Note: This blog post was originally written in Japanese for our Japanese website. We used our machine translation platform Translation Designer to translate it and post-edit the content in English. The original Japanese post can be found here.
"I have an urgent translation request. Can translation companies handle this kind of request?"
"What are the benefits of working with a professional translation company?”
For those who have questions regarding translation services, this post is a must-read. Whether you have been doing business with translation companies or don't have any experience using professional translation services, we'd like everyone to learn more about what kind of services translation companies can provide.
We will go over two commonly asked questions in this post!
Q1. I have an urgent translation request. Is it possible to receive it in a shorter turnaround time than usual?
A1. By modifying the translation process, it is possible to shorten the turnaround time.
By modifying the translation work process, such as skipping some of the steps that we take in normal translation, it is possible to shorten the turnaround time. This allows us to deliver according to your desired delivery date. For example, there are the following methods.
Method 1: Assign a greater number of translators
Even for projects that normally involve one or two translators, it is possible to shorten the turnaround time by increasing the number of translators. However, each translator has their own tone of translation. Therefore, by increasing the number of translators involved, there is a risk that the translation may lack consistency in terms of its overall tone. It is theoretically possible to increase the number of translators as much as you want to meet the desired delivery date, but it is not preferable from the viewpoint of quality to have too large a number of translators. In addition, all translators suitable for the content may not always be available, so it depends on the circumstances at the time of your request whether we can actually increase the number of translators.
Method 2: Simplify the process
We can shorten the turnaround time by omitting or simplifying some of the works that are done in standard translation services. Services provided by professional translation companies generally include a bilingual review process. In this process, a dedicated bilingual reviewer will fully check the translation after the translator has finished the work. By omitting this check, it is possible to have a shorter turnaround time than usual. However, the omission of a bilingual review may come at the expense of quality as there is now at least one less process of quality assurance by linguists than normally done for standard translations. Some translation companies do not offer such an option in the first place, so you need to check it beforehand.
Method 3: Utilize machine translation
One of the benefits of machine translation is faster delivery. If you are making a request to a translation company that offers machine translation services, it is a good idea to ask them if there is an option that makes use of machine translation. If you want your translation in the cheapest and fastest way, have the machine translation output delivered as it is. You’re probably thinking, “Wait, I can do that myself.” One of the concerns about using machine translation is its security, but professional translation companies can use machine translation in a secured environment that does not cause information leakage. You should definitely consult professional translation companies even if you just want the machine translation output without any additional work.
Machine translation may be a way for quick and low-cost translations, but it is difficult to guarantee the quality of the machine translation output. Machine translation is a technology still under development, and if you use a machine translation output as it is, there is a great possibility that errors such as mistranslations, parts not translated, grammatical errors, and style inconsistencies will remain.
Therefore, in order to improve the quality as much as possible, there is a method called post-editing, in which the machine translation output is manually checked and corrected. You can choose what to be included in the checklist, depending on the translation company you work with. For example, by specifying whether it is necessary to completely correct every single mistranslation or to perform only a partial check for certain items such as numbers or proper nouns, it is possible to shorten the turnaround time according to the volume of work required.
If you are in a hurry, you should consider one of the above three methods to get the translation delivered as close to the date you want it as possible.
Q2. What are the benefits of using professional translation services?
A2. Quality is guaranteed at industry standards, and you can receive deliverables that meet your needs.
In addition to translation companies, some advertising agencies and printing companies provide translation services. If you are making catalogs and pamphlets in a different language, these companies can take care of everything for you and save you hassles. Also, if you personally know a freelance translator, you can ask that person and reduce the overall cost. So, what are the benefits of working with a professional translation company?
A major strength of professional translation companies is that they are better at fulfilling their responsibilities for quality assurance in a timely matter and making proposals that meet the needs of their clients.
Translation companies work with thousands of qualified freelance translators. Professionals who are familiar with specific fields from IT, finance, medical care to tourism are gathered, so it is possible to assign from the best translators with a background that matches the nature of the content.
In addition, many professional translation companies including Kawamura International are ISO 17100-certified (international standards for translation). The fact that the translation work proceeds according to the flow that complies with the international standards also serves as an indication of the guarantees of quality.
Moreover, translation companies have quality assurance specialists and experienced translators in house to respond quickly to last-minute inquiries regarding translations. If you are not sure about how to proceed with your translation project or if you cannot choose a translation process that suits you best, consult with a professional translation company like us. We can provide the best solution for you.
Summary
In this post, we shared, in concrete terms, methods of shortening the turnaround time and benefits of using professional translation services. This FAQ blog series answers the questions about translation services that are frequently asked from our clients. Check out our previous post on requesting review-only services and more.
Kawamura's translation services
It is becoming more and more important to make the right choice for translation services.
That is whether to request human translation or machine translation with post-editing according to where your priority lies, be it quality, delivery time, or cost.
At Kawamura International, our experienced staff will offer the optimum solution according to the issues and needs of our clients. If you have any concerns about translation or localization, feel free to reach out us.
