Translation for Information Purposes: When Quality is Challenged by Time and Cost

Kimm St.Thomas, ENLASO Corporation

The translation/localization paradigm of quality, cost, and turnaround is generally discussed with the assumption that quality is the most critical element. The foundations of internationalization alone imply that quality is a necessity from the earliest of global product development efforts. Sometimes however, the "darker side" of our industry's paradigm—cost and turnaround, reflects the minimal needs of a project. This misunderstood event is what localization professionals refer to as "translation for information" purposes.

Translation for information purposes is almost always used for quick translations from a foreign language into the local language. Domestically referred to as "Into-English", translation for information purposes is best described as "a draft-quality product with technical accuracy." With less emphasis on style, word choice, phrasing and sentence length, linguists have more time to produce translations at faster turnarounds and substantially lower costs.

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As lack of quality is certainly not a differentiator I wish upon any language services vendor, the reality is that there is not always the need for superior quality in this type of translation. Instead, clients typically opt for a faster turnaround at a lower cost. However, as the subject matter becomes more technical, simple needs return a model of specialized services. What if you're an intellectual property litigator for a pharmaceutical company that needs to understand what a 113-page Japanese product specification outlines? What if you need to know by next Tuesday? We are quickly reminded that good translations are produced by highly skilled individuals, deeply rooted in both the source and the target cultures, and who are also familiar with the specific vernacular of the subject matter at hand.

Translating documentation for information purposes is a common language need of many non-localization professionals. Not to their fault, these professionals by default often revisit the trodden paths of the "old model" of our industry. Naturally predisposed as an afterthought, translations are produced on an ad hoc basis, with the same anecdotal "what not to do" results. Imagine if you will, a multilingual content management process without the authoring and editing, and only translation — perhaps minor translation preparation depending on the scope of the effort.

Although we think of translation for information purposes as only translating the text for meaning, many are quick to overlook the hidden costs of more complex projects. Specifically, in what format are those words? Perhaps they are in the form of a patent, a contract — or even a medical transcription? Is there an electronic version of this documentation? If an electronic version exists, are there graphics and tables that have important strings of text? The technologies that have revolutionized translation and localization become nearly irrelevant if there is not an electronic format—specifically "text" format of a document to be translated. Furthermore, as language translation is an industry that functions on a cost-per-word basis, even providing an accurate assessment of the projected translation costs becomes a laborious task that quickly negates the razor-thin margins known to such a task. This is a further demonstration why language translation cannot be described as a commodity.

When documents are translated for general purposes of information only, a "nice-to-have" that is actually a necessary standard in all other localization aspects, is the final check for adherence to linguistic quality. After translation, proofing linguists for each target language perform a linguistic quality assurance step, checking the mechanics of the target language. This review consists of checking for spelling, accents, special characters, hyphenation and adherence to client specifications concerning language.

Taking an organization into foreign territories is certainly a global endeavor that implies into-foreign language needs. Sometimes though, that organization is already global and has specific "reverse" needs. This is best described in what we discussed as: translation for information purposes. Even though clients request a faster "just tell me what it says" turnaround at a lower cost, a responsible language service provider should always cost effectively — and diligently exhaust the conventions of quality. This fundamentally begins with informing the client of the localization paradigm and the hidden challenges of even the simplest efforts.

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For more information on how ENLASO can assist you with your "Into-English" translation requirements, please contact Chris Raulf at: 303-516-0857 or by email at marketing@translate.com