Differences between European and US translation services online
So you have a translation task at hand you are wondering about how to gauge the competence of the translator you want to hire. Should you go for European or US translation services online? Which one is proficient in the language you need to have translated, do you get right rates with them for your translation project? Would an European translator be better and exactly what is the difference between European and US translation services online.
USA Translate has a few tips for you to consider while answering these questions.
European or US translation services online?
Certification and translation experience
Certification
While considering the competence of the translator; look into simple factors that show the credibility of the translator. Such as European C1 level for a European language. The certification in any language shows the translator’s competence in the language except when he is a native speaker of the given language. If certified translation is what you are looking for then you need to go with US translation services online.
Translation Experience
The only way to know the competence of a translator is to know how much experience he or she has in the translation field. If he was working for an agency then three years of experience that is clearly validated is enough. But if he was working as a freelancer then he needs to have at least five years of experience.
Nativity and field credibility
Nativity
Nativity is your best friend when it comes to hiring a translator. When dealing with texts in a foreign language, understanding the culture and norms of the language are paramount. It is significant to know what a language is like and how the cultural context affects the text. This can not exactly be taught but prolonged exposure to a language will be the best teacher of a translator. So a native or near-native familiarity with the language is much advised in translation.
Field credibility
The best way is to hire a translator who has had some kind of professional education in the field of translation; such as bachelors, masters or associate degree. But that is not very common and USA Translate will not advise you to make it compulsory in the expectations from your translator. There are rarely any translators who have professional degrees in their language pairs.
Why US translation services online?
Translation projects are always hard to complete for both clients and translators as a translator is dealing with a foreign but very important text and the client is giving very important text into foreign hands. A good way to avoid mishaps is as clear a communication as possible. Make sure that your translator knows the two languages and is competent in handling them. This is best understood by talking to the translator and reviewing his samples carefully. Also make sure that he is native in at least one of the languages, preferably the target language so that he knows how to present the content in the best way possible. And it wouldn’t hurt if he was near-native in the original language as well.
These are our simple steps to handle translation related issues and dilemmas. Finding the closest combo to these factors is the best way to make sure that you will not have a bad experience in your translation related endeavors. It really doesn’t matter if you use European or US translation services, what matters is that you get what you need, your translation is of great quality and you don’t pay extra for that.
