The value of a language service provider can mainly be divided into two aspects: the wide array of skills they’ve accumulated over the years and the personalized service they can offer you. By hiring a professional, not only are you guaranteed to have a linguistically and culturally adequate translation, but you also get to discuss the specifics of that translation with them. Instead of running the text through machine translation and simply hoping to get a final product close to what you have in mind, hiring a professional allows you to exchange with them before and during the translation process in order to properly explain the details of what you expect out of the end result. Doing so will allow the translator to pinpoint the method most suited to deliver you the high-quality translation of your needs, which is why interactions between the translator and the customer represent a large chunk of a project’s preparation.
Hiring a language service provider does not simply signify paying for a service, it means the beginning of a collaboration during which many exchanges will take place in order to assure the delivery of a successful, tailored end product.
Getting off on the right foot
The first aspect of the project to tackle with the client is the outline of the project, including the deadline, the budget, and the many rainchecks to come if it is a large-scale project. Then, another considerable aspect to discuss is the intention of the translation, the goals the customer has and what target audience their text addresses. Clearly establishing what the purpose of the end product is and what register will need to be used within it is a priority for the translator during a project’s preparation so they can get a clear understanding early on of the resources they’ll need during the realization of it.
This discussion will often be made over a meeting or a phone call during which many other details will be mentioned. An email is also perfect fine but it is nice to get our clients. In order for the translator to easily get on with the project, they need instructions including the platform on which the end result will land, the tone of voice, the style, the reference material, and any other potential criterion they might need to be aware of. To make that first introductory interaction go more smoothly, translator will often ask some standard questions that will steer the customer in the right direction such as “Does your text require a formal or a colloquial tone?” or “Are there any specific cultural factor I should be aware of and take into consideration?”. These questions help to give the client a clearer idea of what instructions might be useful to the translator and avoid any important detail from being left out of that introductory meeting.
Any ambiguity that can be cleared up before the translation process even starts is a detail that won’t need to be fixed during the revision at the very end of the project.
TIP: Set realistic expectations and do not overpromise!
Share of resources
Once the intricate details of the project have been discussed, usually come the resources the company might want the translator to acknowledge before starting to work onto the product. These resources companies usually send can be branding and style guidelines, approved terminology, or even some previously translated excerpts. All of these resources aim to help the translator come up with a final product that will fit seamlessly with the company’s usual tone and ensure the project to accurately meet all the business’ goals, especially in the context of a marketing strategy.
Planning on regular rainchecks
The end of that introductory meeting does not signify the end of the collaboration between the translator and the customer at all, it’s actually quite the opposite.
For projects that are considered longer than others, it’s necessary to plan ahead multiple check-ups during the translation process. These rainchecks should be evenly distributed along the way so that different parts of the projects are finished up in time for each of them, allowing the customer to keep track of the process easily and clear up any issue that might come up along the way.
These constant interactions not only allow the customer to take part of the translation process by answering questions regarding some phrases or being provided a list of possible translations and choosing among them, but it’ll also reinforce a healthy communication between worker and customer where the client isn’t afraid to ask for some specific changes or discuss issues during the process.
The aftermath of a project
Whether it is positive or not, some feedback after the end result was delivered to the client is always appreciated. The more details you’ll be able to provide in your comments, the more the translator will be able to fix his methods and adjust them to deliver you better end results in the future. You can even send back examples and quotes of phrases you wished had been worked on differently so that the translator can analyze it accordingly and take notes from it.
Luckily, with just enough communication and transparency during the translation process, there might not be anything you wished had been done differently in the final product. A good dosage of collaboration minimizes the need for revisions which is why a trustful relationship between client and translator is the main ingredient in the recipe for a successful project preparation.
Conclusion
Just like it needs good ingredients, a good recipe also requires efficient kitchen tools. One efficient tool to incorporate some communication into your project preparation would be the XTRF Chat, a project-based chat room that includes all vendors, project managers, and coordinators. Meant to make teamwork easier, it helps lessen the number of emails exchanged during a project!
To start up a project with an agency in which transparency between the translator and the customer is a priority, contact us now!
