Finding a translator

In my previous post, I discussed the differences between the two big groups in the translation business, self-employed translators vs. agencies, as well as their respective pros and cons.

Now that you have had some time ponder which one would be the best fit for your needs, you can start searching for a provider. But where can you find them?

Note: Cosmic Lingua is currently run by a solopreneur, which is why this post is mostly focused on finding self-employed translators. (It is often more difficult to judge who produces high-quality work, as “translator” or “interpreter” are not protected terms. Agencies tend to vet translators they include in their pool via translation tests (which, in most cases, have to be completed by the translator free of charge). There are also additional vetting requirements for agencies which are ISO 17100-certified.)

Where to look?

Just like anything else these days, you can find plenty of translators and translation agencies on the web. But the internet is huge. So where is the right place to start?

Search criteria

One quick pro tip when searching for both agencies and self-employed translators: there are a couple of things you should include in your search parameters.

The first one is the “working languages” or “language combination”: these are the two (or more) languages required—the language of the original text provided by you plus the language(s) of the translation(s). Ideally, translators work into their mother tongue, as it makes it easier for them to judge the quality of their translations. But there are plenty of professionals who have spent years living in a foreign country, immersed in its culture, and therefore are close to native level or even at native level.

The second must-have search parameter is the specialisation of the text (its “topic,” broadly speaking). Why? Because a good translator specialises in only a couple of areas of expertise; therefore, someone who regularly translates contracts might not be comfortable with highly technical manuals, for example.

Your search engine of choice

This is probably the place where you would have started your search. Search engines are probably the most commonly used way of finding translators and translation agencies, but they are very selective in who and what they show you: search rankings only tell you about how good a provider’s search engine optimisation (SEO) is, but nothing about the quality of their work. It is therefore more likely that the first hits will be big agencies which have the time and money to spend on perfecting their search engine ranking. Unfortunately, they are also often (but not always!) the ones who put translators under pricing pressure by paying low rates (which, in turn, might cause quality issues because a translator cannot spend as much time on a translation as they would want to—but this is by no means always the case, just a risk factor).

A broad search for niche specialisations such as space might also be difficult in a generalised web search. From experience, a fair number of agencies list these topics for SEO purposes, but they might not actually have any translators at hand who know enough about the industry to provide a competent translation.

Online networks

Professional networks such as LinkedIn offer a great amount choice and offer some additional filtering compared to search engines. But unfortunately, they still don’t allow you to distinguish easily who is a professional and who is not (unless you have the time to check out every single profile you find).

One great advantage they provide, however, is the possibility to find out a bit more about a translator after choosing them, e. g. about qualifications, continuing professional development they have recently undertaken, and more.

Professional associations

If you have never worked with translators before, you probably don’t know that most countries have professional translators’ and interpreters’ associations. They do not only defend their members’ interests but also vet them before they can become a member in the first place. And the best thing? Many offer searchable member databases that allow you to find well-qualified translators! In Germany, for example, we have the BDÜ (Bundesverband der Dolmetscher und Übersetzer) and in the UK, there is the ITI (Institute for Translation and Interpreting), among others.

In order to be able to become a member, a certain level of qualification is required. This varies from association to association: the BDÜ, for example, requires proof of successfully completed translator training, whereas the ITI requires passing of their translation test, no matter whether the individual has already completed a translation degree or not.

Germany: court database

Another search option, which might be something of a speciality for Germany, is the database of sworn translators and interpreters for courts. In order to be included in this database, translators and interpreters have to have completed professional training and swear an official oath. This is especially useful if you require a certified translation to submit to authorities.

Qualifications

Now you know where to look for a translator or a translation agency, but how do you find out whether someone is actually good at what they do? In this section, I will tell you more about what to look out for.

Training, studies or years of experience

Just like having ten fingers does not make you a pianist, speaking two languages does not make you a translator. Translation requires more than just a good language proficiency; you need knowledge of two cultures, practice and sensitivity for the nuances of language. Therefore, the translator you opt for needs to have received official training at a translation school or university or must have several years of experience in the profession if they switched to translation from a different career path.

Specialisation

A jack of all trades is a master of none. There are few sayings that ring truer for translators and interpreters! Being able to produce a high-quality translation requires in-depth knowledge of what you translate. Why?

• Linguistic standards: texts from different areas are phrased differently. The same sentence would sound very different in a contract and a software manual! Therefore, a good translator needs to know common phrasings and sentence structures to make sure a translation reads as if it was written in that language, not translated into it.
• Background knowledge: you can only translate something you understand. If you try and translate content that does not make sense to you, you only work word by word and it is impossible to judge the quality of the translation or even whether the translation makes sense at all!
• Terminology: another important aspect is the fact that the same word may have different translations in different contexts—and the correct word to use in your text is not always clear from a dictionary entry! But the more translators know about a specific subject, the easier it is for them to choose the correct word and the quicker they can confirm it via research.

Association membership

As indicated before, a good pointer towards a high quality of work is the membership of a translator in a professional association, such as the ITI or BDÜ. The reason being that they don’t just accept anyone as a member, but require a certain level of qualification. Another bonus is that members are also bound by a code of conduct, which usually covers essential topics such as confidentiality and quality.

Continuous professional development (CPD)

Technology and other areas are developing at an increasing pace. What we know today might be very different from what we knew only a week ago! Therefore, translators need to stay up-to-date and learn about the progress made in their chosen specialisation as well as its corresponding terminology. And they of course need to stay up-to-date with their own tools and improvements made in translation-assisting technologies.

Unfortunately, it is not always obvious who does undertake any training or CPD at all and if so, how much. Some professional associations, such as the ITI, allow translators to log their CPD and show in their database entry whether they have completed the recommended amount of at least 30 hours of CPD in the current membership year. Many translators also mention the CPD and training undergone on their websites or LinkedIn profiles.

Portfolios, client feedback and case studies

One of the most helpful ways of finding out whether a translator produces good work or not are portfolios of previous translations, customer feedback and case studies. Some translators offer those on their websites, but unfortunately not all of them can—working with agencies often forbids us from publishing any translation work for confidentiality reasons.

Cosmic Lingua is currently planning to add case studies and a portfolio to this website. If you are interested in customer feedback, you can already find it here!

Next steps

Congratulations! You have now mastered the hardest steps: your text is well-prepared for translation and you have found a suitable translator. You are now ready for commissioning, but what information do translators need to be able to produce a high-quality result? This you will find out in my next post in the series, scheduled for early next year.

(Note: the above is also applicable to finding interpreters, who translate spoken language. The distinction between “translators” and “interpreters” is an important one to make in your search, as not everyone offers both services!)