Writing and translation

Contexto Geral do Projeto

Preface This Guide to Translation Project Management provides a set of written guidelines meant to assist organizations around the world wishing to produce quality translations. Although it was designed primarily as a resource for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) interested in translating instructional materials to support their training and professional development efforts, the general concepts are relevant to any agency or organization desiring to distribute information in other languages. Translation is a complex endeavor, requiring the active collaboration of multiple participants in order to produce a quality product. This guide explains the process involved, describes some possible pitfalls and ways to avoid them, and offers guidance in creating a translation team, including the selection of a translation company or independent translators. It also touches on aspects such as translation and distribution formats, rates, tools, resources, and best practices that can contribute to a good outcome. Finally, the guide includes sample checklists, guidelines and instruction sheets that can be customized for use in various stages of the translation process. This guide was developed as a collaboration project by The COMET Program and the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC). Many thanks to Corinne McKay for her many excellent suggestions, and to Bruce Muller, for editing. 1.0.0 Defining Translation 1.1.0 Why Do We Translate? Transferring information —scientific, philosophical, literary, commercial, political, artistic— across linguistic barriers is an important and necessary component of the human endeavor. For information providers, translation expands the number of people who can access the information, allowing it to reach an audience that would otherwise not benefit from it. Today, translation is more widespread and accessible than ever before. Translation efforts can be organized in creative ways: organizations with larger budgets may choose to hire a translation company or independent professional translators to handle all of their translation needs; organizations with smaller budgets, or with subject matter that is not familiar to many translators, may decide to combine the services of professional translators with the skills of existing staff members; finally, organizations with a pool of expert volunteers may opt to include their services in the process. Whatever your budget and translation needs, there are ways to make it work. 1.2.0 Defining Translation Translation is an activity, a product, and a process. As an activity, translation is a complex act that requires close reading of a text in the source language, understanding its meaning, and creating an equivalent text in the target language. The word “translation” also refers to the product of this activity: the final target language text that will be published or distributed. Although this document will touch on these aspects of translating, we will focus primarily on the process of creating a translation, using this definition: Translation is the process of conveying a written source language text clearly, completely, accurately, and appropriately in a target language. The term process refers to the steps or stages that a translator and/or a group of translators follow to produce a quality translation. Our definition also describes some particular qualities a translation should possess in order to be “good”. In other words, it should be:  Well-written: Proper grammar and spelling, appropriate use of terminology, and clear expression of concepts are common to all good writing.  Accurate: Various factors can lead to inaccuracy in a translation, such as incorrect interpretation of the source text, inappropriate or incorrect terminology choices, and omission or addition of key concepts in the target text.  Complete: Missing concepts, missing sentences, missing words, missing symbols all contribute to a translation not being complete.  Appropriate: The translation should be appropriate for the audience that will use it, and for the context in which it will be used, taking into consideration cultural aspects. Note that the following do not constitute translation, though they may be part of the process:  A simple substitution of words from one language to another: Translation is a complex act that requires close reading of the source text in order to understand its meaning and render it appropriately into the target language.  Automatic/machine translation: Machine translation is a tool that can be used in the translation process, but it cannot, at least with current technology, produce a translation that meets the criteria for accuracy and appropriateness that we would expect of a professionally translated text.  Summarizing or paraphrasing: While these activities can be useful ways to convey information across languages, they are not, strictly speaking, translation.  Interpreting: Although related, translation is different and should be distinguished from interpreting, which involves conveying the spoken word from one language to another. As a translation buyer, you will also look at translation as a product, or as a professional service, and thus you will have certain expectations as to its quality. However, it differs from most other products and services in one fundamental respect: without knowing both the source and target languages, you cannot fully evaluate the quality of a translation. A translation can be accurate, but poorly written in the target language. A translation can be beautifully written, while failing to accurately convey the meaning of the source text. By being directly involved in the translation process and with the people who participate in it, you will be able to understand and trust the final product to a greater degree. As an educated consumer, you may avoid unpleasant surprises later. 