At our translation agency, we believe that MTPE only really works well when revision is taken seriously. This means that we always include the source text: this is the only way we can ensure that the translation is not only linguistically correct, but also clear, correct and consistent in content, with the style and message you want to convey. Without that check, misunderstandings can arise, and that is precisely what you don’t want. We have spoken to clients who have had entire reports translated by a machine only to find out later that terms were used inconsistently, some sentences made no sense at all or the tone was completely wrong. One client even told us that it was only at the final presentation that they discovered that the word “product safety” had been translated as “safe toy”. Ouch.

MTPE works very well for certain types of texts, especially those with large volumes and texts with a lot of repetition. Think product descriptions, internal memos or informative content where style is not as important. Especially if things need to be done quickly or the budget is on the tighter side, this approach can save a lot of time and money. But: it is still essential that a professional translator checks the translated text with care. 

Yet there are also texts where we say: MTPE is not the way. For legal documents such as contracts or general terms and conditions, for medical texts, and certainly for official records such as SDS documents (Safety Data Sheets), the accuracy required is simply too high. Those texts must be clear, 100% correct and legally watertight. You don’t want any mistakes or misunderstandings there, and certainly no assumptions from a translation machine.

For this kind of work, we translate according to the ISO 17100 standard. This means that one specialised, native-speaking translator translates the text, and a second then performs expert revision on the translated text – with the source text alongside it. That way, we not only check for spelling and grammar, but also for style, terminology, consistency and context. You can then be sure that your text will be flawless and professional – as it should be.

Our advice? Don’t take unnecessary risks. MTPE can be an excellent choice, if applied properly. But when in doubt, check with us to see what best suits your document. We are happy to provide a free quote for both an MTPE option and a full human translation according to the ISO 17100 standard. Then you can choose what suits your goal, deadline and quality requirements.

The post MTPE: smart choice or should we prefer 100% human? appeared first on TranslationAgency.com.

One of the biggest challenges in the translation process is choosing between translating exactly what the source text says and making sure the translation actually resonates with the target audience. Translators are generally expected to stay somewhat faithful to the original text when translating  to the target language. This is an important rule of thumb, because taking too much liberty with the content can have serious consequences for the user of the translated text. Think of legal documents or complex technical manuals, where a translator’s free interpretation of a statute or chemical formula could have dire consequences for the end user.

At the same time, a rigid, literal translation can also lead to less-than-ideal results. A faithful rendering of a phrase like “I’m under the weather” is likely to raise eyebrows with an Italian reader.

Of course, a professional linguist who stays true to the source will immediately recognize that a literal translation is nonsense. But what do you do when translating a simple phrase like “I like you” into Japanese? The translator needs to know the speaker’s gender, their relationship to the person being addressed, and ideally the person’s name, to avoid using an impolite form of “you.” A good translator takes all of these subtle, contextual elements into account when translating something that seems straightforward on the surface. In short, a skilled translator not only masters the mechanics of the work but also knows how to ask the right questions ahead of time in order to make sure the final version is linguistically and contextually appropriate.

… And what about AI?

For machine translation, things that a human intuitively grasps and intellectually processes aren’t always obvious. AI needs to be “fed” with answers to subtle questions about who is speaking, what the context is, and where the conversation takes place. For a user looking for a quick fix, that’s not only inefficient but it’s also impractical. The ability to balance faithfulness to the source with human understanding of context and intent makes the human role essential for an accurate, high-quality translation. Professional translators also check and maintain consistency and precision for repeat assignments by building client-specific translation memory and developing a feel for the desired communication style.

… but we can make sense of it with AI too

When perfection isn’t absolutely necessary and a client still opts for AI translation, we can play an effective corrective role. We have professional translators post-edit the AI-generated version. That means comparing the machine translation to the original source text and correcting for context, logic, tone, grammar, and spelling. The results can be pretty solid, and delivered faster and more affordably than a human-only translation.

If even that level of refinement isn’t needed, there’s always the option of a machine translation with proofreading only. With this, a native-speaking proofreader — sometimes called an editor in this case — reviews the machine-translated content for grammar, spelling, and flow, but without referencing the original text. That means faithfulness to the source isn’t guaranteed. You get a more average-quality result perhaps, but it’s quick and cost-effective. This is another service we offer at Translation Kings, especially when the translation isn’t considered “business critical.”

