Professional translation does not only involve mastering a language, but also requires certain specific qualifications in order to communicate efficiently and professionally. Translators and interpreters are bridges between cultures, languages and specific professional settings, such as medicine, engineering, law.
When hiring a translator or interpreter, you must confirm their qualifications and experience in your field. Although, in general, the cost of this type of specialized services is above the average, it is also true that a wrong decision may cause adverse effects and higher costs to companies. A poorly translated or inaccurate contract can give rise to a breach of contract and cause damages. A translation error in medication contraindications could have deadly effects on a patient.
Therefore, we give you three tips to hire professional translators or interpreters:
- Experience: It is absolutely essential to hire the services of a professional translation and interpreting agency with experience in the type of translation, interpreting or other language service you are looking for. It may seem easy to find a translator or interpreter, but the range of choices is so wide that, without the proper background check, your decision can be risky.
- Specialization: Most people believe that translators do not need to specialize in specific fields. Translators cannot translate all fields of knowledge with the same high quality. Just as there are labor or criminal lawyers, clinical or forensic psychologists, translators or interpreters also focus their training on specific domains. Thus, there are translators and interpreters specialized in the fields of mining, medicine, law, marketing, business, literature among others. When ordering a translation or interpreting project, make sure you use the right professional.
- Price: The cheapest options are usually the most appealing, but not necessarily the best or the most professional. A simple error in a figure or a legal term can be even more costly or generate greater economic losses in the long run.
Mary Ann Monteagudo is the executive director and founder of Learning & Language Services SRL, a translation and interpreting agency with more than 25 years of experience. LLS has a team of highly specialized and skilled translators, interpreters and language professionals in different fields and languages to ensure the success of your projects.
