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Did you know that UNESCO has proclaimed February 21st International Mother Language Day? This is a day that aims to celebrate multilingualism and preserve all the native languages in the world. And did you know that, contrary to a fairly common misconception, a good professional translator shouldn’t translate into several languages, but rather into their mother tongue? In this article, we explain why this is the case.

 

Quality above all

A quality translation has two main characteristics: it accurately reflects the meaning of the source text, and it’s idiomatic. First of all, the professional translator must master the language of the source text to grasp all its nuances and translate the meaning into the other language. This is one of the essential qualities of a translator. But it’s not enough to convey the meaning of the original text. The translation must also be written naturally in the target language, using common expressions and turns of phrase that will easily be understood by the people who speak this language as their mother tongue. That’s what makes a text idiomatic.

This is the double goal that a professional translator must set for themselves to produce translations of the highest quality. But to achieve this, they must master all the subtleties of the language into which they translate. It’s generally in their mother tongue that the professional translator possesses a more extensive vocabulary, and they’ve mastered the grammar and syntax of this language the best. While it’s possible to study another language and be able to write in it, it’s much harder to achieve the same level of mastery that we possess in the language that we’ve been learning since childhood.

 

A matter of reputation and respect

To produce idiomatic translations that are tailored to the readers, a professional translator must also be familiar with the culture of the people who speak the target language. Indeed, culture exerts an enormous influence on the choices that a translator has to make when they translate a text for readers from a specific market. The language that a translator has mastered the best and which will be more deeply rooted in their culture will always be their mother tongue.

For any company or organization, choosing a professional translator who translates into their native language is a guarantee of quality and a way to protect their reputation. Indeed, a translation that’s poorly suited to the culture of the readers will quickly be identified and may even lead to rather embarrassing errors. But if you offer your customers and partners quality translations, you’ll show them respect. It’s a matter of respecting not only people’s culture, but also respecting their time by offering them translations that are easy to understand and tailored to them.

 

How to find a good professional translator

If translation quality is an important aspect to you, SLRR Translation Agency can offer you the services of a professional translator who translates into their native language to meet your needs.

The start of a new year is often a period of reassessment. Like any business, you’re probably looking for ways to reduce your costs while preserving the quality of your products or services. If you’re looking for a professional translation company for your communication needs, you should know that it’s possible to reduce the costs of this service. This article shows you 5 ways to do just that.

 

1. Choose your translation company carefully.

If you choose the right professional translation company, you’ll get quality, idiomatic texts every time that won’t need to be redone. That way, you’ll save time and money. So you shouldn’t just stop at the translation company’s rate per word, but also evaluate the quality of the work of its professional translators.

When choosing your translation agency, ask yourself three questions:

• What parts of my organization have translation needs (HR, legal services, marketing, operations, etc.)?
• What values do you look for in a business partner?
• What are your communication goals?

 

2. Always send the definitive version of a text to the translation company.

Sometimes, a client thinks it’s a good idea to send a text to the translation company in advance to give the translators more time to do their work. But if your text isn’t ready yet and you successively send multiple modified versions, you should know that you’re causing the bill to go up, and sometimes by a lot!

The key is to rigorously plan out the production of your documents. Create clear and realistic schedules that indicate all the steps, including the writing, the various levels of approval, the revision, and the translation. That way, you’ll avoid surprises and cost overruns.

 

3. Combine the requests sent to the translation company.

A translation company always applies a minimum rate to each project. If you have several small texts to be translated and you send them separately, you’ll have to pay the minimum rate for each one. That’s why, wherever possible, it’s best to combine your texts and send them to the translation company as a single request.

 

4. Eliminate the content that doesn’t need to be translated.

Some parts of your document may not be intended for the target audience of the rest of the document. Delete these parts and keep only the content that will be read by your recipients, or clearly indicate to the translator which parts need to be translated. This is a quick and easy way to lower the bill from the translation company!

 

5. Reduce the word count of your document.

Proofread your document carefully before sending it to the translation company. Delete unnecessary paragraphs, repetitive passages, pointless parentheticals and footnotes, etc. That way, you’ll reduce the number of words to be translated along with your bill. In addition, a concise and well-organized text is always more pleasant to read, no matter who it’s aimed at.

At the start of this year, if you’re looking for a translation company that can offer you quality texts at a competitive price, turn to SLRR Translation Agency.