… and if it absolutely can’t cost a thing?

Some clients choose to generate the machine translation themselves and then have a willing colleague proofread it. Naturally, we consider this the least desirable option. Beyond the obvious reasons, we often try to explain to clients that having an in-house employee proofread a machine translation isn’t efficient. The time a non-professional spends on that kind of task usually doesn’t hold up against what a trained proofreader can do. No matter how fluent or native-sounding the colleague may be, experience, translation memory, and methodology ensure speed, accuracy, and ultimately, better results. Plus, that colleague wasn’t hired to spend hours, days, or even weeks correcting a machine translation. Their time is better spent on the tasks they were actually hired and paid to do. If you compare the lost time and revenue from taking them off their core duties with the cost of a professional proofreader, the math is almost always in favor of outsourcing.

No matter how cheap an in-house “fix” may seem, and however you look at it: outsourcing the job to a real linguist gets you better results, faster turnaround, and is more cost-effective in the long run.

The post However you look at it… appeared first on TranslationAgency.com.

As a translation agency, a large number of confidential documents pass through our hands every day. And not just through our hands, but also those of our translators and our DTP team. These documents often contain personal data and confidential business information. As an ISO 9001/ISO 17100 certified agency, we have been handling this carefully for years, thanks to stringent confidentiality requirements and processes.

This applies not only to how we handle what we read and translate, but also how that information is stored securely on our proprietary server and how we consistently delete all information entrusted to us within the set retention periods. That’s all well and good. But the world has changed.

Fast forward to 2023 – ………

Whereas a few years ago, a scammer could get away with stealing bank details and PIN codes through phishing and internet fraud via Nigerian princes, in recent years, they have turned to different and considerably better-organised methods.

Entire organised crime syndicates compete with the drug cartels both in size and effectiveness and, according to some estimates (United Nations), employ 1.5 million workers. The target audience is no longer the somewhat naive and gullible digital illiterate, but concerns a (one might assume) well-informed younger generation, industry leaders, governments and even data security consultants.

Voice and face changing AI applications, combined with translation services and stolen data, can sometimes mimic reality beyond recognition, making them many times more effective in snatching data, money and personal information. Even from those who think they have armed themselves against it.

Without trying to get political, if you add to this the fact that in some democratic countries it apparently no longer seems unthinkable that personal data can quite easily end up in the hands of unelected Tech billionaires, then the data protection cocktail is served pretty strong.

The changing playing field and what Translation Kings is doing with it… ISO 27001

As a leading translation agency and in our emphatic responsibility towards our clients, we continue to do everything possible to give our clients and employees the confidence that their data and other sensitive information is and remains in safe hands with us.

The decision to obtain the prominent and internationally recognised ISO 27001 certificate was therefore quickly made. After an intense period of evaluating and further improving processes, control measures, guidelines, encryption applications, and ICT reconfigurations for the purpose of data protection, we are proud to report that we have obtained ISO 27001 certification.

What does ISO 27001 certification entail?

ISO 27001 is an international standard for information security. It is a system of measures and controls to ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. This standard ensures that your data is safe from threats such as data breaches, cyber-attacks or data loss.

An ISO 27001 certification means that we meet the strict underlying requirements and have implemented an effective Information Security Management System (ISMS). The certificate shows that we are serious about protecting sensitive data and comply with international information security standards.

Our ISO 27001 certification is critical to earn the trust of our clients, partners and other stakeholders in the knowledge that their data is handled securely and that risks associated with information security deficiencies are identified and mitigated in a timely manner.

An obvious advantage…

We work on behalf of governments, medical and technical service providers, financial institutions, lawyers, multinationals, SMEs and individuals. They entrust us with a wealth of information on a daily basis. Earning that trust, is not a given and something we will have to prove every day.

