E-ging Solutions is a world-leading Shanghai translation company with specialties in document translation.
A document translation service is precisely that: a service. It is not a commodity, not a simple product interchangeable with identical alternatives. There are many ways to translate any given English text to any other language, and no two ways are identical. A translated document thus is not a product like parts or supplies. Translation is a service provided by a contracted professional just like the services provided by other creative specialists.
There is no such thing as “the” translation of any particular text from one language to another. Expressions in human language are not mathematical operation; exactly how to express the sense and context of a meaningful phrase in one language in the terms of another is a question that involves many considerations. Words have multiple senses and connotations and what is an effective style and word choice for one context is completely ineffective for another. This is true even in our own language, where “crimson” is not the same thing as “red” and a black-and-white monitor is not necessarily one that is white and black.
All the intricacies and options available in our own language are available in all others and deciding how to best deliver your message in translation from one to another is a demanding, artful task for highly trained specialists. Since there is no single, objective criterion for the one and only right translation of your text, the nearest one can get to a guarantee of accuracy comes by way of a process that includes review and consideration by multiple qualified experts.
Achieving that degree of quality requires a document translation service to include quality control. A typical product is made right or wrong according to a single set of specifications; a translation, however, is a service that is either better or worse depending upon the degree of expertise involved in producing it. A three-step process for quality assurance in document translation service results in a translated document that has been reviewed and revised by experts to make sure that the tone, style, and precise message of the original text is rendered in the target document in the most faithful terms possible.
That process begins with translation by a professional linguist who is a native speaker of the target language. The translator produces a text that captures the meaning and spirit of the original in an appropriate style and tone for the target audience. As a second step, a different, professional editor refines, revises, and perfects the first translator’s text to meet the technical aspects of the subject matter (legal, medical, industrial, etc.) and to ensure proper usage of the grammar, punctuation and other details of the target language. In the final step of a three-step process the final document is reviewed by a professional project manager to guarantee that the document is properly formatted and ready for delivery.
Quality document translation service is therefore a more involved process than most consumers think. A translated document is the result of a system and the application of highly specialized professional skills that make it the best of many possible alternatives.
Knowing your translator’s process will help you to choose the right document translation service for your company’s needs. Unlike other products, all document translations are not created equal.
