1. Begin by calculating how long the translation will take
It can be difficult to gauge how much time a translation will take in total if you have no previous experience with translation work. When choosing to translate in-house, it is important that you first calculate whether or not it will actually be worthwhile asking an internal colleague to take on the job, at the expense of time spent on their core work.
Generally, lay translators could be expected to manage around 1000 words in a working day (eight hours).
2. Always translate into your native language
It can be a huge challenge to write flawless and natural-sounding texts in our second or third languages. That is why the vast majority of professional translators work only into their native language.
3. Keep your message and audience in mind
A good translation gets across the actual message of the text, so it is not enough to simply translate word for word.
In marketing texts, metaphors and figures of speech can be very important to convey correctly. While in technical texts, it is better to keep more closely to the original text and to express things as clearly as possible.
So before getting started with the translation, take a few moments to consider the context your translation will be read within and who the reader is going to be.
4. Keep up to date on all the latest changes within language rules and conventions
Do you feel completely confident with how you use your commas? Keep up to date with the latest conventions and look for resources that can help you to clear up any doubts. Like this Cambridge Dictionary guide, for example.
5. Consult professionals to ensure the correct terminology
Does your company have a style guide or a tone-of-voice document? Check whether there are any specific industry terms you should use in your translation, as single words quite often have multiple translations, and they won’t all mean the same thing.
Choosing the correct terms is particularly important when it comes to medical, legal or technical documents.
6. Use the right sources
Where is the best place to find information? No matter how well you master a foreign language, you will always come across words and terms that are unfamiliar. It is therefore important to know where you can find help.
Google, Wikipedia, and online references such as linguee.com or iate.europa.eu are good places to start when searching for information or the correct way to translate a particular term. You can also ask friends or colleagues who have experience from the type of domain you are translating within.
7. Look at how the word is used in other contexts
Once you have identified a potential translation for a term, try searching for it to see how it is used in other contexts. You can also Google longer sentences to see if others have used the same wording.
When looking at examples of terms in context online, it is very important that you also consider what type of source you are dealing with: is it a blog post, a news article or a more formal text, for instance?
8. Break up very long sentences
Sentence lengths can actually vary from language to language. Perhaps you’ve translated a sentence, but it is very long and difficult to read in English? Don’t be afraid to split the sentence in two if it will make your text flow and read better.
Long sentences are pretty common in certain languages like Spanish or German, whereas Scandinavian languages tend to go shorter.
9. Always have your translation proofread
And preferably more than once!
No matter how careful you are, spelling mistakes and typos can always creep into your texts. If possible, it is always best to set your translation aside and come back to it several hours later. Try printing it out and reading through a hard copy in a different environment – you will often spot issues that you might not have noticed just by reading on screen.
An even better option is to get a fresh pair of eyes on your translation, as we are often blind to our own mistakes.
If you have had to translate into a language other than your mother tongue, could you get a native speaker to read through the text?
10. Keep up to date with relevant subject areas
For example, if you have to translate texts about electronics, then it will be useful for you to read and follow different sites and sources that write about this topic. That way, you can keep up to date with all the latest terms and lingo, and you will know what you’re dealing with when these concepts show up in your translations.
Professional proofreading from Comunica
We hope you will find our tips helpful when you come to translate your own texts in-house. If you would like to have your translations proofread by an external partner, you are always welcome to get in touch with us.
We offer professional proofreading services for both larger and smaller projects alike.