Top 7 Questions To Ask Translation Company

In my previous blog, I discussed how to choose a translation agency. After you have shortlisted a few translation services companies, now it is the time to select the best from the rest.

To make your search easier, I have listed some of the questions which you must ask translation services provider. This will further enable you to find a company that best suits your interests.

Here is a list of some of the basic yet very important questions which you must have answers to before handing over your work to any agency:

Question No. 1

Ask the translation company about how they charge? Do they charge as per words or per page?

Question No. 2

Ask the translation company further whether they charge as per word of the source language or the target language? For instance, if you are getting English text translated into Chinese language, then English is the source text.

Usually Chinese version of the same text takes less space than the English original text. Hence your one paragraph of English might become just two or three lines in Chinese version.

Question No. 3

It is important to inquire the agency about the qualifications and specializations of the translators and how they hire them. Moreover, find out if the translator is a native speaker of the language you want your translations in. After all, the result of the translations majorly depends on how fluent the translators are in the language.

Question No. 4

If you require specific translations such as legal translations, financial or medical translations; do make sure that the translators hold specialization in different fields such as law, engineering, medicine, computers, accounting, finance, insurance, marketing and so on.

Question No. 5

Does the price quoted by the translation company also include proof-reading services by other translator to ensure the best quality work?

Question No. 6

Ask them if they can provide a trial translation and an estimate of the best rate possible?

Question No. 7

Ask if the translation company fails to provide work within deadline, are they going to charge extra?

Whenever you approach your shortlisted translation companies be it Calgary translation services provider or translation Regina company, do ask the representative of the companies these questions. This will help you make the right decision.

Tips To Choose a Reliable Translation Agency

Language translations services today cover all aspect of marketing. When you are about to introduce your company in a foreign land, you have to present your company's website, brochures, financial documents and everything concerning the business; in a native language which the local people understand.

Those looking for ways to find a reliable and professional translation agency, which provides multilingual translation services, need appropriate guidance to make the right selection. There are plenty of such agencies in the market. Not to forget freelancers too. Here are some useful tips to select the type of translation company that helps push your company's name in a foreign country:

All under one roof

Pick a translations agency that provides more than just language translations. The agency must offer complete document proofreading and interpreting services. And it would be an icing on the cake if it also provides  software program translation, narration and voice-over, multilingual desktop publishing and other various other translation related services.

Approach an agency where your language is used

When you deal with a translation services company, you need to have close communication with them at every step. It helps if the representative or the manager of the translation company speaks your language and who can understand the original text and what are your exact expectations.

Specialization

Prefer to opt for a agency where you get specialized translators for your work. For instance, avoid hiring a translator who is fluent in the French language and has to translate documents for your business meant for your target audience based in Russia.

In short, make sure that the translation company be it Montreal translation services provider or translation Vancouver; provides you with the translator who is a native of the target language and understands the source language too. And if you want to get legal translations done, choose a translator who is specialized in law.

Customer service

Choose a translation agency that takes time to understand your market requirements, understands your target audience and makes efforts in building and maintaining a strong communication and customer service relationship with you.

Read the reviews

Do inquire about the agency before giving any work to them. It is advisable to ask the previous clients about their experience with the particular firm. Ask them questions on whether the company delivered the professional translation services within deadline or how was the quality. Do read the testimonials or reviews about the company on the Internet.

The Importance Of Chinese & Japanese Translations

China and Japan over the years have become major players in global export market, especially in manufactured goods, electronics, automobiles and software development. And as China and Japan have made way for the international businesses in their markets, the number of companies seeking to enter these lucrative markets has also increased. And alongside the demand for Chinese and Japanese translations has also gone up.

Professional translators are in huge demand who can provide accurate Chinese and Japanese translations and help international giants overcome the language barrier. Lets discuss about Chinese and Japanese language in a bit detail:

Chinese language & its translations

Chinese is spoken by more than 850 million people worldwide, making it the largest spoken language in the world. Written Chinese is classified into two categories. There is Simplified Chinese and the other is Traditional Chinese. While Simplified Chinese is used in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai; Traditional Chinese is widely used in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and by the Chinese diaspora living in the USA. There are lots of differences between Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese in terms of terminologies, fonts, characters, and manners of expressions.

When you require Chinese translations, you have to first figure out what is your target audience. Are you potential customers located in Hong Kong or are you targeting people living in Beijing? Therefore hiring the services of a reliable translation agency is very important. Besides the way the Chinese language is written is extremely different from the English language. Chinese language is written in characters, which contain one or dozens of strokes, and a sentence consists of several characters.

Relying on some amateur translators for Chinese translations can be huge risk. Therefore use the services of experts be it Chinese translation Vancouver company or Edmonton translation services provider where experts understand the complexities of the Chinese language and offer the highest quality translated work.

