7 Main Factors to Consider During Language Translation

Translation is an important factor in bringing people and companies from all over the world closer together. Etymologically speaking, “translate” refers to “bring through” or “carry through.” Therefore, with the help of translation, language barriers that often hinder effective communication can be broken down. If a company, individual or organization wants to communicate or share information with people and business contacts who speak other languages, they can use the help of a professional translation agency in Toronto or any other major Canadian city.

Language translation is a detailed and complex process in which a translator or language expert conveys the meaning of first language content into a second language. When converting text from one language to another, the meaning must remain the same. Typically, the first language is called the “source language” and the language into which the text is translated is known as the “target language.”

Language translations carried out by an established translation agency in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary or, for that matter, any other major Canadian city, are often of professional quality. However, dealing with foreign languages ​​is not as easy as one might imagine. It would be incorrect to assume that translating simply means changing the text word for word from one language to another.

To begin with, translation work requires intensive research on the subject of the source text. The translator naturally must have a thorough knowledge of the source and target languages. Ideally, the translator will be a native speaker of the target language, in addition, the translator should also have a deep knowledge and understanding of the customs and lifestyle of the group of people who are to benefit from the translated work so that they can understand the work translated in its entirety. In addition, the translator must be an expert in the field, with a specialization such as legal, medical, technical, scientific or commercial translations.

Translation work is not a mechanical process in which only each source word is translated into the target language. Rather, there are many factors that need to be taken into account to get an accurate and culturally appropriate result in the target language.

These are some of those factors that a translator must understand and pay attention to:

1. The real context of the source and target language: the meaning and connotations of the same concept can be very different in two languages.

2. The grammar rules of both languages: Grammar is an essential part of language translation and each language has its own set of structural rules that must be observed.

3. Correct spelling in the target language, for example, even in American and British English, the spelling of the same word can be different. For example, the word “color” in American English would be spelled “color” in British English.

4. The writing conventions of the target language: These conventions include spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and paragraphing. The translator needs to use the correct conventions to improve the readability of the article.

5. The meaning of idioms and phrases in both the source and target languages ​​is often a complex subject. For example, if we use the English phrase “Wear your heart on your sleeve” translated literally, it probably won’t have the same meaning in another language.

6. Using semicolons to separate decimals and thousands within numbers has different rules in different languages. This is important since in English the convention that is followed is 1,000.01, while in Spanish it is written the same as 1,000.01. This is something that must be taken into account for a high-quality service for Spanish translations.

7. Also, when translating in certain languages ​​like Arabic and Hebrew, a translator must translate using a right-to-left alphabet.

In addition to the factors mentioned above, it is important for the creation of an error-free translation to carefully check the translation against the source text. Editing in different stages is a good method to get an error-free copy. And even after editing, before delivering the final copy, final proofreading is a must.

Keep this in mind when selecting a translation agency in Toronto or any other major Canadian city.