The Art of Business Translation

                                                                                         

Introduction

In today's global economy, doing business with overseas clients and forging cross-border partnerships is very much in evidence. The need to have clarity in business communication and interpretation assumes great importance, especially when the spoken or official languages of business partners are different. The grammar and syntax of different languages are often very different, and most languages have a number of idiomatic phrases and business jargon that do not lend themselves to an exact translation into other languages.

Business translation services

The number of translation service providers available on the web has vastly increased in recent years, and is an indication of the rising demand for business translation services. You will also come across a range of translation software solutions on the Web, that generate instant translations of text between different language pairs. However, you must bear in mind that the translated text output can at best be a literal translation, and may not be grammatically or even factually correct.

Consider, for instance, the following sentence in French:
"Chaque formule est pensée non seulement pour garder la peau saine et en bonne santé, mais aussi pour nous plonger dans un univers de sensations bienfaisantes. Les textures Alpeor sont étonnantes, vraiment loin des classiques émulsions chimiques."

When translated to English using translation software, it would read as:
"Each formula is thought not only to keep the healthy skin and in good health, but also to plunge us in a universe of beneficial feelings. Alpeor textures are astonishing, really far from the traditional chemical emulsions."

A better way to express it would be:
"At Alpeor, every formula is devised not just as a way to keep the skin clear and in good health, but also to fill you with a sense of well being. Alpeor textures are truly astonishing, and are far ahead of the chemical based emulsions of the past."

Business terminology

Every business has its own peculiar terminology or technical jargon, which is not easily intelligible to the lay person. When such terms are literally translated to a target language, the meaning may well get completely lost. It is often difficult to capture the sense in which the original text or phrase was worded. In the world of finance, for instance, there are terms like 'return on investment' or 'capital appreciation' which may not easily be translated directly into other languages. A high degree of accuracy is necessary when translating financial documents, and it is important to pay close attention to the content, both in letter and spirit, or the consequences may be serious.

Consider some of these words and phrases and their French and German equivalents:
barbed fitting : "raccord à queue cannelée" (French)
shelf life : "durée de vie sur étagère" (French)
easement : "servitude foncière" (French) or "Grunddienstbarkeit" (German)
the assembly of owners: "l'assemblée des copropriétaires" (French) or "Versammlung der Stockwerkeigentümer" (German)

Thus it is all the more important for people from different language-speaking countries to be able to communicate effectively and with a complete grasp of the terms of business when entering into business partnerships. It is just as important to bear this in mind irrespective of whether it happens to be a sales letter or a legal document, in order to avoid misunderstandings at a later date.

Choosing a good translation service

In international business dealings, it is vital to enlist the right service provider or translator for document translation work. It is possible that even a qualified translator may not provide the best quality of translation if he/she does not have some exposure to the business domain. It would be worthwhile to identify a reputed agency that has translators with subject matter expertise who are familiar with the usual business and financial terms.

Conclusion

Vast volumes of business are being conducted today by organizations with counterparts located at points in the far corners of the globe. Effective communication and information exchange between business partners is a vital aspect of international business. To overcome the barrier of language is simple, yet complex in a sense, and it hinges on being able to find a good service provider to deliver a high quality and standard of translation.

About the author:
As a freelance writer and expert translator Armando Riquier has been working with Tectrad, a specialized translation service agency, for over a decade. Get your website translation and localization done the right way with appropriate translations that will increase your sales on the foreign markets.


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