Spanish is one of the world's most widely spoken languages. It's the official language of Spain as well as most countries in Latin America. Moreover, it's spoken by communities of Latin American immigrants in countries like the USA and Australia. If your organization can address people in their own language, it will not only boost your corporate image and bring you more clients but it will also prevent misunderstandings because of language barriers. However, it's very important to choose the best candidate to translate English to Spanish.
The first requirement for a good translator in the language pair is that the person should be fluent in both languages. For a translator, it's always best to translate from the language he or she is less confident in to the language he or she speaks most fluently. In other words, you need to look for someone whose first language is Spanish.
It's also very important to take your target market into account. There are different variations of Spanish and you need to decide whether your texts will be geared toward readers from Spain or from Latin American countries. In order to ensure that you'll be addressing your target market in their own language, not only linguistically but culturally too, it's preferable to choose a translator that comes from the same cultural background and will be able to use local phrases.
Forget about trying to save money by using translation computer software. These programs are good for looking up separate words, like you would with a bilingual dictionary. However, they ignore context and phrases and give you an end product that is at best inaccurate and at worst completely unintelligible.
However, even human translators aren't all equal. Contrary to what many people believe, translation is not just a case of using a dictionary and not everybody who is multilingual is a good translator. Good translators use a variety of reference materials and think creatively. They also engage with the text, thinking about its meaning and the message it tries to convey.
A great starting point when trying to find real translators is to see whether they belong to any kind of professional translators' association. These groups don't allow just anybody to become a member but use stringent tests to decide whether someone's work is of a high enough standard before granting them membership. Another good indication of whether someone will be up to the task is to see whether they have any experience of translating for the publishing industry, which also has very high standards.
A great way to check that the person really can do the job is to ask him or her for a sample translation. Just a paragraph or two will be enough to give you an idea of their level of skill. Ask a variety of Spanish speakers to read the sample and tell you whether they find it readable and accurate.
When you advertise for a translator and are inundated with applications, look at the rates that the candidates charge. Professionals usually charge higher rates that are in accordance to industry standards and they quote on a per-word basis. When someone quotes a very low rate, it's often an indication that they're out of touch with the industry and will give you substandard work.
The first requirement for a good translator in the language pair is that the person should be fluent in both languages. For a translator, it's always best to translate from the language he or she is less confident in to the language he or she speaks most fluently. In other words, you need to look for someone whose first language is Spanish.
It's also very important to take your target market into account. There are different variations of Spanish and you need to decide whether your texts will be geared toward readers from Spain or from Latin American countries. In order to ensure that you'll be addressing your target market in their own language, not only linguistically but culturally too, it's preferable to choose a translator that comes from the same cultural background and will be able to use local phrases.
Forget about trying to save money by using translation computer software. These programs are good for looking up separate words, like you would with a bilingual dictionary. However, they ignore context and phrases and give you an end product that is at best inaccurate and at worst completely unintelligible.
However, even human translators aren't all equal. Contrary to what many people believe, translation is not just a case of using a dictionary and not everybody who is multilingual is a good translator. Good translators use a variety of reference materials and think creatively. They also engage with the text, thinking about its meaning and the message it tries to convey.
A great starting point when trying to find real translators is to see whether they belong to any kind of professional translators' association. These groups don't allow just anybody to become a member but use stringent tests to decide whether someone's work is of a high enough standard before granting them membership. Another good indication of whether someone will be up to the task is to see whether they have any experience of translating for the publishing industry, which also has very high standards.
A great way to check that the person really can do the job is to ask him or her for a sample translation. Just a paragraph or two will be enough to give you an idea of their level of skill. Ask a variety of Spanish speakers to read the sample and tell you whether they find it readable and accurate.
When you advertise for a translator and are inundated with applications, look at the rates that the candidates charge. Professionals usually charge higher rates that are in accordance to industry standards and they quote on a per-word basis. When someone quotes a very low rate, it's often an indication that they're out of touch with the industry and will give you substandard work.
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