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In this blog, we will attempt to shed some light on how to measure quality in translation. Unlike the new car you drive off the lot or the latest technology gadget, there is no legitimate guarantee or warranty on translations. However, when you select a certified and highly qualified translation service provider like TrueLanguage, you build assurance on translation quality.
No Warranty on Translations? How Then Can I Best Assure Translation Quality?
Even when translations are done by human translators who are experts in the subject matter at hand, the quality of a translation is still subjective. This is why high-quality translation providers are very concerned about employing only the best translators and have standard processes in place for all process steps, especially the project management. Quality assurance was the topic in one of our latest blogs, so be sure to check it out for more detailed information.
In order to give some guidance on what makes a language service provider a good translation provider, we offer the following advice:
- When engaging with a new translation service provider, be attentive to what kind of questions they ask you at the beginning of the project. Usually the more questions you hear, the better the project manager is trying to understand your needs and expectations. Project Managers are typically very inquisitive as they want to share the gained knowledge with the translators and educate them as well as possible on your demands.
- Personally, I would be suspicious if a translation service provider doesn’t ask questions. You should also be suspicious if they offer a guarantee or warranty on translations.
- Check if your future partner and language service provider is ISO-certified, has standard processes in place, and is working with native speakers and subject matter experts.
- If a translation didn’t turn out the way you expected, share your feedback. Let the translation provider know – good or not good.
- Give them a chance to rectify the problem. Often a conversation between the translator and your in-country-reviewer can settle and explain wording and phrasing.
Measuring translation quality has been a big topic since the 90s. How can it be measured, how can it be graded?
In the late 1990s, the Automotive Industry took an initiative with the SAE J2450 initial core group where experts from many different global companies such as Chrysler, GM, Ford, Mercedes and Volvo – and many more – discussed how translation quality could and should be measured. The SAE officially designated the task force as the J2450 Task Force on a Quality Metric for Language Translation of Service Information.
The J2450 metrics have been adopted by other industries ( medical and life sciences) and a new standard, called the EN15038, was published in 2006 by CEN, The European Committee for Standardization. This standard is gaining acceptance worldwide. You can find more info and detailed process steps on the internet (i.e. Wikipedia) if you are interested. A high-quality translation provider should be aware of these metrics and consider or apply – at least partially – these , recommended steps. So, again, although there’s no guarantee or warranty on translation quality, there are some important objective standards for measuring it.
Don’t assume everyone speaks your language
What are your quality standards? More often than not, American manufacturing companies follow the common belief that product documentation provided in English is beneficial worldwide.
They shy away from having manuals, software, safety regulation, technical datasheets and more translated into the languages of their target markets and believe that whoever is on the other side will understand and read English fluently. And very often, this is not the case. Can you trust the engineer in the other country that he and his team can understand English well enough that they can properly assemble and re-build your product?
Isn’t it an unpredictable safety hazard for you to trust a stranger’s ability to speak and understand your language?
Wouldn’t it be safer, better, cheaper, faster to control your language and make sure that this person in the other market can read and understand your product documentation in his language and, therefore, apply and assemble any product parts the way you would expect?.
As Peter Drucker said: “Management is doing things right, Leadership is doing the right things”.”
