Newsletter
Newsletter December 2023
In our last newsletter in December 2022, we summarised some tips for customers who are organising an event with international participation for the first time and require conference interpreters and interpreting equipment (e.g. interpreting booths). In this newsletter, we would like to give you some tips for working with translators.
You may not be familiar with the distinction between interpreting and translating. The term translation refers to written language mediation, while interpreting refers to oral language mediation.
Think about the translation as you write
As a customer, you have the opportunity to positively influence the quality of the translation and make the translators' work easier as soon as you start writing the text to be translated.
It is best to think about potential foreign readers when writing your text. Avoid expressions that are difficult to translate (idioms, metaphors). Even if regional references liven up texts for local readers, they are usually difficult to translate. Also be careful with acronyms you have invented yourself. Acronyms are often difficult to translate into other languages. This also applies to humour.
He who buys cheap, buys twice
John Ruskin (English writer, painter, social reformer and art critic) is credited with the following quote:
The law of economics forbids getting much value for little money. If you accept the lowest offer, you must add something for the risk you are taking. And if you do that, you'll have enough money to pay for something better.
Many customers misjudge the time required for a translation. Think about how long it took you to create the text yourself. This will often give you a better idea of the amount of work involved. Depending on the text and the level of difficulty, more or less research work may be necessary. Many translators finish a text, sleep on it for a night and then go through it again the next morning with some distance to fine-tune the wording.
Our translators usually have a university degree, several years of professional experience and specialise in certain subject areas (finance, contracts, medicine, etc.). It goes without saying that the remuneration of a translation must take this high level of qualification into account.
However, we can give you a tip on how to save costs: Check which parts of a document really need to be translated. This not only saves money, but also time for the readers of the translation.
Support during the translation process
It is always important for our translators to have a contact person for terminology or comprehension questions. Of course, it is ideal if you as the client can provide a glossary or reference material.
In the case of extensive translations, it has proven to be a good idea to make partial deliveries during the translation, even if something may change in the translation until the end of the translation process. If you are not satisfied, we can take corrective action during the translation process. In the end, you as the customer will be more satisfied with the translation and complaints can be avoided.
Difference between CAT tools and machine translation
CAT stands for Computer Aided (or Assisted) Translation. It should not be confused with machine translation. CAT tools break down the text to be translated into segments. A segment can consist of a single character, a word, a sentence or a paragraph. After translation, the segments are stored in a bilingual database (known as a translation memory). This allows identical passages to be reused in future translations. This increases terminological consistency across multiple translations. For quality reasons, SIMCONSULT uses CAT tools, but not machine translation.
Better late than never: social media
SIMCONSULT has also been active on social media since this year. If you would like to find out more about the work of our conference interpreters or translators, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin or Pinterest.
AMPO International e.V.
This year, SIMCONSULT is once again donating to AMPO International e.V. (instead of Christmas presents for customers). AMPO International e.V. is a recognised non-profit association that has set itself the task of giving young people, children and adolescents in need in the West African state of Burkina Faso a perspective on life.
It has been a pleasure to have you as business partners in 2023 and we appreciate your numerous orders for translations and interpretation.
We wish you a peaceful and successful 2024.