Translation seems simple. Take this content, and express it in another language. Yet translation quality is forever questioned, as it is both a science and an art and can’t be judged on one opinion alone.
Which brings us to the question, what is a good translation?
We consider a good translation as one that is true to the original. It will never be exactly the same, and if it is, you should be questioning whether your translations involved a certain online browser that offers translations. In some cases, your target language can add as much as 30 – 40% more volume to your document length.
Your translated document / content should be aesthetically synonymous with the original, whilst still presenting the required message in a manner that is easily understood by the target market in question.
From tone and terminology to format and finish, translations need to retain the same message and aesthetics as the original, only localised for your specific target market. It’s not a carbon copy of your source language, translated.
A certain tone that works for you in English won’t necessarily work for you in Mandarin or French or Zulu, and this needs to be a part of the brief when dealing with translations for your business.
Each language has its own set of rules, inflections and contextual references and these should be taken into account when it comes to multilingual communications. A mother-tongue linguist based in the country of the respective locale can assist in bridging the communication gap and give you a voice worldwide. Greater presence worldwide equals more international business and a healthier bottom line for your business. That’s a no-brainer.