The whole reason for having translation done in the first place is so that someone in a different language can read it. Basic right, you have a document, you send it off to the translator, and receive it back in a different language. Since you don’t speak that language, you look at the document and yes, it is certainly is in another language so you send it off to the end user. Now we encourage every client to have the document read by an end user to make sure it is translated sufficiently. We have never had a problem in that area as we specialize in the Quebec market.
What’s worse is when someone attempts to translate documents on their own using an online translation tool. We have seen this many times as we have had to fix the documents that people translate this way. Every once in a while however a document gets sent out without the check of a person who can read the language. We had this happen with one client who was trying to save a buck and sent out an important document. One of the sentences said that the person would receive in the mail an item to do with their payroll. Unfortunately the online translation gave it another word and if you read the document it said you would be receiving a chord of wood in the mail. Very embarrassing to the company that sent that out just to save a few dollars.
So if you are having documents translated it is good to implement a check system to make sure they are read easily. Most certainly have it checked if it wasn’t produced by a professional translator as it could be totally unreadable to the end user.
About the Author
Carmen Outridge is a professional translator specializing in translation services for the Quebec market. She has over 30 years experience in the industry and understands the way people speak in the Province of Quebec. To learn more about Outridge Translation Services please visit their website at www.outridgetranslation.com
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