Rush job. IT>EN. Due tomorrow (23-Sep) at 10am CET. Topic: contracts.

Legal translators with a spare capacity of at least 2,000 words please contact us at info@intrawelt.it.

If you’ve been on the journey to SDL Trados Studio 2011, you might be looking forward to alighting at your destination – if only to stretch your legs. It’s been a long time but we’re almost there. We’re hoping that this time, it’s not the journey that’s important but the getting there because we’re itching to get our paws on TS2011.

The TS2011 train looks very much like Japan’s bullet train but, unlike that version, you can’t set your watch by it. Japan’s bullet train sticks to its timetable and you can be certain that when it says it’ll arrive at fourteen minutes and thirty-two seconds past six in the evening,  it’ll arrive then.

The TS2011 will arrive in September. We hope. At least, it’s expected in September. Barring any works on the lines, or the wrong type of snow, or even leaves on the track.

Whenever it arrives, we’ll be the first off, rushing for the station exit to get home as quickly as we can to unwrap our new TS2011 and start playing…can’t wait!!

Fred Brooks’ book, “The Mythical Man Month” (buy it now at Amazon), so famous within the software engineering world that it makes your eyes sting, is applicable to almost every field of human endeavour.

I read the book over 25 years ago so you might think that the fundamentals of software engineering haven’t changed all that much. Well, I’m not sure about that, but I do think that our fundamental approach to projects (whatever project in whatever field) hasn’t changed.

We received a call on Tuesday: 150,000 words had to be translated from Italian into English by Friday morning.  To be precise, the call was on Tuesday afternoon and delivery was required Friday morning first thing.

72 hours (not even) to translate 150,000 words is roughly 2,000 words an hour (most translators do 2,000 words a day and don’t tend to work 24 hours a day). And that’s not counting any revision or quality checks. In order to hit the delivery, a veritable troupe of translators was created and set to work. [Not sure if there is a collective noun for translators but although the alliteration is ok, maybe a "symposium of translators" would be better...thoughts on a postcard to...]

Even with the best will in the world, a rush job is a rush job. Quality kinda goes out the window. And with so many translators involved, consistency kinda goes out the window. The only positive, I suppose, is that the price kinda goes out the window too – the client will pay whatever it takes.

If our translation were a piece of software it would be so horribly bug-ridden that it would be unusable; in fact it probably wouldn’t even run. But bugs in software are easy to see. “Bugs” in a translation are quite different – that’s why we do proof-reading and quality checks. That’s why simply applying more resources, as Mr Brooks says, isn’t the answer.

Whichever way I look at this job, I cannot see how we don’t end up snookered. If we had turned the job down, the client would simply have found another translation agency to say “yes”. And we might have lost the client forever. It’s certainly a risk. But in doing the job, despite every caveat, the client might still complain about the translation quality and might decide to choose another agency anyway.

But what really keeps me awake at night is the client. It must have taken weeks if not months to produce the original document. 150,000 words is a pretty chunky print job. If I had been the author of that document, I wonder how I’d feel if my company valued the translation at three days’ worth.

Now before you start replying with “yes but” -  sometimes emergencies happen, someone can make a mistake – let’s think about the consequences. What if the document is a company prospectus and is being used to seek investments for millions of pounds. How much would you invest, knowing that the 200-page English document you’re reading was translated in three days by 30 different translators?

Fortunately, this wasn’t this case, but it makes you wonder, doesn’t it…exactly where will that translation go? and exactly how will it be used?

TranslatorsTraining.com Allows Translators the Opportunity to Compare CAT Tools Side by Side

For years translators have struggled to understand the similarities and differences among the various translation environment tools, but the marketing hyperbole and the different platforms and processes have made it difficult to carry out a straightforward comparison. Savvy translators know about the comparison tools at TranslatorsTraining.com that provide a neutral platform for evaluating tools’ strengths and weaknesses. Now this powerful comparison tool is being provided free of charge for all translators.

In an effort to create a level playing field, TranslatorsTraining.com sent the 21 most prominent tool vendors a single document and asked them this question: “Using your tool, what’s the best way to translate this Word document?” The result: 21 video tutorials that show the step-by-step process of translating the same document with each of the leading tools.

“This is a unique platform that allow us to see each of these tools going through the same general procedures on an identical document,” said Jost Zetzsche, author of The Tool Kit newsletter and The Translators’ Tool Box e-book and one of TranslatorsTraining.com’s designers. “For example, we can compare how Trados pre- and post-processes the file, creates a translation memory and a terminology database, and reuses content from the TM and the terminology database with how it’s done by memoQ, Star Transit, or OmegaT.”

