Taking the Risk Out Of Translation

When organisations approach us for the first time, they are often unaware of the subtleties involved in getting a translation right, how important it is to do that, and the risks that poor translations can expose them to.

In this article, we explain the consequences of poor-quality translations, give examples of ways Sylaba adds value when we translate material, and answer some of the most frequent questions we get asked.

The Very Real Risks of Poor Translation

Clients sometimes share translations with us that they have had done in the past by other providers, while confessing that they know nothing of the work's quality.

One client said to us: 'We got these translations done a few years ago but we don’t know how good they are’. So, we offered to check the material.  

It transpired it was culturally inappropriate for its intended audience. This can lead to some really negative consequences for the organisation and the audience, such as: 

?? Potential customers not relating to the content and therefore not reading it;

?? Customers feeling offended by a mistranslation leading to a possible loss of trust;

?? Customers feeling that the resource doesn’t consider their culture or beliefs due to insensitive content, or content that doesn’t approach the topic in a respectful way;

?? Loss of reputation due to poor language choice;

?? Low-quality content demonstrating a lack of expertise.

Poorly translated content can also result in:

?? Confusion about the product or service being provided

?? Increased customer service/support calls

?? Abandoned shopping carts

?? Lost customers 

If the best outcome you can hope for from a poor-quality translation is that your content isn’t read, then your efforts and investment have been entirely wasted.

Branding

Another risk to consider if you don’t get translations right is to your branding, because their quality can make or break your brand within diverse communities.

In order to provide you with effective translations, your provider needs to know the following:

?? What services does your organisation provide?

?? Who are you helping?

?? How do your services help your audience?

?? What do you stand for?

?? What is your mission?

Why does that information matter? Because the way you describe your organisation and explain what it does can be perceived very differently by different audiences. Even something as simple as a strapline or slogan could be misinterpreted by certain cultural groups. Consequently, you may need to change your message to avoid any misunderstandings.

Evaluating how your brand positioning fares with each of the cultural groups you are targeting is crucial. You may need to tweak the wording, before you have it translated, to maintain the same credibility you enjoy in English and to ensure the essence of your core messaging is preserved.

Translation by machine

Using AI, such as Google Translate, to translate your material is another high-risk strategy and one we would urge you to avoid.

While you may be tempted to use it because it’s low cost or free, it can backfire and cause your organisation substantial reputational damage.

More importantly, is close enough really good enough if you want to effectively communicate with other cultural groups? Should they settle for only getting the gist of what you are trying to say? We think they deserve better.

Many organisations now routinely use Google Translate for their websites but there are compelling reasons why it isn't appropriate for sites targeting Australian CALD communities.

For instance:

?? In matters of health and safety, a misunderstood message could put someone in danger, provide them with the wrong advice or prevent them from accessing appropriate medical care;

?? If you’re not aware of how your message has been translated, your audience could become confused or even offended by what they are reading – and you will be none the wiser;

?? If your organisation is attempting to build trust and engage with its community, it needs to do so in a way that builds, not destroys, trust. If the translation is inaccurate and culturally inappropriate, those reading your message may feel alienated, that they don’t belong. Trust then goes out the window.

No matter how good AI is, it can never be as good as a human translator. If you want high-quality and culturally appropriate translations, then you need to engage qualified and professional translators who are skilled at their work and understand the audience they are translating for. At Sylaba, we can provide that service.

Being prepared

In addition to engaging well-trained and professional translators, mistakes in translations can also be avoided if your organisation is well prepared beforehand. This is one way you can minimise the risk of any quality mishaps.

Errors in the English text to be translated can cause real hiccups and substantial delays. Ensuring the source material is accurate before it is translated can save a lot of headaches.

One of the community checkers of a 10-language project we were involved in translating noticed an error in the English text, which delayed proceedings by a couple of days because we had to get all the languages updated before delivering to the client.

In general, if the original copy is not 100% correct, it means a more expensive job that takes longer. And, if there is more than one version of the text in circulation, it can lead to the wrong text being translated. These problems can mount up, turning what should be a straightforward translation into a frustrating and time-consuming process.

Sometimes when deadlines are tight, we need to begin before an entire document has been finalised, and here at Sylaba we can certainly accommodate that. However, if the client has proof-read and double-checked the original and any changes, it removes a whole level of potential for error and delay.

Adding value to your translations

As our years of experience have mounted up at Sylaba, we have developed expertise in many different aspects of translation that we can share with our clients and that they benefit from.

In addition to providing high-quality translations and advice that can minimise or eliminate an organisation’s risk of making unintended mistakes, we can also offer insights and skills that add value in other ways. 

Here are a few examples.

Desktop publishing

When it comes to brochures, flyers or booklets, we don’t just translate the text – we replicate the layout and design of the documents by using desktop publishing (DTP or graphic design) software.

We work with multilingual desktop publishers who know how to handle the intricacies of foreign scripts, so we can produce documents that look exactly like the originals, but in another language.

For example, right-to-left scripts require all their graphic design elements to be flipped to the opposite side of the page.

Some organisations use their own graphic designers to do multilingual DTP, but they can sometimes introduce errors to the script by not rendering fonts properly. Using a specialised translation service with substantial experience in DTP means you will avoid publishing documents containing errors you don’t know exist.