The holiday season is upon us, andyou know what that means. It’s time to write out your holiday greetings to your employees, customers, and partners! To help you with this task, here are 10 tips to follow for writing your holiday greetings.

 

Personalize your greetings

To make your greetings memorable, personalize your messages by adapting them to each recipient (or each group of recipients) and, if possible, include personal details. At the very least, add the recipient’s name at the start of your message.

 

Be authentic

Make your greetings sincere, without too many flourishes. If you add too much to them, your holiday greetings won’t seem to come from the heart. Be yourself, no matter which writing style you choose.

 

Stay neutral

Writing holiday greetings for the people around you in a strictly professional context requires a certain neutrality. Avoid putting your foot in your mouth by alluding to a specific religious holiday. Settle for wishing Happy Holidays (or Season’s Greetings) and a Happy New Year.

 

Show originality

We sometimes tend to recycle the same greetings from year to year. Take a little time to think of something original to write instead of using ready-made formulas. If necessary, you can draw inspiration from existing texts and add your own personal touch to them.

 

Work on the presentation of your holiday greetings

Take the time to choose the right format to use for your holiday greetings. Should you opt for a greeting card (paper or electronic), a letter, or an email? If you opt for an email, consider decorating your message by adding holiday-themed colours or images to it.

 

Keep it short

People are often bombarded with holiday greetings at this time of year. There’s no need to write a novel! Whether you’ve chosen a greeting card, a letter, or an email, stick to the basics, so that your readers will want to read it.

 

Show your gratitude

If your holiday greetings are intended for your employees, thank them for their work over the past year. If they’re for your customers, thank them for doing business with you. The holiday season is also a perfect time to say “thank you” to the people who matter to us.

 

Sign your holiday greetings

Always sign your holiday greetings. Add a handwritten signature if you’ve chosen a paper format or a digital signature for your electronic messages. If you’re sending greetings on behalf of your entire team, ask everyone to sign them.

 

Respond quickly

If you receive holiday greetings from someone, try to respond to them as quickly as possible, and send them your own greetings. If you don’t respond until January, thank the person for their greetings and wish them a Happy New Year.

 

Rely on professionals

If you’re lacking time or inspiration, rely on the professional copywriting services of SLRR Translation Agency. That way, you’ll have impeccable texts, which will help you protect your brand image! Or if you’ve chosen to take care of writing your holiday greetings yourself, you can use a text correction serviceto make sure everything is perfect!

The translation of certain types of texts requires great creativity, especially when they must be adapted to a different culture. This is the case for slogans and advertisements, among others. This type of translation is referred to as “creative translation” or “transcreation.” This article explains what you need to know about this topic and presents the reasons to rely on a reputable translation company – such as SLRR Translation Agency– for these types of projects.

 

What is transcreation?

Creative translation is the complete opposite of literal translation. Instead of translating the original text word for word, the translator seeks to express the overall meaning. The translator then adapts the text to the target language by making the necessary adjustments so that the text corresponds to the readers’ culture and customs.

Transcreation has long been associated with the translation of literary works. Among the great “transcreators” of the literary world are the French poet Baudelaire, who put his writerly talents to work translating the works of Edgar Allan Poe in the 19^th century. These days, the principles of transcreation are applied to other fields that require a healthy dose of creativity, especially marketing translation.

 

In which cases should the translation company opt for transcreation?

Literal (word-for-word) translation is often less natural and “stiffer” than creative translation, but sometimes, it’s a necessary evil. For example, certain legal translations sometimes have to follow the original text very closely. In such cases, the translated text “feels” like a translation – that is, the reader can easily figure out that it’s a translation.

But transcreation is required when puns, jokes, songs, or figures of speech need to be translated, because a word-for-word translation would inevitably fall flat. Translators must also apply the principles of transcreation when the text contains numerous cultural references that may not be understood in the target language. Finally, it’s best to opt for transcreation when the text aims to elicit an emotion or a reaction, as is the case with advertising and promotional materials.

 

How does the translation company achieve creative translations?

To carry out transcreation projects, the translation company has to rely on professional translators with good writing skills. Transcreation is more of an artistic discipline than a technical one, which is why a certain talent for writing is required. The translators must also be familiar with the culture of the people who will be reading the translation. If they possess these qualities, the translators will be able to create translations that won’t feel like translations, but which will instead seem to have been written directly in the readers’ language.