Japanese language & its translations

Spoken by around 130 million people, in Japanese language four distinct types of scripts are used. There is hiragana, kanji, katakana and romanji.

While Hiragana is the original writing system in Japan which is used in children' literature; the Kanji script is based on the Chinese writing system. As far as Katakana is concerned, this script is used only to write foreign words whereas Romanji script is what is used in modern Japanese in companies, media and so on. 

In Japanese language, honorific suffixes are used for addressing the people. While 'Kun' is used by people to address someone younger than them, 'Chan' is used to address young children and teenagers. 'San' is used for both male and female names and is a sort of title of respect just like "Mr.", or "Miss" in English. And the last honorific suffix 'Sama' is generally used to address customers in business mails.

The way Japanese is written is totally different from English and using appropriate honorific suffix is very important in the Japanese language. Therefore it makes sense to use the services of a reliable and highly professional translation company be it translation Vancouver company or Edmonton translation services provider where experts have an in-depth understanding of the Japanese language and provide accurate Japanese translations within deadline.

Norwegian Language, its Translations & Characteristics

Are you planning to expand your business or open a new establishment in Norway? No matter which part of the world you go to, the local language is the main key to connect to the native people. It is true for travelers. It is true for businessmen.

Opening new branches of your business in foreign shores is common these days. And translators come in handy to make it easier for companies to get connected with their target audience in foreign lands. In this hub, we are going to discuss about a North Germanic language – Norwegian.

Considered as the official language of Norway, Norwegian is a part of the Scandinavian group of languages which also include Danish and Swedish. You can also find Norwegian speakers in Denmark, Spain, Canada, Sweden, Germany, the UK and the USA.

Written forms of Norwegian

The Norwegian government established two official forms of written Norwegian- Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk. You can also find other written forms of Norwegian language which have not been accorded official status by the govt. There is Norwegian Riksmål which is considered closer to the Danish language. Another unofficial written form is Norwegian Høgnorsk which is a purist version of Nynorsk and doesn't follow any reforms of the 20^th century.

Although most Norwegians use their own dialect, Norwegian Bokmål which is mainly spoken in the East Norway is considered as the Standard Norwegian.

Danish influence 

Norway was once under Danish rule. Hence between 16^th and 19^th centuries, Danish was used as the Standard written language in Norway. Even Norwegian Bokmål is influenced by Danish language. Whereas Nynorsk is based on Norwegian dialects and strictly avoids any influences from Danish language.

Generally most of Norwegians are familiar with both Norwegian Bokmål and Nynorsk. If you travel to Western Norway, you will find people there using Nynorsk. Whereas in East Norway, Bokmål is primarily used. Though Bokmål is used in more publications, Nynorsk importance can't be undermined. Both Bokmål and Nynorsk are used in government agencies and publications.

When you plan to settle your business in Norway, get Norwegian translations from a reliable translation agency be it translation agencies Ottawa or Montreal translation services provider where expert translators understand your requirements and provide the most accurate translations that fit your target audience.

French Translations Help Your Business Blossom in France

Are you looking to expand your business operations to French market? If yes, here is some advice for you. 

With hundreds of companies venturing into French market every year, the market has become very competitive. 

In the heat of excessive competitive, the companies are relying on region-specific marketing strategies to woo the customers of that very region, place, or country. One of such strategies includes the use of native language to promote their product and services in that country as it helps in building a better connect with the customers.

French Market Calling

France – a country with 63.6 million inhabitants – is a potential market for different business. Situated in the crossroads of prominent rail and road transport, France facilitates the diffusion of goods all across Europe. Moreover, the French government has recently taken some initiatives to promote R&D sector including France’s research tax credit and establishing innovative clusters. The government also welcomes foreign skills and expertise with open arms.

French Language – En Route to French Market 

Talking about the French language, it is an official language in 29 countries, most of which form what is called, in French, la francophonie – the community of French-speaking countries. It is an official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organizations.

According to the European Union, 129 million (twenty-six percent of the Union's total population), can speak French, of whom 72 million are native speakers. It makes French the third language in the European Union that people state they are most able to speak, after English and German

(Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language)

As evident from the above discussion the French language has a vast reach. It makes it a wise strategy to choose French language as a medium of communication while marketing your products and services in France. It will help you develop an emotional bond with your potential customers.

Communicating in the native language also helps you win a trust and goodwill of the people of that very country. However, you should not forget that French is a difficult language where grammatical gender holds great significance. Make sure that you are availing the services of a reputed and reliable translation services agency that is known for its experience and expertise. 

Translation Calgary, Montrealtranslation services provider, and translation Regina are among some preferred options in Canada.