10 Tips for a successful translation

Tip 1: Good language pays off

Never be afraid to ask what’s included in the price when getting quotes from different translation agencies. A low price doesn’t always mean the lowest overall cost in the end. Maybe there are additional costs not shown in the quote? Who will be translating the text, how will it be checked, and what happens if you’re not entirely satisfied with the result? Remember that accurate, well-written translations pay off, whether they concern advertisements or the law. Good language boosts a company's brand, but poor language weakens it. We always include:

Tip 2: Translations solely into the translator’s native language

We express ourselves best in our native language. Just think of how many small nuances a language has, things that simply feel right or wrong. We use only trained translators, all of whom translate solely into their respective native languages. Need translations into English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese or perhaps Tigrinya? No problem. Our global network of professional translators can handle most languages.

Tip 3: A fully polished manuscript pays off

Make sure your manuscript is completely finished before submitting it for translation. We guarantee it will have greater impact and be more cost-effective. Changes later will lead to more administration and additional contacts with the translator, and there’s a greater risk of something going wrong along the way. If you’re short of time and have to submit a text that’s not completely finished, be sure to carefully date the different versions.

Tip 4: Quality assurance is essential

At Språkbolaget, all translations are reviewed by an additional translator – it’s how we assure quality. Always four eyes, minimum! It’s how we make sure no spelling mistakes or factual errors creep into the text, and you can feel completely confident of receiving an accurate translation. When ordering a translation, it’s important to find out what type of quality assurance you’ll be getting. Is it a simple on-screen spellcheck, or will the text be reviewed by a trained translator?

Tip 5: Feedback!

Serious translation agencies love feedback! So please get back to us as soon as you can with your comments about the translation, while it’s still fresh in the translator’s memory. We always offer a satisfaction guarantee, which means we never give up until you’re satisfied.

Tip 6: Set aside time for translations

We recommend you set aside time for your translation project. This gives the translator a chance to become familiar with the text, conduct research, read reference material and produce a flawless translation. If you have regular productions such as customer magazines, newsletters or similar, it’s a good idea to stay in contact with the translation agency. This allows us to book the same translator every time to ensure continuity in your texts.

Tip 7: Think multilingual from the outset

Think multilingual right from the start. Ensuring that information, images and layout are relevant and suitable for the target market, makes the entire translation process smoother and faster. And for the most part cheaper. When you're looking to put your message across in multiple markets, it’s important to bear the following in mind:

Target audience. Consider who is going to read the text and adapt the style, tone, and facts accordingly.
Brevity. Keep things short, sweet and to the point, and avoid obvious cultural phenomena, wordplays and metaphors that can be difficult to translate and adapt to suit a different culture.
Be consistent. Remember to be consistent with technical terms in the source text. Synonyms can confuse the reader, and an unclear source text can lead to an unclear translation.
Check your facts. Carefully fact-check the text to avoid propagating mistakes across multiple languages.
Expansion factor. Bear in mind that some languages expand and may require more space than is available in the original layout. In general, you should always expect a translation to be slightly longer than the original text, and some languages expand more than others.

Tip 8: Designate a contact

Questions often arise during the translation process. As our client, you have valuable knowledge of the subject matter and the text, and about things that might not be immediately obvious to the translator. It’s a good idea to appoint a contact who will be available to answer questions during the course of the project. This guarantees a better end result.

Tip 9: Good translation agencies always ask questions

There are a few things we need answers to before we get started on the assignment, to enable us to deliver the best translation possible. We ask questions not because we are unsure, but because we genuinely want to make certain we deliver what you expect. Here are some of the things we like to know before we start:

What is the target audience? Who will be reading the text, in which country, in what context and in what format?
What is the purpose of the text? Will the text be used internally or will it be printed as a brochure and used in multiple markets? What is the purpose of your text?
Reference material If you have previous translations, glossaries, internal style guides or similar material, please send the material to us. Having access to relevant reference material helps us make sure we use the correct terminology and register in your text.

Tip 10: We translate directly in the original file

The demand for translations in ready-to-print or formatted layouts is constantly growing. We can deliver the foreign-language versions directly in the layout of your brochure, magazine or advertisement. All we need from you is the original files and the graphics, and we’ll provide you with a neatly packaged translation ready for the printers, should you so wish. This saves a lot of time as you avoid having to insert the translation into the layout yourself, and we make sure the text ends up in the right place.

If you need help with translations into languages written from right to left, such as Arabic, Persian and Dari, Språkbolaget also has the relevant skills and the specialist knowledge needed to correctly insert the texts into the layout.