Machine Translation (MT) is generally understood as the process in which a “machine” (specificaly a computer program or software) is substituting words and phrases in one langauge to another.

But if you do understand a little bit of the language in which you have translated your document into, you will quickly notice the translation problems.  And the end result is definitely not what you have desired and clearly not of publishable quality.

MT Softwares consist of dictionaries and algorithms to compose a sentence according to grammar rules of a language. The inherent difficulty in machine translation is that it does not discern the context and intended meaning the way humans can.  It doesn’t take into the meanings of words, word combinations, sentences, paragraphs, or the whole text structure. It knows nothing about rhetoric and style. It only diligently substitutes words and expressions taken from a dictionary into another language.

Of course, nobody wants their document content to be turned into a meaningless word mesh.  And there are specific styles of translations that machine tools cannot handle properly.  The basic purpose is to translate the message and meaning of the document and not just words and phrases. For this, it is always better to engage the services of professional translation agencies that employ native speaking human translators.

A human translator is still needed to correctly convey the exact meaning of the source text. No matter how advanced translation tools have become, they cannot be regarded as a substitute for a competent human translators.

It is true that MT can offer better alternatives in term of speed and cost. But if you intend to have a good translated document or marketing collaterals, accuracy is still of utmost important.  As of now, MT has not achieved that kind of high accuracy yet.   In a way, you would not want to submit a document full of syntax and grammar errors to your clients.  The “translated” copy will not make any sense to your clients.  Eventually, it will cost more if the documents need to re-translate again by a human translator.

Developers of Machine Translation software recognize these limitations and advise to use these translations as drafts only.  This is to enable the users to check the meaning of the foreign language document quickly and inexpensively.

Do you think that translators only do document or manual translation?  Well, think again… our job can be fun and challenging at times.

Some of our clients come from the Advertising industry.   Most of the times, they do not want direct translation.  They would prefer copywriting.  This means that our translator would need to write in a creative style and still capture the essence of the whole copy.  Yes, the skill level needed for such job is higher.

Having to say that, if you have great passion for language semantics, I believe it would not be too difficult to translate into a good copy.   Moreover, it would be a great satisfaction to see your translated copy being published for the mass public.  You can also keep the published copy in your portfolio and show to your future clients.  This will definitely raise your profile as a translator.

So, what are the types of translation jobs that you can expect to get from a Advertising agencies?

1.  Above-the-line advertisement.

Above-the-line is the term for mainstream paid advertising.  Such advertisement is to appear in newspapers, magazines, transit ads, outdoor poster etc.

2. Commercials

Script translation for television and radio commercials

3. Sales and Merchandising Promotion

These will include brochures, leaftlets, pamphalets,  posters, signage displays, window banners, floor stickers, shelf stickers etc…all these marketing collaterals would definitely need translation if the client wish to create a greater brand awareness to the public.

If you wish to know more, we welcome you to send your enquiries to us at hr@whizwordz.com.

Have you often wondered why some fellow translators are more sought as compared to others?  And are you such translator?

I have the privilege to work with some good translators in my line of work.  Often, I will assign more jobs to those competent and dedicated translators whom I think will do their best to accomplish the job for us.  Let me give you some tips on making yourself to be a better translator.

Tip # 1: Always to double-check on your translation before submit to your clients.  Nothing will frustrates your client more if they found out that certain terms are mis-spelled, not correctly interpreted or inaccurately translated.

Tip # 2:  Be truthful to your client.   Since your client is your pay-master, it is only right that if you made any mistakes in your copy, you should admit to your client before it is published.  Otherwise, you will never hear from them for long, long time.

Tip # 3: Do not miss your deadline if you have already committed to your client.  If due to some unforeseen circumstances that you need to stretch your deadline, do highlight to your client in advance.

Tip #4:  Seek to understand your clients better.   If you have any clarification about the job, it would be good to highlight to them at the beginning.  The client will also appreciate your effort as this shows that you want to submit in a quality job.  Think win-win.

Tip #5.  Always seek for improvement.  Think of ways to be more efficient in your work.  Example keep a glossary list of those common used and translated text, using memory software to assist your translation,  do background research on the articles before starting to translate etc etc.

Tip #6:  Go the extra mile for your client.  At times, be prepared to work harder at a shorter time frame for your client.  They will definitely appreciate your hard effort and reward you accordingly.   This is because you have proven to be dependent on.

Recently, I am posed this question from a friend who asked me “What is the mindset that a good translator should have?”

I see translator as a language professional who is highly skilled in the level of his language understanding and usage. They take great pride in their finished copy and ensure that good quality work is generated.

So, the first answer that pops into my mind is “being service-orientated”. We are in a world of either we are being served or serving others. Sometimes we need to serve others, like for example we serve our clients in our jobs, or helping others etc. Other times we receive service from others in our workplace, convenience stores, café, community clubs etc etc. I certainly feel great if I am being serviced by a good and friendly person.

Likewise, if a translator has such mindset, he or she will take on a serious view on their work…ensuring accurate, good quality translated copy and submit their copy within the stipulated timeline. I have had the privilege of working with such translators and we are grateful to them for their hard work in generating an excellent piece of work within a short period of time. And sometimes, they submit the work earlier than expected.

The second mindset that I mentioned is “consistent improvement”. As such, I would mean that he or she would be always seeking better and faster ways of doing things. Some of our translators would propose better methods to improve our routine of doing things. Some would give feedback to improve their client’s original copy and make it better. Others will take up further courses to improve on their semantics. Well, they must have a passion for learning and re-learning to reach greater heights.

Lastly, I told my friend the third mindset….a mind that is open to ideas and creative. If the mind is like a sponge and absorb experiences learnt from books, movies, daily routines, interaction with our surrounding, conversation with friends etc.  This will definitely enable the translator to have a better understanding of the copy and its background information.

I guess these 3 simple mindsets would not only be helping just translators, but also anyone else who would read this article. Hope these small pointers can help you in whatever you do, especially for the coming new year!