The Cost of Translation: How Low Should You Go?

Often, upon following up on a quote sent to a prospective client, we find out they went with the lowest bidder. This often does not turn out well. One prospect confided in us that he selected a competitor who came in with a much lower quote only to have received a bad translation. The prospect was embarrassed when a native speaking colleague had to fix what should have been a high quality translation. He even used the phrase that he “got what he paid for.” What could this prospect have done differently? He could have asked about the disparity among the quotes, since the lowest quote was less than half the price of the others. In cases like this, it is important to compare apples to apples. Each quote should demonstrate that the bidder fully understands the scope of the project and should include the same services. Some companies may not include editing, desktop publishing or proofreading in the initial quote, but then add this later on to the final invoice. Most translation services like to hear feedback regarding their quotes. If it is reasonable, they may work with you to align their quote with others if cost is the only deciding factor. Another way to gauge a translation service’s quality is by asking about the linguists who would work on the project. Quality translation services use educated and experienced linguists, and with that comes a price. Some services rely on low cost translation software or unqualified linguists. They are able to quote dramatically low prices, but are unable to ensure the translation quality is on par with the English original. The best advice is to get all of the information you can from the prospective translation services. Make sure the quote lists all the services that will be included and ask for references. An ISO-certified translation service will have a well-defined process that ensures quality, starting with the selection of experienced, highly trained linguists. Make sure that you are getting what you pay for. Because we’ve all heard the saying that if that extraordinarily low price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Click for a quote. We will be in touch to discuss your requirements and solution options. To set up a call to further discuss your needs or additional information, please send an email to info@translate.one

Three Big Impacts of Translation

Translation is often not seen as a priority for many U.S. companies with global reach. English is the lingua franca of business, so why incur the unnecessary expense of translating content into all the languages of your company’s global employees and customers? This article will discuss three risk factors that can result from not translating your materials: lost sales opportunities, reduced employee safety and costly legal ramifications.

1. Lost Sales Opportunities

Several international studies confirm that, in spite of living in a globalized world, buyers still choose to buy from companies that speak to them in their own language. We feel more at ease if we understand what we buy. If we do not clearly understand a product or service, we are reluctant to buy it. Addressing your prospective clients in their language will convey the trust and proximity they need to utilize and purchase your products or services instead of those of your competitors. As an example, a U.S. equipment manufacturer had been working with its Chinese customer for many years when a new sales rep suggested they translate their manuals into Chinese. Management said there was no need; their client had never asked for it in all the years they had worked together. Several months later, a competitor from The Netherlands managed to lure the Chinese customer away from them—and for more money. How? They approached the Chinese company in their native language and offered all the manuals and support materials in Chinese. Sad to say, that with the loss of that one large client, the company went out of business.

2. Reduced Employee Safety

The number of non-native English speakers at U.S. companies continues to increase at both domestic and international locations. Many of these workers hold high-risk positions. Therefore, taking a proactive initiative is critical to ensuring worker safety. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for all employees. Bridging the language gap in workplaces small and large with the ultimate goal of aggressively eliminating injuries, illnesses and fatalities for all workers, is essential for success. Traditional safety training is not effective for employees with limited English skills, especially when delivered by a trainer who expects the workers will absorb it sufficiently to protect themselves and those around them. Furthermore, safety memos, posters or e-learning are not as productive when only presented in English. Efficient communication with employees with limited English skills results in fewer workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities, as well as increased morale, productivity and reduced costs. Injuries impact insurance and unemployment rates, and can carry legal consequences. OSHA has alliances and public-sector outreach initiatives for non-English speaking workers in the U.S. Many OSHA publications and safety training materials are available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Creole, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese.