1.3.0 Who Can Benefit from Translation? Almost any organization can benefit from translation. People learn better and retain information more effectively in their own language, and providing materials in the reader's native tongue will probably result in greater understanding and better learning outcomes. Translation can help organizations that work in languages that are not widely spoken around the world, that serve a public that speaks a second language, or that do not have the financial resources to develop their own materials to meet their training needs. Translation can be a very cost-effective investment, when it is done well. Often, the cost of developing effective training on any topic in your own language will be far greater than the cost of producing a high-quality translation of an existing foreign language lesson. This Guide to Translation Project Management is designed to increase your understanding of the translation process, to assist you in managing a project to develop training materials through translation, and to help you avoid some possible pitfalls. While it specifically aims to help National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) use translation to meet their workforce training needs, the general concepts presented can be useful to any agency or organization needing to make information available in other languages. 1.4.0 Understanding the Translation Process While a single person can translate a text for informational purposes, it generally takes multiple participants to produce a quality, final translation for publication or distribution. Translation is also a multi-step process, involving some iteration and redundancy. We can break this process down into a series of general steps: 1. Translation: The first phase of the translation process involves creating the initial target language text. It generally works best to have a single translator or a small, collaborative team of translators translate all the material. Most (although not all) professional translators A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 3 work into their native language only. A translator who is also an expert in the field is ideal, but may not always be easy to find. In these cases, review by an expert in the field is strongly recommended as part of the Editing/Revising step. The translation stage can require a lot of research. It is also the time when a bilingual glossary may be created, problems are identified, and content questions are addressed. 2. Editing/Revising: Editing involves checking the translation thoroughly against the original in order to eliminate any possible errors, ambiguities, and omissions. All changes in terminology need to be made consistently throughout the text, and in the project glossary. This step is often performed by a translator who works in the same language pair as the original translator. However, it may be beneficial to have the text checked by a native speaker of the source language, who may be able to spot errors due to the translator’s misinterpretation of the source text. If the original translator was not an expert in the field, use an expert target-language reviewer with good writing skills, even if he or she is not a professional translator. 3. Proofreading: This final quality assurance step serves to smooth out the writing, correct any minor punctuation and style details, and run a final spelling check. At this point, it should not be necessary to consult the source text except for clarification. The proofreader should have excellent native command of the target language and should be familiar with the style guidelines being used for the document. 4. Maintenance: While not an inherent part of the process of translation, this step is important to avoid the material becoming obsolete. Updates to the original material should trigger the update of any translated versions. Simple updates may be handled by one translator, but more complex updates with extensive changes or rewriting may call for editing/revising, and proofreading. It is worth noting that professional translators typically perform the first three steps themselves before presenting their work to the editor or reviewer, who will likely repeat steps 2 and 3. Related Links Translation: Getting it Right. A guide to buying translation http://www.atanet.org/publications/Getting_it_right.pdf COMET's Translation resource Center: https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=1293 1.5.0 Summary Translation is the process of conveying a written source language text clearly, completely, accurately, and appropriately in a target language. Translation allows information to be transferred across languages, expanding accessibility of the information. The translation process involves translation, editing, and proofreading. Training programs at NMHSs may be able to use translation as a cost-effective means to expand their training program's offerings. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 4 2.0.0 Planning a Translation Project Here are some of the tasks that should be part of your translation project: 1. Identify the person or persons who will oversee the translation effort. 2. Define the scope of the project: identify the materials for translation and the language(s) involved, evaluate the source material contents and technical characteristics (file types, accessibility, format, etc.). 3. Budgeting: Identify the financial resources available for your project. 4. Consider copyright issues. 5. Identify resources: a translation company, freelance translators, members of your organization, or a combination. 6. Create a project plan. 7. Establish a timeline. 8. Execute and manage the project. 9. Create a maintenance plan for the translated materials. We will consider the first four points in this section, and turn to the others in later sections. 2.1.0 Identify a Project Lead or Team Translation management must be tailored to the size of the organization and its resources. Oversight may range from simple handoff to a translation company (sometimes known as a language service provider, or LSP), to complete involvement in selecting translators, editors and reviewers, and managing the entire project. Appointing appropriate staff skilled in organizing and managing complex processes will be essential for the development of a successful inhouse translation program. 