HOW TO EQUIP YOUR TRANSLATOR FOR SUCCESS

So you have finally found the right translator for your content. Go you!

…….Wait - now what?

Maybe it’s your first time working with a translator and you’re wondering how to make sure you receive an accurate estimate of time and price and you receive top-quality work that aligns with your message.

Let’s take a quick look at 5 of the most important things you can do for your translator:

1 – Send (at the very least) a sample of what you need translated - not all words are created equal: incredibly specific texts in niche fields require much more research and time than a simple newsletter, so the price will vary depending on the text.

Knowing the format of the document is very important as well - trying to decipher a GP’s handwriting from a scanned pdf is almost impossible and takes lots of time compared to tackling a simple Word document – and don’t get me started on those endless Excel strings!

2 - Provide a wordcount - to estimate how much time we need to do a job, we need to know how long the text is. Most translators quote per word, so having a wordcount is essential to provide a quote, too.

3 – If you have a strict deadline, say so right away - we are happy to accommodate your needs but the sooner we know about it, the better (please note most of us charge an urgency fee and a weekend-work fee)

4 – Be available to answer queries - sometimes the context is not enough, sometimes we find an ambiguous word, we might need to ask questions and you are the right person to address. Please help 😊

5 – A style guide - Do you work with copywriters? Do you have documents outlining your style preferences? That might help… A LOT. We can usually infer it ourselves from your website or materials, but if you already have glossaries or style guides, that’s perfect.
 
That’s it, I believe I covered the very basics. Did I leave something out? Do you have any questions? Comment away!