The video tutorials are available at TranslatorsTraining.com, a joint project between Jost Zetzsche of International Writers’ Group and Intrawelt, a leading language services and eLearning solutions company. The designers have no affiliation with any of the software vendors profiled; however, many of the leading software tool providers have provided significant discounts on their tools for TranslatorsTraining.com users, accessible only through the video tutorials on the site.

According to Alessandro Potalivo, Intrawelt’s CEO: “Jost’s expertise coupled with our eLearning know-how make this a one-of-a-kind project. We are extremely excited about being able to offer the translation community the ability to compare CAT tools easily, quickly, and objectively—and now free of charge.”

Aston, City, Heriot Watt, Edinburgh, Imperial College, London Metropolitan, Middlesex, Roehampton, University College, Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, East Anglia, Essex, Exeter, Hull, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Salford, Sheffield, Surrey, West of England, Wales, Warwick, Westminster.

Just some of the universities in the UK offering post-graduate (MA or MSc) degree courses in translation.

These universities offer translation PhD courses:
University of Edinburgh
Imperial College London
University College London
University of East Anglia
University of Manchester
University of Wales (Swansea)

Courses vary, obviously, but there is still quite a lot of overlap:

• Specialised translation with translation technology
• Principles and strategies of translation
• Translation project management
• Professional skills
• Business
• Business operations
• Researsh methodologies
• Approaches to translaiton
• Business translation
• Lexicography
• Terminology

Before we can start using a translator, we have to check their experience and background. Although the UNI EN 15038 translation standard requires this, we check a person’s CV for another reason – to avoid “churn”.

It’s a marvellous word isn’t it, “churn”.

Imagine this:

1. You ask a company to translate your text.


2. The translation comes back.


3. You send it to your offices in Japan to review.


4. They return the text with lots of corrections.


5. You send the text to the translation company.


6. They update it, send it back.


7. You send it back to Japan.


8. They send back more corrections.


9. And so on and so on.

This is churn. It’s wasting effort and time and money.

Before we start using a translator, we look at their education, we look at their experience and we ask them to do some test translations. We do this because we don’t like churn.

We prefer to work like this:

1. You ask a company to translate your text.


2. The translation comes back.


3. You send it to your offices in Japan to review.


4. They thank you.

That’s how we prefer to work. What about you?

source: http://www.lexicool.com/courses_uk.asp

We recently conducted a mini-survey of some clients. Here are two results which I thought were very interesting.

Many large companies consolidate their translation needs in a centralised department. Through this consolidation and rationalisation, the company seeks to reduce costs. Every translation request goes through this single department which also manages the external relationships with Language Service Providers.

These centralised departments essentially become an internal supplier of translation services to their internal customers (overseas offices and departments).

We asked them which factor was most important to them.

46% rated the cost of the translation as the most important factor. If you add “On-time delivery”, then 60% of their focus is on project management: cost and time.

Centralised translation service: internal supplier

Then we asked their internal customers – those overseas offices which actually make use of the translation – what they consider the most important factor.

Translation consumer

The project management aspects are not nearly so important (totalling only 31%). Far more important was that the translation was accurate and well written (69%).

When creating a centralised department, therefore, a company explicity announces the tension between money and quality. Implicitly, it is pitting the internal supplier against the internal consumer who have demands which appear to be in conflict.

The demands of the consumer meet the constraints of the supplier

This tension is important and it would be naive to think that it didn’t exist. But it can only benefit the company if the system is truly in tension. That is, if both “money” and “quality” are exerting pressure.

If the centralised department succeeds in reducing costs to the point where the translations are poor quality, has anyone really won? Remember that a centralised department is also a monopoly and if this were to exist in the free market, there would be a regulator. So the company needs to provide the internal consumer with a method to send feedback to the internal supplier. And this feedback needs to form a real and important part of the overall system. It can’t be simply a “nice to have”.

A feedback mechanism, where data is collated, organised and reported, can highlight problems, opportunities and successes. A centralised department can use this data to reduce costs, improve quality, increase consistency and shorten project duration.

Only through a robust quality feedback loop can you keep the entire system under tension and only then will you see both lower translation costs and better quality. You can have your cake and eat it: you can improve project management whilst improving quality.

We know it can be done because we’ve provided consulting to companies on exactly how to do it: how to install a translation quality feedback mechanism that works for both your internal translation consumers and your centralised department.

If you’d like to know how to organise a centralised translation department with effective quality feedback, email us at info@intrawelt.co.uk and ask for our free white paper.