The translation company also has to work with their client to understand their goals and their communication context. Through this collaboration, it’s possible to obtain idiomatic translationsthat hit their target. SLRR Translation Agency is a translation company that can apply their transcreation experience to all your projects. Contact us to learn more!

Your annual report is a document of strategic importance for your organization or company. It lets you not only take stock of your achievements over the past year, but also determine areas for improvement or forecasts that will guide your future planning. The annual report is therefore a key document, the translation of which deserves to be entrusted to the professionals at a professional translation firm. In this article, you’ll find three main reasons to do just that.

 

The professional translation agency: A guarantee of quality

The quality of your annual reports must be handled with care, because these documents support your decision-making (and sometimes the decisions of your investors as well). This concern for quality must also be reflected in the translation of your reports. In addition, since annual reports often contain technical details about your line of business and are sometimes accompanied by financial statements, their translation requires specialized knowledge.

If you do business with a professional translation firm, they can assign your annual reports to professional translators who have the necessary qualifications to translate them accurately and idiomatically. The translation agency will also submit all the translations produced to a quality control (revision) process. That way, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your annual reports are in professional hands!

 

The translation agency: Synonymous with clear and consistent translations

Depending on the nature of your organization or company, your annual reports may be read by different groups of people: employees, administrators, shareholders, investors, partners, funders, members of the public, etc. So it’s important to do business with a professional translation agency that will take your target audiences into account to produce clear and understandable translations.

In addition, since annual reports are recurring documents that are often linked to other key documents (such as your action plans or strategic plans), it’s essential to ensure that they’re consistent, especially with regard to the terminology used. If you do business with the same translation agency for all these documents, you’ll receive consistent translations that use the same style and the same terminology from one text to the next.

 

A translation agency: The perfect solution for large documents

It’s not uncommon for an annual report to contain more than 10 000 or even 20 000 words. That’s why it’s very important to include the translation step in your planning. The translation agency you do business with will be able to tell you more about how to calculate the word count and the time required for the translation of your annual report.

If your deadlines are tight, the translation agency may assign your annual report to several translators who will work in collaboration, then to a reviser who will make sure that everything is standardized. That’s another advantage of doing business with a translation agency that has the necessary resources to translate large volumes.

 

If you’re looking for a trusted partner for the translation of your annual reports, SLRR Translation Agency will be pleased to offer you a suitable solution!

Official documents are documents that are issued by various authorities, such as government agencies, courts, or educational institutions. Examples of these documents include birth certificates, passports, driver’s licences, divorce and separation orders, academic transcripts and diplomas, just to name a few. The translation of official documents for administrative procedures (such as immigration or university admission procedures) often requires certification by a certified translator.

Here, in brief, are the 5 steps that follow a request for official document translation:

 

The quote request

If you want to have official documents translated but first want to know more about prices and timelines, begin by requesting a quote from a reputable translation agency such as SLRR Translation Agency. A quote is an estimate of the cost of the translation and the time required.

If you want to request a quote for the translation of official documents, you must submit the documents in question to the translation agency. If your official documents are in paper format, as is often the case, you will have to scan them before sending them to the translation agency. Make sure to indicate the desired language pair (language of the original and language of the translation) and specify whether you need a certified translation, if this is the case.

 

The translation of the documents

If the quote that you received suits you, then the work can begin. The translation agency will take care of assigning your request to professional translators who have the necessary qualifications for official document translation. These are translators who are familiar with the nuances and conventions of the source language and who have a perfect mastery of the target language. They will translate the documents according to professional standards and to the best of their knowledge.

 

Quality control

Because official document translation requires unfailing precision, the translation agency will submit the translated texts to quality control procedures. These include revisioncarried out by an experienced translator, who will verify the accuracy of the meaning and the terminology. This essential step is an additional guarantee of quality for you.

 

The certification of the translation

If you need a certified translation of your official documents, the translator will certify the translation by applying a seal or signing an official declaration. This certification serves to confirm that the translation is consistent with the meaning of the original document. It thus grants the translated text the same legal value as the original.

 

Receipt by the client

Lastly, the translation agency sends the translation to the client. In the case of the translation of official documents for governmental, legal, or administrative procedures, it should be noted that the original documents generally need to be attached to the translations submitted to the official authorities. The translator’s declaration must also be attached if they have certified the translation by signing a separate document.

 

If you would like to learn more about the steps related to official document translation, don’t hesitate to contact SLRR Translation Agency.

