Client Instructions to Translators
Listed below are a few of the kinds of instructions we receive from clients about translation projects.
- Do Not Translate: Clients sometimes don’t want certain words translated. Translators receive directions like this at the beginning of a project. Professional translators routinely make judgments about whether it’s appropriate to translate certain words but clients can also give direction. A person’s name, other capitalized proper nouns, and brands for example are usually not translated.
- Translation Style: The style and tone a translation should take is often implied by the nature of the text. Should the tone and style be formal, conversational, something else? The style and tone of a translation can be implied by the nature of the text (legal, education, marketing, et. al.) but clients can make specific instructions concerning the style a translation should take.
- Speed Up / Slow Down: Sometimes clients provide direction about the desired rate of translation. “Take your time on this project” might be a client’s comment. More often it’s “we need this translation as soon as possible.” In reality translators proceed through projects at a rate consistent with ensuring high quality work. When a faster delivery is needed a preferred approach is usually to assign more than a single translator to the project.
