The answer to this question is more complicated than you might think. The need for translations come up all the time in business, especially those operating internationally, but the reasons to need a translation can be quite varied. Read more “When do I need a translation?”
Tag: native translators
Transcription Services to Boost your Business Profile
Translations have allowed companies to grow like never before, and the profession is constantly expanding and evolving in order the meet the demands of clients from all across the world. One stand out example is the presence of videos across the internet, particularly on social media, which has led to a higher demand for audio and video transcriptions.
These days, people are more aware than ever of the importance that good language practice can have in terms of developing their business. Translations have allowed companies to grow like never before, and the profession is constantly expanding and evolving in order the meet the demands of clients from all across the world. Indeed, an increasing amount of companies are adapting their services to respond to the evolution of new media. One stand out example is the presence of videos across the internet, particularly on social media, which has led to a higher demand for audio and video transcription services.
More and more companies have been tapping into this; not just because the use of transcription allows for greater accessibility in the online global marketplace, but also because videos provide an excellent opportunity to boost a company’s SEO. For pages that produce longer videos, the advantages are even greater. Longer videos logically contain a larger transcript, which gives businesses a huge opportunity to target additional keywords in various languages.
Something for everyone
The benefits of transcription aren’t just reserved for e-commerce, where good SEO is always a priority; several studies conducted by a range of companies, including Discovery Digital Networks, SafeNet, and even the radio show This American Life have proven that adding subtitles and transcripts to videos can increase search traffic, page views, search rank, and engagement. A similar study by LiveClicker compared 37 web pages before and after adding transcripts. Pages with transcripts earned on average 16% more revenue than they did before transcripts were added.
Satisfy your clients
In addition, these pages also have an opportunity to increase customer satisfaction when they enlist the help of a transcription service. For example students, researchers, journalists or anyone else who’s looking for a particular moment or quote within a video will no longer have to trawl through minutes or even hours of footage just to find what they’re looking for. It’s all there, fully transcribed and easy to locate.
Clients with hearing difficulties are also accommodated for, and will appreciate a service that is not always available to them from other businesses and media outlets. Transcribing your video opens your business up to an audience of millions of people throughout the world who rely on this kind of service to make their multimedia experience worthwhile.
There are a number of reasons why businesses or individuals could require a transcription or captioning service. Whether you’re looking to provide your customers with greater satisfaction, someone requires a written copy of your video or audio file, or you want to use your content in new ways to spread your message to a wider audience and increase your SEO, transcription and captioning can provide innumerable advantages to you and your company.
Difference Between SEO Translation and Localisation
Many people think that localisation and SEO translation are basically the same thing – if you fall into this category of ‘many people’, then we suggest that you think again! While they are both types of translation, they each have different purposes, and most companies look for translators or translation agencies who can provide them with both of these types of translation as it helps to increase their business globally.
Localisation
Many people think that localisation and SEO translation are basically the same thing – if you find yourself in this category of ‘many people’, then we suggest that you think again! While they are both types of translation, they each have different purposes, and most companies look for translators or translation agencies who can provide them with both of these types of translation as it helps to increase their business globally. The majority of translation agencies will only provide you with localisation, which is why agencies such as BigTranslation are so valuable as they also specialise in SEO translation. Let us now make the distinction between these two processes by starting with localisation. Localisation is a process which involves us adapting a text to make sure that it is culturally and linguistically appropriate for the target audience, most often used for website translations. This focuses on the more human aspect of translation as the target text will be received by a completely different culture, therefore native professional translators are often needed to carry out this kind of translation process, ensuring it has the same effect on the target audience as the source language audience. A good example of this is the translation of brand names; a good brand name in one language might be hilarious in another if translated literally (E.g., an Iranian soap product line is called ‘Barf’, which actually means ‘snow’ in Farsi, but becomes ‘vomiting’ in English). They could also be considered offensive or ridiculous: the Ford ‘Pinto’ means ‘penis’ in Brazilian Portuguese and the Rolls Royce ‘Mist’ would be ‘manure’ or ‘dung’ in German. Similarly, one excellent marketing slogan in one language could become a total disaster in another. An example of this is when American Airlines translated their slogan ‘Fly in Leather’ literally to ‘Vuela en Cuero’ in Spanish. The problem with this is that ‘Vuela en Cuero’ would actually be interpreted by Spaniards as ‘Fly Naked’ as it is a set expression in Spanish. This is precisely why it is important to have a native translator of the target language to make localisation possible and ensure that a text is translated in such a way that it is familiar and appealing to the target culture.
