By linguistic definition, a native speaker of a language has spoken and been exposed to that language from very early childhood onwards.  Some indications of a native speaker include being able to quickly understand inexplicit or implied meanings in speech, innately understand their language’s rules, be identified by other native speakers as sounding as though the language is their first language, culturally identifying with others who share the native language and more.

It is a subjective way of defining what a native speaker really is, leaving the decision of whether or not a person is considered to be one open to interpretation.  Within groups of native speakers lie people with different language backgrounds including, but not limited to, different levels of speech complexity due to factors such as economic status and education, people with varying accents with different perceived prestige, and people who have been exposed to other languages through schooling or cross-cultural exposure causing language transfer.  While all of these individuals may meet the requirement of having spoken the same language from early childhood onward, the way that their shared native language sounds when they speak and its language characteristics may be extremely different as a result of the speakers’ linguistic backgrounds.  

This variation makes it hard to gauge who is really a native speaker by definition.  For example, if a child learned Spanish with their parents at home but grew up speaking English at school and in their community, would they be considered a native speaker of Spanish?  They may have been speaking it since early childhood but due to factors such as lack of formal education in the language, limited interaction in the language and potential language transfer from English causing an accent or grammatical errors in Spanish, how can one really determine whether or not this individual should be considered a native speaker of Spanish?

The debate around what defines a native speaker stems from the fact that they come in all shapes and sizes.  It is simply too difficult to create a robust definition that determines when a person can be identified as a native speaker or not because there is no one speaker that can be used as a representative model for what a native speaker sounds like in any given language.  There are so many factors that influence a person’s linguistic background from the time of birth that no two people can be exactly alike.  Their geographic location, social status, schooling, exposure to other languages and many other influences affect the way individuals speak a language, whether it be their first language, second or otherwise.   

This means that it is important to leave the definition of a native speaker loosely defined to accommodate for the significant variation that exists within fluent speakers of any language.  After all, language is not black and white; it is constantly evolving, changing and adapting to the needs of the speakers of today and tomorrow.

I recently read a forum article whilst doing some research and was having a perfectly happy, stress-free day when I came across not one but two references that would make any reasonably minded professional translator choke on their decaf coffee. The gist of the post concerned how the poster could not understand why translators have to charge so much for their services (the poster preferring to pay around $0.02-03 USD per word for a translation) and what is wrong with using Google Translate when it’s there to be used.

Well, Google Translate is a topic for another blog post. Long story short: if you want to get the gist of what is written and you have an understanding of the topic and the source language, all well and good. GT should only be used for commercial, official or academic purposes under penalty of being laughed off the face of the planet.

Why do translators charge so much? What translators charge depends on many circumstances including the part of the world in which they are based. Many of you will have noticed well qualified and experienced translators from certain regions charging considerably less than EU based translators, for instance. 

Generally, what you are paying for is qualification, knowledge, experience, competence and service. 

Cutting to the chase, would you pay your window cleaner the same amount of money you would pay your lawyer or accountant for advice? The window cleaner may be perfectly, pleasant, knowledgeable and experienced so why doesn’t he deserve the same reward? Answering that question would be like teaching granny to suck eggs.

Think about what you are really paying for when you hire a translator to translate a company document, a legal document or product specification. Is it just someone who speaks a language and can get the message across? Is that enough?

The ultimate aim for translation service providers and clients alike has to be the obtaining of an ideal translation of satisfactory quality, by whatever means. A general rule is the larger or more complex the text, the more checks ought to be in place and these can only be performed by  a qualified, experienced and competent human translator. This is why translators charge so much and why very often getting what you pay for is the most accurate maxim.

UK-Based Document Translation Services for Business

When UK based companies are dealing with international partners or foreign entrepreneurs seek to establish their business here, they both require professional document translation services. Some of the intricacies of business and legal translations can only be caught by experts who have worked in this field for years. To ensure maximum clarity and avoid costly misunderstandings, businesses hire translators who are experienced and well-versed in the laws of England and Wales.

Language Matters Worldwide Ltd is a company that focuses on improving the quality of cross-cultural communication and expanding the horizons of our clients in foreign markets. We provide one of the best document translation services in the country by tirelessly going through every detail and cross-checking our work between multiple experts.

Our team is made up by qualified linguists with memberships in the UK’s Chartered Institute of Linguists and other accrediting bodies worldwide, and a sense of belonging and dedication to their profession. They have spent many years working in the industry to finally find their rightful place among professionals who take providing document translation services just as seriously as they do.

Together, we have both served as a bridge between UK entrepreneurs and their foreign partners, and prepared companies from abroad to enter the local market. All of us are very proud of the goals we have accomplished and work we have done for our clients, leading to successful business deals and fruitful partnerships.

The Language Matters Worldwide team is used to working closely with our clients in order to achieve the best results in the shortest possible time. If quality and accuracy matters to you just as much as it does to us, we guarantee that you will be satisfied with our work. Visit our website to become familiar with our competitive prices or contact us today for more information about document translation services from a UK based provider.

Why is it beneficial for clients to engage a translation company rather than a freelancer? Costs may seem higher but any translation company worth its salt will proofread/edit any translation performed on its behalf as a minimum service. An even better translation company will offer a quality assurance process which will include post-editing reviews and pre-translation consultations depending on the nature of the text. 

Translation companies often have in-house staff who perform linguistic tasks and many hire freelancers to perform translation, editing/proofreading and review tasks.   Reputable companies respect the freelancers they hire as independent professionals and build a long-lasting working relationship with them.

Respecting freelancers means treating them as they would any other professional when it comes to the rate or fee for a project, providing support at all stages of the project and – very important - making timely payment.

As for fees, some negotiation is acceptable as in all commercial relationships and is dependent on the particular assignment. Support means being available to respond to terminological or cultural queries. Timely payment means acknowledging that the work has been undertaken in good faith and that both parties are adhering to their agreement.

Let’s say you are aware that having a translation independently proofread by someone other than the translator is a good idea especially if you are unfamiliar with the target language. After all, translators, whatever their employment status, are only human and a second fresh pair of eyes can only be an advantage. You have to hire two freelancers whose experience, qualifications and rates are acceptable to you. This is where it is useful to compare these combined, yet separate, services to those offered to you by a translation company.

A reputable translation company will have worked with many freelancers before finding the right ones it wants to keep going back to. It will also have verified its freelancers’ qualifications, professional memberships and experience and discard applications which don’t meet the desired criteria.

In many instances, freelancers offer reduced rates to translation companies or agencies while charging their direct clients their standard fee. Why do they do this? Well, you may hire them one time only or once or twice a year, whereas the established translation company is likely to hire them far more regularly and the freelance translator will be keen to maintain this relationship.

In summary, don’t discount a translation company simply because you think it will be “more expensive”. Consider the nature of the work you wish to have performed and consider how you want the finished project to be. Compare as you would with any other product or service: freelancer v freelancer, company v company and ascertain the pros and cons for yourself from the facts and figures presented to you.