Why professional document translation is crucial for best results

Document translation is something many people wrongly assume is easily taken care for free using computerised or online translation systems. There’s nothing wrong with doing this is if you are casually looking to find out what a document means – to get a rough idea of what the words or sentences translate as. However, there are many scenarios where this would not be appropriate. In fact, there are many scenarios where not using a professional document translation expert or company could actually be disastrous.

Here are just a few examples of why professional document translation is crucial for best results:

Safety

If the document being translated relates to safety and the advice is even slightly misinterpreted due to incorrect translation, then the results could be disastrous, especially if the translation isn’t checked prior to the work being completed. With chemicals, or directions of use, if safety advice is not specifically translated, one person could get injured or fatally hurt, or hundreds or even thousands could, depending on where the document was being used.

Legal

If a document relates to legalities, a misinterpretation could lead to a person breaking the law, to a document being completely void, or to an ongoing legal situation being postponed or having to start again from the beginning. Legal documentation is extremely specific down to the word, so the translation must be extremely accurate and hiring a company that really understands translation and just how specific it needs to be is simply crucial.

Meanings

Slang, local terms, cultural differences – none of these would be picked up by a machine translating, or even by someone who was fluent but had no actual experience of living in the local culture. This means things could be easily misinterpreted which could mean a simple miscommunication, or potentially a loss of business depending on the scenario if the translation really is massively far off the mark.

Professionalism

If you get a document translated and it is full of mistakes, this in turn damages your brand. A customer or client will think less of you for sending them communication that is misspelled, worded badly or that makes no sense. Professional document translation is imperative for a professional image. Imagine printing 20,000 brochures and yet you had words that literally made no sense, not only has this cost you money, but it could well ruin your brand as well.

Speed

You might think DIY is better or easier when it comes to translating a document, but this simply isn’t the case. Accurately translating a document properly takes a lot of time if you’re using an online translator and then amending mistakes. If you have various media to translate as well, you’re looking at lots and lots of work. Being able to send items across to a company for translation within an agreed amount of time is quick and efficient, saving your company money and also providing you with the best possible results.

Long term

Long term, it is always best to use a professional document translation company. For professional, accurate results that guarantee your company not only remains ahead of the game, but is also able to penetrate foreign markets with ease, you need to use a professional document translation company. If you would like to save time and money long term, and you’re interested in expanding to international markets in 5-10 years’ time or sooner, now is the time to start looking into using a professional document translation company.

It will be worth it

Although it might seem easier using an online translation service, or even attempting to translate something yourself from limited knowledge of a language, it really isn’t worth it. For some documents it is extremely risky to avoid using a professional translation company, why take that risk? Professional translation is affordable, convenient and readily available. Why not start taking advantage of these services now? Your company will avoid the potential pitfalls of bad translation and start enjoying the advantages of using a professional translation service.

If you have a document you need translated, Brightlines Translation is always happy to help. Please send us a message or give us a call on 01225 580770.