Tips for a Better Translation

Last Updated On: June 22, 2021 by The Migration Translators

Whether you are an accredited NAATI translator or a newly qualified individual just starting out with your own translation business there are always ways you can improve your translation techniques and provide better document translation services or whatever type of translation you decide to specialize in. Here are five tips for a better translation outcome.

Tip no. 1 Make sure you invest in some good translation equipment

By translation equipment, we don’t necessarily mean translation software or machine translation technology, but more down-to-earth things like a variety of dictionaries. If you intend to specialize in any particular type of document translation services like legal, medical, technical, or scientific translation you are well-advised to invest in bilingual dictionaries that cover those sorts of terminologies. If you intend to do a lot of marketing or literary translation then dictionaries of idioms and idiomatic sayings and bilingual jargon would be useful.

Tip no. 2 Pre-reading gives you the big picture

By pre-reading a document or text to be translated we mean skimming through it fairly quickly so that you get the general gist of what it is all about. This is something you might want to consider if you are just starting out to make sure it is a translation task that you can handle and also to know how much to charge. By pre-reading a document you will also know what sort of extra equipment in the form of dictionaries as has already been mentioned will be useful.

Tip no. 3 Work out the style and meaning of the text

Every individual piece of text has its own well-defined style. You will want to maintain that type of style when the text is translated. You will also wish to maintain the overall meaning of the text or document after translation. This depends on the fluency you have obtained in both the original and target languages.

Tip no. 4 Proofreading allows perfection

Proofreading cannot be stressed enough once you have finished translating, but there are many ways you can proofread your documents. One way is to read the text out loud. This allows you to check that the meaning of the text has been preserved. Re-read the translated text to double-check grammar and spelling mistakes. Another way to do this is to read backward from the end of the document or get someone else, preferably a native speaker to check the text. The native speaker will particularly notice nuances like idioms and jargon which may not have been translated properly or sound clumsy.