Guidelines to translator buyers – the path to a cost-effective quality translation

 

[balanced price and value*]

Effective translation requires time and skill. While machine translation of various types can often provide a reasonable idea of  the meaning, they cannot create an effective human equivalent of the source text, one that reflects all the layers of meaning and correctly resonate with the reader or listener. Thus, the price of quality human translation can seem relatively high. However, the price of poor translation is even higher, notably in terms of lost customers, wasted marketing efforts, law suits and even death (for medical texts). To help translation buyers enjoy both a reasonable price and a quality translation, I present some practical steps for receiving value.

A    Getting documents ready for translation

1.   Finalize the document – Changes applied to the document during the translation process waste time and create chaos. The buyer will pay for them one way or another.

2.  Prepare any required reference materials – If you wish the translator to use specific terminology or layout, provide the instructions before the translation begins. Mid- or post-translation changes significantly slow down the process and can create inconsistencies.

3.  Format issues –Documents in Word do not require pre- and post-translation processing. If you have no choice but to provide a PDF document, make sure it is clear. Interpreting poor quality PDFs takes time, which will be reflected in the price.

 

B    Choosing the translator

1.   Specialist – If your material has a specific purpose and audience, select a translator with that background in terms of academic knowledge and/or experience to properly do the translation the first time. Massive editing or retranslation by another translator adds significant costs.

2.  Don’t be cheap – If the price is too low to believe, it is too low. Translators that demand reasonable rates for their time generally have the skill and motivation to the handle the text properly. Your neighbor that just finished high school, albeit with high grades in English, while willing to work for a low fee, most probably will not provide you with a usable product.

3.  Practical deadline – Professional work takes time – Plan the documentation schedule so that the translator has sufficient time to both prepare the first draft and QA it. 1500-2000 words a day for a full-time translator, subject to variation based on the type of the text, is a ball-park figure for the translation phase. Add QA times of up to the translation time for long documents.

 

C    Post-translation

1.   Knowledgeable editor – The purchaser must clearly review the translation but that task should be done with person quite knowledgeable in the target language. Nothing wastes more time than an editor that adds grammar and syntax mistakes to a translation or, even worse, incorrect terminology.

2.  Communication – Prompt communication leads to fast results. If the buyer and translator need to clarify any issues, same day correspondence, allowing for time zones, is vital if the buyer wishes to receive the final version on time.

Most buyers are not rich enough to buy poor things, as the expression goes. To receive the best value for a translation, prepare the document properly, select the appropriate translator, pay properly and manage the post-translation process efficiently. In this manner, the translations will be effective and costworthy, in short, a true bargain for the buyer.

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Form templates – A translator’s view

 

[Greek salad*]

As a legal and financial translator, my work primarily consists of two types of documents, long legal texts involving specific terminology and a myriad of forms whose major challenge can be the formatting. Some examples of these forms are birth, death and marriage certificates, bank and insurance statements, utility bills and vehicle registrations. Producing a high-quality template for these forms can involve a significant investment of time. However, my experience is that this investment pays dividends in the long term. For this reason, my attitude to requests for document templates from random translators is not quite collegial. In any case, these templates are vital since they help meet customer expectations and serve as our profit on these low margin translations.

Standard forms are anything but standard to translate the first time. First, translators receive them in PDF form, often of poor quality. To the best of my knowledge, no currently available PDF converter can consistently produce a useable template. A close examination of many forms shows that the number of columns in the lines changes at a high frequency, often every other line. Fonts sizes and colors vary from item to item. The relative length and number of words also differ from language to language. For example, English are far longer than Hebrew words, which often forces adjustment of the line parameters. In short, creating an initial template of a single-page form can require several hours.

The process does not end at that point as the forms change over time. Governments change the data included in official documents from time to time. For example, in Israel, marriage certificates before a certain year did not include a line for the last name of each party after the marriage, apparently on the assumption that the wife automatically would adopt her husband’s last name. The same documents issued by different government entities differ slightly, e.g., a birth certificate issued by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs varies slightly from one issued by the Ministry of Interior. The major headache is the tendency of municipalities and utility companies to make small and mostly irrelevant changes to their property tax invoices and other forms, often on the occasion of the anniversaries of significant dates in the city’s history. While this does not affect the actual content, these small changes sometimes affect the formatting. Document translators have to pay careful attention and compare the template to the original to ensure an exact match.

