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Your Questions |
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Below you will find a list of frequently asked questions. If you need an answer to a question that doesn't appear on this list, please contact us and we will get right back to you.
What criteria should I use in an in-house vs. outsourcing decision?
What criteria are important when choosing a translation agency?
Why should I choose Viva Translations?
What do you mean, "We give you our word"?
How can I evaluate the quality of a translation?
What language services do you provide?
What subject areas and industries do you cover?
What languages do you cover?
What types of documents do you translate?
How much will it cost for my translation?
What is an expansion rate?
How can I better prepare for my translation request?
What are some guidelines for quality translations?
What criteria should I use in an in-house vs. outsourcing decision?
Sometimes having translations done in-house makes sense. Probably the most important criteria is how important quality and integrity of the translation is to achieving company or departmental objectives. Often, outward-facing materials would command a higher priority, especially if the organization is concerned with the image that it projects. In general though, in-house translations should have the following conditions in place:
- A mother-tongue speaker, with experience in translating and the subject matter, will perform the translation. The fact that an employee speaks the target language is not sufficient; take a look at English versions of foreign websites to see for yourself.
- His or her main responsibility is translation, or if not, the opportunity cost of doing the translation is acceptable (Will he/she be taken away from his/her main responsibilities? Will the cost of his/her time be inferior to that of dedicated professionals? Will it be done as quickly as needed, keeping in mind that this task may be interspersed with others?)
- At least one person, but preferably two, reviews and edits the translation (How often have you written a document, only to find mistakes when you reread it, and reread it again to find more?)
- The same person will be available to do similar translations in the future to ensure consistency in terminology, style and tone.
- Skilled personnel are available to do the page layout. This is all more important for PowerPoint presentations, and even more so for material produced in desktop publishing tools such as QuarkExpress, Illustrator, PageMaker and others, that may require additional formatting due the expansion rate of many foreign languages. |
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What criteria are important when choosing a translation agency?
The following criteria, while not an exhaustive list, can be used to determine which translation agency can be trusted, and which will provide you with the most value for your investment in translation:
- Does the agency have quality standards and measures in place?
- Is the translation agency stable and likely to be around for your future updates?
- Can the agency handle the amount and type of work you need?
- Are the agency's prices competitive when looking from a quality/price ratio perspective?
- Does the agency use up-to-date translation tools and technology? |
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Why should I choose Viva Translations?
Viva Translations combines a North American work ethic with ISO certified processes and South European prices to deliver quality service and quality translations at the best possible quality/price ratio.
We do this through our commitment to quality, which provides our customers with the peace of mind of knowing they can communicate easily, quickly, and effectively in any foreign language.
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What do you mean, "We give you our word"?
Integrity is one of the cornerstones in any relationship. Viva Translations views its relationship with each and every customer as a partnership, one that has to be based on trust. Everyone talks about quality, but few deliver. When we say that we use only experienced, native-tongue, and domain-specific translators and editors, it is because we do. When we say three separate experienced professionals will review your translation, it is because they will. When we give our word on any of our guiding quality principles, we follow through on our commitment. That is why our motto is "Quality. We give you our word."
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How can I evaluate the quality of a translation?
The quality of a translation can be difficult to assess. Language is governed by rules of grammar, but also influenced by style and context. A useful approach is to divide the criteria for judging translation into two categories: objective and subjective.
Objective
The following criteria is always used in evaluating quality because they are set by the rules of the language itself:
- Technical accuracy
- Grammar/spelling
- Adherence to specific presentation |
Subjective
Since language can be regarded as an open system, capable of supporting aesthetic ideas, variety of expression can influence quality. A good definition of the following criteria can help in minimizing potential quality problems:
- Required style
- Purpose of document
- Target audience
- Intended market |
It is critical to understand that with subjective criteria quality problems may not be problems at all, but more a question of preference. At Viva Translations we work with our customers to establish these requirements upfront to ensure the resulting translation, localization, or desktop publishing matches their expectations.
