Commissioning a translation

In order not to waste unnecessary time when commissioning a translation, prepare answers to these questions beforehand:

• What would you like to have translated?
• Character count excluding spaces?
• Delivery deadline?
• Does the translation need to be proofread as well?

Send us your document for preview – this will make it easier for us to prepare a cost and time estimate for the translation rather than just eyeballing it.

What should the client specify beforehand? Make sure you cover all the essentials:

1. Source and target language

Please indicate the source language of the text (the language from which the text is to be translated) and the target language (the language into which the text is to be translated).
Specify both unambiguously.

2. Field of expertise

If for whatever reason you can't submit the text along with your translation inquiry, we will ask you to at least provide a detailed description of the particular field it covers. This allows the agency to engage the most qualified translator.

3. Purpose

• Clearly describe the intended purpose of your translated document. Will it be used in-house or published on-line; does it need to be certified by a court-sworn translator?
• Some clients fail to disclose the purpose of the text, even though this is a vital piece of information for the translator. This information enables the translator to take into account the text’s specifics and adapt the translation style and language editing.

4. What NOT to translate?

If there are parts in the text that do not need to be translated, the client should point this out very clearly in order to avoid unpleasant surprises at the end.

5. Assigning a specific translator

Not just a go-to translation agency – you can also ask to be assigned a specific translator or team to regularly handle your jobs based on their intimate knowledge of your specific terminology.

6. Specify your preferred criteria

Communicate your wishes to the translation agency:

Would you like to receive a glossary of terms along with the translation?

Do you have established translations for certain words and want us to adopt them?

With this in mind, the translator will be able to consider your wishes and keep your terminology uniform and consistent.

7. Inform us of an upcoming translation in advance

• Inform us of an upcoming translation, even if the text is not yet finished, but you have a vague notion of when it might be. The translation agency will be able to prepare for the project and schedule the best, normally very occupied, translators for your task.
• Notify us of the topic and length of the text, the delivery deadline and the target audience. Please specify whether the text will be released publically and make sure to send us some sample pages for preview.
• Since the translation agency will be expecting your project, the translation will be finished faster and more efficiently.
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8. The translation will be much better if we can keep the dialogue going

• If the text contains many technical terms and abbreviations, it's recommended that the client appoints a contact person in their company to whom the translation coordinator can send the list of ambiguous words and phrases or a glossary of the technical terms used.
• The translation coordinator directs any queries regarding terminology to the contact person, and together they will address any potential issues in the source text.
• Keeping the dialogue with the client open during the translation process enables the agency to resolve potential terminology issues at the source. After all, it is you who is the expert in your particular field.