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!

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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.

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Having a text translated? Submit it to a translation agency and receive it back translated. Easy peasy for the client, but sometimes it can be a different story behind the scenes.

Just an assignment

A client has a text of 100,000 words (2 books of around 200 pages) that needs to be translated. And, oh yes, there’s a bit of a hurry; the translation needs to be completed within a week. The client states the case without blinking an eye and only expects one response: “you can count on us!”.

As a guiding rule, a translator can translate roughly 2,500 words of a text, with an average complexity level, per day. And, of course it needs to be properly reviewed. There aren’t allowed to be any typos, no language, spelling or stylistic mistakes and the text must have the right tone. If the client submitted a style guide with the text, then all of the specified instructions must have been carried out.

Let’s calculate

So… 2,500 per translator per day. That means one translator will take 40 days to complete an assignment of 100,000 words. There’s not enough time. But, with 8 translators, the job should be completed on time, assuming working weeks of 5 days.

Another complication arises. No matter how good the translators are, when the different texts need to be assembled together there may be differences in style and the use of synonyms.

More work

To forge the translated texts into a single whole and remove the last cosmetic flaws, a proofreader will have to be put to work. For an assignment of this size the proofreader will need three days. This only leaves two days for the translators, of whom we suddenly need 20.

Work over the weekend

Alright, if we ask everybody to work over the weekend, giving us 2 days more, we can manage with 2 translators. We ask the project manager to be fresh and ready to go at the end of day 4 in order to neatly join the texts that are rolling into one seamless whole so that the proofreader can start their work early the next day.

Yes, we can!

Translation agency TranslationKings can rely on a pool of over 1,100 translators, so, in the case of a text of 100,000 words that needs to be translated between Dutch and English, for example, we regularly respond with: “you can count on us!”. But, if it is a specialised medical text that needs to be translated from Farsi to Finnish, even we might need a little more time.

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Why would a business born and bred on the Internet suddenly need a real building in the heart of Amsterdam? Where did this transformation come from?

Face-to-face

The desire to have our own space – although it is modest – has existed for a while, and after testing the idea in a temporary rented building, we decided to purchase our own building. This is because we found it really positive to be physically accessible in addition to the existing online channels. Once renovations are complete, we will be able to welcome (potential) clients into our new building and discuss orders face-to-face in an open and accessible work environment. It also allows people to experience the Translation Kings atmosphere and take a look behind the scenes of the modern world of translation. This expansion of our service package is intended to raise our quality and service to an even higher level.

Small but perfectly formed

Admittedly, a 90 square metre office is a bit on the small side, to say the least, for a business where over 1,100 translators translate every day. However, accommodating 1,100 translators is not necessary; just a few is enough. Even with its own building, 99% of Translation Kings continues to owe its existence to the Internet.

In addition to the account managers, who we absolutely wanted to put together in one room, a number of ‘translators in residence’ will be working in the building; translators who temporarily exchange their own workspace for a place with us, translators who come along on request to discuss an order with a client in detail, or translators who simply enjoy working in a fixed place away from home. In this new contemporary translation environment, not everything is state of the art, and you will always find one very old-fashioned Dutch custom here: a fresh cup of coffee.

Super-fast

Another plus point is that we have a high-speed fibre optic connection in our new building; not unimportant for a company that operates mostly on the Internet. Therefore, with the opening of our physical office, our digital service level will also receive a boost.

Our own building and yet low overheads

By now, those who know our business strategy will be wondering how buying our own property – in the heart of Amsterdam, of all places – fits into avoiding as many overheads as possible. That is a matter of cold calculation. A pied-a-terre in the physical world was necessary, we were all agreed on that. A quick sum showed that we could buy our new building for approximately 10 times the annual rent. How much we paid exactly, we’ll keep under wraps, but it was blatantly obvious that buying was a far better option than renting. What it comes down to is that we’ll be paying the normal rent for 10 years, but in the form of a mortgage. And after that, nothing!

The renovation of our building should be completed in April 2016, and then you are more than welcome to visit us at Binnengasthuisstraat 150 in Amsterdam. Of course, we’ll throw a party when we move into our building, and when the mortgage is repaid and our overheads drop even further, we’ll throw another one. Note down April 2016 and April 2026 on your calendar and be surprised.

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Wouldn’t that be convenient; you simply grab an overview of the latest world championships of translation and you have all the results at hand. Unfortunately, it simply doesn’t work like that. You cannot express the performance of translators in seconds, metres, or pounds.