SEO Translation
Whilst localisation has the purpose of appealing to humans of a particular culture, SEO translation is different in the sense that its target is internet search engines. ‘SEO‘, as it is simply referred to, is essentially a ‘behind the scenes’ option which ensures that your products and services have search engine visibility in the target country. Every single attribute on a web page such as keywords, expressions, tags, titles, metatitles and anchor texts should be translated in order to make the web page attractive to search engines in the target language. In this sense, SEO is a requirement for the best quality translation of web content, as you want your site to pop up as one of the first options when people of a foreign culture type in keywords related to your site. The best way to ensure that your website is ranked well in all of the international markets that you are targeting is to have each of your website’s SEO elements carefully translated by experts with experience in the field of multilingual SEO. This will increase the global reputation of your business, result in additional customers and of course increase the amount of sales. In order to make a web page appeal to a wide range of clients and acheive the best quality, businesses should employ translators who specialise in both SEO translation and localisation. For example, you may have the best localisation in the world but if your page does not appear towards the top of the list in search engines it won’t be able to gain much visibility or popularity, decreasing the amount of site visitors and potential clients. Similarly, SEO translation alone would not be sufficient; if your localisation is bad, users will find your site quickly but will abandon it even faster. Visitors may have a good laugh if your slogan says that you are willing to fly naked, but it won’t necessarily give you many customers.
Overall, it is clear that SEO translation and localisation are two different concepts, however it is vital to rely on translators and translation agencies who are able to offer both of these. It isn’t easy to strike the balance between a good sales pitch to human customers and search engine optimisation. Many webmasters will request a translation from a good localisation professional first and then turn to a separate SEO specialist, which can work out to be quite expensive. Unlike traditional translation agencies, BigTranslation is capable of offering both SEO translation and localisation services. This is thanks to our carefully-selected network of translators that have strong training in international multilingual SEO. Our professional translation service guarantees to maximise the search engine visibility of websites and increase the amount of its users or clients.
SEO Translation in Travel and Tourism
Translation agencies and companies who specialise in SEO and website translation, such as BigTranslation, thrive on offering their services to clients in the Travel and Tourism sector. This will surely continue to flourish as more and more languages across the globe become more in demand amongst translation agencies and the internationalisation of companies increases.
Travel and Tourism: An Indispensable Industry
If there is one sector which requires the translation of texts the most in order to guarantee success, it is without a doubt the travel and tourism sector! As the whole nature of the industry is based on reaching out to all languages and cultures in order to encourage people to travel across the globe, it follows that the facilitation of communication and translation of texts is an essential part of this process. Hotel websites, brochures, magazines, tourist guides and restaurant menus are just a few examples of the copious amount of documents which require translations in this industry. Translation agencies and companies who specialise in SEO and website translation, such as BigTranslation, thrive on offering their services to clients in the Travel and Tourism sector. This will surely continue to flourish as more and more languages across the globe become more in demand amongst translation agencies and the internationalisation of companies increases.
Multilingual SEO: A Travelling Tool
One aspect which enables the expansion of the Travel and Tourism sector in particular is the use of SEO translation in travel and tourism websites. Many clients expect that the translation services they pay for will include multilingual SEO, as it has become such a necessary tool in this translation field. The more languages a translation agency can offer and the more it can expand a travel agency globally with SEO translation, the more likely it will be for them to gain work in this sector, as it is massively beneficial to travel and tourism companies. The first thing most people do when planning or booking a trip is turn to the internet; more often than not they will type in keywords and phrases in Google in order to quickly find what they are looking for. They will then be presented with a list of sites in their native language, and this is where SEO translation comes in. If translators are able to make their target text available to the desired audience through the use of specific words and phrases, the travel company is more likely to appear when certain words are entered into the search engine. One of the reasons it is also essential to use professional translators for travel and tourism websites is that companies need to be 100% sure of the site’s content before allowing customers to view information. Similarly, the customer will want to be certain that they understand the information they have read on the site before handing over their bank details or any kind of personal information. Particularly due to the cultural differences and clashes that can arise when translating from one language to another, it is essential that the translator of these texts is a native professional of the target language to guarantee accuracy of meaning and to avoid misunderstandings for the clients.