On Halloween, we love to give people a little scare. And to a professional translator, what could be scarier than a translation error? Indeed, that’s their greatest fear. To put you in the mood for Halloween, this article presents some translation errors that will make your hair stand on end!

 

Translation errors sometimes have deadly consequences

Sometimes, translation errors cause a certain confusion or irritation in readers but are quickly forgotten. Other times, these errors have such serious consequences that they end up making history. For example, the dropping of the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945 was caused by a translation error. In response to an ultimatum issued by the Allies, the Japanese prime minister used the word “mokusatsu” (which can be interpreted several ways) to indicate that his government would refrain from commenting. However, in the translation, this word was rendered as “ignore with contempt.” Irritated by the arrogance of this response, the Americans dropped the atomic bomb a few days later, causing the deaths of 140,000 people…

 

Translation errors: Sometimes hilarious, sometimes sad

When translating, there are many very subtle linguistic and cultural nuances to grasp. Translators are only human. Despite their rigour and professionalism, translation errors sometimes slip into their texts. Sometimes, this is because of the translator’s lack of knowledge, while other times, it’s due to a lack of context (that is, the translator didn’t have all the necessary information to fully understand). And when machine translation tools get thrown into the mix, the result is often absolutely horrifying… Here are a few examples of translation errors that did serious damage to the images of some major companies:

 

“Va le tuer”: You may have seen this ad from TELUS in which the English expression “Go kill it!”, which was used in the sense of “Push your limits!” or “Go for it!”, was translated into French as… “Va le tuer”! An ad inciting us to murder? That gives us goosebumps!

 

Beware of ghosts: As part of an advertising campaign conducted by Pepsi in Taiwan, the slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” was translated as “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back to life.” Ghosts? Run for your lives!

 

Cannibal sighting: When KFC opened its first restaurants in China, its slogan “Finger lickin’ good” was unfortunately translated as “Eat your fingers off!” Not very appetizing…

 

Preventable translation errors

Do you want to protect yourself against this type of monstrous translation error? The solution is simple: do business with SLRR Translation Agency, a professional translation agencythat will offer you translations that are accurate and – above all – tailored to your communication context.

 

Happy Halloween!

Information and communications technologies (ICT) are omnipresent in our daily lives. This is a sector that evolves quickly and has many needs in terms of technical translation. Here are the 5 essential elements of a specialized technical translation service in this field:

 

Specialized translators

There are many types of technical documents in the ICT field. For example, there are instruction manuals, installation and maintenance guides, user interfaces for software and applications, technical specifications, and online aids. For all these texts, the technical translation service must rely on translators who are familiar with the field and its concepts. These technical translators have to stay on top of the latest developments in the sector, which sometimes appear at a dizzying pace.

 

The right terminology

In the ICT field, the terminology evolves just as quickly as the technological innovations emerge. That’s why technical translators have to know how to conduct research efficiently to find the right terms to use and to properly convey the meaning of the original text. Some ICT companies also have their own specific terminology. In these cases, a glossary adapted to the client can be an extremely useful tool for the technical translation service.

 

Clear, accurate, and concise translations

Technical translation requires a great deal of precision; otherwise, the translated texts will be totally useless to the people who read them. The technical translation service must also strive to produce clear and concise translations that will be understood by the readers at first glance, whether they’re IT experts or users. To ensure this, the technical translation service will submit all translations to a rigorous quality control process.

 

Proper adaptation

Not all texts are created equal in the ICT field. Some are intended for engineers and require the use of very precise terminology. Others, however, are intended for the general public (for example, the users of a program or device). The technical translation service must adapt their approach based on the target audience. Another important aspect of translation in the ICT field is localization – that is, the adaptation of the text to the specifics of the local market.

 

Collaboration with the client

It’s essential for the client to collaborate with the technical translation service so that the translations produced are suited to them. For example, the translation of operating systems, software, and applications creates specific needs. In such cases, it’s hard for the translator to translate “in the void” without seeing how the system in question works. Ideally, the client will give the translator access to the system so that they can browse through the different screens and understand what each expression means in context. If this is impossible, the client can send screen captures to provide visual references to the translator.

 

Are you working in the ICT field and looking for a technical translation service to meet your needs? Contact SLRR Translation Agency to learn more.

When a company chooses to take on the world, it’s no mean feat. There are numerous legal and administrative requirements to satisfy, which vary according to the country. In addition, to break into new global markets, the company often has to communicate in new languages with its customers and business partners. What’s the simplest and most effective solution for achieving this? Relying on the services of a multilingual business translation agency!

