Decoding the Job Role of a Language Translator

Commonly seen, when asked about the role of a language translator, people possibly answer it as a work profile wherein the job of the professional is to simply convert the text from the source language into the target language. However, the job includes many activities beyond this scope. As written in his book Translation as a Profession, author Roger Chriss defines the job of language translator as language professionals who are also applied linguists, competent writers, diplomats and educated amateurs. 

Like linguists, the translators need to be well equipped with knowledge regarding both the source and target language to adequately handle the nuances, terminologies, colloquialism and any other developments in the languages. Similar to the writers, they are required to be well-accustomed with the long working hours that mainly include developing and researching subjects that interest the masses and language trends that comforts the majority’s lifestyle and educational levels. Coming to the similarity of job attribute shared by both the translating professionals and diplomats is that while working they both need to be extremely careful regarding the cultural and social differences that exist in the society. Finally, as educated amateurs, they are required to know every minute knicks and knacks of the subjects they deal with. Another important aspect of a good translating agent’s job is to be a good communicator who adequately communicates with the client to know their views and ideologies in framing the desired translation works.

Overall, multitasking is the key of acing the translation job and here is a list of some additional works that come into account of a good translating professional’s work attributes:

·         Maintain the intended meaning of the message as conveyed in the source language

·         Follow the word choice and style sheet of target language as provided by the client or as followed by the majority of the target audience.

·         Try to maintain as much balance as possible between the formatting of source documents and the translated one.

·         Carefully assess the regional preferences of target language as it majorly affects the phrasing and grammar.

·         Ensure overall clarity and accuracy of the translated works.

As much as an art Translation is also a science. The functioning in the industry keeps on changing from time to time as per the trends prevailing in the literature markets. Machines haven’t yet reached that level of expertise to process the localized aspects and grammar nuances of languages that keep on changing from region to region irrespective of the languages. Even after so many years of translation industry into being, human translation is still its necessity. But similar to the machines, humans too can do an error that is why any reputed translation agency in Delhi or around the world has a thorough quality assurance process in place.

How New Media is impacting Translation Industry?

The term New Media refers to the set of methods and practices of modern communication, representation, and expression through digital multimedia and networked computers and devices. Through New Media, the information is processed, stored, transformed, and retrieved as a two-way communication. It has greatly impacted the translation industry and the conventional practices involved in the process of translation.

To begin with, New Media has spearheaded the creation of target texts specifically for the initiating the engagement with cross-border audience depending on their geographical location, interests, concerns, and backgrounds. For this, language translators in Delhi have to double up the efforts required to produce the culture-specific texts.

New Media has spurred the demand for the combination of audiovisuals and modern translation skills in the market. This has propelled the translation companies in Delhi to harness every new resource available like CAT tools. Many clients require the same translator to work for another project with the same quality, time span, and budget. At times, language translators in Delhi are okay with it due to their interest in the work, and other times, it seems out of possibilities. This is so because translators are often seen resistant to change and not willing to move out of their comfort space.

Well, this is what New Media has made obligatory for them to stay ahead of the competition. They have to become adept at the latest progress and demands of this digital age. Moreover, the language translation companies in Delhi and around the globe have to arrange frequent training sessions and meetings for the employees as to make them aware of the growing use of digital technology and dynamic trends in translation. The translators must focus on becoming Jack of all trades while working on their area of specialization and technical expertise.

The audiences and readers worldwide have taken an active role in both producing and consuming information—thanks to New Media. Today, every information and knowledge can be produced, shared, and consumed as it is accessible across the globe following the rules of “democratization of information”. But, to make this information readable and understandable by global readers, translators have an important role to play. The freelance translators who offer certified translation services in Delhi, as well as language translation agencies in Delhi, have to tailor their offerings as per the target audiences because language is a barrier even in this free exchange of information.

Surely, New Media has evolved at a rapid speed and having a great impact on the translation industry. While it is easy for the translation companies to cope up with this impact, individual freelance translators may find the situation tough to handle.

Things which cannot be compromised in French to English translation

Translation from French to English is a tough job, and it requires absolute precision and clarity because “Seeing is Believing” doesn’t go true in every situation.

