6 Tips on Hiring a Good, Reliable Translator

6 Tips on Hiring a Good Translator

I am reading Adrianna Tassini’s book titled The Translator Training Textbook and have found that this book is worth gold if you are pursuing a career as a professional translator. Near the end of the book, however, I came to a chapter that is written for those who are looking to start their own translation agency, or those looking to hire good freelance translators. I realized that there are many employers out there seeking qualified people to translate their documents. However, because they are looking at a screen and not a person’s face, they feel lost and worried about whether they are in fact hiring someone ethical and reputable to get the job done. Hence, me writing a summary of Miss Tassini’s Tips on How to Hire a Translator. I hope the following tips help make finding a qualified translator easier for you:

• First, look for someone with good references, but do not stop there. Give the translator a sample and then test their skills and dependability. If you do not understand one of the languages the document was translated from or into, ask the translator to do a back-translation to check for accuracy. A reliable translator may have already done this before you ask. This is the process of translating the document back into the original (source) language without looking at the original document to see how close the original and the back-translated are.
• If you meet a translator who is willing to pack a big load in a short time, run away! Employers may be surprised to find out that translating a document takes more time than it does to initially write it. A professional translator will meet deadlines, but also be honest with you about timing, and, even if they feel they might lose you as their client, turning down your 40 page project for tomorrow may be a sign of a dependable translator. Finally, keep in mind that translators, dedicated as they may be, can only work their brains so much per day ( it is said that an experienced translator can translate about three pages in 2-3 hours). Ask how much they can handle per day, and how many words or characters they consider to be a page, before they begin the project. You really do not want someone who is mentally exhausted to translate your documents.
• Talk money. That is, you do the talking. Be careful of a person bringing up money early in the conversation and who seems to care little about the project itself. Different translators charge differently according to their field of specialty, experience, location, number of words, characters, pages, etc. If you are looking to save some money, it is completely okay to hire a student or intern (keeping in mind the first two tips). The newbies tend to be, as Miss Tassini puts it, “energetic and flexible.”
• As I just said, be warned of translators who seem to care little or do not ask questions. A dependable translator will ask questions, and if necessary, will discuss terminology with you.(Legal and medical translations require a translator who is specialized in these fields, because an untrained translator could get him/herself and you in big trouble).
• Ask the translator for evidence on their cultural knowledge and experiences, and their skills.
• Watch out for those who claim to be able to translate just about anything in any field or many languages. This may only mean that “they have little skills in many areas, but mastery in none.” (This excludes agencies, of course). Being bilingual does not necessarily make someone a qualified translator. This field requires passion and education.

Keeping in mind these tips, and if you are still not sure, ask to see portfolio of sample work they have done before, or give them a small document to translate as a way to prove their professionalism. Also, be aware that translation is not necessarily a degree offered in many universities, so if you are looking for someone with a good professional background in translation, look for translators who are on their way to becoming certified or are already certified, translators who have been in the field for years, or someone who is bilingual and has majored in Linguistics. Finally, if you still feel uneasy, ask your freelancer to give you ideas on what a bad translation might look like as compared to a good translation. This will not only give you insight into the translator’s knowledge and skills, but also make you feel safer about having your documents translated, as you will have an idea of whether your document will be translated well or not.

Nidia Fierro-Cheda