The translator of travel and tourism websites will essentially act as the representative of the company abroad, in an attempt to attract as wide a target audience in their native language as possible. For this reason, many travel and tourism companies only employ translators who specialise in this particular translation field, as they need to be familiar with the style of language used in order to attract customers and to increase the SEO of the company. At BigTranslation, our expertise in website translation and SEO translation, along with our large team of native professional translators who specialise in various different fields, we are an ideal translation agency for globalising travel companies and giving them the perfect translation quality they need!
English Translation
English has been the undisputed global language for a century, with indications that its dominance is actually on the rise. It is the official language of over 60 countries throughout the world and it is also the language of business and commerce (not to mention academia, research, and a whole host of other sectors), as well as the number one language on the web.
English Translation
- Professional website translation + document translation
- Native language translators
- Quality proofreading service
- English SEO translation
English has been the undisputed global language for a century, with indications that its dominance is actually on the rise. It is the official language of over 60 countries throughout the world and it is also the language of business and commerce (not to mention academia, research, and a whole host of other sectors), as well as the number one language on the web. This makes it the single most important language in the global market and means that having your documents, communications and website in English can be a big game changer for your company, allowing it to compete internationally. English is considered to be a lingua franca, a bridge language, allowing speakers of many different mother tongues to interact, and facilitating companies’ communication with foreign clients.
Quality translation into English is a necessity for your company! English is the undisputed language of business and commerce, as well as the number one language on the web, making it the most important language in the global market. Texts translated into English by a professional translation agency like us will allow you to compete internationally, facilitating communication with foreign clients.
BigTranslation, as a translation agency, can offer you:
- Professional native translators in all languages
- All types of documents and content
- SEO translation + proofreading + quick translation option
BigTranslation’s most frequently requested services with English are:
Spanish-English-Spanish translation
French-English-French translation
Italian-English-Italian translation
German-English-German translation
Portuguese-English-Portuguese translation
Dutch-English-Dutch translation
Charlotte from England: Experience in Translating
This week, it’s the turn of our intern Charlotte to answer Marie’s interview questions and share a little bit about herself and her experience with BigTranslation. “I was born in the south of England (Crawley) and when I was nine, I moved to France with my family, where I’ve been living for the last ten years (Limoges).”
Translating into English with BigTranslation
This week, it’s the turn of our intern Charlotte to answer Marie’s interview questions and share a little bit about herself and her experience in translating with BigTranslation.
Please introduce yourself (where you’re from, where you live, past or present studies, etc.).
How long have you been working with BigTranslation?
I was born in the south of England (Crawley) and when I was nine, I moved to France with my family, where I’ve been living for the last ten years (Limoges). I did a scientific baccalauréat and then a year of classe préparatoire littéraire.
At the moment I’m studying at the faculty of Philology in Valencia, doing the first year of an undergraduate course in German Language and Literature. I’ve been working with BigTranslation for a few months.
Which are your working languages? What is it that you most like about translating?
Right now I’m working with Spanish and English, although I’ve also translated from French to English and vice-versa. Translating well is always a challenge, and I guess that’s what I like the most about it: the satisfaction of confronting a difficult text and to be able to find the exact expressions in another language. If you succeed in doing so, you turn into a kind of chameleon capable of blending into the people of any country and being taken for native (one of my goals!).
Have you always wanted to be a translator or did you consider other careers? For you, is translation a passion or a pastime?
My grandmother is an English/French translator and since I was little she’s helped me with languages, to learn French for example. She’s passed on to me her passion for languages, grammar and literature, as well as for Latin and Greek, and for that reason translating has always interested me. I don’t have any definite plans right now, or specific professions in mind, but translating is a possibility. In any case, I’m sure that I want to learn a few more languages.
In what capacity do you work with BigTranslation and what was it that made you chose the company? In your opinion, what makes it stand out from other companies?
I’m doing work experience in the company and I found it a bit by chance (a poster in the faculty). However I like the style of work and being part of a big multilingual team, and the experience is very interesting.
What essential qualities or skills should a translator possess? What’s your ‘motto’ on translation, if you like?