RTL languages

Speaking of right-to-left scripts, Sylaba translates documents into RTL languages i.e. those that are read from right to left. These include Arabic, Farsi (Persian) and Dari.

It may appear to be straightforward – simply translate the text and reverse the print direction – but there is more to it than that, and this is where experience comes in.

In translated Arabic content, for example, not all elements in the text are reversed. Phone numbers are written using Latin numbers (rather than Arabic), and need to look the same as they do in English (i.e. read from left to right).

When preparing a translation for a booklet, flyer or brochure, it’s important to know they open from the left, not from the right as they do in English.

Graphics and images, too, need careful handling. When translating RTL languages, we reverse all the graphics in a document: logos and imagery get flipped to the opposite side, and the alignment changes as well. If there is text on an image it needs to be translated and reinserted, from right to left.

If there are faces in images or photos, these usually look into the page rather than out so a photo on the right looking left into the page won’t be suitable for an RTL publication as the person will be looking out of the page.

These are a few of the considerations we pay special attention to when translating material for RTL language audiences. It isn’t quite as simple as it might seem!

Gender pronouns

This is another area where Sylaba’s experience, and in this case our understanding of changing cultural norms, can add value when translating for a specific community.

It isn’t long ago that it was acceptable for women to be referred to as ‘he’ when people of both genders were being spoken about. Then women were separated from men and references commonly included ‘he and she’.

Even that gender distinction is no longer appropriate in some cases. Some people choose not to identify as either male or female and there may be no logical reason to differentiate. It may be just habit that keeps us doing so.

However, with languages like English that don’t have a gender neutral or third gender pronoun, it can be awkward. Nevertheless, there are some innovative alternatives that while not yet mainstream are still worth knowing about.

Alternatives to he/she include zie, sie, ey, ve, tey and e. Or for him/her, zim, sie, em, ver, ter, em.

When preparing material for the LGBTQ+ community where such alternative terms are increasingly being used, we follow suit. Being aware of linguistic changes such as these means our translations keep up with and respect cultural developments.

However, if the material is aimed at a wider audience that will not recognise these pronouns, it is advisable to stick with what is in common usage. Or, we would suggest rewriting the text so pronouns are not needed, avoiding the possibility of anyone taking offence.

Some frequently asked questions

When a new client approaches Sylaba for a translation, they often ask a lot of questions, which we welcome because there is always more to it than people think and we are happy to explain what is involved.

To give you an idea of what we get asked about how we work, here are three examples (and, of course, the answers!):

?? Do translators translate both into and out of their native language?

?? How fast can translations be completed?

?? How much will my translation cost?

 Do translators translate both into and out of their native language?

It may be surprising that the answer is no. Professional translators work into their native language to ensure technical accuracy and a high readability level.

For example, if a piece written in English is to be translated into Italian, then a translator who is a native Italian speaker will do the work. It won’t be translated by someone whose first language is English but fluent in Italian.

Conversely, if the piece is written in Italian, it will be translated into English by a native English speaker.

However, there are exceptions. For instance, an expert in a certain topic may be needed to translate material into a language not native to them (presuming they can speak it). When this happens, it is thoroughly checked by a native-speaking translator before being signed off and sent to the client.

When Sylaba is working on a project that involves translations into multiple languages, we use as many translators as there are languages required. This means we can guarantee the final translated work will be accurate and easily understood by those reading the text. 

How fast can translations be completed?

There are several factors the answer to this question depends on: 

?? The type of project

?? The project’s size

?? The number of people involved

?? How far planning for the project has advanced

?? A few other variables we always check on

However, if the text is not highly specialised, an experienced professional translator can usually translate about 3000-4000 words a day.

It’s interesting to note, though, that a project is rarely about only the translated words. There can be complexities, such as needing to work with community representatives to ensure we take into account the beliefs of a particular culture.

An illustration of this would be when translating information about cancer. Some cultures believe cancer is caused by bad spirits, or hold other mystical beliefs about the disease. Translators who don’t take these into account will be much less likely to reach the intended audience.

That said, not all the projects we deal with at Sylaba are complex – and those that are not we can complete quite quickly. If you have a translation project you want to ask about, we are happy to give you a detailed answer about how long it will take.

How much will my translation cost?

It’s a logical question and we are often asked this early in the translation process, especially by people who have not had work translated before.

The answer we always give is: ‘Tell us more about your project’.

At Sylaba, we know giving an immediate answer to the cost question isn’t how the best-quality work is achieved. That is why we delve deeper.

It’s important to find out the full scope of the work so we can provide an accurate quote. We talk with the person managing the translation process so both parties know what will be involved – and there are no surprises. This ensures the price quoted matches the amount charged when the work is complete.

We also ask who the completed translated work is intended for and what format it will be delivered in to see if there are other ways we can add value.

Knowing all of the above means we can choose the best translator for the work and manage the project in a way that delivers it on time and to our clients’ satisfaction.

At Sylaba we aim to:

?? Eliminate risk from our clients’ translations

?? Make the process as seamless as possible

?? Ensure we are well informed about projects before we start them

?? Add value wherever we can

?? Produce translations of impeccable quality that are culturally appropriate

To find out more about what is involved in translation, sign up for our FREE 5-day translation email course 5 Tips in 5 days: A simple guide to translation. 

You will receive an email every day for 5 days with simple and actionable translation techniques.

 ?? Sign up at https://sylaba.com.au/5day-translation-course/