Spanish translation can be tricky, especially if you have a document that you’re trying to translate in-house.
We all know that it’s important to write well because your documents being published out to the public. There is no difference with your Spanish documents.
It’s important to get your Spanish translation right the first time. Since your document is a representation of you or your company (and you can’t personally vouch for the Spanish version of your document), it’s a good idea to make sure that your Spanish document is translated correctly by a qualified Spanish translator. Here are 3 tips to help you have a successful Spanish translation:
- Know who your target audience. Often it’s easy to forget about your target audience when you’re focusing on conveying the information that you want to get across, but it’s important. A professional translator will translate your document in the same register (or “language level” – which relates to educational level) that your source document is written. If your target audience for your English document is the same demographic as your target audience for your second language document, then you’re fine. If not, you’ll want to revise your English document first before contracting it out to be translated.
- Never rely on bilingual office staff. Unless you’re translating a personal note or non-business related document, never use your bilingual office staff. Professional translation is a combination of extremely high language skills and the art of negotiating meaning in two languages. Translating is a professional skill that few people do well. Being bilingual is definitely a requirement of being a good translator, but bilingualism certainly doesn’t qualify someone to translate for you. We see interesting translations all of the time, many of which were completed by a bilingual “friend,” and not a professional. If your document is important enough to have been edited and proofread in English – you probably need a professional translator.
- It’s always a plus if the person managing the project for you has some experience with the target language and culture. This helps keep you well informed on the project, and they can help educate you of any possible cultural considerations with respect to your document.
Common Ground International has a team of certified translators ready to work on your next Spanish Translation project. We offer great customer service at competitive rates.
