Global trade has necessitated translation to and from many languages of the globe. An intricate process, owning to variations in syntax and construction rules in world languages, translation entails a careful selection of translator and reviewer services.

Since you cant review the quality of a translated document, you can make sure that:

1. The document you are giving for translation is of the best level possible.

2. The team you are paying meets your top notch requirements.

Before handing off:

1. Initiate the spell check and grammar check: An obvious but a completely necessary step. Remember, if your document is error free, there will be fewer translation errors to deal with!

2. Keep a copy of the document with you: This might seem like a superfluous suggestion but an excessively enormous number of people forget to do so!

3. In your document: Keep the sentences short and clear and avoid using abbreviations (Say can not instead of cant).

Deciding on the translator:

1. Inexpensive is not best. Your neighbors kid who took a French paper last year might be able to flaunt his French connection but translation is a professional calling. Paying less might turn out to be very costly for you.

2. Choose a service provider who has a large number of years of experience in translating into the language you are seeking.

3. The translator should be a native user of the language and must be conversant with the culture and minutiae of the language he/she is attempting to translate from.

4. The translator should also be able to understand the finer nuances of the language he/she is translating from.

5. Choose a translation company that offers to take the complete project – from translation to editing, proofreading and even desktop publishing.

After handing over

Handing over the document doesnt ensure great translation. Your inputs will be important even after handing over. Time invested here will extract advantages in terms of error free documents of great quality.

1. Make sure you have a detailed discussion about your project with the service provider to explain your requirements and to understand his/her concerns.

2. Be accessible to answer concerns and questions whenever the translator requires you.

Some more things

1. Never press the translator to do a sloppy job. Think through your project well and build in time for assessments and translations properly.

2. Select a good reviewer with the help of your translator.

3. Dont submit a half finished document. Translating corrections and additions can be pricey and may introduce errors.

4. Never try to piece together bits of translated material yourself.

Ensuring the quality of translated documents is as much your responsibility as that of your translator. You can ensure quality by also insisting proofreading and making sure that the numbers, dates and figures are error-free.

You also need to share supporting documents like references and glossaries with your translator to enable him/her to do a better job. Most of all, you must set realistic turn around time for your translators.

Never get lost in translation again!