2.2.0 Define the Scope of the Project From the outset, it will be important to identify the specific needs your organization wishes to address through translation (for example, supporting aeronautical meteorologist training, meteorological observer training, or a continuing professional development program), and to set realistic goals to meet these needs within your specific budget. One of the key aspects of this task will be assessing the materials to be translated: to assure that they are best suited to meet your current training needs, and that they also have a high chance of remaining relevant for a long period of time. 2.2.1 What Really Needs to Be Translated? Organizations must be efficient and smart in deciding which materials to translate. Depending on your organization’s needs, not all materials may require full, precise translation. Careful analysis of the original can reveal parts that can be shortened or omitted from the translation, thus reducing the amount of work involved, and, ultimately, the cost of translation. For example, you may have permission to translate a lesson on a specific scientific concept that also contains text or graphics that are not needed for your purposes, such as the history of the group that developed the original document, or historical overviews that may not be relevant to your audience. In these cases, you may decide to summarize, or perhaps to omit those sections entirely. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 5 As pointed out earlier, summarizing is really not translation. However, a target language summary of a document (for example, the results of a study) can be useful to convey certain specific information. If you choose to adopt this strategy, you should ensure that the person in charge of producing the summary is qualified to read the source text and summarize it in the target language. In some cases, a summary of a document, lesson, or other material may be useful to make certain decisions. For example, when identifying documents as potential candidates for full translation, you might want a brief description of the content in order to decide whether the material actually matches your needs. This strategy can help those involved in the selection process make more informed decisions about what to translate and avoid the cost of translating irrelevant material. 2.2.2 Source Materials The selection of source materials for translation requires careful consideration of various aspects besides their relevance, such as quality, effectiveness, usability, and format. Evaluating your instructional needs will be an important part of the selection process. You will want to involve the people in charge of training in your organization in making this determination and in identifying relevant materials that will convey the concepts you need to present effectively. Whenever possible, the linguistic quality of the materials should also be evaluated before deciding whether to translate them. A well-written document that presents concepts clearly and concisely will be easier to translate than one that is written in a verbose, convoluted style. A poorly written original may take longer to translate, and the final product may reflect the weak quality of the source text. If you have control of the original, reviewing the text for any improvement or simplification prior to translation may be a good option. If your organization develops its own materials, it might consider an approach to writing that facilitates and supports later translation or adaptation. Consistent use of terminology, clear writing that avoids slang and cultural references, the use of examples from multiple geographical locations, and consistent use of international units, are some approaches that can make the source text easier to translate. 2.2.3 Format types and considerations We can consider format in two different ways:  Delivery format: This refers to how the material is presented to the end user. For example, a textbook, a web-based lesson, a presentation, or perhaps a webinar. All of these delivery formats will present their own challenges, and will have to be handled in a particular way for translation.  Translation format: How the content will be handled during the translation process. For a webinar, for example, the format might be a simple text file containing the transcription of the lesson. In the case of a web-based lesson, the format might be an HTML file. Formats vary widely. Most prepared instructional materials are initially developed as text and then formatted for use or distribution, either in printed or electronic form. This is often true of narrated lessons that start out as scripts, although this is not always the case; in live lectures or webinars, the presenter delivers the content orally, but without a set script. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 6 By definition, translators work with text, the written word. The formats used in the translation process can also vary, most often as a function of the delivery format. The translator’s capabilities are also a factor: for example, all translators work with word processing files, but some may not be able to work with HTML files. Access to source files is an important consideration. Distribution-friendly formats such as PDFs are difficult for translators to work with; the process will be much easier with the source files such as MS Word, Excel, etc. This is also true of the graphics that accompany the text: producing translated images will be much easier if the original source graphic files containing the text layers are available. Obtaining the source files will help streamline the translation process. These are some general format considerations:  Avoid formats that impose word or page length limits based on the source language text, such as windows or buttons that are sized to the original and don't allow for expansion. Text created in English often takes up less space than the equivalent text in another language, such as German or Spanish.  Choose materials that are available as text, or in a format that can be easily converted without requiring specialized programs.  Locate the source files, if necessary by requesting them from the organization that developed the original materials.  Consider whether you have the resources available to extract text for translation from programs such as Adobe Flash, which are not translation-friendly, or to work with graphics, or audio files.  