1. It takes a long time to train
   No one really wakes up, has breakfast then, running for the bus, decides simply to carry on running to the office a mere twenty-six-odd miles down the road. It takes training. And for a first-timer, it could take 18 weeks to train. That’s over 4 months. A third of a year. And so it is with translation. Whilst it is true that any person with a computer, internet access and a knowledge of another language could – and does – set him/herself up as a translator, these are not professional, trained, qualified personnel. It may look cute to see a runner dressed up as Tigger (link: zimbio) but we all know we’re really there to see Paula (link: Wikipedia), aren’t we? It’s the difference between the 20-metre dash at your 6-year-old’s sports day and the Olympic men’s 100m final.
2. It if were easy, everyone would be doing it.
   My first marathon was the Big Sur Interational Marathon (link: BSIM) from Big Sur to Carmel in California. It’s pretty but tough. Vancouver’s nice and easy. Paris is great. And Venice is, well, it’s Venice. And I’ve done London too. Not everyone can offer professional, quality translations. We look for translators with graduate degrees in translation. We look for sector expertise; continous work and development. It’s not easy but we feel that by building quality, we build for the future.
3. It feels great when you finish
   Yeah!
4. Many people don’t understand why you do it
   We could find so-called bilingual people to translate your text. People whose only qualification is being able to speak two languages. But this doesn’t mean that they can translate. I can count money but I couldn’t be the Governor of the Bank of England. I can kick a football with my son but I’m no David Beckham (I’ve definitely got the looks though). Some clients tell us that one translation agency quotes for 7p a word and ask why our quote is not that low. It’s because we only use qualified, experienced translators. That means they have a recognised university qualification in translating. Many people don’t understand why we don’t choose less-qualified (or unqualified) people to give clients a lower cost. What they don’t realise is that low-qualified means even lower quality. The bottom line is that if you want a crap translation, then go to those agencies but, frankly, we don’t do crap.
5. There are fun runners and there are serious professional athletes
   There are ISO 9001 certified agencies who also hold UNI EN 15038. And then there are the fun runners.
6. There are no shortcuts
   Just as a runner goes through every inch of those twenty-six point two miles, so we go through every word of your text. Sounds obvious? The Italians say “squadra del cuore” (lit: team of the heart). They’re talking about the football team you support. A “shortcut” would simply be to translate this literally: Who is your team of the heart? Which is English, true, but makes no sense. Only by knowing the sense of the phrase, can we provide a better translation: Which team do you support? It just takes a bit longer because we’ve got to use our brains and think about what we’re doing.
7. The support is critical
   A marathon runner – in training or during the run – needs the support from those around him/her. And it’s the same when translating. Resources, expert advice, computer programs (perhaps to do pagination or layout), all focus on the person running. If a runner had to stop to go to a cash-point to buy a bottle of water, it’d be pretty poor. That’s why we follow our “runners” with everything they might need.
8. There’s always another one to do
   After one marathon, it may take a week or two but many people start planning their next one. The inaugural Brighton Marathon in the UK will take place on 18 April 2010. (link: Brighton Marathon). The next translation comes a little sooner but that’s how we like it!
9. You can always get better
   Your personal best (PB) is always there to be broken. And at Intrawelt we believe that continuous improvement is essential. We look for ways to improve quality, improve consistency, and increase speed. By leveraging information technology better, by streamlining processes, by opening communication, we continually strive to a better PB.
10. A disciplined, professional preparation will eventually show
    In practically every market, the client starts to demand more and more. Not only do their needs change but the client becomes more sophisticated. Eventually, the man in his bedroom with his schoolboy French will be unable to keep up and those clients will not accept his shoddy – but cheap – translations. Just as runners don’t collapse but run through the finishing line and proudly wear the finisher’s medal, knowing that they ran the marathon.

Who cannot remember those dear boys, The Sex Pistols? Their music, behaviour, attitude and personal hygiene were to become the knitted blanket which falls comfortably over the settee to hide the worn patches over the arms.

And how should translators deal with swear words? That’s the thorny issue I’m wrestling with right now. It’s a real ****** because many swear words don’t translate terribly well: either there’s no real translation; or there are too many translations; or there’s a real translation but it’s not applicable because the swear word isn’t used in that way.

When we translate, we try to bear in mind the “blind taste test”. (do you remember the blind taste test cola adverts?). If we were to give the source and target texts to someone, would they be able to select the translation? We always try to produce a translation that looks as though it’s the original: written as if it were the source.

If you need to translate a single expletive, it’s not too bad usually. **** or **** or **** or ****** **** can be translated without difficulty. But what about when swear words as used as adjectives as in “What ****** idiot did that?” or an adverb “You’ve got to be ******* joking?” or a noun “You’re a right *******”?

Because when we use a particular word, it means something particular. Change the swear word and you change the strength of meaning slightly. How can this depth of feeling – so easily created in profanity – be captured in translation? It’s not ****** easy, I can tell you.

