Certified Translators - Buyers Guide

Certified Translators - How to Choose

Certified translators have become a hot commodity on the international business scene as their services are in greater demand than ever before. Translation services have always been needed when doing business overseas or with people who do not speak the same language as us, but such needs have increased significantly with globalization and the opening up of world business markets. Today it is not unusual for a enterprise based in China to have clients in the UK or the United States. However, given the language barrier it is not surprising that certified translators are often called upon.

It might sound easy to find certified translators, but the truth is, translators all have different backgrounds, expertise and experience. Although technically two people might be trained by the same institute to perform the same kind of translations, if one person has primarily done translations for school boards and the other has been working in the medical sector, their knowledge and work experience will render them useful as translators for very different applications. Knowing the kind of translator you need is very important to hiring the right person for your job.

When choosing a certified translators always check their credentials. Find out where their schooling was done and what degree they hold. Many working translators were not, in fact, trained as translators but simply fell into the niche through their mastery of two languages. While such a fact does not make them any less competent than a translator trained as one, the person who went to school will be able to grasp the subtleties of the language far better than the other person. Schooling as a translator will always give a translator an edge over their colleagues unless the person with work experience has an exceptional grasp of the languages in question.

The other thing to keep in mind when searching for a certified translator is work experience – especially in what industry. Good translators generally specialize in a few fields. If someone claims expertise in more than five fields you should be relatively suspect of their real skills as very few people will be able to truly master the terminology and writing styles used in more than five industries – unless they are all related. Bear in mind that technical translations and creative translations are miles apart in terms of application and nuance. Hiring a technical translator to translate your novel will probably not produce the kind of result you expect.

Another good idea when looking to hire a certified translator is to ask the candidates on your short list to perform a short test using an unrelated but similar text. The translation of a small paragraph will demonstrate their ability, how well they grasp the content and their personal style of translation. You will automatically find that you prefer one to another. Getting them to translate an especially difficult text will also force them to show how skilful they are at interpreting your document.

In the end, hiring a certified translator will always result in better translations than those provided by someone who might know the language, but not the right way to use it.

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I immediately got a call from a moving company who was very professional. We've had good communication, the survey was punctual and they returned a quotation the following day as promised. So far, so good!

Kate, Buyer
Adelaide, Australia