Consider the formats you and your translators can work with. Most translators today use tools that allow them to work in a wide range of formats, but not all have access to specialized programs. For example, if you have html files, but your translator only works in ms word, you have to figure out how to convert html to ms word format.  Don’t assume that your translator or other participants will be able to work with file formats other than MS Word: ask before the project begins.  Consider whether any graphics or animations contain text. Graphics with captions, legends or explanations require special handling, the use of graphics software, and access to graphic source files.  Consider the impact of narration or other audio. If the translated product will be narrated, these materials may require a considerable amount of processing and resources, which will increase the cost and time required to produce the final translated product. For example, you will need to either obtain the script for the source audio files, or have them transcribed, then translated, and then re-recorded in the target language.  Consider cloud-based software options. Many software vendors now offer relatively inexpensive access to sophisticated cloud-based programs. Depending on your budget, for a fairly modest fee you may be able to provide translators access to specialized tools, and perhaps even some training on how to use them. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 7 2.2.4 Audio Lessons presented as recorded narrations and webinars can be appealing, but require much more processing to produce in translation. Recording the material in the target language will always involve additional work and resources, such as contracting voice talent, producing and processing audio tracks, and incorporating them into the final delivery format of the lesson. Whether these activities are handled in-house or contracted out, they can add up to significant costs. One cost-cutting option is to provide the transcript and, if possible, include Closed Captioning. Some cloud-based video hosting tools, such as YouTube, provide Closed Captioning functionality. 2.2.5 Graphics and Animations Many training materials include illustrations, animations, and other graphic elements that contain embedded text. Commonly used image formats in lessons and presentations (such as .jpg, .png, and .gif files) do not contain editable text layers. Access to source files in a format that preserves the text layers and allows them to be edited with a graphics program, like Adobe Photoshop, will facilitate the process of creating target language versions of graphics. When source files are not available, in most cases it will still be possible to layer translated text on the image, though the process will be more time consuming, and the quality of the final graphic may not be optimal. Animations present additional challenges. As an animation unfolds, callouts or explanations may appear at different moments, or each frame may contain slight differences in text, as can occur with animations of data products. Animations should be evaluated before translation to identify any technical or text-related issues that may need to be addressed. Generally, unless the translator is willing and able to work directly in a graphic or animation format —something that is not common in the industry— you will need to devise a strategy for handling graphics. One possible approach consists of compiling a document with a screen shot of each visual and having the translator type below each graphic or animation every text element it contains. The translator and the person actually producing the target language graphics will have to be particularly vigilant to avoid introducing errors, especially when placing text on graphics or animations. One way to reduce the time and costs involved in producing foreign language graphics or animations is to leave them in the original language, and provide translations or explanations, either in the translated text or as explanatory captions below each item. Consider these aspects related to handling any graphics and animations included in the materials you will translate:  Do you have source files for the graphics and animations?  Can your translators or translation company work in graphics programs, such as Photoshop, or Flash? What costs will be involved? A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 8  Consider cloud-based software options. Many software vendors, such as Adobe and Microsoft, now offer relatively inexpensive access to cloud-based programs. Depending on your budget, for a fairly low fee you may be able to provide translators access to specialized tools to work in graphics.  How will you send graphics to be translated? How should the graphics text be returned to you?  Can you create target language versions of the images or animations in-house?  Do you have permission to use and modify copyrighted graphics?  Whenever possible, choose graphics with little or no overlaid text and keep any explanatory text separate.  Choose graphics with text that obscures as little of the image as possible.  Take the physical length of the text into account, a particular issue in graphics, where space is often limited. While reducing font size or vertical spacing can help accommodate longer text, be aware of possible readability issues.  Avoid graphics that are culturally sensitive. Images can represent different things in different cultures. Even colors can have different meanings to different people. (For example red is considered unlucky in Korea and purple is a sign of mourning in Thailand.) 