Articles

How do you choose a good translation?

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You are sure to understand that to get a good quality translation you must make sure it is done by an experienced, professional translator who translates into his/her native language and area of expertise, with proofreading provided by an informed colleague.

But do you know how to recognise a genuine translator? And how do you judge the quality of a translation, especially if you don’t speak the target language?

Well, do as you do when you buy wine: not everyone can claim to be a connoisseur, but everyone does buy wine.

When you don’t know which to buy, you choose the most expensive bottle. Everyone does it: lined up in front of the supermarket shelves we tell ourselves that the cheapest wine will surely taste awful and if we go for a higher priced bottle, at least we won’t be disappointed.  If we’re at a specialist wine shop, we may explain to the wine merchant what we’re planning to eat or the type of person we are dining with to get some expert advice. We may sometimes give a price range and trust the wine expert not to make us look bad in front of our guests.

Translation is like wine: it’s complicated, the result depends on several factors combined and we have to master them all expertly to get something that is really excellent.

So don’t just buy any old thing. Ask Fairtrad for advice.

A fair translation agency

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When I founded Fairtrad at the beginning of 2010, my aim was to apply to the translation industry the ethical and social principles which would enable every linguist to earn a decent living, without ever speculating on their work, offering high-quality services whereby all parties – from the customer to the service provider – were respected and satisfied. I could already see the posters up, bearing the image of a beaming, fulfilled linguist: “Thanks to Fairtrad, this translator was able to take her family away on holiday”.

However, when I began to take a closer look at the concept of fair and socially-responsible trade, I found that there were some limitations:

a)      Fair trade, by definition, only covers the sale of goods, not services;

b)      Socially-responsible companies are required to have employees, for it is on the basis of their social support and integration policies that they are declared ‘socially-responsible’ (as per Article L 443-3-1 of the French Labour Code).

Consequently, a translation agency that works with a network of independent service providers cannot claim the official labels of either “fair” or “socially-responsible”.

There remains nevertheless the concept of ethical trade which endeavours to bring social and environmental improvements to the existing international trade arena. However, it is mainly in reference to the social responsibility of large companies (through the application of a code of conduct) that this term is used.

I can therefore but take inspiration from these definitions and apply their basic principles at every possible opportunity; however I cannot claim any official recognition for my commitment. I am just a small player in the free market, working with other independent market players, which does pose a major problem in terms of communication. While Fairtrad’s service providers are able to evaluate the agency’s ethical conduct, the customer has no guarantee.

The translation market also harbours many divides between service providers, companies, training bodies, professional associations and multinational groups.  These different stakeholders often have contrasting interests and very different – sometimes opposing – visions of the market. None of which helps when you want to apply a definition of “ethical translation”.

So, here is what Fairtrad has put into place to date:

Principles of ethical trade:

Promoting a form of exchange designed to achieve equity, especially in terms of pricing (see an interesting article by Maurice Décaillot on this topic, in French).

Developing good working conditions for service providers (calculating workload on an average maximum productivity level of 2,000 words per day for translators and maximum 6-hour working days for interpreters; applying a minimum rate; not including bank holidays in the calculation of delivery deadlines)

Social responsibility policy: Fairtrad is a member of the 1 % for the planet association whose members donate 1% of their turnover to non-profit organisations. This year, Fairtrad is supporting the GOVIIN KHULAN association.

Non-discrimination between men and women, or people of different origins and religions (pretty easy to do to be honest, but who knows, I could have been born narrow-minded).

Principles of fair trade:

Transparency and credibility: Fairtrad manages each project in total transparency and communicates to the customer, upon request, how much each translator working on the project is paid and their contact details, or vice versa, communicates to the linguist how much commission was taken. This is done to underline the fact that the services offered by an agency do add real value for the linguist and customer – not just mere business intermediation.

Individual ability: Fair trade is a means to developing producer autonomy. Fairtrad values its linguists for their professional and personal qualities and defends their interests during negotiations with customers. We do not ditch our best service providers for the first alternative linguist prepared to accept lower rates.

Paying a fair price: A fair price within a local or regional context is agreed upon through dialogue and consultation. The service provider and the customer are provided with all elements necessary to make this decision.

