Translation clients occasionally compare notes on the horrible experiences they have had with translators. If you as a client, have often felt a twinge of jealousy because the translations you receive are only mildly unacceptable, while your friends always seem to get completely useless translations, the following hints may help you to outdo all your friends at the next exchange of experiences.
- Always obtain translations at the lowest cost. After all, translations are just another commodity, not much different from paper clips or pencils. Since one translation is just about as good as another, why pay any more than you have to? Management undoubtedly appreciates your careful use of the company’s money.
- Set short deadlines. Since translation is largely a mechanical operation, merely requiring the translator to read a text in one language and type it into the computer in another and you could actually just run it through a program available free on the Internet, the preparation of a translation should not require much more time than a retyping job. Two days should be more than enough for all but the most lengthy assignments.
- Do not provide the translator with the best available copy of the original. If you have an original and copies that had been faxed back and forth, send the last faxed copy with hand corrections, preferably one that has already slightly faded and definitely one from a roll-fed fax that curls nicely. If you want to do particularly well, make another photocopy of it and then refax it after your copier and your fax have both indicated that they need new toner. E-mailing or good reproduction quality is an unnecessary frill. The translator will be able to figure out any blurred words or lines from the context. This applies particularly to Chinese and Japanese texts. After all, how important can these funny little squiggles be? If you are having your secretary retype a copy of the foreign text, tell her not to fuss with accents or other diacritical marks — just another frill.
- Or best yet, have your typist keyboard the foreign language copy or scan it into the computer. Then run it through one of those free electronic translation programs on the Internet. When done, send it to the translator to “look over quickly” because “it sounds a bit foreign.” When the translator refuses the job, you have a great reason to complain to your wife, friends, and colleagues.
- Send the translator only those parts of the original work that require translation. Many documents (particularly patents) include drawings or other figures that require no translation. There is therefore no point in burdening the translator with such unnecessary material. By not having to send such items back and forth, both of you will time and maybe even money. This also applies to English abstracts or summaries and to bibliographies. Of what interest could they possibly be to the translator?
- If you have any related English or foreign language material, keep it to yourself. Many times you may have in your files a closely related article in English, or an equivalent English-language patent. Since the translator is already being paid more for his services than he is worth, why make his work any easier?
- If copy is typeset, make sure the translator’s diskette or e-mailed copy is never used and assure that everything is carefully rekeyboarded. Then send the translator white on black copy in a 5-point font for proofreading. This will sharpen the translator’s acuity and gives you the right to complain, if a lower case a is read for a lower case e, and a missing accent is overlooked.
- Don’t ever buy the Russian or Japanese computer program and do expect the translator to supply you the program illegally for free so you can read the job and, in fact, best ask him or her to come over to your office to install it on your computer (if in the same town) or help you do so hanging on the phone for a few hours giving you explanations.
- Demand photocopies by mail of all translations. You will undoubtedly need an extra copy for your files and several others for persons in your department. Also have the translator send copies to your agents overseas for review, as well as to the ad agency. Of course, you have ready access to copying equipment with a sorter and e-mail and all kinds of other gadgetry and could easily send out your own copies.
- However, having to sort and staple copies as well as the original and running out to buy a sturdy envelope big enough to fit the stack will remind the translator that he is your servant. In fact, he should really be grateful to you for your help in keeping up his office skills. Besides, the overseas faxes will keep the translator from billing you right away or, if he does, he will not be able to bill you for the overseas faxes because he does not have the telephone bills.
- Supply only negative feedback to the translator. Be sure to let the translator know promptly and at great length, whenever there is a (supposed) minor typo in his translations. If on the other hand, the ultimate user of the translation tells you how well it was done, consider this as a compliment to you, on your skill in selecting the right person for doing the job. Do not, under any circumstances, transmit favorable comments to the translator. They will only swell his head and may even tempt him to ask for more money in the future.
- Whenever possible, split up longer jobs among several translators. This will ensure a refreshing variety of styles and will also prevent the monotony of seeing the same terms always translated in the same way, which is a particular danger in patents or other scientific or technical texts.
- Rotate your translators. Just because a particular translator has given you prompt and good service over the years, this does not mean that you are under any obligation to him. There is always the danger that he will become dependent on you and will come to take you for granted. By all means, shop around as much as possible every time. Try out all translators whose solicitations you receive, particularly if there is a chance that they may be able to save you a little money. This applies particularly to translators living in foreign countries or at least out of state. Although English is not their native language, they have undoubtedly studied it well and will be able to produce just as readable, accurate, and idiomatic a translation as any translator in this country would. And since they are far away, they are not going to waste your time by calling for the clarification of incomprehensibly misspelled words.
- Take your time in paying for translation work. Although you will frequently — if not always — need to have translations done in a hurry, and will expect the translator to meet any deadline you set, the same sense of urgency does not apply to paying for his services. It is only good policy to delay your payments as long as you can. Even three months is none too soon for payment when the invoice says “payable immediately, or in 10 or 30 days.
The above guidelines are by no means complete but should ensure that the quality of the translations you receive will rapidly drop to the same low level as that enjoyed by your friends. To make sure that the quality will drop even lower, even stronger measures may occasionally be required but free Internet translations are almost sure to help you with that.
A User’s Guide to Inferior Translations
by Kurt Gingold
1962 – 1999