2.2.6 Delivery Format The presentation of the translated material can take many forms. It can be as simple as generating a PDF file and providing a link on a web page, or as complex as creating an entire interactive website. Most of the time, you will probably maintain the format used in the original material. However, you may decide that altering the delivery format due to technical or other issues is warranted. For example: you need to translate a lesson that is structured as a website, but only have limited technical resources or budget. Rather than converting the HTML site to Word and then having to reconstruct the website, you may decide to distribute it as a PDF file. 2.2.7 Translation Technologies Two widely available technologies are often used in translation: machine translation, and translation memory. Machine Translation (MT) uses computers to generate a target language version of a source text automatically. Google Translate and Babelfish are the two machine translation engines that most people are aware of, but many others are available. Machine translation is very fast, but computers lack the human ability to understand context, infer meaning, decipher obscure writing, or detect errors in the original. While raw MT output can convey the approximate meaning of a simple text, no automated system can currently produce results acceptable for publication without human intervention. MT can be a good option when you simply need to get the basic meaning of a document. Translation Memory (TM), also referred to as Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT), can “recycle” previously translated text to find matches between previous translations and the current one. TM software can also store glossaries in electronic format and alert the translator when a glossary item appears. Unlike MT, the translator actually produces the translated text in the program, which stores pairs of segments (usually sentences) in a database. When the A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 9 software detects an appropriate match to a stored segment, it presents it to the translator. The translator can accept it or correct it. The use of this type of specialized software is widespread among professional translators, and contributes to improving productivity, consistency and quality. It can also reduce the cost of translation when the source language contains a lot of repetition, or when updating previously translated content. TM technology is available in specialized translation software packages (e.g., SDL Trados Studio, MemoQ, Wordfast) that perform a variety of tasks designed for professional translators and project managers, including file format conversion, and terminology management functions. Most tm software today also allows the user to connect to mt engines, which can feed the automatic translation to them for post-editing. Another widely available tool is specialized terminology software. In its simplest form, this software maintains a database of term correspondences between two languages (sometimes referred to as a termbase) which can be queried on demand or automatically from within TM software, or used as a standalone tool. Terminology management should be considered an integral part of the translation process, independently of how it is handled and by whom. For additional information see section 4.0.0., Supporting the Translation Process. Knowing whether the translators or translation company you work with utilize these tools can be important. For example, if the text you wish to translate contains often-repeated sentences, you may be able to benefit from the use of TM in the form of lower costs, since you would pay only once for the translation of identical segments appearing multiple times in the text. TM software can also provide savings when updating previously translated text: an existing translation memory can speed up the update process by quickly retrieving unchanged segments and flagging new and changed segments, thus reducing the amount of content that needs to be translated for the update. 2.3.0 Budget and Rates The cost of translation services (translation, editing and proofreading) is often calculated based on the number of words in the source language text. Since the final word count of the target text is unknown at the outset, using the source word count ensures that charges will be easy to understand and calculate up front. Although word count is the most common metric used to charge for translation, some languages traditionally are charged based on other criteria. Some translators may also charge by the hour or by the project. Rates in today's freelance translation market vary considerably, depending on a number of factors:  Translator experience and specialization: Experienced translators who specialize in certain fields often charge higher rates.  Complexity of the material: A specialized, technical text may cost more than more general content.  Volume: A translator may be willing to apply a discount for a large project.  Language combination: Some language combinations command higher rates than others, depending on how common they are or how much competition exists in that language pair. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 10  Turnaround time: Rush work will probably cost more.  Translator location: Translators located in some parts of the world may charge lower rates. As a general rule, translation companies charge more than freelance translators. Translation companies’ rates are also quite variable, based on the same factors and on the management overhead involved. It is difficult to get information about translation companies’ rates without actually getting a quote for a specific project. Work that cannot be quantified by the word is charged by the hour, and some editors and proofreaders may also charge by the hour. Some tasks that are often quoted by the hour include: glossary development, special research beyond what is normal in the translation process, extensive number conversions, developing graphic callouts, formatting beyond simple copy fitting, translating directly in graphics files, etc. Most freelancers also have a minimum charge for very small projects, usually based on their hourly rate. To calculate the cost of translation you need the word count of the source materials (which can be obtained easily in most word processors and other types of software), and a per-word rate from each participant in the process. Remember to account for the rate for each task. For example, suppose you need to determine the cost of a translation project from English to Spanish involving 10,000 source words. You contact several translators and settle on three quotes: a translator specialized in the field who charges 4.5 apples per word, an experienced editor recommended by a colleague, at 1.5 apples per word