This effort is essential for a certificate translator. First, just as people first eat with their eyes, customers first consider at the overall view of the document. If the formatting attains a high-level match to the original, it already looks “good”, regardless of the actual terminology used in it. On the other hand, an excellent translation poorly presented seems substandard. Thus, while technically secondary, presentation makes a strong impression. I can add that producing a sharp-looking document gives me a positive feeling too, i.e., a job well done. However, the most important reason for investing in a proper template is that it creastes profit. When a different customer requests a translation of the same type of certificate, it takes me far less time. Any losses, based on the difference between time invested and price received, incurred when producing the template are recouped and more in future uses. Furthermore, as these documents tend to come in large batches since they are often part of legal cases, the translator is able to quickly and efficiently take on a large amount of these documents. Thus, document translator should neither avoid nor regret the time spent creating a proper document template as the result is fruitful in the long term.

Given that a template is a product of much effort and vital to personal success, in my opinion, it is not appropriate to issue a general call for templates. These calls in public translator forums are more or less phrased as “Does anybody have a template for a ………?”. My initial internal reaction is “Make one yourself!” but I never write that. For select colleagues with whom I have active cooperation, including mutual referrals, I have no problem in sharing my template. I view this act as a favor, which I may need in return sometime in the future. In other words, the sharing is to our mutual benefit. Yet, on the whole, I tend to consider my templates as my intellectual property. I know that many translators disagree with that approach and may even call it selfish. The sharing of templates is clearly not a black-and-white matter.

Thus, any translator buyer wondering why translators charge for certificates on per-document, not per-word, basis, needs to understand how time-consuming creating the template can be. The document may be simple to understand but quite complicated to create. The buyer is paying for the experience and expertise of the translator just as computer technicians receive compensation for the years of experience they have, not the time it took to solve the problem. If someone is willing to freely share these templates, that person is being generous. In any case, like an elegant plate of food, a proper template is a beautiful site for translator and customer alike.

 

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To and around the point – the impact of social directness.

 

[circles in a tree trunk*]

At a recent translator conference in France, I observed the reaction of the audience of several hundred people, to a 45-minute boring lecture by a government official telling us how great he was. Not a single person got up and left nor did I hear a single complaint about that waste of time during the break. This passive accepance would probably not have occurred anywhere in the Mediterranean basin, especially in Israel, where complaining is an art form. The point is not that either form of expression or non-expression is better but instead that the rules of the social game differ from area to area, if not from country to country and ethnic group to ethnic group. Furthermore, this difference affects how visitors, immigrants and business people react to exposure to another world.

People express their feelings non-verbally and verbally. Walking out, becoming animated or making faces all reflect an internal feeling. For example, it is possible to understand whether or not a person agrees with the speaker by observing the facial expression, at least in some cultures. The verbal aspect ranges from silence, i.e., the thought never leaves the mind, to understated, as in “he went a bit too far”, to no-doubt: “the speaker is full of shit”. All roads lead to Rome but the road signs vary in language and scale.

While individual and family tendences clearly impact the manner of expression, the accepted manner of society tends to control the bounds of honesty. Admittedly, all societies impose a layer of veneer of politeness, especially in specific settings, particularly business environments and official occasions, but the thickness of this layers varies from country to country.  Thus, northern Europe, which includes the dominant cultures of most of the United States and Canada, tends to be rather stoic, hiding its dirty laundry and making every effort to maintain a serene atmosphere. In other cultures, notably most of the Mediterranean, people can keep a polite face for a while but it doesn’t take long before someone gets excited in a positive or negative way. Few natives take these incidents to heart as drama is an essential and integral part of life. In practice, normal behavior is what a person expects and can interpret.

When visiting a country with a “foreign” point of view (an Italian in Holland, not an Italian in Spain), difference makes the heart grow fonder. It is strange but somehow charming how polite or impolite the waiters and taxi drivers are or how simple or complicated dealing with bureaucracy becomes. The tone of conversations at a café sounds so exotic because they are unlike the familiar music of our familiar conversations. The body language, whether relatively restrained or unrestrained, display a completely different if not necessarily understood drama, adding to its charm. The foreignness of the communication, whether verbal or not, can be part of the charm, making it exotic.

However, living in such a place is another story. To reside in the country requires functioning in it and understanding both the text and subtext. It may be amusing to see a driver have an angry dispute with police officer but people used to law and order may find that “unbecoming”, bordering on anarchistic, and clearly not beneficial to society, especially when they experience that style of discussion with an inconsiderate neighbor. On the opposite hand, an Israeli expecting open discussions of annoying matters could find it frustrating that nobody speaks their mind, creating even more tension. Asymmetric communication patterns over time either lead to a person going native or leaving the country.

