Text translation refers to converting written words from a source to a target language without losing the message’s meaning. The translation process is complex since you must communicate the same information in the target language without losing aspects such as humor, slang, expressions, and proverbs. People get their seminar transcripts, books, websites, legal documents, user manuals, product descriptions, and medical records translated all the time.
How Does Text Translation Work?
You can either use human translation or use translation software. Machine translation is straightforward. It requires that you upload the source document into the translation software for it to convert the text to the language of your choice.
However, this first method is unreliable as it produces awkward errors. You can attribute these blunders to the fact that translation software does not understand the complexities of the human language and, therefore, cannot interpret aspects such as humor. Software usually translates the document word for word instead of looking at the big picture.
Human translation is more reliable because people can use their intelligence to understand the context of a document. Human translators can also apply their technical training in medicine, marketing, or law to deliver accurate translations. Here’s the process that a human translator follows when translating a document.
1. Understand the Scope of the Original Document
In this step, the translator must read the document and understand its scope and the required technical knowledge. Then, they can tell how long it will take to work on the project.
2. Get to Work
After reading through the document, the translator starts the translation process. Ideally, they’ll work on the text in bite-sized 5-10 words. They will constantly research terms and phrases they may not comprehend in the source language to convert them into the target language accurately.
3. Review the Work
Once done, the translator will read through the translated content to confirm aspects such as sentence structure, clarity, and adherence to regulations. They review the content while comparing it to the original text to ensure they have not misinterpreted or missed any part of the text.
4. Proofread the Translation
A translator should proofread the document after they have taken a break. This will ensure that they look at the translation with a clear mind to identify any errors.
5. Determine if the Translation Meets Quality Standards
When confidentiality allows, the translator hands the translated document to another professional dedicated chiefly to quality assurance. They go through the document keenly to help point out any errors the primary translator may have missed when proofreading. The second pair of eyes is also essential in ensuring that the translation retains the meaning of the source language.
6. Format the Document
The translator must confirm that the layout of the translated document matches that of the initial one. Aspects such as numbering, the hierarchy of headings, line breaks, and diagrams such as graphs should all maintain their appearance in the document as they were in the original text. Preserving a document’s general appearance is fundamental for comprehension.
7. Perform a Final Check Before Submission
The translator does one last verification of the entire document on the grammar, context, and appearance of the text. After they are satisfied that the document is correct, they send it to the client via email in an editable format.
Final Thoughts
Human translation gives more accurate results compared to machine translation. When a translator follows all the steps of the translation process, they should deliver error-free translations. Whether you decide to hire a translation agency or a freelance translator, it is fundamental that you establish what approach they’ll follow when working on your project.
Translation agencies such as GoTranscript guarantee 100% human-generated translations produced by following due process. Click https://gotranscript.com/text-translation-services to learn more about its services and how you can work together on your next project.