Our Translators Will...

1. Submit their work on time. This remains the number one complaint of agencies and clients, and they have every right to be upset. Translation is not a "better late than never" profession. Get the work in on time and your clients will love you for it.

2. Create translations which are free from errors and omissions. There shall be no missing words, phrases, paragraphs or pages in translations. Terminology will either be correct or noted as uncertain. Words and phrases which are difficult to explain will be noted in a "Translator’s Note" at the end of the document. Translators are rendering information from one language to another and know that this process has pitfalls and hurdles. The translator should tell the agency or client about these problems and let them decide what to do.

3. Take the time to educate clients about the issues involving translation, be they linguistic, cultural, social, or philosophical. The client should not be surprised when reading the translated text. The client should be informed, ahead of time, about what to expect and not to expect.

4. Service the client. Clients will be treated with respect and compassion. They shall be informed of all problems and issues involving the translation, by phone or in writing. Our translators have an interest in all parts of the process of translation, not just their own role.

5. Maintain a proper office, complete with a real computer, current versions of word processing software and other business applications, a fax and modem, and a proper printer which produces clean, clear, crisp, quality text and graphics. Translators complain about the lack of professional treatment in the industry; it’s time they do their part and be professionals themselves.

6. Learn how to use word processing software and the modern conventions in desktop publishing. We all should be putting single spaces between words and sentences, using proper ASCII characters for accents and other symbols, using tabs, tables, columns, and margins correctly, and providing file formats our clients can read.

7. Learn the subtle art of telecommunications and modem transmissions. Agencies and clients complain regularly about translators who can’t deliver work properly to their email accounts or FTP sites. Translators have to be able to deliver their work in a timely fashion. Having a good ISP or corporate Internet and giving translators reasonable access will go a long way to minimizing delivery delays.

8. Go on-line. Translators represent an integral facet of international communication and the emerging global village. They have to be able to talk to each other about what they do and how they do it. Letters are too slow, telephone calls and faxes too expensive. However, on-line, messages and files can be sent and received almost instantly, plus information on virtually any subject imaginable is available for the asking. Take advantage of the on-line universe.

9. Accept assignments for which they have the time and knowledge and turn down all others. Our translators do not take jobs if they don’t really have the time to do the work properly or if they lack the requisite background knowledge and experience and reference materials.

10. Provide you extraordinary custormer service

WE HOPE THAT EVERYONE WILL...

1. Stop confusing translators and interpreters. Translators deal with the written language. Interpreters deal with the spoken language. A translators cannot necessarily interpret and an interpreter cannot necessarily translate. Moreover, there is no such thing as ‘simultaneous translation’ or ‘written interpretation’.

2. Stop complaining about translation and translators or using them as scape goats. Translation is a multifaceted process involving many people, not just the translator. Moreover, many of the problems people complain about in a translated text cannot be solved without giving the translator permission to rewrite the material in its entirety. Translation is more than just swapping words or converting a phrase from one language to another. And while I certainly don’t want to exonerate all translators for every error ever made, let’s consider the big picture before dumping on the translator.

3. See the value and relevance of translation. Translation is about communication. In the modern world, often called the ‘global village’ or ‘international community’, communication of information and ideas between different languages and cultures is critical for peace, for the development of economies and technology, and for the growth of nations and regions. Translators are a small, but vital part of this process. They facilitate communication between people who want and often must communicate. Their role in this process must be better understood and more greatly appreciated.

All that said, we hope that these suggestions resonate with other translators and motivate would-be translators to consider carefully how they practice their profession.