Knock on wood, but the fact that we have never breached that trust over the past 17 years is great and shows that our existing protocols have worked. But the world is changing greatly and it is changing fast. So fast, in fact, that the most renowned specialists themselves sometimes become victims of data breaches and cyber-attacks. It’s not enough to just sit around and hope nothing will ever go wrong.

Our clients deserve better. At a minimum, ISO 27001 is an important step in the right direction and we recommend not settling for anything less.

The post Who can you still trust? ISO 27001: essential security appeared first on TranslationAgency.com.

AI has been with us for years. Car navigation systems, traffic cameras that read license plates, Google Translate, and even the home thermostat that knows who is home and who isn’t: we might call it something else, but it’s all AI — nothing more, nothing less.

The reason AI has gained so much extra attention since 2022 is all about the rapid development of deep learning. Don’t ask me how, but deep learning uses linear algebra and statistics to process vast amounts of (human-generated) data and extract patterns from it. In short: it trains and teaches itself.

Large Language Models (LLMs)

This is where so-called Large Language Models come into play. These LLMs, from companies like Google and OpenAI, have been trained to such an extent that they can now perform tasks like photoshopping, composing music, automating robots, making medical diagnoses, mapping climate developments, and coding software.

As deep learning continues to analyse more and more data and trains itself, many researchers are grappling with the question of what AI will ultimately be capable of and whether more deep learning leads to ‘better’ results.

The central question is: what does ‘better’ deep learning mean? Is it ‘better’ if it scores increasingly higher on a math or law exam, or is it ‘better’ if it starts coming up with creative ideas on its own?

What Can LLMs Do and What They Can’t (Yet)?

Current models excel at generating essays, creating TikTok videos, and summarising a legal dissertation. All of this is made possible by the patterns they extract from their training data. However, these models fall short in determining which data is logical, applicable, and appropriate. Logic and reasoning based on trade-offs are still largely missing.

In that context, it’s currently unclear whether the present LLM models will ever be capable of consistent reasoning. It might even require entirely different and yet to be developed models to achieve that level of cognitive ability.

The Role of Humans

As long as AI’s limitations persist, human logical reasoning and creativity will be essential to fully harness the benefits of both. Or, as Albert Einstein once said (and he was usually right): if you keep using the same method, you’ll keep getting the same result. In short: creative thinking should never be excluded.

You might think this sounds self-serving, but there is now serious research on this. Studies (source: April 2024 npj Digital Medicine) show that combining AI with qualified human intellect — including reasoning skills, intuition, creative thinking, and logic — significantly improves data output.

This has been demonstrated in medical, cultural, mechanical, and legal research, as well as in the translation industry.

…And What Does That Mean for Translation?

In translation, context, nuance, creativity, logic, and localisation (cultural adaptation) play a critical role. We’ve seen empirical evidence that some of our clients, based on their experience with AI, have developed a more nuanced perspective on its applications.

After experimenting with various translation software (which is, of course, an AI product), the conclusions are, let’s say, mixed. This doesn’t apply to less complex translations like emails, simple word lists, or a website for furniture, offering colour choices for a new chair. However, for business-critical texts that need to be precise, where nuance, logic within context, specialised knowledge, effective communication with the target audience, and the use of commercial keywords are essential, AI alone can fall short.

That’s where clients also look for human intervention. I deliberately write ‘also’ because clients don’t necessarily abandon AI in translations, but they are looking for ways to combine it with human correction and text editing.

Translation Kings’ Role When AI Translations Are Desired

Translation Kings has been offering this service since last year: a machine translation with post-editing. We (or you, if you wish) handle the machine translation and then have it post-edited against the source text by a professional translator. For the reasons described above, this gives the client a fast, cost-effective, and quality translation. While it’s not an ISO 17100-certified translation, it’s good enough for the client’s intended purpose, and without the shortfalls which AI has not yet overcome.

As long as AI cannot solve problems on its own and still requires human intervention for guidance and correction, Translation Kings embraces AI technology in any application our clients desire.

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And with good reason. We can discuss endlessly about the possibilities that this and similar applications can and will offer. From scientific research, coding and composing to writing poetry, making exams, developing business strategies to, of course…translating.

