Using Translators Wisely

Interpreters are not translators. Don't ask an interpreter to do some written translation for you. The skills required are not necessarily the same.
 

If it is "client-specific"

Use the text to speech service when you have a short piece of information you need translated, rather than a more expensive written translation of a document.

When asked for document translations, check to see if this is the most appropriate way of providing access. If the document is very long - which part of it does the client, customer or patient most need? Could just one section be translated? Or would it be more appropriate - and cost effective - to book an interpreter for a morning to go through the document with the user and explain it in context, instead of providing a straight written translation.

Could an interpreter be asked to read the content in the foreign language instead?

Is the English text written in plain English? If not, the translated text may become even more obscure through the translation process! The way ideas are conveyed in English would not always be the way they would be best conveyed by a foreign speaker. You may want to book an interpreter, as it will be easier for you to check your client's understanding.

Would it be better to have an interpreter reading the information onto an audio tape for older people or those who have more difficulties understanding written text?

Is your client literate? (Please note that some people would not admit that they cannot read or write, and will accept your translated documents politely and then discard them).

Did you know that 12 million English people are currently illiterate in the UK? It may be that some of your non-English speakers cannot read or write for a range of reasons. (speaking an oral dialect with no written form, speaking English but not having learned to write it, it takes a lot longer to learn to read in a foreign language than to speak it. It takes even longer for people who use non-latin alphabet!)

Imagine yourself when you go on holiday in Greece and try and read signs !

If you are undertaking a translation, carefully check the language you need. If Chinese, do you need Mandarin or Cantonese Chinese? If Portuguese, do you need Portuguese from Portugal or from Brazil?

If you are translating a standard piece of information - such as a form or leaflet, keep a photocopy in case you are asked for the same document in the same language again. Date it, to make sure that it remains current.

If you need a legal document translated, you may need to have the translation verified by means of an official stamp. Please check with the agency at booking time that this can be done before you commission the work.

If you want a large document translated, think cost-wise

• How many people is this document intended for?
• Is it the most appropriate way of providing access?
• How many people is this document intended for?
• Is it the most appropriate way of providing access?

If it is for a larger audience speaking one particular language

Make sure you know your audience:

• Where they are (for distribution purposes)
• The community profile (age, gender). For example, the Kurdish community in Norfolk would not need information targeted, as the Norfolk-based non-English speakers are young.
• If you are producing a translation to be bound into documents, check which way the copy should read, left to right or right to left.