Globalization has affected the industry of translation just like every other industry and has led to increased interactions between peoples and cultures of the world and hasgenerated the need for translators and interpreters. Though it is considered as one of the oldest professions of the world but has become an organized industry only after the foundation of WTO in the mid-90s and the increased internet usage further fuelled the growth of translation industry. Today, no multi-national company can survive in the highly competitive global market without the presence or support of skilled and expert translators and interpreters.

France–India relations have traditionally been close and friendly since the colonial era and in the present time; various French brands hold the top position in the fashion and lifestyle market of India. Unlike Canada and Europe, Indians are not familiar with the French language. It is English, Hindi, or vernacular languages that help international brands to communicate with their target audience in India. Here comes the invaluable presence of professional translation agencies in Delhi and rest of the country which translate all types of marketing and business messages/documents from French to English and vice versa.

It is a blunt truth that Information of the French and English dialects is one thing, but having command over the translation is distinctive mastery which can be expected only from the proficient interpreters. Non-professional interpreters frequently depend on conventional practices. Thus, some small mistakes result in blunder within the translated document. Here are a few of the frequently committed mistakes that need to be marked while translating a document from French to English language.

Wrong interpretation of quotes and poetry

Quotes and poetry often have metaphors, similes, and phrases. The incorrect interpretation of these words and phrases totally changes the real meaning which may result in a massive business loss.

Unwittingly translating the name of a person

English and French surnames like Goldsmith, Boycott, and Bird are sometimes unintentionally translated by the native translators of foreign languages. And you can assume how awkward would be the situation for a person of any of the above surnames when a translator mentions him in the Hindi language.

Wrong assessment of the context

Translation is a serious work and one need to be very thoughtful in the right comprehension of the words. A translator, first of all, needs to understand the context of a communication, the purpose of the message, sender of the message and the target audience. After analysing all such factors one can truly assessthat what the addresser want to say and what should be the words that natives of a foreign language may easily understand.

Inappropriate Style

The flow, rhythm, and selection of words differ from one subject to another, for instance, the style and flow of a fashion article will be strikingly distinctive from a sports article or a publication in a science journal. Hence, an interpreter must get the subject and style of the original content while interpreting the same within the other language. In an editorial on science, the centre of the author will be more on actualities and figures rather than exaggeration and be using classy words. Corollary a press release about the launch of luxurious jewellery shall focus more on aesthetics than rather characterizing the specialized perspectives of gold and jewel outfits.

Get multi-lingual to make your website more customer-friendly

The knowledge of English certainly makes a person eligible to communicate with several communities round the globe and be a part of the global workforce. But what most businesses forget is that it is the localized version of their website, products and services that the customers relate more to. The owners might be avoiding the thought of getting localized to get saved from the cost of translation but this is keeping them void of many international customers. Simply put while saving the cost of translation businesses are ending up messing the whole lot of customer opportunities available online.  Even several statistics, with Common Sense Advisory being the most prominent one indicate that around 70% of Internet users prefer reading product descriptions in their native languages before taking any important purchasing decision.

Most of the companies don’t prefer the job of translating into other languages like French, German, Portuguese, and many more as either they are not aware of where to start from or are stuck with deciding the localization project cost. Part of the issue may be that companies don’t know where to start or what a localization project will cost.

Little to invest for a whole lot of better returns

At the very first place, companies don’t prefer spending too much on translation services, but once the investments have been made and the returns start arriving, budget is no more an issue to be restricted on. It is found that a typical investment in translation services generally starts with a budget less than 1 per cent of the total investment made in R&D or marketing. This is surely not a bad deal when stats reveal that localization boosted the revenue of companies much faster than their competitors who were just sticking to the Basic English website.  There is this Israeli e-retailer firm named Under.me that got German language translation of its website, this boosted the customer conversion rate in Germany from 1 percent to 2 percent. The French language translation of the same website raised the customer conversion rate from 0.67 percent to 1 per cent.