As business has become international, understanding these differences has become vital. “One size fits all” does not apply to business communication. A subtle reference to a Japanese or Norwegian customer may elegantly solve a controversial matter but that same message is lost or viewed as a sign of weakness in the Middle East. To complicate matters, every country, apart from Japan and a few others, is multicultural today, rendering it impossible to be certain of the appropriate tone. Still, when expressing dissatisfaction, it is important to consider the larger target culture in deciding on how direct to be. For example, “there appears to be issue with last month’s payment” is appropriate in some places while in others, “I have yet to receive payment” would be far more effective. When communicating with parties abroad, make an effort to take into account how direct the message should be.

Variety is the spice of life. It would be quite boring if all the world were the same. The fact that people express their thoughts in different styles makes it interesting to travel to foreign countries, comfortable to live in our native country and complicated to communicate with businesses abroad. Thus, both to-the-point and around-the-point are relevant forms of expression.

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Stupid lexicon analysis or the art of insulting someone’s intelligence

 

[bunny*]

Vocabulary development among languages is neither evenly distributed or uniform. Yet, people around the world appreciate the art of a good insult, especially of another person’s intelligence. Simply put, calling someone stupid or an idiot or whatever the word in the local language, simply does not cut it. The audience, if not the victim, expects creativity and style. In practice, the approaches to questioning other people’s intellectual ability primarily involve making remarks about the material between their ears, the ability to process information, medical conditions and any resemblance to somethng or someone considered unintelligent as well as a few wonderful lexiconic inventions. I will provide a small sample of such terms from English, French and Hebrew as well as present my favorites.

A common way of explaining stupidity is speculating on the lack of grey matter between the ears. In English, it may appear that the interlocker is a blockhead , meathead or dope, a thick soup in Dutch. If we believe there is nothing, an airhead is appropriate. If we know that there is something but its nature is unclear, nitwit, an older word for a drink with unidentified ingredients, can apply.  Possibly, the person may be just dense, i.e., too solid for the brain to function. The French seem to focus less on this aspect. Cul (ass) implies that an error occurred in anatomical placement while cloche, a clock, applies a hard outside but hollow inside. Modern Hebrew, despite its relatively young age, places such materials as floor tiles, cabbage and sweet potatoes between the ears as in the expressions ראש בלטה [rosh balata], ראש כרוב [rosh kruv] and ראש בטטה [rosh bottata], respectively. Of course, it the head is filled with beech wood בוק [bok], thoughts also do not come easily. All these are material insults.

Sometimes, the problems appears to be how the information is actually processed. If a person is dull, half-witted or simpleminded, thinking is not an easy task. Nitwit, a word actually derived from Yiddish, a language particularly rich in insults, implies no ability at all. The French consider being heavy, balourd, blocked, bouché, and off-angle, obtuse, excellent causes of stupidity. In Israel, having a room that is sealed off is a positive feature during a war but having a brain that is אטום [atum] is a definite handicap. For such people, even when there is a will, there is no way.

Of course, medical conditions do affect mental activity. Despite the fact most people cannot identify such conditions and, even if they do exist, they are not the fault of the person, off-handed diagnosis makes for great insults. Calling someone retarded may be true statement but not in most instances.  The French use of the word crétin technically refers to chronic iodine deficiency, a rare condition today.  As for sanity, the words sot and abruti cast doubts about the mental stability of the individual. The Hebrew curse פוסטמה [pustema] comes from a word for pus, whatever the connection is. טוםטום [tumtum] is a term to describe ambiguous physical sexual identify. which may or may not be obvious to the casual observer. On occasions, anybody can become a doctor.

Of course, metaphors are both direct and creative. Somehow, Anglo-Saxons think birds are not very intelligent, which may explain the term birdbrain. (The raptors of the world may be angry at this comparison). For that matter, asses, the animal, are very adept at surviving unlike humans accused of being like them. The French compare idiots to both animals, bêta, and lower-class people, rustre, agricultural workers with low intelligence. Hebrew sources comparisons come from all period of the history of the Jews.  אוויל [avvil] is simpleton in the Bible;  גולם [golem] is a unfinished Frankenstein-like creature from medieval myths; and דפר [dapar] is one of the initial psychotechnics tests that the IDF gives to new recruits. Apparently, a very low grade implies stupidity. These metaphorical comparisons can be very nasty.