So it probably won’t come as a surprise that, following our previous blog, we want to dive deeper into the latter use of AI (See also: https://www.translationagency.com/are-machine-translation-chatgpt-and-other-artificial-intelligence-tools-suitable-for-quality-translations/).

AI and machine translations in practice

We are convinced that current and future translation applications offered by AI, have, and will become an integral part of the translation process and the methodology with which translators create their translations.

For now, we’re not getting into how and if AI should or shouldn’t be used for high-quality translations. As we already discussed in our previous blog, our daily experiences with AI and machine translations, strengthen us in our opinion that the journey from “occasionally useful” to the level of “sometimes reasonable” – which is where we are today – has been a long one. A journey of twenty years actually. The question remains, how we can grow from “sometimes reasonable” to “reasonable” to, ultimately, “reliable”. To achieve this, AI will have to learn how to copy human neurological processes, which is no easy feat. On the other hand,… it is not unthinkable.

Machine translations and quality

Based on what machine translations can offer now, we do embrace the technology, but we’re not going about this willy-nilly. As an ISO 9001 & 17100-certified translation agency, we consider the quality of our translations our key priority and reason for our existence. Until the contrary is demonstrated unequivocally, human translations made by specialist and professionally trained translators and editors, are and remain the sole way to deliver top-quality translations. Period.

Moreover, many of our business clients explicitly exclude machine translations. They rightfully question the limited quality and, thus, the usability of these texts. Besides that, they are concerned about data protection and the expected lack of regulation around AI, which may well drag on for many years.

But what if quality is less important?

There are, of course, clients for whom a perfect, human-made quality translation is a less important factor. They prioritise speed and price and are willing to compromise on quality. And with this huge hype around AI and machine translations these days, it’s only natural that companies want to experiment with it. From a business perspective, they understandably want to explore the possibilities AI can offer. Especially when translations are not “business-critical”. 

Despite our aim to deliver the highest quality, we also want to accommodate our clients in this respect. And notwithstanding the limitations that machine translations impose on us, we hold fast to our goal to provide the best possible quality. 

We distinguish two categories of (machine) translation projects requested by our clients.

Machine translation with post-edit.

The first option is for the client to send us a machine translation generated by themselves plus the source document. Or they ask us to generate a GOOD machine translation of the source document (yes, there are many bad ones). 

A human, professional translator then checks the output created by the machine translation program against the source and corrects any errors and inconsistencies. This service is called a machine translation with post-edit. It still relies heavily on the translator’s knowledge and expertise, but it does speed up the translation process and the rates are lower compared to a traditional, human-made high-quality translation. And although this doesn’t rate as an ISO 17100 quality translation, the client still receives a reasonably good, corrected translation – faster and at a lower rate. We get these requests for texts such as press releases, blogs, presentations, and subtitles.

Machine translations with just proofreading.

The second option is for the client to send us an in-house generated machine translation (or ask us to prepare one) with the request to have the machine translation checked by a corrector (proofreading). This is what we call a machine translation with just proofreading. Such a process doesn’t include checking and correcting the translation against the source (as with post-edit). The translated text is only checked on grammar, context, and spelling. 

Examples of such projects are product content for online shops, for which the text is of less critical importance (e.g., green chair, yellow chair, red chair, etc.), or when the text just has to be reasonably understandable. Naturally, clients requesting this service go for a fast delivery at the lowest rate. The quality of the translation may be of minor importance, but clients may have perfectly good reasons for accepting that.

So, this is how our clients and Translation Kings evolve with the new reality offered by AI and machine translations. Our clients learn, we learn, and AI learns. It’s a powerful development and an exciting journey that our industry embarks on. And Translation Kings is completely on board!

The post AI and machine translations? Bring It On! appeared first on TranslationAgency.com.

For Court Interpreter Information Please Go to Room: 201

….in English. So, as a non-English speaker you’re still in the dark, unless you deduce that 201 could potentially be the number of a room where a translator is waiting.

This points to a classic dilemma in the translation world: the quality of the message is determined from the perspective of the messenger. However well-intentioned, as in this example.