Even so, you do not have to feel lost in your search for the best translator. You can come a long way by simply selecting a translator according to the following three rules.

Rule 1 dictates that, very logically, a translator needs to have a very thorough professional knowledge of two languages. Equally obvious is rule 2, which dictates that a translator must be specialised in the subject within which he is translating. For example, if a translator cannot determine from context whether the word ‘crane’ is referring to a bird or to lifting equipment, then the resulting translation will likely be poor.

Rule 3 is also very obvious, but often overlooked. The misery that can be caused by not following this rule becomes painfully clear in the following example. But first, the rule itself. Rule 3 dictates that a translator should be a native speaker living in his native country and translating to his native language. For example: a Chinese person who lives in China and translates to Chinese.

And while we are in China: recently, the film ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ endured heavy criticism after its premiere in China. Not because of the film itself, but because of its translation. The atmosphere of the film did not come across properly in Chinese according to most visitors, and the puns were lost in translation.

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Just between you and me; how do you select a translation agency? What mainly determines your choice?

Tricky…

You can look up the most trustworthy-looking websites of translation agencies on the Internet, request a few quotes, make a few calls, make some more calls, and then… hope for the best?

If you leave it at that, you’re selling yourself short. With a little extra work, you can retrieve a lot of valuable information about translation agencies; entirely for free. You don’t need to hire Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes and useful websites

You were already surfing on the Internet; all you need to do is visit a few useful websites to find out more about the background of the translation agencies you have selected. Combining the information found often leads to surprises.

A good place to start is the website of the Foundation for Internet Domain Registration in the Netherlands (www.sidn.nl); the organisation responsible for domains which end with .nl. Here, among other things, you can see when the domain was registered and who the domain holder is. This gives you a good starting point for finding other activities of the owner. He may very well be a mover. Yes, those types of work combinations really occur!

Always check the website of the Chamber of Commerce (www.kvk.nl) as well. Here, you can retrieve some basic information regarding the translation agencies quickly, easily, and free of charge. And that information may be more useful than you initially suspected.

Combine information that is up for grabs

Do the translation agencies use the same information with the Chamber of Commerce and on their websites, or does their business look a little ‘brushed up’ online? Or does a translation agency pretend to be bigger than it really is? Do they act like they have a small army of translators, but are actually registered with the Chamber of Commerce as a sole proprietorship? Just think logically. How big is that translation agency going to be, if you know that a B.V. is a more interesting legal form if you have a turnover of 150,000 Euro per year or more?

By combining data from the Chamber of Commerce, you can also find out whether translation is the core business of an agency, or whether you are dealing with another mover…

Exotic assignments

And how long has the agency been in existence? If it was registered with the Chamber of Commerce less than a year ago, but indicates it has major clients like Unilever and Ahold, how should you interpret that? In general, building a good client base takes quite a while, and multinationals of that size often have their own in-house translators. Surely, they may outsource some work if they need to translate to and from an exotic language. But can the translation agency you are looking at deliver such a service?

And last but not least; do not forget to look for experiences. What do customers of the various translation agencies write in web forums?

Or would you prefer a specialist?

Let’s go back to translation agency websites. The average detective can often discover a thing or two on those.

For instance, you can sometimes read that prices are kept low because students are used for translation. No offense to those students, they undoubtedly do their very best. But what is it all about for you? You want to have your manual, resume, brochure, or contract translated. Work that must be done impeccably! Sure, you can leave that work to a student, but given the choice, you would certainly opt for a technical or legal translator who is tried and tested in this field; and has been for decades. A specialist who, moreover, does not need to be more expensive!

How is that possible?

Translation Agency works with these kinds of specialists, and still offers very competitive prices. How do we manage to deliver top quality at such competitive prices, you can find out here.

Oh yeah, and when selecting a translation agency, always check whether they, like Translation Agency, are a member of the Association of Translation Agencies in the Netherlands (www.vvin.nl). This is a good indication of whether they are driven and passionate about their profession.

And… is the translation agency in possession of the ISO 9001- and NEN-EN 15038-certifications? Why these two? Simple: they are the highest certificates possible; the golden Olympic medals for translation agencies, if you will. The first guarantees the highest quality of the products, processes, and services, and the second is the European quality label for translation agencies.

And Translation Agency just so happens to have both!

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