As for my top three choices, picked on the basis of creativity and sheer weirdness. In English, I now appreciate dunce for its amazing history. Originally, people considered the 13th century theologian John Duns Scotus and his followers very intelligent but rudely rejected them their approach several centuries later, regarding them and their hats look as quite stupid. The French duconneau literally means from Conneau. Apparently, somebody was not very bright in that family or area. Finally, in Hebrew, in a TV commercial, one of the banks used the expression לא עיפרון חכי חד בקלמר [lo ha’iparon hachi chad b’kalmar], meaning not the sharpest pencil in the pencil box. Now, that’s a witty insult.

Please be assured that I never use such terms directly to a person as I am very polite but in the privacy of our own brain, we can think what we want. As Pascal said, man (and woman) are thinking reeds. He did not discuss how much critical thoughts dominate. The fact is that human beings love to criticize other people, especially their intelligence. One of the beauties of human thought is the level of creativity and innovation we apply in doing it. Insulting is an art.

 

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Small businesses with a twist – timely relevant responses

 

[giraffe with twisted neck*]

Owners of small businesses, including freelancers, often wonder how they can compete with the “giants” in their field, given the unbridgeable difference in human and financial resources. Yet, it is possible for stake a niche in the market by adding a twist, to quote Avi Zeitan in his lecture on small business marketing, by turning a negative factor into a positive factor. Specifically, small businesses, especially freelancers, can provide immediate and relevant response to any customer communication precisely because they do not have complicated business structures. This feature both provides an advantage during the initial purchase as well as encourages loyalty post-sales. The end result, as anybody that has had to deal with large corporation can attest, is that many customers prefer small businesses.

It is clear that small business, whether one-person shows or companies with less than ten employees, must focus on one primary service and, obviously, do it well. While economies of scale provide large companies with a significant cost efficiency advantage, freelances can distinguish themselves by one feature that makes them far more customer-friendly – immediate and relevant response. To clarify, customers like to feel important in the eyes of the supplier. In a store, that approach often involves body language. By contrast, in written communication, whether in an email, on a chat or in a formal document, businesses express the level of priority given to the customer through their response time and relevant response. Whether a request for a quote or a post-sales query, customers truly appreciate an immediate response, often sincerely surprised by it and thanking the seller. This approach shows that the provider is “on the ball”, exactly what they seek. Yet, a prompt reaction is not sufficient. The answer itself must be specific to the customer and issue. General or irrelevant responses indicate a lack of attention or care, both undesirable traits.

Of course, large companies are technically able to provide the same type of response, with some actually doing so. However, in my recent experience, more and more financially successful large firms notably banks and other financial institutions, today often fail to meet both the criteria. I had recently had an awful experience of receiving two meaningless and non-specific form letters from Lufthansa that only exasperated the negative feeling even if I received them within 24 hours. In practice, it is difficult for a large company to control the actions and attitudes of all of its employees without overly strict rules. By contrast, all a small entrepreneur must do is to always make client communication the top priority.  The self-employed have a clear interest and full control in providing prompt and effective responses to consumers.

The benefits of fast and effective response are in the areas of both pre- and post-sales. Prospective customers tend to assume that the technical skill of a service provider is aligned with its communicative skills, which is not necessarily true. As a result, delayed or incomplete communication tends to drive customers away. As freelancers have full control of that aspect, they can excel and outperform far larger enterprises. After sales, customers appreciate the ease and efficiency of continual work with one person. There is no need to explain the whole matter from the start to another person. Furthermore, no company policy complicates or prevents implementation of an alternative approach. Small businesses do not require rigid policies. Thus, entrepreneurs have an advantage because a person, not a “team” is responsible.

Of course, no entrepreneur can be available all the time nor immediately solve all problems. The issue here is not the actual solution but the effectiveness of the communication. If matters require a person to be out of the office for several hours, customers almost always accept a response sent by phone saying that the individual will be available in X hours. For longer absences, an “out of office” response providing the reason for the absence, including a vacation or participation in a professional conference, and a date of return is almost always acceptable. In emergencies, a phone call is a way to extinguish any immediate fires. Time zones also affect availability with effective differences between customer and provider areas reaching 10 hours or more. Most customers understand this matter and expect an answer in the morning, provider time. If the entrepreneur answers beyond standard work hours, customers are thrilled. In the case of a question that may take some time to answer or request that is not doable, a few simple words are generally sufficient to maintain a positive reputation. Once again, small business flexibility is one of its strengths.

There is a supposedly old Chinese proverb about the definition of the vital elements of life: the most important time is now; the most important person is whom you are with; and the most important place is here. Small businesses can not only compete but outperform large enterprises in providing prompt and relevant responses, making customers feel like gold.  That is one twist that makes small businesses stand out.

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