Get into researching before starting  

Given the world coming close with the power of Internet and all demanding the content in tehur native language- there’s a definite proof that there’s a great market open for localized websites and collateral.  Several case studies are available in the market to guide the businesses how adequate translations can adequately increase sales in target markets.  But to make translation costs a beneficial investment one needs to be well prepared with some research work which includes finding answers to the questions like where are the target customers? What channels will best connect the business to them? What’s needed to make a significant push across those channels? It’s also important for the companies to have a good knowledge about the annual planning, budgeting and opportunities abroad before embarking on a localization project.

Translation is one of the most lucrative businesses in the digital era

Service sector which is the engine of world's economy is backed by many creative businesses and translation is one of the strongest pillars of this sector.

The growth of manufacturing in China, the rise of Make in India and Startup India campaign in the homeland, the expansion of German automobiles across the world, the global recognition of Japanese conglomerates in electronics and robotics, and the emergence of UAE as world business hub have propelled the growth of translation business in every big and small market of the world. In this shrinking global market, the need for better communication depends largely on translation and communication industry.

Oil producing countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Kuwait are enticing people from different parts of the world, and to flourish at these places either one should be familiar with the Arabic language or must hire services from a professional translation agency. Not only commercial activities are booming with the day by day shrinking world, people across the world are curious to explore new places as well as cultures. Movies from Korea, Iran, and France are receiving great accolades in countries like the US, UK, and India, this success of foreign cinema is purely dependent on translation and transcription services of the professional agencies which are thriving rapidly in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore.

Apart from the physical world, the unprecedented growth of digital media and the ravishing popularity of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram created innumerable avenues for the translators. Amidst the non-conservative surge of social media, professional agencies are leaving no stone unturned to encash these opportunities. Whether it is website content, feature article, by-line articles, blogs, press releases, research papers, case studies, questionnaires, videos, academic lectures or business presentation, the scope of translation industry is as wide as the reach of the web world. And, for best translation agencies in cities like Delhi, this virtual growth is very virtuous for them.

Apart from these highly conspicuous factors, the growth of education industry is also interlinked with the growth of translation business and good academic content is the demand of global scholars where translation eradicates the language barrier.  

The success of a language translation agency in metro cities like Delhi depends on the skills and expertise of its people; qualified and experienced translators. Besides having command on more than two languages, they must be well-informed with the global happenings and current affairs to make their work more authentic and realistic. Secondly, professional attitude and spirit to accomplish the work in the stipulated time are the top merits that every client wants from a reputed translation agency.

Measurement: The Core Value of today’s PR World

Public Relations (PR), an industry that has been there supporting the marketing world since very long but remained under the cover has gained much recognition and appreciation in the recent times. And with every passing year PR firms are proving their worth much more effectively in delivering credible and involving messages that are all a good mix of durability, effectiveness and  relatively cost- saving.  The long lasting, effective and being inexpensive combo offers a strong return-on-investment (ROI). And while working towards a positive ROI, PR professionals need to make sure they assess and measure their PR output and outcomes.

As measurement becomes the sole objective to be effective with in this hyper paced PR world, practitioners need to focus more on research and evaluation to set objectives, develop strategy, and improve performance over time. A number of concerns solved with research and evaluation are:

• Validation of efforts: There is value in validating what one has in his/ her knowledge because one never knows that a PR success for them might not be a victory for those funding the program. In addition, one never knows what new facts and information one might learn that is both transformative and benefitting for their work.
• Clarity of Objectives: The setting up of research and measurement criteria involves those present at the senior management desk thus confirming that the objectives adequately reflect the brand’s requirements. The defining process itself offers the PR practitioners an immense scope of learning and prioritizing experience.
• Results lead to growth: The results of the research done to analyze the PR activities are not to be used as a measurement scorecard. Instead, it needs to be looked upon as feedback helping the professional in ensuring the delivery of a better PR results. 

It’s vital for the PR companies to advocate the ROI thinking in their PR professionals to ensure constant delivery of success amongst all the clients of the firm. Once the commitment to measurement gets developed then there is no looking back and the only destination for the PR journey is success and appreciation.