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What language services do you provide?
Viva Translations provides the following language services:
- Document translation, editing and proofreading
- Website and software localization
- Desktop Publishing
- Interpreting |
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What subject areas and industries do you cover?
Our global team of translators and editors has experience in most subject areas, which include the following:
- Aerospace
- Advertising
- Arts and Culture
- Automotive
- Banking and Finance
- Cosmetics
- Consumer and Retailing
- Corporate Communications
- Energy
- Exhibitions
- Facilities Management
- Food and Beverages
- Government
- Humanitarian
- Insurance
- Legal
- Management Consulting
- Manufacturing |
- Marketing
- Media
- Medical
- Music
- Nuclear Power
- Pharmaceuticals
- Photography
- Property Management
- Publishing
- Recruitment
- Research/Universities
- Software
- Technology
- Telecommunications
- Television
- Tourism and Hospitality
- Transport/Logistics
- Video Games |
For a list of some of the companies that work with the Eurotexte group, please click here.
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What languages do you cover?
Viva Translations provides language services for most language combinations, with a specialization in Portuguese and Spanish, both European and Latin American. We provide our customers with the best possible quality/price ratio by drawing upon our extensive database of translators who live and work on the Iberian Peninsula and in Central and South America.
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What types of documents do you translate?
In addition to website translation and localization, Viva Translations' global network of translators can translate any type and any size of document, including:
- Annual/Quarterly Reports
- Faxes
- E-mails
- Financial documents
- Newsletters
- Marketing materials
- Dental documents
- Biotechnology documents |
- Press Releases
- Memos
- Legal documents
- Technical manuals
- Employee packages
- Medical documents
- Aerospace documents
- Educational materials |
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How much will it cost for my translation?
The cost of any translation is dependant upon a few factors including the nature and size of the document, and the requirement for any formatting, desktop publishing, or top editing. Contact us for a free quote that we guarantee will be delivered within half an hour
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What is an expansion rate?
English is a particularly compact language, so that when translating into other languages, the resulting text almost always contains more words than it did in English. For example, when translating into Spanish, the resulting text can expand by up to 25%. This is commonly referred to as the expansion rate, and is a factor when pricing a translation. Further, the subject and style of the material will also have strong influence on the expansion rate.
The expansion rate will also have an impact on the formatting of the material, particularly in PowerPoint presentations, and more so in material produced in desktop publishing tools such as QuarkExpress, Illustrator, PageMaker and others.
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How can I best prepare for my translation request?
The following list of questions may be useful in preparing for your initial contact with a translation agency, and particularly useful for multilingual projects:
- What is the purpose of the translation?
- Is there any specific terminology to be used?
- Would you like any existing glossaries to be applied?
- Should the translators follow one or more reference documents?
- What is the estimated size of the document(s) in words or pages?
- Is there someone else you would like the agency to liaise with, either locally or internationally?
- What is the estimated start date and preferred delivery date?
- Are there any special formatting requirements?
- Do you need PDF, EPS or any other print-ready files?
- What is the desired output medium: hard copy, electronic file, bromide, or film?
- How should the completed work be delivered: email, fax, post, or courier? |
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What are some guidelines for quality translations?
The following quality guidelines can save you time, effort, and money. For a detailed description of each, please refer to Eurtotexte's "Translations: A User's Guide".
- You Worked Hard to Get it Right, Don't Get it Wrong in the Translation
- Give Your Translation Provider Time to Do a Good Job
- Translation is a Career, Not a Pastime
- Translation is a Job of a Native Speaker
- Put Your Time and Resources Where Your Business Is
- If You are Trying to Convey an International Image, Look Beyond Your Borders
- Make Sure You Know Which Country You Are Addressing
- Give Your Translation Provider the Liberty to Adapt Your Texts
- Translation is Not Copywriting
- Always Show Page Proofs to Your Translation Provider
- Answer Your Translator's Questions
- Don't Keep it to Yourself |
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