And in the translation world, the quality of the message is often everything. When translating a legal, technical, medical, or academic document, a 95% accurate translation holds little value. They need to be perfect in detail, especially when significant interests are at stake. A good translator is aware of this and translates the source text in a way that is fully accessible and understandable to the reader of the target text.

This may seem obvious, but sometimes the provider of the source text tends to question the quality of the translation because, from their own language, culture, word usage, and grammar, the translated text feels different from their original source text. This can lead to interesting discussions between clients and translators. Fortunately, this issue often resolves itself when we explain that a professional proofreader, who is also a native speaker of the target language, has reviewed and approved the text based on their language and cultural understanding.

All of this touches upon another aspect, namely that one language is sometimes inadequate to express the same meaning as another language. This can be very frustrating for language enthusiasts, especially when the limitations of their own language become inhibiting. Thanks to globalisation, it is increasingly common for employees in large international companies to prefer communicating in a foreign language, even with fellow native speakers, as they have become accustomed to using a foreign language for internal communication. This provides greater control over the message and enhances effectiveness in their professional performance.

Even more extreme are writers and journalists who completely disconnect themselves from their own language, move to another country, and only speak and write in that foreign language because they feel they can express themselves more effectively in it than in their native language. However, it doesn’t have to be that extreme. Translation agencies like Translation Kings are there to be the messengers, not just of the bare source text, but primarily of what needs to be achieved with that text. That remains the shared goal, and you don’t have to move anytime soon!

The post The Quality of a Translation is Determined by the Reader in the Target Language. appeared first on TranslationAgency.com.

Or is it? As we’ve emphasised, a translation must be 100% accurate in terms of quality. Almost good is simply not good enough when it comes to professional translations. Just imagine if a technical manual gives incomplete instructions or if a legal contract or medical report is incorrect! What’s more, translations often need to be delivered quickly and at a low cost.

To navigate through the myriad of options, KIWA, thankfully, provides a solution. They rigorously and fairly oversee compliance with the ISO certifications that professional translation agencies impose on themselves. The most important ones are the ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 standards. Any reputable translation agency, such as Translation Kings, qualifies for these certificates annually. It may require time and financial investment, but the outcome is worth it. For clients, it is crucial and reassuring to know that their translations are being carried out professionally and under the control of a strong certification.

But what do these ISO certifications actually cover? I’ll spare you the many details, but essentially, the ISO 9001 standard prescribes how translation processes should be done and says nothing about the quality of the translators. In fact, machine translations are also permissible under this standard. It also determines how to handle translations and maintain strict confidentiality, as well as how to handle complaints. It’s basically a basic requirement. However, under this standard, the quality and qualifications of the translator are not scrutinised. On top of that, after the translation, there is only a so-called “revision round”. This means that the text is reviewed again. However, this can be done by the same translator (…as we say in Dutch, “wij van WC Eend”, which is referring to self-promotion) or by anyone without specific educational requirements. Do the maths…

That’s where the ISO 17100 adds an extra layer of quality. This ISO 17100 certification is an international quality standard that requires translators to meet certain requirements and qualifications. They must have completed a translation education programme, possess relevant work experience, and, of course, all be native speakers. Additionally, after the translation, an independent proofreading process takes place, meaning that the translation is rigorously reviewed by another certified and native speaker translator. So, a four-eyes, and serious, approach.

Why am I bothering you with these formalities? In the spirit of “If it’s too good to be true, it usually is”, here’s a warning to be cautious with quotes that offer so-called “Standard” translations. These may appear cheaper, but if you read the fine print, you’ll discover that you’ll have to pay extra (if desired) for ISO 17100 compliance. In other words, it’s a translation that only meets the ISO 9001 standard. As explained above, the absence of ISO 17100 makes a significant difference, and it is certainly not advisable.

These agencies proudly promote themselves as ISO 17100 certified, but their standard product does not align with that claim. And of course, the price is the lure that tempts customers to overlook the quality standard. 

Translation Kings and, fortunately, most reputable translation agencies do not engage in such practices. We consistently adhere to the ISO 9001 and 17100 standards without any detours or hidden clauses. Yet, we still guarantee the lowest price. “Warned is forearmed!”

