How much does industry expertise play into translation?
When embarking on a first translation project with the assistance of a language service provider, it’s important for a company to manage its expectations in terms of how well the company can dive into its specific niche. Many factors go into the determined success of a translation project, including:
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The expectations of a client (some will have more feedback on style than others)
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The translator’s knowledge of the particular industry
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The translator’s ability and experience in translating
Industry expertise versus translation skill
When it comes to the translation industry, there are three types of professionals:
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Those that are experts in translations
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Those who are experts in a specialized field
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Those who are both experts in translations and in a specialized field
The first, of course, is most common, the second less common, and the third even less common. At BURG, we have all three, but not for every specialized field and for every language — no translation agency does. Oftentimes, this is because these highly specialized experts prefer to use their specialized knowledge in their field of practice rather than in translations.
And so when working with a language service provider, it’s important to know which of these three types a company is working with. If no one at the company is an expert in a particular tiny niche of Life Sciences, the best a client can hope for is someone who understands the wider category, as well as the intricacies of technical translation.
The best of both worlds
Fortunately, there is a pragmatic solution: collaboration between the translation agency and the client reviewer to agree on a final version. In this situation, the translator produces a 90-95% final product, while the client’s review catches mistakes unique to the specialization as well as to his own style.
If there are material linguistic mistakes made due to the lack of knowledge of the niche, these are noted and recorded in our translation memory to refer to for future translations. Stylistic changes that the client reviewer proposes are also noted, however the changes are documented in a ‘style guide’ for future translations. This allows the translator to learn both the technical nuances of the field as well as the style preferred by the client.
Sometimes a client may not be completely satisfied with the initial translated document. Many clients have their own style and voice for writing, and request changes to keep the translation in line with their preferences. As long as the client is happy with the final version, and we are using both translation memory and style guides to protect future translations, it’s perfectly acceptable to have change requests.
While in an ideal world, a translator would have both in-depth industry knowledge as well as experience in translation, sometimes a balance between the two can net just as good results.