Accurate translation is incredibly important when a business wants to spread its information to people who speak foreign languages. Although many people think language translation is easy, even the most experienced translators can make mistakes.
Here are the four most common translation mistakes made by translators:
Language Translation Mistake #1: Literal Translation
Word-for-word or literal translation is a translation of a text done by independently translating each word without considering how words relate to each other. Each language has its own style of sentence construction in addition to unique idioms. Expressions need to be dealt with carefully – if translated verbatim, the resulting text may not make sense. To ensure your translations are correct, we recommend that your organization invest in professional translation services for efficient and high-quality translation.
Language Translation Mistake #2: Style and Format
It’s critical to understand that each document has its own style and format. A translated document will seem soulless if the proper style is not used. For example, legal documents and medical transcripts cannot be translated in the same way given the difference in subject matter. Furthermore, translators need to pay attention to details. Minor details can make a huge difference. For instance, date and time formats can be very important when translating a document. Should the 24-hour format, or am/pm format be used? Should the date bet written as DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY? In some countries like China, people are used to writing YYYY/MM/DD, which is often taken into account when conducting Chinese translation.
Language Translation Mistake #3: Cognates
There are many homonyms that different languages share which have the same spelling but different meanings (e.g., Bark– dog bark, tree bark). It’s one of the main reasons why English is incredibly tricky for many people to learn. Yet English is far from being the only language with this issue. Misunderstandings of specific terms can ruin translations and should be avoided. However, those new to translation or interpreting services are certain to make mistakes regarding the meanings of some words, at least initially.
Translation Mistake #4: Lack of Subject-Matter Knowledge
Industry-specific expertise is critical to translation, as translators need language as well as subject specialization. Translators should only translate content they are experts in, just as an experienced truck driver should not drive without any training. As a result, some translators specialize in website translation, others in legal translation, and some in technical translation.
Language Connections Can Provide Translation Services
If you need documents translated into nearly any language, Language Connections can help. With Language Connections, you won’t ever have to worry about your message getting across. You know you’re in good hands with our 30 years of professional translation experience, 100+ languages, and 4000+ trained linguists from our global network.
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
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Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com