Like I said before, my grandmother passed on to me her passion for grammar, and I think that’s essential when translating – good knowledge of how different languages work, because just knowing vocabulary isn’t enough. It’s also useful to have lived in different countries to know how things are usually said, so that you don’t write or speak like a dated exercise book. I think a good translator needs to be rigorous, patient, and above all needs to be passionate about languages and enjoy working with them.
Imagine a world without translators. What would it be like?
Such a world would be very sad! What’s so fascinating about translating is to be able to share different cultures and views on the world, to spread knowledge, to explore languages and the way they work, which always reflects something about the people who speak them… If there were no translators, it’s obvious that conflicts would be far more frequent (although we still have a lot to improve in that matter). Translators are linguistic diplomats, bridges between cultures: to make do with just one language is to cut oneself off from the rest of the world, and the more open we are to countries different to ours and the more we understand each other, the better we’ll all live.
Social Media Translation: A Rising Demand in the Translation Market
One area of companies’ marketing strategies which is ever more important is social media. Making their presence known on social media is now an effective (and indispensable) way for them to reach their target markets and increase brand recognition. Social media is advantageous for companies in many different ways, not least of which is the fact that they are able to communicate, engage and connect with their audience in a way that is usually not possible though corporate websites.
Why is professionally translated social media content important?
One area of companies’ marketing strategies which is ever more important is social media. Making their presence known on social media is now an effective (and indispensable) way for them to reach their target markets and increase brand recognition.
Social media is advantageous for companies in many different ways, not least of which is the fact that they are able to communicate, engage and connect with their audience in a way that is usually not possible though corporate websites. It also helps businesses to improve their search engine rankings, increase inbound traffic and gives their brand more authority. All this means that, as translators, social media translation is an area that is worth familiarising ourselves with.
[Tweet “Social media translation“]
If companies sell their products or services in different international markets, they should not overlook the importance of having their publications accurately and effectively translated by a professional native translator.
Unfortunately, it is very easy for clients to assume that a shorter text like a Facebook post or tweet can be improvised by someone in the office with a decent level in that language or by relying on tools like Google Translate, when nothing could be further from the truth! The whole point of social media is that it is easily and frequently accessed by a large and diverse public and so any content should be as accurate as possible. This is where we, qualified and native translators, come in!
The challenges of social media translation
When it comes to social networks, localisation is of vital importance! Publications need to take into account the current political and social climates of each target market, as well as important local events and the social habits of your intended public. This is why it is essential that companies work with native translators with the necessary cultural knowledge. But, even more than this, they need to define their market well and work with translators that know and understand the specific sector and target markets.
With this kind of project, as with any, translators need to be familiar with the correct terminology. We need to bear in mind the specific channel (i.e. which social network), as well as the intended audience. Each social network employs different terms and has its specific purpose. One particular pothole with this kind of translation is the use of slang, set expressions and plays on words.
Another restriction which is particularly pertinent to this kind of text is the space allowed! As we know, on social networks such as Twitter, the message needs to be localised and effectively conveyed within the confines of 140 characters. In many ways, the challenge is akin to that of subtitling in this respect. Often this means that social media translation calls for a creative and clever solution that speaks to your audience!
Luckily, as translators, we often use social networks to keep up to date with goings-on in the sector, events, updates, jobs, etc. so we are able to put this experience to good use when translating social media content!
Will Native Translators Ever Rule the World?
Or, being more pragmatic, instead of speculating, we could name the main reasons your business needs professional translation services from native translators. Globalisation initiated a brand new era which means that the vast majority of companies have had to cross their national borders and penetrate new foreign markets.
We could say that there are a few arguments for why native translators should rule the world…
Or, being more pragmatic, instead of speculating, we could name the main reasons your business needs professional translation services from native translators. Globalisation initiated a brand new era which means that the vast majority of companies have had to cross their national borders and penetrate new foreign markets. Essentially, this means that if you’re looking to seriously bring your business and product before the eyes of consumers in emanating markets, sooner or later, you will need professional translation services!
What should I take into account when looking for a translation service?
One thing you should bear in mind is the importance of an accurate and thorough translation, carried out by a professional translator, and adequately edited and reviewed by an experienced proofreader. But, how can you be sure that you get a quality finished product every time? If your business communications are being translated into a language you don’t speak, how, you might ask, can I be sure that the service provider is doing an efficient job? The most important contributing element, without a doubt, is to ensure that your chosen language provider works exclusively with native translators of the language you wish to translate into. This way you will make sure that you avoid clumsy translations which can cost your company both money and reputation! A native speaker has extensive experience, not only conversing in the language, but of all of the subtle nuances and intricacies of the language: terminology, jargon, style, verbalisation and wording.
