Frequently Asked Questions
There are many businesses out there who are not aware of the finer points of translation and localization; we have learned that people often don’t know about what a quality translator can offer his customers. Therefore, we have put together a list on this page that contains a number of questions frequently asked by customers and potential translation buyers.
In Germany and many other countries, the professional title of "translator" is not protected by law; anybody may call him or herself a translator and offer translation services. However, translators without an academic background often lack the tools of the trade necessary to provide quality results. Would you call anyone who is capable of driving a nail into a wooden board a carpenter?
Christian Alkemper graduated at the renowned University of Mainz where he learned not only the English language and culture but also-and most importantly-the trade of translation. This is far from mere language acquisition; it is a considerable mark of quality which is further demonstrated by his acceptance into membership at the BDÜ, Germany's largest professional association of academically qualified interpreters and translators.
There are plenty of online dictionaries and translation services on the Internet, and many of them offer even full-text translation. In fact, whenever you are just looking for a single foreign word, services like this online translator are the right choice. What is more, full-text translation services may be helpful as they allow you to at least grasp the meaning of a foreign text.
However, if you are going to have extensive or complex texts or even need documents ready for press, online resources are unsuitable. In this case, ask the competent and experienced translator-he has the skills and qualifications needed for satisfying results.
Just think about it: No single person can be expected to have full mastery of every technical subject. Such translators typically forward texts from fields they don't know about to other providers. Their customers will never know about the quality standards of those third parties.
We will tell you right away whether we can handle your request, recommend that you forward them to reliable partners of ours, or eject it. (Though it has rarely been the case that we don't know a provider who offers the necessary degree of quality when it comes to the language/subject combination in question.) We are committed to this approach.
We all know those notorious "failed" operating manuals that are typically the output of machine translation used by untrained linguists and project managers wishing to save time and money. Apart from the fact that it is illegal to supply such type of "documentation" (at least in Europe), it also considerably spoils the communication between the manufacturer and the consumer-that is between you and your customer.
Our objective is to make quality translations based on three pillars: factual correctness, clarity, and usefulness. A properly rendered text increases customer satisfaction, and everything that goes with it. Choose quality!
Low-priced translators are typically based in countries with low costs of living-this is why they can offer their services at low rates. There is no replacement for a trained and experienced translator living in the country where the specific target language is spoken. Another common case is non-professional translators; their skills and expertise often prove insufficient for the demands imposed by highly complex technical documents.
Low-priced proposals do not necessarily lead to low-quality results. Nevertheless, if price is not your only consideration, you should proceed with caution when selecting "your" translator. Our fees are based on current market rates of graduate translators in Western Europe. In return, you'll receive well-written, factually accurate results that meet, and often exceed, your requirements.
It does happen from time to time that one or another of our customers tries out a bargain translator; however, most of them have gladly come back to us rather quickly. Quality generally makes the difference.
Using the services of an agency might indeed make sense in certain cases, for example, for localizing a software package including all documentation into many (possible rare) languages. Another case would be the translation of a rather substantial or complex text within a very short time-the commissioned agency will then distribute your document to multiple translators.
One drawback of using an agency becomes apparent here: Whenever multiple translators are working on parts of the same text, high quality can certainly not be ensured-this is particularly true for stylistic and terminological consistency. The quality of the final product is often unpredictable. In addition, many agencies select translators not by the degree of their specialization in the respective subject but just by their rates. Speaking of rates: The agency will most probably take its share, which results in an undesirable price increase and can potentially lead to sticker shock.
On the other hand, if deadlines aren't too tight or your project is to be translated into a manageable number of languages, working with a graduate translator specialized in the subject matter in question is definitely a good idea, as the translator will most likely know the best translators in the field for other languages as well. Your benefit is obvious: When it comes to quality and consistency, this approach can't be beaten!
When you send us a project inquiry, we will first check it for feasibility. If it involves just the "major" languages (English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian) and the subject matter is appropriate, we will generally accept the project. With other languages or specific subjects, we will have to check the availability of the translators in our database; this may require 1-2 working days (because of time differences, etc.).
If your project involves a very large number of languages or a highly specific subject matter, we might find ourselves compelled to refer you to a different provider. In such cases, contacting a larger translation agency might be the best solution.
Sometimes, documents must be translated very quickly: overnight, or over the weekend. This requires flexibility on all sides-an attribute of many, though not all translators.
In general, we will gladly accept such inquiries but we still need to consider our own schedules and capacities. The sooner we know about your needs, the better your chances. But even if you call us at 5:30 pm asking to translate two pages by 9:00 am, we may still accept the project if we feel we can deliver on time and within our quality standards. You will understand that such rush requests will incur an extra charge.
Naturally, all texts, data, and resources supplied to us are treated with the strictest confidence. We will gladly sign your NDA after examination. In addition, we ourselves require such agreement to be signed by all translators who h we work with in case we do not offer the language/subject combination in question or have no capacities available.
If you have other questions or comments, feel free to contact us.
