"How long will it take?" This is probably the most common question one hears when working in a translation company. The counter-question is "How long do we have?" Translating a document is a time-consuming process. If done correctly, translating a document can take days, depending on the length and complexity of the text. A translator must fully understand the context of the source text. They are also responsible for the text to be accurate in the target language and editing it so that it looks like the original version.
A high-quality translation takes time because it involves research, review, and detailed review. The review time of a translation depends on the number of words, format, subject matter, and complexity. A professional human translator can translate between 2,000 and 3,000 words a day. For a technical or complex document that requires an understanding of the source text and specific aspects of it, this productivity can be as low as 1,500 words per day or even less.
But just as there are factors that make the whole process longer, there are also hacks that can limit it to a bare minimum so that your multilingual documents are ready to be used just in time. Let's dive in.
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Language barriers can be very tricky and difficult to overcome in the business world, especially when working in an international market. When it comes to professional document translation services, every company needs to make sure that existing language barriers are as easy to overcome as possible.
If you are planning to launch your product in an international market, you need to consider the cultural and linguistic challenges you might encounter. For example, if you want to launch your product in Germany, you may not be able to write the descriptions and content in English. You will need to use a professional translator translation service to have your document or web content translated into German (and the version of it used in Germany, that's critical as you may want a different version of German for Austria or Switzerland).
In a world where technology and artificial intelligence are ubiquitous, you can rely on human translators, but there is a risk of errors. Translating your documents is essential if your target audience consists of people who speak different languages. The more your translation supplier caters to your preferred language choices, the greater the chances of your gaining a strong customer base and strengthening your business.
If you want to handle more than one project at a time and speed up your process, it's time to hire multiple translators. You can divide the text or parts of the document among different translators who will translate and review their parts. This way, your document will be translated quickly and delivery time can be significantly reduced. Before you start delegating parts of a large project, make sure it's worth it. Some projects do not lend themselves to the multiple translator approach. Each translator might translate the same terminology differently, which would affect the consistency and flow of the document. Of course, there are ways to avoid it like creating an approved glossary, a style guide for each language and a set of instructions, that will be used by the team, but still, you need at least a project manager and a person who will do quality assurance and will remove inconsistencies in this scenario. That's why it's not always applicable. Still, this is a great approach for huge volumes to be processed in a short time.
Translating a document requires a thorough reading, and everyone reads and writes in their own style, which is unique. When we read a document, we perceive it in a different way than others. So, if you want to split a single document among different translators, the results may not be satisfactory. However, we can solve these problems by thoroughly reviewing and checking the consistency of the translated document after it has been translated.
You might be condemned for questioning the effectiveness of technology in translation. But who cares? If we want to make our translation processes smooth and perfect, we can question any tool until we find the right one. The modern age is all about leveraging technology as much as possible to make our lives easier. From the Internet of Things to e-commerce, technology is everywhere. We are just a click away from everything. A single voice command or tap on our phone can control our home appliances. How come technology does not help with translation? Actually, it does! If you are working with human translators, you can use technical translation tools to work with your translated document. CAT tools, machine translation, and translation management systems, you can pick and choose.
Of course, the safest way is to go with professional human translators or a certified translation provider that has successfully gone through ISO 17100:2015 audit. But if you can't find the right native translators with the appropriate number of years of experience for your documents in whatever format, be it MS Word (.doc or .docx), PDF, Excel, or Illustrator, you can always try machine translation technology. When properly applied, the neural incarnation of it, in particular, it has many pros compared to managing a team of translators. Especially since the quality of work is not always a given with linguists, even if they are members of, for example, ATA. Professional linguists are great but sometimes machines may be a better choice for your documents.
The term turnaround time (TAT) refers to the interval of time it takes from the submission of a document or process to its completion and delivery to you. If you require document translation services with a shorter TAT, you'll expect your translation provider of choice to speed up their processes.
The delivery time can vary, depending on the tools your provider uses and the resources they have available to accelerate the workflow. TAT plays a critical role in determining the efficiency of your document translation services. If you can get high-quality translated documents with minimal turnaround time, that's the way to go. If your TAT is longer than average, you may have to consider looking elsewhere.
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The length of time it takes to process a document depends on the type of content being translated. If the source text is poorly written, the translation will take more time than you can imagine. Translating a file can be difficult if it has multiple style overrides, an inconsistent format, or multiple typing formats such as double spacing and commas. Translating such files is time-consuming because the linguist has to edit, check, correct for consistency, and format the document overall.
If the content you have is grammatically incorrect or appears as hard-to-read text, your translators may translate less than 2000 words per day. This delay is not because your translators are not doing their job properly, but because they need more time to extract the right information and convey it so that translation doesn't feel like translation or Google Translate output. A document with poor sentence structures and complex vocabulary makes it difficult for translators to understand the source text in order to translate it correctly. This affects not only the delivery time but the final quality as well.
This is one of the factors that is time-consuming and tricky. When translators work on documents that contain graphics, they encounter two problems.
One problem is the text written in graphics, and the other is inappropriate images. Translators have to work harder to understand the text written in graphics. If the graphic pixels are of poor quality, it is even harder to understand and translate the text. You write down the text in an editable form in order to translate it correctly. You may need to use image editing software to translate the images without changing the font and design. If the document to be translated is full of such images, the processing time will be longer. Of course, multilingual DTP (Desktop Publishing) service is what solves most of these problems but it costs you additional money you may not have budgeted. Still, very often it's a really good and valuable idea to let the DTP team do their job instead of some unusual ways of processing the content that will take more money and time in the end. Reconstructing an editable file from a PDF is enormously expensive and time-consuming while usually, all it takes to avoid it is to chase your colleague for an original file, for example, IDML/INDD from Adobe InDesign or even Word, for everyone to be happy.
