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Translation from one language to another is a highly complicated job. Today, in the age of globalization, when different parts of the world are interacting with each other, good translation services have become very important.

Professional translation services can make sure that your clients and customers from across the globe can understand exactly what you mean. Faulty translation can cause irreparable damage to an individual, a company, or a government’s reputation. Continue to read this article to learn more about the benefits of hiring a professional translation service provider.

6 Reasons Why You Should Hire A Professional Translation Service Provider

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1. Professionals Take Into Account Cultural Differences

Cultural differences play a huge role when it comes to language. After all, culture shapes people’s perceptions of different words. Hence a particular term that may be respectful in one culture may be rude and offensive in another culture.

Here are some examples where cultural differences make a big difference in perception.

  • For instance, the term “mam” is used as a sign of respect in Asian cultures. However, the same word can be perceived as offensive in the west.

In the west, the term “mam” is used for a woman of advanced age, and many ladies take it to be offensive if a stranger calls them mam out of the blue. So if you have a company that has its headquarters in Asia and you are dealing with a female client who is American, then even if you use the term mam, your professional translator will use a culture-appropriate term instead of mam.

  • In two different cultures, two different terms may be used to denote the same meaning. For instance, Americans use the word attorney, whereas many other countries use the word lawyer.

Attorney and lawyer mean one and the same thing, yet a good translator will use the culturally appropriate term in a sentence. So when dealing with an American client, the word attorney will carry more meaning than the words lawyer or barrister.

  • Again, culture determines the level of sarcasm that is acceptable to the people. Since translation need not be a word-to-word translation, it may include some funny or appropriate comments or sarcastic lines if appropriate.

However, whether the sarcasm will be acceptable to the listeners or not will depend on the culture that they belong to. So if you are dealing with British people, they will appreciate dry sarcasm, but sarcastic comments may not be well understood by people belonging to other countries.

2. Professionals Know What Cannot Be Translated Literally

There are several terms that cannot have a literal translation in another language simply because a corresponding word does not exist. In such cases, using an inappropriate term may change the meaning of the entire sentence.

However, a professional translator is usually knowledgeable enough to know that it would be inappropriate to translate a word when there are no corresponding words in the other language. In such circumstances, the entire sentence structure may be rephrased to convey the meaning to the listener or reader.

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3. Professionals Know How To Deal With Words that Can Have Different Meanings

Many languages use words that sound similar but mean different things. For instance, the words break and brake sound similar but mean entirely different things. A native English speaker will be able to decipher the intended meaning based on the context of the conversation. But if the translator is not good at his job, he may translate similar-sounding words in the wrong manner.

Thus, translation dictionaries and online tools can help people translate words, but only a skilled person can convey the right means in tricky situations like translating similar sounding words.

4. Professionals Give Due Importance To Grammar

The right grammar and appropriate structure of a sentence have a huge impact on the meaning that a sentence conveys. For instance, in French, the adjective is placed after a noun in a sentence, but that is not the case in English.

Likewise, in languages like Arabic, the subject pronoun determines the gender of the subject and the voice of the sentence. Thus, grammar can complicate things, and a machine that translates one word for another will distort the grammar.

So an expert translator who is fluent in both the languages (source language and translated language) can do justice and make sure that grammatical norms are followed.

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5. An Expert Knows How To Translate Technical Documents

Translating technical documents is a daunting challenge. Technical words like those used in manuals, journals, etc., are difficult to translate because most of the research work happens in a few specific languages.

So when it comes to translating technical content, the translators make use of pictures or infographics to convey the right message.

Maintaining the fidelity of meaning is vital for technical documents. For instance, if you are translating a manual for a new machine that needs to be assembled, then a faulty translation can render the machine useless. So when it comes to technical documents hiring an expert is of utmost importance.

6. An Expert Knows How To Translate Phrasal Verbs Or Idioms

Phrasal verbs and idioms carry different meanings in different parts of the world. For instance, the idiom “ it was a cakewalk” means it was easy. But some places of the world may not be very familiar with what a cakewalk means, and a word-to-word translation will do no good in such cases.

Instead, an expert will replace the idiom with another idiom from the native language that essentially conveys the same meaning.

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Conclusion

Most companies think that hiring a professional translation expert will be a costly affair. But people must remember that they tend to lose their reputation, their brand value, and a lot more if they cannot convey the correct message to their audience.

Today there are many applications that offer free translation. However, if conveying the right meaning in the right tone is vital, then an expert. Experts keep in mind the grammar and the cultural connotation and make sure that you get the best returns in your business.

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