What is specialist translation?
Specialist translation goes beyond the mere transposition of words. An in-depth knowledge of the subject in question is an absolute essential. The value of specialised translation is impossible to deny in some fields like medicine, engineering, law, technology, marketing and lots more. When you put your trust in specialised professionals, you can be safe in the knowledge that your message will be transmitted and understood in exactly the right way, including specific concepts, technical terminology and crucial details.
Just like more general translation, specialist translation is used for specific purposes. But rather than broader fields of knowledge, it's grouped into much smaller fields, each requiring a significantly higher level of technical expertise. What you maybe don't realise is just how often you come up against it, it might be more than you think: on the pages of a glossy magazine, a leaflet in your medicine packaging, when signing a contract, on every label of the clothes you see when you're shopping, the terms and conditions you tend to just accept, without really looking... ;-)
You might be wondering what specialised translation is exactly, or who translates these texts, since they don't appear out of thin air. If you're eager to delve into the world of specialist translations and discover what lies beneath, we've got you covered. And with great pleasure!
What are the differences between specialist translation and professional translation?
Maybe they sound the same to you, or you can see the similarities, but they're not always the same by definition. In simple terms, translation comes in a huge range of shapes, sizes and colours: at the core, it's transferring a text from one language to another; however - and this is the important bit - it doesn't necessarily need to be done professionally, or by an expert in a specific discipline. Meanwhile, professional translation would be limited to any text that has passed through the hands of a translation and interpretation specialist who dedicates their working hours to translating.
And now to specialist translation. Also the work of a professional translator, this time one who focuses on translating texts specialising in a particular sector, for example a marketing, legal or fashion specialist (yes, it's that varied). But, aside from that, just think about the huge technological shift we're going through right now. One thing should be crystal clear: using machine translators simply doesn't compare to a specialised translation, done by the professionals or a specialist translation agency with years of experience under its belt. It might get you out of a bind in the short term if you're in a hurry, but it's not worth it. Even if you can't see the effects in the short term, you might change your mind when they emerge in the medium to long term.
Why work with a specialised translation service?
Really, the question should be, why not? Because doing so often means dodging a bullet; the kind that can taint your brand image or give you a subpar specialist translation.
Take a look at the following statements. These are the things we - as professionals in the field - wouldn't think twice about when recommending a specialist translation service:
- "Save yourself the effort of investing in low quality work": logically, of course you're looking for a quote that's in line with your budget, but is it really worth it if the result has a negative impact on your products or services? Working with a specialist translation gives you peace of mind. They'll know how to tackle your diverse translation projects from the get-go.
- "Warning. Just because your family member lives in Madrid and can speak Spanish, it doesn't make them a contender for the job": language knowledge goes way beyond knowing the exact equivalents of words; it's the full works. It's about having a compendium of culture and language on tap at all times, which they know as well as the back of their own hand. That way, they can get the message across in just the right way.
- "Technology is everywhere, and translation is no exception":you couldn't get further away from the image of a translator, quill in hand, working by candlelight. Specialist translation has changed over the years, always adapting to the prevailing technology of the moment - generally CAT (computer-assisted translation) tools nowadays, with a side of software for proofreading, or collating terminology and documents. All are essential parts of them exceeding expectations in their role.
And now for the last - but by no means least - point: a specialised translation agency will follow a code of ethics, and handing the work to someone who doesn't understand the field - even through nothing more than ignorance - just doesn't cut the mustard.
What types of specialist translation are there?
More than you can count on both hands!... But in this post, we're just looking at the specialist translations we work with regularly, in fact on an everyday basis at ATLS.
Specialist marketing translation
If you thought all those foreign products you remember from your childhood - the jokes with cultural references or double-entendres - came to you by osmosis, think again! It's very likely that the ingenious mind of a translator played its part in putting them into your mother tongue. When it's done well, localisation will always include specialist marketing elements. Without it, who knows how many products would have been lost in the abyss, never to be remembered by their catchy jingles or sticky slogans.