Another reason why a document with images takes longer than usual is that the images it contains may not be acceptable in the target regions. Translators have to spend more time selecting the appropriate images that convey the same meaning before inserting the translated text.
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Let's not forget that while your translators translate documents or projects after reading what is written, they may not be subject matter experts (although usually, they specialize in the niche they translate). Each document requires a different translation schedule depending on how technical and complicated it is.
Projects that deal with technology use complex terms and abbreviations that force a translator to do more research and find the right word that fits the context. If your translator does not have experience with computer software manuals, he or she will have to research the terms and abbreviations to understand what they mean and translate them accordingly (however, in this case, you should have ordered your job with someone else who knows how to localize computer software manuals in the first place).
Translators often come across language pairs that are unusual or rare. Such pairs take more time to translate compared to others because a translation provider doesn't have many highly qualified translators available for the job. Of course, vendor managers at translation companies work tirelessly to have as wide a range of right resources in their databases but sometimes it is what it is.
If you need a document translated from Albanian into Korean, it is an unusual language pair. Not every translator will be proficient in these languages. Finding a translator who is proficient in both languages is difficult and expensive because the pool is very narrow if not empty. In such cases, you will need to find the right linguist for the job or use English as a pivot language (it means you translate from Albanian to English first, and then from English into Korean). This leads to longer time and higher cost, however, the good old rule of demand and supply works here.
The time needed for professional document translation relies heavily on the type of document to be translated. Productivity will be different for certificates, emails, legal documents, birth certificates, business contracts, brochures, business documents, diplomas, marriage certificates, or bank statements. If you add special layout requirements and popular uneditable formats like PDF files, it can take quite a while to get accurate translations.
Legal translation is in fact a realm of its own, with various specific requirements. If you need certified translation or any additional certification (e.g. with EU RFPs it is often required to have your translations confirmed by a notary so that you deliver a notarized translation as per RFP specification), it will need even more time.
If we know the factors that adversely affect document translation time, we can always take measures to shorten it. If you have a project with an unusual language pair, it is best not to rush the translation. If you send such projects to a professional language service provider (LSP), they will know how to schedule them accordingly with the least impact on your business plans. You can contact the translators or translation companies well in advance to find a translator who knows both languages and your industry. Don't wait until the last moment if you don't have to. This strategy works wonders most of the time.
You can also opt for computer-aided translation tools or other translation tools to reduce the TAT. These tools are very effective and reduce the risk of errors as well as speed up translation and localization processes. Translation memory software, for instance, can store different and complicated phrases and terms from previously translated documents. If you encounter a duplicate document or segment, these tools can save you time and provide you with a quick output by reusing existing content that they store. These tools are optimized to improve the translation accuracy and consistency of your document in the target language as well. Just as translation management systems with their client portals that enable you to track the progress or automatic quality assurance tools that make it possible to quickly find and remove many types of translation errors.
Another factor that determines the speed of a translation project is the format of your files. If you want a faster TAT, you should provide your translators with an editable file format as well as any instructions and guidelines you think are important. This will standardize the translation process and improve localization preparation. A specific file format allows the translation tools to easily separate the text parts for better segmentation and formatting. That saves you time and money.
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One of the factors that affect the time of your project is the queries about the translation. Professional translators will ask you questions. To reduce this hassle, many localization service providers (LSPs) have a standardized Q&A process. This is the reason why they send you a questionnaire to answer. It's not because they don't know. It's because they want to serve you the best way possible in order to avoid confusion later. If you communicate openly and answer in time, your translators can plan their translation process according to the information available from you. As a result, they can work faster and deliver high-quality output.
Before you start translating your document, make sure you have all the information ready. For example, if you are translating a technical document, make sure you have all the information your translation service provider may need. Gather all reference material that could help them understand the document. Give them the glossary of your specific terms used in the document, so that they don't have to google each word while waiting for your help. Gathering any visual or graphic material that can help them better understand the context can shorten the translation deadline.
If you have trained and professional translators available, your translation process is unlikely to require a longer TAT. The level of localization maturity of your translator among available native speakers will also affect TAT. If your translation market is mundane for localization, you may have a shortage of translators as they may have other projects to translate. That's where you should consider working with a translation agency. They usually have well-managed databases of linguists for any need.
Cliche, we know. But the one that's very true in business.
One of the most important things you should consider when translating is determining the purpose. When you contact a localization or translation supplier, you must specify the purpose of the translation in order to get what you want. The purpose of the translation also determines the TAT of the document. The time frame will be different if you want to use the text internally or incorporate it into your international marketing campaign. Documents that convey general messages do not require much effort, but the specialized translation does. If you are translating a document for a marketing campaign or other high-visibility purposes, your provider will need time to research and reformulate the strategies that can improve the quality and the deadline of the translation that lands on their desk.
Using CAT or other tools streamlines your translation processes. It increases the productivity of human translators as it saves their time. Using localization software makes it easier to translate documents. It also limits redundancy without affecting the consistency and flow of the text.
The translation industry offers many professional translation services options for every type of translation imaginable, from legal document translation services to papers for immigration services or privacy policy text you need for your international customers. Just choose the best service that your document needs. Go and grow!
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