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With the recent launch of ChatGPT and other AI applications, the attention on machine translation is also increasing. Well Named! Technology is relevant and offers new opportunities for the world of translation

That’s right: these sentences don’t quite sound right!

In the original first sentence we intended to clarify that the interest in machine translation is increasing, rather than observing a shift in attention, as our dear deep learning friend seems to prefer. 

How the original next sentence “And rightly so!” turned into “Well named”, remains a mystery to us as well. We admit: the sentence expresses a bit of emotion, but that, in the end, is the writer’s prerogative. 

In the final sentence, it is nice to read that technology in general is relevant. We of course wholeheartedly agree. However, the source refers to the technology of machine translations, and not to technology in general. 

These examples indicate that, unlike this well-known translation engine, the neurons in our human brains can effortlessly apply the nuances, the emphasis of the subject and the context, correctly.

What is the added value of machine translations?

All that being said, we are not about to claim that machine translation doesn’t add value. On the contrary. The quality of machine translation (also known as MT) has improved over the past five years. Especially thanks to the application of deep learning, where such systems are trained to mimic the human brain.

The professional application of MT has also been further improved. Companies compile glossaries so that specific terminology can be inserted into text automatically, consistently and accurately without human intervention.

Companies also integrate their translation memories into the standard translation applications that human translators use to process translations. This allows translators to focus on checking and adjusting MT output rather than doing the entire translation from scratch themselves. The MT then takes care of the simpler work – the parts that are translated the same way every time – while the translator’s intellect can focus on linguistic specialism and knowledge of the subject.

Deploying machine translation and AI tools in the simple steps of the translation process.

Translation Kings therefore embraces developments in MT and AI. It helps its translators focus on the intellectually satisfying part of translation and leaves the simpler repetitive work to MT. Of course, this also benefits the efficiency and therefore the cost of a translation. And that, in turn, benefits the customer!

Apply AI and MT to more complex translations such as marketing, technical, medical or legal translations.

The example we started this blog with illustrates how things can go wrong even with a simple piece of text. In this particular example, the negative consequences of this MT translation are obviously not crucial and can even be considered ‘good enough’ in some cases.

But when MT makes such mistakes in technical, medical, legal and marketing expressions, it’s a different story. Where context, specialism, exact wording, use of nuance, humour, culture and the differences between literal and figurative are of great importance for the meaning of the message, there is no room for error. It can appear unprofessional to the reader and sometimes even have disastrous consequences.

MT and AI continue to evolve

Fortunately, MT continues to learn, with AI analysing a mass of text data, looking for certain patterns and learning which translations were appropriate in similar cases. The recent adoption of DNN (Digital Neuron Networks) is also a step forward. We’ll leave the significance of that for a future blog, but it boils down to mimicking the workings of human brain neurons, connecting neurons in software and making the connections stronger or weaker as one learns. In other words: the learning process becomes more human-like. That is the ultimate goal, at least.

With that, machine translation has moved from the ‘occasionally useful’ category to the ‘sometimes reasonable’ category over the past five years. What needs to happen to grow from ‘sometimes reasonable’ to ‘reasonable’ and eventually ‘reliable’ is unclear for now.

In the meantime, human intervention in the translation process remains crucial, and Translation Kings embraces the proven capabilities offered by MT. Our goal is and remains an efficient translation process, which fully unburdens you and always provides you with an inexpensive and high-quality translation.

We apply whatever is necessary to continue to fulfil that promise.

The post Are machine translation, ChatGPT and other Artificial Intelligence tools suitable for quality translations? appeared first on TranslationAgency.com.

When I wrote the blog ‘A look behind the scenes’, I added (part 1) to the title. This is because the translation world is full of stories that are worth telling. And not unimportantly, these stories can improve the mutual understanding of the parties involved in a translation process. The better the parties know each other, the better they can respond to one another. Now all we need is the time to write down all these stories.

Ideal

In an ideal world, clients provide Word or Excel files. The translator then creates a copy of that file for translation so that the format and fonts stay the same. After this, the translated document can be sent back to the client without any further processing. Easy as that.

Things are not always ideal

It is understandable that clients cannot always provide everything in Word or Excel files. We have to make do with what we have. Fortunately, we have skilled desktop publishers with computers full of programmes that can convert documents with unusual file formats into files the translators can work with.

