In the high stakes world of global business, translation accuracy matters!
Translation accuracy is vital – that’s pretty obvious, but accuracy doesn’t just cover a literal translation of a document. Translating the words is the first step, translating the meaning is at the heart of the process; accuracy is as much dependent on localisation as it is the raw translation of a word.
When it comes to translations, the stakes are high, get it wrong and the consequences can be far reaching. The painstaking effort you have paid to developing your brand messaging in your home country can be completely lost if the translation is off – even by the smallest amount. It can ruin your reputation and make it incredibly hard to build lasting relationships in new territories.
If translation were simply a case of changing one word to another all we’d need is an online machine translation or app, but as we all know, those translations can get horribly (and often hilariously) wrong. Translation accuracy entails translating the meaning (not just the words), preserving the original tone and intent of a message, while taking into account cultural and regional differences. It’s not straight forward, and certainly something that should be left to the professionals.
It’s important to work with an agency who offers translation and localisation services, so they have the capability to deliver an accurate translation that sits perfectly in your target region. It should feel as if it was written in-country.
A high-quality translation should:
- Communicate the original meaning to the target audience in a manner that is both readable and comprehensible.
- Follow all local grammatical conventions and adhere to rules for line breaks, punctuation, alignment, and capitalisation.
- Use proper conventions for addresses, dates, and measurements.
- Use accurate and consistent terminology; if a glossary is utilized, the translation must adhere to all terminology established in the glossary.
- Reflect the style of the source material.
- Adhere to current acceptable usage of the language and use the appropriate register for the target audience.
- Meet all of the client specifications.
- Take any cultural factors into consideration.
Ultimately, the audience in your foreign territory should be completely unaware that the content originates from a different country. Translation accuracy is a multi-faceted affair with localisation at the heart of success.
When it comes to accuracy, we go the extra mile to ensure your project is a perfect translation of the meaning and your brand identity so you can rely on knowing that your translated materials represent your business in the way you need them to. We have set ourselves incredibly high standards when it comes to ensuring accuracy, our quality control is the backbone of our business. We are active members of the Association of Translation Companies and their code of conduct is at the heart of our approach.
Accuracy matters.
