For the best results when translating, it is important to always think about the context in which the source text was written and how it might be perceived if brought to the target culture. What this means is that language and culture are always very tightly intertwined with one another, so what one language might find normal, another language might find abnormal or outright offensive. For example, in the Hopi Indian language, there is no word for time, so their understanding of time is very different from most of the world where there is a defined word and definition for time. Similarly, divorce does not have its own native word in most Indian languages, and they instead use the English word “divorce,” if they ever want to get a divorce. However, divorce rates are much lower than they might be in other places in the world, due to their culture seeing marriage as a lifetime commitment. These kinds of cultural differences is why you have to do a little research when you are translating.

Similarly, in Japan, they have adapted a lot of English words into their own language and use them on a daily basis, but if an English speaking person heard these words, they might have a different idea of what they mean. For example the word “lamp” might mean a kind of light that you might find on your desk or in the room, but in Japanese, it is used almost exclusively for indicator lights. So when you translate languages that use words that appear in the target language as well, be sure to make sure that they have the same meaning in both languages.

Another thing you should be careful of is avoiding idioms altogether if you can help it. Idioms are commonplace in any language, but there will not always be an equivalent idiom in the target language. Unless the idiom is very essential to the translation, you should try to figure out a different way of phrasing it. For example, the phrase “two birds, one stone.” There may be equivalents to this in some languages, but if the target language does not have an equivalent, then you could instead say “accomplish two things with one action” or something of the sort.

While translation can be a fairly straightforward process of just taking the source words and then convert it into the target language, it can often be much more complex than that. While fields such as technical and patent translation might encourage a more one to one translation, there are some styles, phrases, and references that just won’t translate if you adapt a one to one style. That is where some creative liberties come into play where the translator tries to find replacement words or phrases that won’t always have the exact meaning of the original, but will be able to give the same nuance or elicit the same kind of reaction as the original did in the source language.

Look through the translation only
It’s possible to be too “close” to your own work. Artists will say that after hours of slaving over a piece of work and still feeling unsatisfied, they have to step away for a while to give themselves some distance. Coming back later with a fresh view, they might instantly see what’s wrong and know where to put the finishing strokes. As a self-editor, translators should do the same: a few days after you’ve done a translation, come back to it and reread it as if it were originally written in the target language – that is, without looking at the source. The combination of a fresh look and reading the target text by itself can help you judge whether the translation flows well in the target language, sounds idiomatic, follows the structure of the source too closely, etc. Taking a fresh look will also help you identify errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc., which you may have missed the first time around. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can completely toss out the source as soon as the first translation draft is done, which brings us to the second suggestion.

Compare the source and target text
After reading the translation, the second step is to refer back to the source text to see if there are any meaning errors, omitted information, etc. Avoiding any meaning shifts is always on a translator’s mind, but it’s possible to make them without realizing, which is why comparing the source and target again is necessary. Editing a translation, just like translating itself, requires solid command of both languages in order to feel the subtle differences between them and tell whether the translation is a proper rendition of the source text. Be particularly attentive that terminology is translated correctly, and consistently. Make use of term bases provided by the client or agency, and don’t be afraid to ask for them if they haven’t been given.

Format checking
After making sure the content is all good, the last step is to check formatting and layout of the translation. This often may be as simple as matching font and font size, making sure that a few bold, italic, or underlined words in the source are mirrored in the target, or that a hyperlink is in the proper place. Other documents may be formatted in a more complex way, with tables and images which need to be properly recreated or inserted.

The fundamental aspect of producing a translation may be, well, translating, but skilled and careful editing is also imperative. How many authors can write a novel without ever looking at what they’ve written? Following the above three steps will provide a good basis for editing a translated work properly in order to get it ready for delivery.

But translating a CMS-based site requires a special approach. The content of modern dynamic websites is not stored in a single file, and it cannot be simply downloaded and sent over to a translator. Thus, an entire localization engineering process is required to first extract the source text, then reintegrate it back in after the translation is complete.

Plug-ins do exist within some CMS platforms to assist with this process. They allow pages to be linked together as multilingual equivalents. However, full integration requires extensive engineering work. While most translation companies do not have this capability, Monterey Language Services does. Monterey Language Services’ localization technology and global localization platform streamline the integration process to ensure that our translation is properly applied within your site.

Furthermore, we can translate not only the surface content, but also the meta data of your site. That will ensure your site’s SEO (search engine optimization) functions in all of its intended languages, serving to attract new visitors and help your site succeed in international markets. That’s right – We translate and localize your SEO content so that your website will rank high in other countries and markets!

We can also monitor the updates you make to your site and update our translations to match, so that all of your customers are presented with the most current information.

With our skilled and experienced team, we guarantee the successful translation and implementation of your website, no matter the content or language, with no extra hassle or effort on your end. Just leave everything to us.

Monterey Language Services strives to provide the highest quality of translation and interpretation services. Please feel free to contact us for a quote.