How can I make sure I’m getting all this?
Here at BigTranslation, we’re proud to offer language services with native in-house (as well as freelance) experts, who are skilled and reliable, and specialise in numerous different fields.
As with most things, the translation process is not black and white. Just as the life experiences of each translator are completely unique, the translation, language, and writing skills of each translator are all different. Every translation requires a specific, targeted approach with the right translator taking the job on, and we make sure that your job is always in capable hands. The authenticity and quality of the work of a professional native translator with knowledge of the subject matter in question is, unquestionably, an asset if your business is ever going to rule the world…
Professional Native Translators: The Key to Success
The key to the success of any kind of translation is based on the existence and on the work of a professional who almost always works behind the scenes: the translator. The work of this professional is centred, fundamentally, on connection.
The key to your success is professional native translators!
The key to the success of any kind of translation is based on the existence and on the work of a professional who almost always works behind the scenes: the translator. The work of this professional native translators is centred, fundamentally, on connection. That is to say, the translator connects worlds and cultures so that information can pass from one side to the other and so that this information is interpreted by its target audience in the same way as it was interpreted in the culture where it was originally produced.
The background of a professional native translator is imortant. Culture matters.
The success mentioned before can be found in the mind and in the training of a professional native translator, a human translator and not an automated one, that has the ability and the necessary techniques to ensure that the translation is as effective as possible. An effective translation is a high-quality translation and this is dictated, above all, by the translator’s background. Only a native Spanish translator, for example, knows that to convey the real meaning of the word ‘sobremesa’ in any other language, the single-word structure will have to be sacrificed, because in no language other than Spanish does a corresponding word exist with the exact same meaning and nuance (in English it is akin to after-dinner conversation around the table).
Carefully selected native translators at your fingertips, thanks to BigTranslation.
As such, the key to success depends on the training and professionalism of the translator, but above, all it lies in their origin and their native language. BigTranslation’s work centres on giving this fundamental aspect of translation its due importance by continually looking for professional native translators whose work is always of a high quality. This ensures that the translation is effective, whatever type of document it may be, when transmitted to its new target audience. It is true that to translate is, to some extent, to ‘betray’ because, unfortunately, it is impossible to transmit all the shades and nuances of a language. However, to translate is also to connect, interpret, create and mould. It is for this reason that BigTranslation’s professional native translators are carefully selected to offer only the highest quality translation. This is BigTranslation, this and much more!
Swedish Translation: Style and Formatting Guidelines
We pride ourselves on the quality of our Swedish translations. When carrying out Swedish translation on the BigTranslation platform, please follow these guidelines.
Swedish Translation
Swedish Translation: Style and Formatting Guidelines
We pride ourselves on the quality of our Swedish translations. When carrying out Swedish translation on the BigTranslation platform, please follow these guidelines.
They will explain exactly how to format product descriptions correctly, and they also contain valuable general information on our style preferences for any Swedish translation undertaken for us.
Style and Formatting Guidelines-SV
Why BigTranslation loves style and formatting guidelines:
We are huge fans of style and formatting guidelines, so we make them available for all of our team working in each of our target languages. This document is a useful tool for, not only our translators, but also our validators, editors, project managers, etc. Essentially the whole team benefits! We know that our translators, like us, take content very seriously and we believe that this is the very best way to provide a structure and framework that is easily accessible to all and avoid any uncertainties or ambiguities. We find that it is an especially useful tool when working in such a large team on the translation platform.
Additionally, style and formatting guidelines are very important for BigTranslation as a professional translation agency. They help us maintain our credibility and ensure that we stand out from the rest. This is because they help ensure consistency between translators and between individual texts in terms of both style and quality.
Furthermore, having style and formatting guidelines to hand helps to unify all content and create a strong and reliable brand for each of our clients. This, then helps them to gain their target market’s trust and create a reliable and strong image.
As translators and proofreaders, we need a keen eye for detail, and a style guide helps to take care of the finer grammatical points. It also helps us to be confident in our choices, aiding us when selecting between more than one option and clearing up any uncertainties about the best way to format work!