And there seems to be no rule either. A **** one day does not translate the same way the same time tomorrow. Like I said, it’s all down to the context and how the word is said (or perceived to be said). A slight change (more than slight sometimes) and the meaning can be very different.

And what about religious expletives? What impact will taking the Lord’s name in vain have in a non-Christian country? And you can’t just replace one God with another – which one would you choose, for example, if you had to pick from the Hindu deities where (link: thanks to Wikipedia) you can choose from 330 thousand?

I know there’s been a **** load of work done in this area already by minds far more able than mine to deal with the issues. But when you’ve got a translation in front of you and there’s **** and **** and **** all over the place, it’s a ****** **** ******!

Very interesting couple of days today. Obviously I can’t mention names or give away too many details but it’s been an eye-opener. Maybe I’m just a little naive – you decide.

A very eminent person contacted us. Not a fabulously wealthy person but one whose name reaches places other names don’t. If I were to tell you who, you’d say, “what, HIM?” And I’d reply, “Yes, HIM”. With a rather self-satisfied air because I had actually come into contact with him.

Anyway, you get the picture. Someone eminent.

He needed a translation done. No urgency but he was going to publish it and, since it would carry HIS name, the quality had to be top, top notch.

We gave our best quote and emphasised that our translator would be one of the best we have, an expert in this field. Our reviewer, similarly, would be another of our top linguists in this field. And we’d do a final, double, double-double quality check in-house to make sure it was super top, top notch quality.

We didn’t get the order.

Why not? We called HIM back to ask.

Despite our emphasis on quality, which was simply an echo of the customer’s needs, we were asking more than the competition. The client, this eminent man, told us he went with a company that was asking 7p per word. The translation was from German to English. The company that won the order allegedly will do a translation, review and quality check. And presumably they’ll make a little profit too. All for 7p per word.

If someone tries to sell you a new BMW for a couple of grand, the alarm bells start going, don’t they? What’s wrong with it? Is it nicked? Whatever it is, you know something’s not quite right.

If Del-boy Trotter tries to sell you a “genuine” Rolex from his rather tatty suitcase “down the market”, you know something’s not right, right?

So when a translation agency promises a high-quality medical translation from German to English, with a professional review by another German-English linguist, followed by an in-house double check, all for 7p per word…

Well, you get the picture.

An experienced, qualified, professional German-English translator – a freelancer, without translation agency overheads and without a reviewer / quality check – will cost a minimum of 6p per word. Good reviewers could ask one third of that (sometimes more) – another 2p. That’s 8p per word without the agency costs let alone any profit for the agency.

Something just doesn’t seem right.

Let’s start off by making a few assumptions. Ok, so you’ve read “How to choose a Translation Partner (part 1)“. And you agree that translation agencies should be more, what shall we say, trustworthy because, well, they have a business name and…

…but hang on! Can’t any Tom, Dick or Harry set up a Translation Agency?

Of course they can! And that was kinda the tongue-in-cheek point I was trying to make in Part 1.

The translation industry is easy to get into: Computer? check. Internet? check. Speak one language? check. Speak another language? che…..well I get by in French.

If a freelancer might be anything but modest, think what a translation agency might do to win business.

Our advice is “Trust No One”.

But take heart because “The Truth Is Out There”.

We feel that if you need something translated, you should get a quality job. Full stop. And by that, I mean that the translation should meet your needs. If you need a contract translated and sworn as a true translation, that’s one thing. If you need an email translated, that’s potentially something quite different. But in each case, you need a translation.

In 20 years of translation, we’ve never heard these conversations:

client: “I need this translated. English to German. By Friday. It’s ok if the translation’s crap.”

client: “How much will it cost?”
agency: “500 euro.”
client: “hmmm. What about a crap translation? how much is that?”
agency: “Ah…that’s on offer right now. Crap only costs 200 euro”.

Our advice – and you see it time and again here – is to look for independent quality certification. We think the important ones are:
ISO 9001 – obviously!
UNI EN 15038 (translation services)
UNI EN 10574 (interpreting services)

It’s very important to look for independent certification. Just ask your translation partner for a copy of their certificate. It’s in a convenient PDF document. Then check the details. It’s easy. It costs nothing. But could save you a packet.

Whilst it’s true that freelancers will be cheaper than translation agencies, do you really want to check the credentials of every freelancer? Of course not. You need to concentrate on your business.

Our business is translation and part of UNI EN 15038 gives very clear instruction on how to select and manage translators. What that means is that when we say we review, assess, evaluate and continually monitor our translators, we mean it. Because that’s what the quality certification demands.

In short, trust independent quality assessments. Then trust the companies that hold them.