When it comes to translation one of the hardest questions to answer is how long does it take to translate? There is a vast amount of different things that will have an impact on the amount of time that it takes to complete the work.
Top things what matter when working out how long does it take to translate a document include:
Quality of the source document
In order to get work completed as fast as possible whilst still being very accurate you will need to ensure that the key information is clearly explained. It is important that requirements are communicated clearly between you and the translation agency and that the original document is very clear itself and says exactly what you need it to so that the translation is accurate.
Format & style requirements
One of the things that people often wonder when they are going to use translation services is what the best format and style of files actually is. The answer to this is rather complex because it will depend on the nature of the assignment and also the format that is preferred for the translated material.
There are some things that people should take into account when it comes to getting work translated and these include the components that make up the document and the parts that need to be translated. Although this may seem rather obvious it is something that people often forget to consider.
If you have a PowerPoint presentation with accompanying notes do you need to have both parts translated? If you are looking to have old documents formatted then it could be that they are no longer editable in the same format.
Intended use of the translation
There tends to be a common misconception that translation is a very straightforward process that it is simply word for word between two languages and that anyone can do it, however this is not the case at all.
When a document is professionally translated it will be done in such as a way so that it delivers the same meaning as the original and this is one of the reason why the original needs to be clear.
A professional translator will be able to solve problems and they will be able to make the correct decisions regarding translation issues and choose the most suitable words.
Although software can be very useful it does not have the ability to decide on the most suitable words or when to miss out words so that the document makes complete sense when translated.
That’s why how long does it take to translate a document depends not only on the size of the document but also on other factors such as format and style preferences and the clarity of the source text itself.
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