 

The needs that a multilingual business translation agency can meet

If you conduct business internationally, you probably have different types of translation needs, including:

Marketing translation: Multilingual marketing translation is of strategic importance for any company looking to attract new customers in new markets. When content marketing texts are drawn up, each word is carefully chosen after serious reflection. The same care must be applied to the translations. In addition, for the texts to have the same impact in the language of translation, they must be perfectly adapted to the culture of the people who will be reading them.

 

Legal translation: Within the context of international trade, legal translation requires excellent knowledge of the legal systems and conventions of different countries. Whether you need to have contracts or other types of legal instruments translated, a multilingual business translation agency will be able to support you!

 

Financial and administrative translation: If you have financial or administrative documents intended for your partners or shareholders abroad, a multilingual business translation agency has the necessary resources to meet these needs. And if you have employees in other countries, the translation agency can offer you its human resources translation services.

 

The advantages of relying on the services of a multilingual translation agency

Depending on the markets you’re targeting, you may need to have translations done in more than one language. If that’s the case, make life easier on yourself by using the services of a multilingual business translation agency, which will be able to offer you the following advantages:

Coordination of all your translations: The translation agency can coordinate the translation of all your texts into the various desired languages, so you don’t have to find and manage freelancers for each language pair, which can save you valuable time.

 

Access to competent professional translators: A multilingual business translation agency makes sure to entrust your translation projects to professional translators who have a perfect mastery of the target language and who are familiar with the culture of the market in question. The agency also makes sure to assign the different types of texts (marketing, administrative, legal, etc.) to the right translators, according to their fields of specialization.

 

Enhancing your brand image: By offering your customers and partners quality translations, you protect and enhance the brand image that you’ve put so much time into building. And in return, a credible brand image lets you increase your international sales. Isn’t that the primary goal that you want to achieve?

 

SLRR Translation Agency is a multilingual business translation agency that can help you conquer the world. Don’t wait any longer, switch to “international” mode!

 

You’ve just bought a brand-new product. You get home and quickly unpack it so that you can try it out right away. But oh, what a disaster! The translation of the instruction manual is completely incomprehensible, and you have to spend a long time figuring out how to assemble, install, or use the product in question. Is there anything more frustrating?

Precision is an essential quality of any translation, but this is even truer when it comes to the translation of instruction manuals. A poorly translated instruction manual can not only harm the image of the manufacturer, it can also seriously endanger the safety of the users of the product in question. The manufacturer may also experience a decline in sales and lose the trust of their customers.

The following three elements are essential for instruction manual translation:

 

The use of professional translators for instruction manual translation

Given that precision is an essential aspect of instruction manual translation, you should rely on professional translators who are familiar with your line of business and – above all – who understand what they’re translating! The translation of instruction manuals often falls within the field of technical translation, because it involves specialized terms and concepts (related to electronics, computing, engineering, etc.).

The translators who are entrusted with the translation of instruction manuals must not only possess specialized knowledge, they must also be able to produce clear and idiomatic translations that will be fully understood by the readers. Given the importance of accuracy and clarity for people’s safety, machine translation software is never a good solution for translating instruction manuals. A human touch is needed.

 

The adaptation of the instruction manuals to the recipients

When it comes to the translation of instruction manuals, it’s very important for the texts to be tailored to the people who will be reading them. We can distinguish between two main categories of recipients:

Technical specialists: Certain instructions are intended for specialists, such as assembly, installation, maintenance, and repair instructions for devices, systems, or machines. These texts are often highly detailed and quite sophisticated. You therefore need to rely on technical translatorswho have knowledge and experience in the field in question.

Consumers: In the case of instructions intended for consumers who are buying a product, the translations must be adapted and simplified so that they can be understood by non-specialists and so that the products can be used safely.

 

The quality control of the translations

One of the main advantages of doing business with a translation agency is that you can take advantage of the quality control service offered by experienced revisers. You can therefore be certain that your translations are accurate and suited to the context. In addition, if you manufacture multiple products, you’ll obviously want consistent translations that use the same terms and the same style. That’s another reason to use a professional translation agency for the translation of your instruction manuals, because all your texts will be entrusted to the same group of people.

 

Are you looking for a partner for the translation of your instruction manuals? Look no further! SLRR Translation Agency offers all the services you need.