Specialist legal translation
Specialist text translation is a broad church, but this is probably the one you've heard most about. Because whether you like it or not, it's everywhere. From a simple invoice with tax data to a birth certificate, legal translation is part of our lives; and it requires a particularly high level of constantly-updated knowledge in everything from business administration and finance to laws and regulations. Don't confuse it with sworn translation in Spain, which consists of translating the same type of texts, but adding an official stamp from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to validate their authenticity and veracity. These texts are often used for official purposes, and can't be done by any professional (at least in Spain). The translator needs to be officially recognised, holding the title of 'sworn translator'.
Specialist pharmaceutical translation
Specialist pharmaceutical translation isn't so far behind in terms of the vast amount of technical knowledge and obligatory rigour. This is an area that needs rigorous attention to every little detail - an incorrect translation could seriously damage someone's health. This specialist area includes patient information leaflets, medication packaging, analysis, clinical trials and more. And it all needs to comply with the regulations in the country of the target language. These are documents intended primarily to save lives, but without the veteran hand of a specialist translator, they could end up causing unnecessary harm.
Specialist fashion translation
You could think of fashion translation as falling under the umbrella of the marketing specialism, given that Anglicisms (found in a number of languages), specialist vocabulary and localisation (which often turns into transcreation) are commonplace. If you want to sell your products effectively to consumers, you need to know everything about them, not the mention the relevance of cultural peculiarities. Which is where specialist translation comes into play. They need to have a good grounding in the subject, applying it to everything from launch campaigns to publicity and seasonal collections, to labels and sizing conversions. Yes, you got it. It all needs to be done by a translation specialist.
What do we look for in a specialist translator?
Various characteristics make a specialist translator special (and expert). So without further ado, let's get to the crux of it:
- Speed and efficiency: this translation and interpretation specialist will know where to look, how to handle any issues, and how to do it in record time. And that's what gets the best results.
- Confidentiality and confidence: in specialist translation, confidence rests on their level of expertise. Work with an expert, not a layperson. From the use of software to protect documents to signing confidentiality agreements, a specialist translator knows what to offer you to avoid any added stress.
- Adapted to your environment: or rather: to the document you need to translate. Translators often specialise in a number of areas, they're used to working with deadlines to suit your needs (including the urgent ones), and they're flexible, too. So, who are we talking about? The ones with the right experience and training, of course.
- Comprehensive review: specialist translation is a complex process, and a professional translator knows it. That's why they will always set aside time to revise their work, as many times as necessary - before delivering. Just thinking about skipping this stage of the specialist translation process makes us shudder.
If you're looking for professional translations (and this is all the more true for specialist translations), you should turn to the services of a translation agency rather than relying on free automatic translators such as DeepL or Google Translate. Or counting on someone within your company who is bilingual or speaks the language, for that matter. Specialised translation requires in-depth and accurate knowledge of the subject area, combined with a solid understanding of any cultural and contextual subtleties. Translation agencies have highly specialised teams of professionals in various fields, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of your original message. Contracting translation experts is about even more than guaranteeing the quality of your final results; it minimises the risk of misinterpretations that can arise when you rely on automatic tools or basic language skills. Hire a specialist translation professional, and save yourself the bother!
What do you need to look out for when choosing a specialist translation agency?
Specialist translators need to comply with various requirements, and it's the same for specialist translation agencies: years of experience in the profession, specialisation in translation and interpretation, certificates endorsing their quality and competence (such as ISO 17100: 2015 standard) and competitive pricing. When you take all this into account, it's hard to deny the obvious: it's always better to request a specialist translation in the first place - albeit at a higher cost - than to have to fix mistakes stemming from bad practice in the future.
At ATLS, we comply with all this, and more. When you work with us, you get the benefit of our expertise in specialist translation across all the technical sectors. You get the guarantee of us being by your side, offering assistance and welcoming your comments and feedback with open arms. Why not send a message, and let's talk?
