ATA’s president, Dorothee Racette, mentioned on this month’s The Chronicle in an article she wrote for Tech Writer, an online magazine for technical writers and editors, about what companies should take into consideration when asking for a technical translation.

Although this article was written having in mind technical translation projects, it outlines the basic rules for success of any translation project.

Some of the key aspects the article points out are in line with our view on the topic and have been mentioned in previous posts (Follow the links to read previous posts about these topics):

1. Defining your audience is one of the most important aspects before starting a translation. It determines who your reader will be and therefore, structures the whole translation process from selecting a translator to the vocabulary.

2. Finding a Qualified Translator would offer that extra guarantee that you are hiring a person who’s knowledgeable and serious about translation.

3. Machine Translation (MT) usage will always depend on the scope of the project. Sometimes clients only need to understand the gist of a text and, do not require or want a high-quality human translation. In any case, MT should always follow a human post-editing step.

4. Proofreading is an essential step of quality assurance in translation. Your client will be impressed and satisfied that even the longest, most complicated document was delivered flawlessly.

Eging created this blog for the general public to have a source of reliable information about the translation industry and the localization process. Following these recommendations will help the translation agency or translator have a better understanding of your need, resulting in a smooth translation process.