and a proofreader at 0.5 apples per word. Now add the three rates, and then multiply the total rate of 6.5 apples per word by the source word count to calculate the total cost, which in this case will be 65,000.00 apples. Work charged by the hour and any additional services provided by the team will have to be added to the calculation. Do not hesitate to ask translators and translation agencies what is included in the rate they quote (it may not include any formatting), and about their quality assurance process. Some translators may quote a rate that includes translation, editing, and even proofreading. In this case, make sure that each of the tasks will be performed by an appropriately skilled person. Depending on your location and that of the translator, take into account the possible impact of currency exchange. An experienced translator will usually want to see at least a sample of the material before quoting a firm rate. Consider the difference between translating a simple 100-word letter, and a list of 100 industry-specific acronyms, which probably will require many hours of research. A professional translator faced with such a document will probably quote by the hour, rather than by the word. Consider these factors regarding rates:  Type of text: Is it a simple, straightforward text or a highly technical document? Higher rates are usually applied for technical translation requiring research.  Do you require special formatting? You might have to pay extra for complex tables, graphs, images, etc. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 11  Translator’s experience and specialization: It might be worth paying higher rates for an experienced translator, who might save you time and resources at the revision stage.  Do you require editing by a subject matter expert?  Language pairs: You might have to pay more for less common language combinations.  Urgency: Expect to pay a rush fee for delivery within a short time frame. On average, translation can progress at 300-400 words per hour, editing at 600-800 words per hour, and proofreading at 1500-2000 words per hour. This means that a translator can usually produce about 2500 words in an eight-hour work day, whereas the editor could review about twice as many words in the same amount of time. These are rough estimates, and freelancers may also have to manage more than one project at a time, so translation may require more time than the estimates listed above. When planning the process, unless you have to meet a firm deadline, allow as much time as is reasonably possible for each step and include some buffer for any delays that might occur. Related Links Translation Pricing – How does it work? http://www.nwiglobal.com/blog/translation-pricing-how-does-it-work/ Translation: Buying a non-commodity http://www.atanet.org/docs/translation_buying_guide.pdf 2.4.0 Copyrights If the translation involves materials not belonging to your organization, you will have to consider copyright implications. Under most countries’ copyright laws (including the United States), a translation is considered a derivative work of the original, and a translation cannot be produced without the consent of the original document’s copyright holder. Some organizations have very liberal copyright rules, which allow for free use of their materials for non-commercial purposes, including the production of translated versions of their lessons. This is not the case with every author and you should secure any needed copyright permissions before producing a translated version of any text or graphic not belonging to your organization. 2.5.0 Summary Proper preparation and good management of the project will be key to its success. Assembling an appropriate team, developing a translation budget, assessing the materials to be translated, and securing permission from copyright holders will be important considerations before beginning the project. A good analysis of the source material will aid in the selection process, and avoid translating unnecessary text. The cost of translation work is usually calculated based on the source word count. Translation rates can be highly variable, depending on factors such as language combination and complexity of the material. Review of the source text can eliminate issues that might be problematic during translation, and help to determine what formats will be used to translate. Translation can occur in different formats, and the translated text can then be used to produce a variety of formats for delivery of the content to the end user. Materials with graphic or audio components require special attention, and more resources. Translation technologies to be aware of are machine translation, translation memory, and terminology management software. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 12 3.0.0 Assembling a Translation Team Early on, you will need to make a fundamental choice: rely on the services of a translation company, or assemble your own team of translators, either independent professional translators or qualified staff within your organization. Many factors will come into play, such as budget, time requirements, the availability of someone to manage the process, the existence of in-house resources capable of contributing to the process, etc. While managing a translation project on your own is a viable option, a do-it-yourself approach to the actual translation can quickly lead to problems. Being bilingual does not automatically bestow the title of translator or interpreter, especially when dealing with specialized materials. Fundamentally, translation is about understanding the source document, understanding the subject matter, and writing well. Not everyone has this skill set, especially while simultaneously recreating the source text in the target language; even an expert on the topic with good fluency in the source language can end up producing a poor translation. Assemble your team early and make sure you have someone capable to cover every role (translation, edit, review, subject matter queries, etc.). It's a good idea to approach the process of selecting a translator or a translation company as you might the hiring of an employee. Get recommendations from trusted colleagues, ask for references