” text that can be easily adapted for the target audience. Avoid culture-bound clichés or idiomatic expressions which won’t be understood in other countries—baseball metaphors, for example, fall flat just about anywhere outside of the U.S. Do not provide your international audience with toll-free numbers that will not work in their country. Also avoid using symbols, visuals, puns and slogans.
Don’t revise the text
After you receive the translation text, don’t revise it without first talking to your translation service provider. In many languages, grammatical and spelling rules differ dramatically from English—if you see different endings attached to a proper name, it is not because the translator does not know how to spell the name, but rather because the language in question is inflected and requires different endings for different grammatical cases. Different languages have different capitalization rules, punctuation rules, formatting requirements, etc.
Proof it before you publish it
Once you have your translation, get feedback from an end user in the target country. Share this feedback with your translation service provider, preferably before the translated text is finalized. Files and fonts can become altered in the publishing process. It’s best to show the final product to your translation service provider before going to print or posting it online. Another good practice is to have the translation reviewed by an independent third party or another translation service provider, especially if you are working with a new translation service provider.
Long-term partnership
Taking time to select a translation service provider that meets your company’s needs will not only save you time and money, but can also lead to the development of a long-term, profitable partnership. As the translation service provider gets to know your product or service intimately they will be able to cultivate a specially trained linguistic team allowing your company to streamline its communications.
Posted by Vistage member Jiri Stejskal PhD, president of CETRA, Inc and president of the American Translators Association