Translation Basics

Translation is defined as communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. In technical sense, it means working with written documents, as opposed to oral interpretation. Translators mostly work into their native language, and standard translation rate in North America is calculated on a per-word basis (on the average, USD 0.25 per word). The rates are set based on various factors: language combination, subject matter, urgency, complexity, formatting, volume etc.

The average translator can do 1,500-2,000 words a day and the average proofreader can do 3,000-4,000 per day.

Oftentimes rush translations are divided between several translators and editors so, for example, instead of translating 2,000 words a day, 2 translators can translate 4,000.  This might result in inconsistencies and mistranslations and that is why it is important to make sure that this process is well coordinated, and that editing is used as much as possible. Also, using translators who are located in different time zones speeds up the process by making sure that someone is working on a translation 24 hours a day.

There’s more to translation than just rendering words from one language into another. When evaluating prices, buyers should look at all the services that are included in the rate (such as editing, proofreading, DTP etc.). You can expect the rates to double for urgent and/or complex translations. Large volume projects might result in some discounts.
In any case, your translation invoice might directly or indirectly include the following:
1) terminology research, style guide preparation, raw translation, editing, proofreading;
2) graphics preparation, graphics editing, desktop publishing, and HTML or XML formatting;
3) file management, file preparation, translation memory operations, software engineering, and file cleanup;
4) testing, quality control checks, preparation of final materials, and follow-up;
5) project management, project planning, vendor management, communication and coordination, team scheduling, client management, and reporting;
6) business process optimization, consulting, product development assistance.

A translation-memory system stores the words, phrases and paragraphs that have already been translated by a translator, which he or she can use for efficiency and consistency. Machine translation does not involve any human output and instead performs simple substitution of words in one natural language for words in another, but that alone usually cannot produce a good translation of a text, because recognition of whole phrases, idioms and linguistic differences in the target language is needed.

A certified translation is the translation that is performed by a certified translator. Certified translators receive their certifications from officially recognized organizations such as STIBC or ATIO (in Canada) or ATA (in USA).  Certified translations are typically done for personal documents, such as birth certificates, diplomas, transcripts, passport, which are required to be used in official processes like immigration, divorce, applying for a new job or to a new school, applying for a VISA etc. Translators can also have other certifications and can be called “sworn”, “accredited” or “court” translators.  Essentially, most (although, not all) organizations in a particular country would accept translations from accredited translators without any further certification.

Beside other factors, such as reliability, established process, guarantees and speed, translation companies mainly create value directly by using their expertise to assemble the right linguistic team of translators, editors and other professionals with the knowledge and experience to deliver high-quality translations. Individual translator is anyone who believes that he or she has the necessary knowledge to translate a message from one language into another. Individual translator may or may not have any formal education, qualifications or certifications. Therefore, there is always a greater risk associated with choosing an individual translator over a professional organization.
Buying from a freelancer might give you a better price, but not necessarily a better value. However, the fact is—someone will have to manage that army of freelancers. Therefore, another big benefit of LSPs versus freelancers is the vendor management that includes recruiting, selecting, qualifying, and managing the translators who actually do the work.

Indirectly, it helps companies with diverse aspects of their business – with the right linguistic support, companies can sell more, faster, to more people, reduce expenses, mitigate significant risks. For example, a foreign employee can be trained to follow proper company procedures or operate equipment more efficiently, if manuals and instructions are available in his or her native language.
If a manual is not understood by workers, you can imagine how much damage and expense can be caused to a company as a result of not following procedures, improper operation of equipment, environmental hazards, personal injuries or even death.

According to a study made by Common Sense Advisory (CSA), the translation market will reach US$ 22.5 billion by 2012.

Research shows that in order to generate US$1,000,000 in revenue you need to spend between US$2,500 and $25,000 in translation (0.25-2.5 %).
-32% of buyers spend less than US$25,000 annually on translation services
-14% of buyers spend US$51,000 to US$100,000
-12% of buyers spend more than US$500,000

The language(s) that is most strategically beneficent to you and your business can be determined based on many factors such as location, client origin, product etc. However, here is the list of the most popular languages in the present global economy:
Chinese (both simplified and traditional), Dutch, French (Canada and France), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (both Brazil and Portugal), Russian, and Spanish (Latin America and Spain).

Generally, translation agencies tend to base their quotes on source word count (number of words in the original document that needs to be translated) because it helps to establish upfront terms and avoid additional costs at the end of the project.

Some languages render a higher word count when translated (such as French) hence some agencies might charge per target word count to account for this difference. Also, the target word count is used when it is hard to determine the source word count due to the document’s format (scanned, pdf, hand-written text etc.)

Editing your text and eliminating any information that does not need to be translated can significantly lower the word count of your document and therefore the cost. Also, you can discuss using CAT (Computer-assisted translation) tools, which can provide additional discounts for repetitions.