and a portfolio, conduct phone interviews, and perhaps ask for a translation test. You may have people qualified to translate within your organization, but you should be prepared to evaluate their translation skills before assigning them to this type of work. 3.1.0 In-House Talent As you make decisions about the team you will put together, keep in mind the skills available to you within your organization. You may be able to handle many tasks in-house, perhaps much of the process, and reduce the cost of your translation project. For example, the expert on tropical meteorology on your staff, a native speaker of French, may not be able or willing to translate your document into French, but you may be able to enlist her as a subject matter expert (SME) to review the translation provided by a qualified professional translator. Other tasks related to the translation process that may be handled in-house are management tasks, formatting, and production of target language graphics. 3.2.0 Translation Companies As is the case with most service providers, translation companies vary greatly in size and in the type and scope of the services they offer. Some organizations may have access to an institutional translation service. If yours does not, private translation companies abound, ranging from boutique shops, to mid-size companies able to handle translation into several languages, and large, multinational companies capable of handling all aspects of the translation process, including more technical tasks, such as formatting and functional testing. These are some useful consideration for selecting a translation company:  Size and type of translation company: You may be more comfortable with a smaller, local company that provides more personalized attention, or a larger organization, capable of handling a more complex project. Ask colleagues in other organizations who have had experience with translation for recommendations. Search the databases of A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 13 professional translation organizations, such as the American Translators Association (ATA; http://atanet.org/) for possible candidates.  Translator selection and qualifications: Ask if the translation company will identify translators skilled in your field. Ask for translators' resumes, which will aid in assessing their qualifications.  Quality Assurance (QA): Does the translation company have a QA process in place?  Cost: Get quotes from several translation companies, and understand what is included in the charges.  Deliverables: Will you require fully formatted, functional files, or will you only want the translated text, and handle the publishing aspect on your own?  Project scope and deadlines: Can the translation company handle the volume of translation that will be involved within the time frame you require? 3.3.0 Freelance Translators Contracting with independent, freelance translators directly may result in lower costs. One advantage of dealing directly with translators, especially if you retain them over time, is that they will become familiar with the terminology, style, and processes used in your organization. Depending on the size of the project, the number of languages, the volume of text to translate, and other factors, you may require a dedicated project manager. This may or may not be cost effective compared to using a translation company, which will relieve your organization of tasks such as identifying translators and handling file exchanges and deliveries. Note also that the quality of work performed by translation companies may vary, depending on the availability of translators at the time of your request. If your budget is limited, you may decide to assess the linguistic capabilities of staff within your organization who may have the skills to play a role in the translation process. Documenting and updating this information on internal and external resources will be useful in identifying translators and subject matter experts (SMEs) best suited to specific tasks and subjects. (For more on SMEs see section 3.4.0. Subject Matter Experts.) A note about volunteers: Volunteers can be a great asset for any organization, but one must also recognize that their skill level and ability to meet deadlines can vary considerably. It’s understandably tempting to hand your project over to translators who will work for free. Keep in mind, however, that willingness and generosity do not make an expert. Just as there’s a huge difference between someone who sings in a community choir and an opera star, there’s a tremendous difference between a well-meaning bilingual person and a professional translator with the experience and the linguistic and research skills that are needed to produce an optimal translation. You should check a volunteer's qualifications and ability, perhaps with a test, to ensure he or she will be able to produce a good product. Many translators and translation companies can handle a variety of texts, and some may actually specialize in particular fields or types of documents. Larger private or institutional agencies may have access to large pools of translators, some of whom may be specialists in the subject matter you are dealing with. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 14 In some cases, there may not be any professional translators available in your field and language combinations. If this is the case, and you are unable to assign the translation to a specialist, you may decide to have the translated documents reviewed for style and accurate terminology by a subject matter expert (SME), perhaps within your organization, who should at least be proficient in the target language. Similarly to any writing project, it is desirable to have several different people review a translation, but budget constraints may force you to cut corners; the proofreading step, the third and often final “set of eyes” before publication, is a common casualty. If you have no choice, it is better to put the resources at your disposal into producing a great edited translation, skipping the proof, rather than cutting on the cost of translation (this is, after all, the foundation) or of a good edit pass (key for catching errors and improving translation style and terminology). Some useful considerations for selecting translators:  Selection: Get recommendations from any translators you know or from colleagues in other organizations who have worked with translators. Search the databases of national or local professional translator associations to find possible candidates.  