Multi-lingual websites and which are the best languages to start with?
A multi-lingual website can pay real dividends in making your products more “searchable” on the internet, and in helping to drive more enquiries to you. The question of which languages to cover really depends on the current needs and aspirations of your business. English is by far the most widely used language in digital media. According to the website www.internetworldstats.com the most commonly used languages after English are (in order) Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese, Russian, German, French, Malaysian.
Think about the markets you want to reach. Prioritise your needs and plan to develop your website gradually. Take particular care over the quality of your translations: only every using professional translators with good first-hand knowledge of the key markets and your industry.
Article from the Trade International Digest, Q & A – Visit www.croner.co.uk/trade for more information
Comment from TW Languages:
We have a considerable amount of experience in translating websites and some advice is to keep the text simple, don’t play on words as this doesn’t always work in other languages. Use a translation company who can localise the translated text to the target country, please note, machine translation doesn’t do this!
If you need any further advice, send an email – we’d be happy to help.
What are certified translation services?
When having official documents professionally translated, be it of a legal nature, financial papers, health notes or other files, you will be required to prove that it has been translated by a trustworthy and reputable translation company. This is where you will need certified translation services – they provide you with the stamp of approval that will likely be required from your documents.
When you see that a translation company is Certified then you know that it has been approved for accuracy, and carries an official stamp of approval to assure high standards and industry compliance. A professional translation company that is Certified will assign your documents a unique reference number so that each one is traceable, should there be any queries or problems. A certified company will also carry a certain level of insurance that covers and shoulders the responsibility should anything go wrong.
There are many things that you should look out for when hiring a firm to translate your documents and files for you, such as reputation, ability to deliver the work on time, and price. However, using a service that is Certified is of utmost importance for both peace of mind and the legal aspect of the document translation being covered by insurance.
Other names that a company may use for being a Certified translation service are ‘Official’ or ‘Registered’. As long as they provide documents that are readily accepted by official bodies such as The Home Office and The British Medical Council, then they are likely Certified to translate your documents.
TW Languages Ltd is a full member of the ATC and is officially recognised as a translation company that is able to certify translation documents for legal purposes.
What are the most frequently asked questions when buying translation services?
The most frequently asked questions when buying translation services:
Q 1) Who are the translators?
Q 2) Will they have experience in the subject matter?
Q 3) When can you deliver the translation?
Q 4) What format will the translation be in?
Q 5) What languages can you translate?
TW Languages response:
A 1) TW Languages team of professional translators are selected based BS EN 15038 translation standards. They are highly qualified with years of experience in translating as well as being native speakers of the target language. The translators translate into the language of their mother tongue and generally live in the country of their nationality.
A 2) As per BS EN 15038 translation standards the translators must have a minimum number of years experience in technical and business translations. As well as a translation degree they may also have a degree / qualification in the technical subject.
A 3) We will always meet the client’s deadline for delivery. For large urgent translation projects we have the ability to increase the size of the translation team and therefore speed up the translation process.
A 4) We ensure that the files are in a format that meets the needs of the client and are easy to work with i.e. DTP, website designers, contracts etc.
A 5) TW Languages has worked with over 170 language combinations, ideally for multi-lingual projects.