3. Costly Legal Ramifications

The legal ramifications of not having a translation of even the simplest of documents can have a costly impact on a company. The legal realm of translation is quite broad and can cover any of the following, both internally (employees, distributors, or vendors) or externally (customers or competition):
  • Product liability cases or a class action suits from misuse of the product and injury;
  • Loss of proprietary information and trade secrets;
  • Law suits from employees;
  • Breach of contract and use of logos;
  • Patent infringement on a current patent held in another country;
  • Delays in exporting, importing or IRB approvals.
Other countries require the translation of specific material to be compliant for sale and use.  Industries like chemical, manufacturing, medical and pharmaceutical may need to provide translated product labels, instructions for use or equipment warning decals. Even if your industry or product does not have rules that mandate translation, companies that sell manufacturing equipment, B2B products, software or consumer products (such as food, beauty items, and toys) should consider the risks of not translating material. Be safe: Consider translating labels and instructions for use for any product that could present a hazard or danger if improperly used.
Click for a quote. We will be in touch to discuss your requirements and solution options. To set up a call to further discuss your needs or additional information, please send an email to info@translate.one

Save Time & Reduce Costs: Create Translation-Friendly Files for DTP

At Trustpoint, we partner with our clients to include them in the translation process. This process begins with content creation, so we want to share relevant information about source file management and delivery. Follow these tips on how to create “translation-friendly” files, and you and your team will stay actively involved, ensure up-front cost savings and experience a smoother translation process.

What is DTP?

DTP stands for “Desktop Publishing.” A personal computer and specific applications are used to prepare the layout of a document. This creates better control of illustrations, margins and justifications, typefaces, graphics, colors, etc. Multilingual DTP is particularly challenging, as many languages can expand as much as 30% compared to English source files. Other languages flow right to left, which pose added challenges. To make sure your source and target language documents look the same, you need an expert team to deliver content that fits and flows properly.

What is a Source File?

In the translation industry, the term “source file” refers to the original document to be translated. “Source files” come in various formats, the most common of which are listed below. .doc/.docx Microsoft Word .xls/.xlsx Microsoft Excel .ppt/.pptx Microsoft PowerPoint .indd Adobe InDesign .ai Adobe Illustrator .pub Microsoft Publisher .psd Adobe Photoshop .dwg AutoCAD .fltar/.flprj/.fltoc/.flskn/.flvar MadCap Flare

How to Create “Translation-Friendly” Source Files.

  • Avoid formatting shortcuts, such as inserting manual line breaks or tabs to align. Use your software’s word processing tools to create automatic tabs, margins and automatic bulleted lists.
  • Leave enough room for the translation, especially for Russian, German and Spanish. Remember that your translation may expand as much as 30%.
  • Avoid excessive styling of your text (italics, bolding, underlining). Depending on your target translation language, such styles may not carry over well. For example, Asian languages don’t generally use italics, because this distorts the characters.
  • If you outsource your content creation, we recommend sharing this information with your design and content management teams.

Follow These Steps for Quoting Documents That Require DTP.

  • Send “editable source files/art files.” This means no PDF files. Send the files your PDF was created from, e.g. an InDesign (.indd/.idml) file instead of a PDF file.
  • If you don’t have the source art files at the time of the quote, we will analyze the PDF document. Please note that prices may be subject to change once we receive the actual art files.
  • Include all images, links and fonts associated with the creation of the document.

When are Additional Costs Incurred?

Recreating the layout and format of your translated document, or any images in the absence of editable source files will result in file formatting/file preparation fees. We recommend that you try to locate the original source files, but we understand that this isn’t always possible. We are here as your partner to work out agreeable solutions.

The Translation/DTP Process.

  • Once Trustpoint receives all relevant files, they are prepped and sent out for for translation.
  • Once translation is finalized, any client review of the translation transpires before the DTP begins.
  • Files are translated and proofed for correctness and accuracy, then enter the DTP phase.
  • Our DTP team works with the translation in the appropriate design software, tweaking the formatting as necessary to accommodate the translated text.
  • Once completed, the translation heads to quality control, where the translator and our quality control specialists review it in its final format to ensure all errors and formatting issues are resolved.
  • After the translation is checked by our quality control specialists, it is finalized by DTP.
  • Trustpoint then provides you the following deliverables: the translated art file, all links (including those modified for translation), and all links (including those modified for translation) and all fonts.
Click for a quote. We will be in touch to discuss your requirements and solution options. To set up a call to further discuss your needs or additional information, please send an email to info@translate.one