Content navigation: table of contents - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
How can the customer support his chosen translator in the task of translation?
The quality of the original, in terms of content, is the most important factor for the quality of the translation. The client should make sure that the language is clear and comprehensible, if he writes the text himself or if he is in a position to influence the style in which it is composed.
The delivery deadline should be set in such a way that the translator can carry out the task without having to work against the clock. Time must also be left for any queries and clarifications that are needed – in other words, the client must allow sufficient time for the translation project.
At this point I would like to say something about express deliveries.
When a perfect translation is called for (in which case the translator may well have questions for the client), the job should not be managed as an express translation for last minute delivery. Any translator is happy to handle express jobs, but only if the time allowed him is enough to ensure the delivery of a good quality text.
To produce a good translation, the translator needs all the background information that can possibly be relevant to the text. This means that the client has to answer all the questions that arise from the work. When the translator is fully in the picture, it enhances the quality of the translation. The client should tell the translator the target group for whom the translation is intended – in this way he will be better able to customise the text to the recipient.
Finally, lists of terms should be put at the translator's disposal,
if any such exist.
Previous chapter | Next chapter
