As professional linguists who have worked hard to achieve our qualifications, gather experience and attain professional credibility in our field through forging strong client relationships and professional accreditation, our biggest issue remains with potential clients who have no understanding of the translation task and often feel that some knowledge of a language or languages is all it takes.

A frequently overlooked aspect is that industry specific or topic specific knowledge or the ability to understand it is essential in order to convey the true meaning into another language. Understanding of the source language term is essential but is only consolidated in the translation context when the translator has a complete understanding of the appropriate target language term.

Over the years, instruction manuals have caused many linguists and non-linguists alike to cringe or even laugh out loud and highlight not only the sentiments of the preceding paragraph but the importance of a truly native speaker qualified to perform the required task.

The following extract from an instruction manual equally exemplifies the need for careful proofreading and editing.

"[...] Insert the three feet plug of battery to output port of battery charger, and the green indicator will dark, gradually increased along with the battery capacity, the green  indicator will gradually bright, when the green indicator is completely bright, the battery capacity will achieves 100%, it shows that the recharging finishes[...]"

Sometimes the cheaper option is perfectly acceptable, when buying certain food items, small casual clothing items, etc., however, accepting the lowest bid to a translation project is not a guarantee that your firm or company will appear in the best light to potential new clients or business partners.

Translations2u/Language Matters Worldwide Ltd specialises in legal translation services as well as editing and translation for many other fields including scientific business and technical translations.  See our reviews and our website for more about our translation services.