Tips
If you would like to request a translation, please take a few moments to read over the following tips. You'll be glad you did!
A translation costs money. But then, a good translation gives you access to a foreign market, thus generating profit.
This is why it is important to invest in a translation of outstanding quality based on adequate discussion about the type of text, target group and medium, and guaranteed by the creation of a customized terminology list to ensure consistency.If possible, always submit the final version of a text for translation.
If you submit new or modified versions later, be sure to mark any additions or changes, and clearly assign the documents a date and version number. This will save you both time and money.What is the intended medium?
Completely different requirements apply to website content than to promotional material for a mailing, for instance. The choice of words, sentence structure and average sentence length are all different for every medium.You may think, 'My Italian isn't so bad. I'll just do the translation myself.'
Keep in mind that you stand a good chance of making a poor impression with a less-than-perfect text. Written errors are much less charming than mistakes you might make in casual conversation!Be sure that references to specific things in the source text are of relevance to your readers.
Will an Italian be familiar with the custom that you cite as an example in the text? And will the political event that you refer to mean anything to foreign readers? A stylistic equivalent will have to be found for the translation - often no easy matter.Translation software may be fast, convenient and, above all, cheap, but it's certainly far from perfect.
Always have a native speaker check a translation done by translation software. Then you'll know for sure that the translation does not contain any foolish mistakes. Errors may not be so bad in a letter to an old friend, but they are unprofessional and inappropriate in a business text.A translation done by a native speaker of the target language is generally more reliable than a translation by a speaker of the source language.
An Italian translator is familiar with all the subtleties of the language, which is important when it comes to conveying exactly the right meaning to the reader.
