Spanish is one of the world's most widely spoken languages. It's the official language of Spain as well as most countries in Latin America. Moreover, it's spoken by communities of Latin American immigrants in countries like the USA and Australia. If your organization can address people in their own language, it will not only boost your corporate image and bring you more clients but it will also prevent misunderstandings because of language barriers. However, it's very important to choose the best candidate to translate English to Spanish.
The candidate obviously needs to speak, read and write both languages fluently. It's best to choose someone who speaks Spanish as their first language. This is because translators are normally better at translating from the language they're less proficient in to the one they speak most naturally.
Try to find someone who comes from the community that you're trying to target. In Spain, people speak differently from people in Mexico or Argentina. Even neighboring countries like Guatemala and El Salvador can have very different regional expressions. Therefore, if your target market is mainly of Cuban descent, try and find a translator with a Cuban background too.
Using translation software instead of a human translator is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. The problem with translation programs is that they don't translate texts phrase by phrase but instead work on a word for word basis. They don't look at context either. This can completely change the meaning of the text and in many cases it gives you texts that are unintelligible.
However, even human translators aren't all equal. Contrary to what many people believe, translation is not just a case of using a dictionary and not everybody who is multilingual is a good translator. Good translators use a variety of reference materials and think creatively. They also engage with the text, thinking about its meaning and the message it tries to convey.
A great starting point when trying to find real translators is to see whether they belong to any kind of professional translators' association. These groups don't allow just anybody to become a member but use stringent tests to decide whether someone's work is of a high enough standard before granting them membership. Another good indication of whether someone will be up to the task is to see whether they have any experience of translating for the publishing industry, which also has very high standards.
Before you assign the task, ask the candidate to translate a paragraph or two as a sample. Most professional translators will be happy to do this. It's a way for them to prove their abilities and for you to see whether they're a good fit. Ask several people who speak Spanish to check the sample translation and comment on its accuracy and readability.
Just like you wouldn't trust a doctor who charges fifty dollars for brain surgery, you shouldn't trust a translator who charges very low rates. Find out what the industry standard is. Professionals will charge rates in this price range, while amateurs rarely know what the industry standard is and will charge much less. When it comes to translation, quality costs more but it's a great investment, since bad quality will just alienate your target market.
The candidate obviously needs to speak, read and write both languages fluently. It's best to choose someone who speaks Spanish as their first language. This is because translators are normally better at translating from the language they're less proficient in to the one they speak most naturally.
Try to find someone who comes from the community that you're trying to target. In Spain, people speak differently from people in Mexico or Argentina. Even neighboring countries like Guatemala and El Salvador can have very different regional expressions. Therefore, if your target market is mainly of Cuban descent, try and find a translator with a Cuban background too.
Using translation software instead of a human translator is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. The problem with translation programs is that they don't translate texts phrase by phrase but instead work on a word for word basis. They don't look at context either. This can completely change the meaning of the text and in many cases it gives you texts that are unintelligible.
However, even human translators aren't all equal. Contrary to what many people believe, translation is not just a case of using a dictionary and not everybody who is multilingual is a good translator. Good translators use a variety of reference materials and think creatively. They also engage with the text, thinking about its meaning and the message it tries to convey.
A great starting point when trying to find real translators is to see whether they belong to any kind of professional translators' association. These groups don't allow just anybody to become a member but use stringent tests to decide whether someone's work is of a high enough standard before granting them membership. Another good indication of whether someone will be up to the task is to see whether they have any experience of translating for the publishing industry, which also has very high standards.
Before you assign the task, ask the candidate to translate a paragraph or two as a sample. Most professional translators will be happy to do this. It's a way for them to prove their abilities and for you to see whether they're a good fit. Ask several people who speak Spanish to check the sample translation and comment on its accuracy and readability.
Just like you wouldn't trust a doctor who charges fifty dollars for brain surgery, you shouldn't trust a translator who charges very low rates. Find out what the industry standard is. Professionals will charge rates in this price range, while amateurs rarely know what the industry standard is and will charge much less. When it comes to translation, quality costs more but it's a great investment, since bad quality will just alienate your target market.
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