PDF

With the commonly used PDF format, that conversion is often not sufficient. There is often an additional obstacle in the form of uneditable texts in the document. Only PDF files that have been created under certain circumstances have texts that can be edited – with special programmes – later. Unfortunately, most PDF files are not of this type, which means a text recognition programme must first be used before the document can be converted into a different file format.

Unfortunately, text recognition and conversion programmes are not good at dealing with a document’s layout, so by the time the translator goes to work on the text, the layout often doesn’t look quite as good as it should. This means that after the translation process, the desktop publisher must go to work to restore this.

Faxing

But it could always be worse. Sometimes, a client has no other option than to fax their documents. They only have a paper version of the documents to be translated, there is no scanner nearby, and mailing the documents will take too long. And… they are in a big hurry.

Okay, that’s just how it is. The client is in a tight spot because they were asked at the last moment to arrange for a translation in connection with an important meeting that has suddenly been pushed forward.

Now, a fax machine is a great device for quickly transferring texts. Unfortunately, the result is quite blurry and coarse compared to scanned documents. And if the texts are small, text recognition programmes have trouble recognizing those grainy letters; the distinction between a 1, an l, an I and a ! disappears, the letter combination ‘rn’ becomes an ‘m’, etc., etc. And if the document also has a complex layout with pictures, charts and diagrams, and the fax came through slightly skewed, then the result looks horrendous. Moreover, this is a rush job.

Relay race

The situation described above is a good example of a 24/7 relay race we regularly get caught in. In this case, the desktop publisher converts the faxed documents to Word documents as well as possible and sends them to the translator with a scan of the faxes. This means the latter has some additional work; they must separate the blurred texts and mutilated words before they can finally deploy their translation software.

Once the translator is finished, they send the translation – perhaps in the dead of night – back to the desktop publisher, who stayed up to immediately work on the layout with a large mug of coffee at the ready. In most cases, we also have a proofreader carefully check the final result. By the time the order is sent back, the sun is rising again. Once the client has indicated that everything has been received in good order, the translation, desktop publishing and proofreading crew can go to bed.

Even more obstacles

The example above described a relatively small order that only needed to be translated into one other language. But things can be far more complex than that.

Enough for now. Look forward to part 3. Let me conclude with the remark that the translation world, despite all of its suddenly emerging complications, is very fascinating above all. Never a dull moment. Besides, we are not afraid of those unexpected obstacles along the way!

The post A look behind the scenes (part 2) appeared first on TranslationAgency.com.

The year had barely begun when we already received a letter with more than good news; the certificates ISO 17100:2015 and ISO 9001:2015 have been awarded to us. In short, we now meet the two highest international quality standards for translation agencies.

ISO 17100:2015

A good start is definitely half the battle. Not just for us, but for you as well. The ISO 17100:2015 (a stricter version of the NEN-EN 15038 we had before) represents top quality translators, tools, quality care, management systems, project management, contractual frameworks, and services. Quite a mouthful, but as you can see; it goes far beyond just delivering the best quality translations. All business processes surrounding the translations must also be optimised and streamlined.

ISO 9001:2015

The second certificate we were awarded, the ISO 9001:2015, relates to the management of all business processes in order to always meet the expectations of the customer. It actually takes things a step further than the ISO certificate mentioned above. For the ISO 9001:2015, all business processes must be subject to extensive risk analyses; the highest quality must ALWAYS be delivered, no matter what. The company culture is also examined; the realisation that top quality comes first must penetrate into all layers of the company, not just the manager responsible for it.

Annual inspection

The certification is not a one-time affair. Every year, another audit takes place, and every year, we have to meet a long list of requirements. The relevant inspections are carried out by KIWA, an independent organisation that takes care of high-quality certifications.

The best news

We have saved the best news for last; even with the highest ISO certificates in the pocket, Translation Kings will continue to charge the same low prices. We are and remain as inexpensive as you are used to. Therefore, our lowest price guarantee remains unaffected.

The post New ISO certificates appeared first on TranslationAgency.com.