Principles of sustainable trade:

The translation business is amongst one of the least polluting there is: we only need a computer, telephone and Internet connection. Most translators work from home: they hence do not use transportation and use just about the same energy as anyone else to keep warm.  We print very few documents – proofreading and revision are now done using split screen display (except for legal translators whose lawyer clients love illegible PDFs or sworn translators who have to print their translations for certification purposes). True, interpreters do travel sometimes, but one usually calls upon interpreters available locally.

In my personal case, I share an office with other business operators, located exactly 550 metres from my front door. I use refillable ink cartridges; I do not print much and if I do, always double-sided; my computer, screen and printer are all low energy (Energy Star labelled); and I recycle waste at work.

The biggest concern is using the Web. Internet research pollutes too (as explained by Greenpeace in their report on the environmental dangers of the Cloud), but this research is also the basis of our profession. Fairtrad has opted for environmentally-friendly hosting of its website, implemented by the wonderful Internet technician and ecologist Yann Boulègue.  I hope that Google et al. will soon begin using renewable sources of energy for their servers, but until then I have found no other solution.

I am sure that – like me – many founders of VSEs manage their companies in an ethical and sustainable manner and that they feel very much alone in this ruthless world of the unscrupulous lowest bidder and large companies who monopolise the market.

Idealist friends, I urge all those who believe in a better world not to lose heart nor yield to the temptation of alignment and conformity: one day we shall meet. And we will found a cult 🙂

 

The advantages of a small agency (2)

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At Fairtrad, we know each and every one of our translators.

We know off by heart who is more gifted in promotional writing and who is an ace at technical or financial translation. We also know each translator’s flaws, which helps us to adapt projects to customers AND translators.

We only have one contact person between the customer and linguists; information is transparent and relayed immediately. The customer knows from the very outset how the project will be managed and he or she accepts the delivery conditions knowingly. Will it require working the weekend, working overnight, several translators on the job? What will be the consequence on cost and quality? Is the linguist assigned to this customer available to work on the project?  How can we better organise together next time round? What is this translation’s final destination? Is it for informational purposes, internal communication or publication?

We take the time to explain and reply to everyone, and we don’t think that the customer will be offended if we ask questions to better understand the text and his or her expectations. Normally, the text to be translated is also returned to the customer corrected because we are committed to noting any errors, incoherencies or misprints, and bringing them to attention. We care about our customer’s image, and when you care, you point out any shortcomings so that a person can improve. Personally, when a project includes one of my language combinations, I translate some of the documents myself: this allows me to build up a glossary and get a feel for the style, difficulties, time required and important details. I proofread everything a third time. I know the customer’s story, terminology and style of communication off by heart.

Fairtrad is a small agency. We have fewer customers than a large agency, but we have the time to give them special treatment.

Why are interpreters so expensive?

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A question I’m asked several times a week.

 

That’s why I keep several ready-to-use answers up my sleeve:

–  An interpreter works as a self-employed professional; he or she pays both company taxes and employee taxes which means that half his or her income is allocated to tax (the same goes for translators).

–  Like all freelancers, interpreters are never sure of having daily work, so their rates are based on an average of days worked per year. Just compare with an external consultant, graphic designer or IT specialist… self-employed professionals cost more than salaried employees, it’s normal.

–  Any assignment, even if only a few hours long, requires at least one day’s preparation (researching specific documentation and terminology, calls and meetings with the client) and travel time (incurring “travel allowance”, at extra cost if the interpreter has to travel the day before the assignment).  That’s why interpreters only apply a rate per day and not an hourly rate: the effort required is the same for 3 hours worth of interpreting as it is for 6 hours.

–   Interpreting is a very tiring profession which does not tolerate any decline in quality or vitality. It requires great concentration and rest times between interventions and assignments to maintain the voice and keep responsive. That’s why interpreters are fussy about planning. What time is lunch? What time are toilet breaks and coffee breaks? How many breaks are there? How many speakers are there? Interpreters can be quite tiring, but that’s because we tire them out too.

–  Specialisation (the fact that they cannot be replaced by the first person who comes along) costs money. Interpreters study for many years, keep constantly up to date and informed on their specialisations, and exercise their interpreting skills even when not working. Often, interpreters will add new language combinations to their skill base and continue training throughout their career. Unfortunately for them, they still need to put food on the table when busy training and not working…

To round off this list, I call upon you – my colleagues. Please comment and let us know your experiences, what your working day involves and your response strategy when clients think you are overpriced!