Say you want to translate a document. If you already have a regular translation partner, it's probably a matter of uploading a file and sending an email. But if you are new to the world of translation, you probably have a lot of questions. Documents come in all shapes and sizes. Does a translation agency know what to do with all types of documents? For example, can you also have a scanned document translated? What does a document translation cost? And what about the formatting of the translated document? Read on and hopefully you will find the answer to all your burning questions.
At Scriptware Translations, we make clear agreements about your translation in advance. That way, you know exactly where you stand and there are no surprises. Interested? Then request a non-binding quote now.
Many texts are delivered to us in a Word document. That is of course fine, but keep in mind that it is not an obligation. If you have made a presentation in PowerPoint that you want to have translated, you do not have to copy the text from it and paste it into a Word file. Translation agencies (and their translation software) can handle all kinds of file formats. PDF files deserve some extra explanation. This is because often a PDF is a copy of a document formatted in another program, such as Word or InDesign. In that case, it is best to share that original file with the translation agency. You can then be sure that no parts of the text will be lost and that everything will end up in the right place in the translation.
If you are going to have your carefully designed marketing brochure translated, you will probably be disappointed if you get back a plain text document. Be sure to clearly discuss your formatting requirements with the translator. Many translation agencies can arrange formatting for you, but there may be additional costs involved or it may take a little longer to get your translated documents back. With translation software, most of the formatting can be preserved in the translation, but there is always some follow-up work required. A check to make sure no images or words have been left out, moving or shortening the text here and there to fit the translation into the intended space... For example, did you know that a Dutch translation is often 10% longer than the English original text?
If you want to know what it will cost to have a particular document translated, it is best to request a quote right away. This is because the price depends on several things, such as how large your document is. And whether you have it translated into English or a rare language such as Louisiana Creole, with less than 10,000 speakers. We also have to distinguish between general, relatively simple subjects that many translators are familiar with and more complex documents, such as on medical instruments and equipment, which only highly specialized translators can handle. So there is no one simple answer to the question "What does it cost?" but feel free to send your documents to, and you'll get an appropriate quote quickly.
Types of documents, costs, formatting... Have all your questions been answered? Oh, wait a minute! Scanned documents, we haven't said anything about those yet. The most important thing you need to know about that is: you can just have those translated too. You can always read more about having documents translated, because no doubt you have more questions. Scriptware Translations will be happy to help you. Just contact us. We would be happy to discuss what we can do for you.
