Document Translation Services in demand in a globalized world

If we grow up speaking the dominant language where we live, it is easy to take document translation for granted.  We commonly see translated text in several different languages on the last pages of our insurance statements or in user manuals and warning labels.  But what if we didn’t have those?  It would make our world a more confusing and even a dangerous place.  Document Translation Services are not limited to lists of dangers and side effects; there are many other everyday scenarios in the life of a business or individual where document translation is relied upon for important communications, instructions, marketing, and safety.

Industries that rely on document translation services

Translating legal documents 

Legal document translation is among the most highly specialized services offered by a translation agency.  The professional translator must not only be fluent in both the source and the target language but have a deep understanding of and experience with the practice of law.  A professional legal document translator must also possess a high degree of cultural competency and ability to work within different legal structures, as well as the impartiality of a neutral party. 

Some specific situations in the use of legal document translation services are:

International and domestic litigation. 

Business mergers and acquisitions. 

Important personal documents like divorce papers, adoptions, inheritance documents, and wills. 

Record-keeping at a multilingual law firm.

Translating government documents

Government procedures are a perfect way to illustrate the necessity of document translation services.  International diplomacy and negotiation is the example that comes to mind first, but smaller, domestic government entities such as state, city, and municipal government offices depend on document translation services for communicating with constituents, public announcements, public records, elections, and more.  This area blends with legal translation services in many ways when it comes to commerce, national security, legislation and government acts. 

Translation Services that cover Marketing and advertising

How are you going to make your products attractive to your global market,  if your website in the target language describes them poorly or you do not have a language version for that market?  When seeking to enter a new market, every aspect of marketing must be considered.  These include:

Website copy.  It must be smart, concise, and grab attention.  It should be culturally relevant and localized accurately.

Video ads.  Translating videos may change the length of the video, there is also the decision of whether to use subtitles or dubbing, as well as choice of file type depending on how you are going to use the new language version of the video.

Print ads.  Are there equivalent terms for the kind of short, impactful message your ad wants to send?  What cultural elements must be considered?

Radio spots.  Translation can also change the length of a radio ad and cultural preferences must be taken into account.

Many businesses seeking to cut costs make the mistake of relying on the cheapest provider of translation services or using a machine translation option without having it reviewed by a professional translator.  Localization of a website or translation of your marketing content is not an expense, it is an opportunity to grow the business and reach new customers. If you decide to go multilingual in marketing strategy you need to use appropriate resources

While Localizing content for marketing across languages and cultures, relevancy and appropriate context are everything. A translation services provider will be able to fit your brand, products, and services seamlessly into your target market, which can result in increased opportunities for your company. 

Document translation in manufacturing 

No manufacturing facility can function without well-translated, accurate training manuals for employees on machine use and maintenance.  Professionally translated employee handbooks dealing with employee rights and conduct ethics must be provided. On the same field, product guides for users are essential in ensuring safety and proper use. 

Document translation is needed when making deals with international clients, in business-to-business transactions, and communicating with vendors.  Professional document translation services also promote progress and enable companies to expand their presence overseas.  Technical document Translation is an area that is highly specialized and should not be handed to a bilingual employee.  Accurate translation in manufacturing not only promotes precision and excellence in the product but safety for the user.

Medical document translation 

A world without medical document translation would be hard to imagine due to the diversity of the population and the globalization of pharmaceutical products and services   There are many applications for document translation in medicine. Below we mentioned a few:

Pharmaceutical labels containing side effects, dosages, directions, and warnings.

Treatment plans and directions given to a patient by the doctor.  Medical document translation ensures that directions are followed so the patient can get well. 

Health insurance documents.  People need to know their rights, coverages, and options. 

Medical records.  Every patient has a right to their medical records and a right to understand them in their own language.  Every practice must be able to fulfil their obligations in this area by using professional medical document translation services.

Medical, Hospital and Insurance forms.

Translating insurance documents 

People need to know what their policies cover and need to have access to instructions and documents in their native language.  Translation of insurance documents are needed for claim procedures and are important for personal and business records.

If an insurance agency or carrier is in a location with a large population of non-English proficient people, they need to have dependable document translation available for every aspect of their work, personal and commercial. 

Document translation in finance and banking 

Financial institutions of all kinds have a responsibility to help clients handle their finances and major transactions in life well.  This cannot be accomplished without access to professional financial document translation services.  These have a place in dealings small and large, including:

Records for entities of any size involved in investment and wealth management. 

Banks and credit unions operating anywhere must be prepared to serve their clients in their language of fluency.

Financial advisors and stockbrokers can get a leg up on the competition with translated documents. 

Loan providers and credit institutions can expand their customer population with accurately translated financial documents. 

Educational Translation 

The need for educational document translation spans from academic transcripts to translating important papers and research for study or publication.  Entire libraries of textbooks containing knowledge from every facet of human interest are even now being translated into dozens of different languages and dialects for use.  Every bit of new knowledge that is absorbed into someone’s mind is an injection of new potential into humanity. 

Academic translation includes:

Translations of course descriptions

eLearning and training courses

Syllabus translation

Transcript translation

Diploma translation

Research papers

Marketing material for educational institutions

Translation in utility and communication technologies

Utility companies, including those in telecommunications, water, transit, internet service, and energy require document translation for manuals, agreements and disclosures, warnings, and records.  This is especially important for companies with an international presence or who are operating in a multilingual region. 

These companies need professional translators skilled in industry-specific terminology who can produce documents that read easily and accurately for the benefit of the technicians and the consumers. 

Translating travel and hospitality

Professional document translation services make any travel agency, hotel, or airline look more intelligent, more passionate about their work, and more dedicated to their clients.  Some of the documents requiring translation are:

Brochures for travel agencies, resorts, and tours.

Special offers and vouchers for goods and experiences.

Itineraries, travel books, and destination guides.  These can make the difference between the journey of a lifetime or one that you spend a lifetime trying to forget.

Translating the different types of technology used

In any of these areas, a professional document Translation company will consider the impact of every facet of their work, including file types.  Information used to be written on legal or letter sized paper, now many file formats exist, most of them digital.  Pdf, doc, xls, xliff, xml, html, and some code files have text strings which need to be translated perfectly in the target language and the code, if modified, will not run, which can cause minor problems or shut-down of a website for hours, resulting in missed opportunities, possible lost revenue and damaged image.

Translating it all together

A good proverb to remember when dealing with an international and multilingual market is, if you are not in a market, someone else is.  The first business to hit a new market with a product that meets that market’s needs and uses material that speaks directly to their interests in their language gets the biggest piece of that market.  Be the precedent and you’ll become the standard. 

Your business will stand out in your field as having high expectations and accepting nothing less than the best.  Your customers will know that if you do that for your business and such “details” as document translation, you’ll take expert care of them.