5 Tips to Ensure High Quality Translation

5 Tips to Ensure High Quality Translation

There are approximately 7,000 spoken languages in the world. And while English is considered to be the universal language, some countries try to preserve their native tongue in the best way possible.

According to The Peninsula Newspaper, a new law has recently been passed in Qatar directing its citizens to preserve the use of Arabic language in both written and oral communication. The government mandates all ministries, agencies, and institutions to use Arabic as the primary language. This applies to meetings, presentations, publications, discussions, resolutions, instructions, documents, contracts, and many more.

But with the increasing number of expatriates living in Qatar, it’s hard to discount English given the fact that majority of businesses and organizations operating within the country are co-owned by foreigners. The solution? Translation services.

Legal translation services

Translating in different languages is no easy. It requires highly specialized skills and utmost mastery to perfect not just the meaning of the context but the thought as well. The translator should likewise understand both the source and target language to interpret contents flawlessly. Here are some tips on how to ensure accurate and truthful translations:

1. Always be clear on what needs to be translated
Especially when translating legal documents, most of the time contents are long and complicated. To avoid spending too much money when hiring services, always be clear on what needs to be translated. Certain sections need not to be translated such as the cover page, signature page, handwritten notes, etc.

2. Explain how the document is going to be used
Talk to the translation company on how the document is going to be used. Depending on purpose, translation varies from simple conversion to more in-depth interpretation. Paperwork that needs to be submitted for information purposes only might not need comprehensive translation. But legal documents must be translated in full context.

3.Prepare the original document beforehand
Make sure that your original documents are well prepared for submission. Check if it’s clearly structured, complete, and organized. If asked for the original copy of the document, e.g. for quotation and assessment purposes, safe keep your documents by providing photocopies instead of submitting the original one.

4. Understand the country’s legal system
Not just because you are paying for the translation services means you will solely rely everything on the company. One of the most overlooked aspect of translation is that people often failed to realize that some words cannot be directly translated, especially if it’s a legal term. Keep your vocabulary open and do your assignment by familiarizing yourself with the country’s legal terminologies.

5. Choose the right format
Depending on your needs, translated documents comes in a wide variety of formats. Generally, they are presented in a bilingual format where the original content and the translated version are written side by side. Then there’s the monolingual format that presents the translated content following the original layout of the document.

Always remember that translation should be done following a specific writing style of the target language. Though, be wary that a simple mistake can ruin the whole document so careful selection is highly required when choosing the right service provider.