Professionals: Choose experienced, professional translators.  Native speaker of source or target language: Find native speakers of the target language for translation; assigning the editing step to a native speaker of the source language may contribute to the quality of the final product.  Field of expertise: If possible, look for translators skilled in your field, or a similar one.  Qualifications: Ask for translators' resumes, experience, and samples of their work, all of which will aid you in assessing their qualifications. If you have access to someone qualified to evaluate a sample translation, you might select a short passage representative of the material that will be translated to use as a test. Though many translators will not agree to an uncompensated test, the cost of paying for a short (~250 words) test would be minimal.  Teamwork: Are translators willing to work in a distributed team, perhaps alternating the role of translator and editor?  Assign the fewest number of people possible to any one task. For example, it is better for one person to translate an entire document or series of related documents. If two translators are used, a single editor should review the text in order to unify style and terminology and maintain internal consistency.  Formats: Can the translators work comfortably with your files types?  Cost: Get quotes from several translators, and understand what the charges include.  Quality: What are their quality control practices?  Deliverables: Will they be able to maintain the original formatting?  Project scope and deadlines: Can they handle the volume of translation that will be involved within your time frame?  Recordkeeping: Keep and maintain records on translators for future reference. Related link Wikipedia List of translators and interpreter associations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_translators_and_interpreters_associations A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 15 3.4.0 Subject Matter Experts Subject matter experts (SMEs) able to work in the target language can be a valuable resource during the translation process and you should enlist their participation early in the project. Subject matter experts familiar with the correct technical or scientific terminology and style in the target language can contribute to a final translation of the highest quality. Ideally, a subject matter expert should not be doing the translation itself (he or she may not be a skilled writer), but should be involved in glossary development, and the editing/revising and proofreading steps. These are some useful considerations for selecting SMEs:  Qualifications: Choose experienced SMEs that are familiar with the scientific and technical terms involved in your translation project.  Formats: Can the SMEs work comfortably with your files?  Time: Are they available? Check with the managers of the SMEs to ensure that the work you require can be completed within your deadlines.  Recordkeeping: Keep and maintain records on the linguistic profiles of your SMEs, and the documents they have revised/edited and proofread, for future reference.  Clear expectations: What is expected of the SME? Just terminological work? Input on the content? Grammar corrections? It is best to define this person's role accurately, and not to overextend the scope of his/her involvement. 3.5.0 Summary Assembling a good translation team is fundamental to ensuring a good outcome for the process. One key decision will be whether to manage the translation process in-house, or through a translation company. While using a translation company will involve much less management overhead, it will also mean less direct control of the process and possibly higher costs. The selection of translators, editors, SMEs, and other participants in the process should be approached like any hiring decision. It is important not to consider only the rate they charge, but their experience, expertise, and the quality of their work. A Guide to Translation Project Management Page 16 4.0.0 Supporting the Translation Process During any complex endeavor, such as a translation effort, proper planning, careful selection of resources and awareness of possible pitfalls will help you avoid many problems. 4.1.0 Communication While many factors can impact the translation process, ensuring good communication is key to keeping things running smoothly. Because several people or entities are involved, there will be multiple lines of communication, and the more these are kept open, the better for the translation project. For example, if you contract two translators and a subject matter expert to produce the French version of an English website, you will need to communicate with each of them initially to set up the project and agree on a contract, deadlines, roles, rates, and other expectations. You will then need to send the files out for translation. At each step along the process, when you receive files you will have to pass them on to the person assigned to the next step, always with proper instructions. One way to simplify this is to introduce all the members of the French translation team from the outset, so that everyone knows everyone else and the role they will play. If you provide them with a common set of instructions (see the sample Translation Instructions Template), each person will be able to simply forward the files to the person assigned to the next step in the process, keeping you informed at the same time. Creating a sense of team has the additional benefit of stimulating communication between the various people involved. Communication between the translator and the editor is particularly important. The editor should be able to discuss with the translator any questions he or she may have about the decisions made in the translation

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Prazo de Entrega: 07 de Maio de 2023

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