UNDERSTANDING THE TRANSLATION INDUSTRY

Whispered stories abound of client catastrophes related to trashy translations. Yet the bottom line begs use of the cheapest proposal. Below is a clear explanation of how the translation industry works.  An insider’s view.

“FACTORY” – TRADITIONAL TRANSLATION AGENCY
The least expensive translation service is also the most prevalent. 95% of all translation services are “factory” business models. The United States, Europe and Asia are dominated by this type of agency. Traditional (“factory”) translation agencies generally offer hundreds or even thousands of low-end translators, and have franchise-style business models. Using Burger King as an example, Burger King has a few outstanding people at the top and thousands of low-wage, low-skill replaceable workers who perform the grunt work of the company. This is the model of the traditional translation agency. Agencies pay translators $.02 to $.06 per word ($12,000 to $24,000 annually). The translations are reviewed by other of the same type for $.01 per word. Because the pay scale is 50% or less of the value of the job, the translators who accept work for such agencies are lower qualified and grind out uninspired work almost mindlessly day after day, week after week, in a machine-like manner, often peppered with typos, mistranslations and odd grammatical word order. An example in English of “factory translations” are the Japanese to English electronics user’s guides that accompany Japanese products and cause such confusion to the purchaser.

TOP LEVEL TRANSLATORS - DIRECT TO CLIENT
Just as any high skill level employee, truly excellent translators cost double and even triple the payment to low-end translators ($60,000 to $75,000 per year). They tend to work directly for clients and never for traditional agencies, both for payment reasons and for the lack of creativity involved in the agency process. These translators are the client’s “eyes”, and are on high alert for every nuance and fact. Such translators have deep knowledge of the law, engineering and marketing, and will write “red flag” reports during a job to assist the client. Such reports may contain items such as:
•    “The process covered in page 3 of the document is against the law in France. See Governmental Regulation xxxx… Client may wish to investigate.”
•    “The expression used on page 4 translates as “prostitute” in South America. Client may wish to reword, then retranslate”.
•    “Have noted that client has not translated the xxxx. The shipment may be halted at the border and returned.”
•    “The client requested that we review its in-house translation for quality. There is serious trouble with syntax, and was obviously translated by a person of the wrong dialect. How would the client wish to proceed?”
•    In the original English copy, there are typographical errors and a word missing on page 5. Please warn client before goes to print.

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING COPYWRITERS
Writing copy for advertising and marketing is a professional skill, often inconsistent with translating. The word “translation” means a direct replacement of one word for its exact equivalent in another language in the same word order, whether or not the entire concept or approach works in the target language. Advertising copywriters are experts in their own language and in knowing what attracts their audience. They spend their business life massaging words to improve impact. Quality marketing and advertising writers will write and rewrite copy for maximum impact, putting the draft aside and reviewing with a fresh mind. Improving the overall effect to make “tight” copy. Even if it is a translation from one language to another, the word order of that translation, its “readability” or “hook” comes from sentences translated “just right” for the audience. For example, top level translators will translate correctly, but for advertising the copy will be “heavy” and “drag” compared to the rewording of the same translation by an advertising copywriter. Because of the executive level experience involved in good advertising translation, the monetary value of an overseas professional marketing/advertising copywriter is generally $150 to $250 per hour. But if using a copywriter increases overseas sales by up to 30%, then the hourly cost becomes a drop in the bucket.

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