April 22, 2010

Simple Tips to Save Money On Translation

The demand for translation services in the global marketplace is on the rise with several businesses reaching out to their foreign clients via websites and brochures. Foreign correspondence, legal contracts and software need to be translated into local languages, making translation services an essential business service to look out for. While it is important to reach out to customers in other countries, it is also important to keep costs in control. Businesses can take various measures to save money on translation services.

• Providers of translation services charge on the basis of the amount of text that has to be translated. So, the simplest tip would be to reduce the amount of text to reduce costs. It is important to do away with unimportant details, cut down on descriptive terms and reduce verbosity.

• Repetition of text would translate to a ‘repetition of charges’! Certain common terms that are repeated on every page can be translated using free machine translation; you need not pay for the repetitive words that occur in every page!

• Non-market specific information, industry-specific lingo and cultural clichés need to be avoided while translation.

• Businesses can also use free online translation tools available on the Internet for unofficial and internal correspondence and for terms that are simple and uncomplicated.

• Companies should avail the services of a company that provides professional translation services. Thus, to avail the best services at reduced rates, companies should ask for quotes from different service providers. This can help you in saving money on translation.

• Another vital tip to save on translation costs would be to avoid complex layouts. The text to be translated should be provided in its original format and preferably in a Microsoft Word file.

• ‘Rush charges’ can be avoided by allowing sufficient time for the translation process to happen by planning and scheduling the process beforehand. Good groundwork makes a big difference to the price as well as the quality of the translated document.

These were a few pointers with regards to saving money while getting your documents translated. Know more about how to choose a good translation service provider.