Most of us work with written texts on a daily basis, from one-page memos to reports several hundred pages long. Sometimes you might not be able to work with that given text in current form, be it because it’s in your own language and you need it in a different one; or because it’s written in a language you don’t quite understand. Or maybe you do understand the text but would like to have another pair of eyes run through it to polish it and make sure it’s perfect.

A professional translator and proofreader can help you in any of those situations with high-quality and reliable services while always observing the strictest confidentiality.

When we establish contact for the first time we will have to cover a series of issues regarding your specific needs, such as the subject of the text, the source and target languages, the number of words to translate and the final delivery date. This parameters will determine not only the final price, but also the time by which the translation will be delivered. Bear in mind that for assignments with incomplete or blurred texts or documents in non-editable format a surcharge may be applied to the final rate.

Read further to understand how translation and proofreading works and what to keep in mind when requesting translation services.

Translation:

A translation is a linguistic version of a text that was originally written in a different language. Translation is not to be mistaken with conference interpreting, which is a different service (an oral translation) provided by a conference interpreter during a conference or multilingual event.

If you need to have a text translated into a different language or into your own one, you have come to the right place. A simple phone call and an e-mail can be enough to get your project started. Here are some of the things we might ask in order to prepare your quote:

  • subject and original language of the text;
  • the language the text is to be translated in;
  • delivery date;
  • the format or formats in which the original and final files will be in;
  • specific terminology databases provided (see below).

To increase accuracy, the final price of a translation will be determined by the total number of words (not pages) to be translated. Should this not be possible (for example if the original file is in a non-editable text format), a final surcharge per assignment may be applied. Please bear in mind that a higher rate will also be applied in case of urgent assignments with extreme tight deadlines.

Your files will be handled with the utmost care and confidentiality and the translation delivered on time and following your specific indications. We also follow the four-eye-principle, which means that any text we translate will be completely proofread by a different translator before delivery.

If you are a company who regularly works with translators you might have your own terminological database which you might want the translator to use: please indicate this in your communications with us in order to adapt the quote consequently.

Proofreading:

A final text might seem perfect, but four eyes see more than two. A proofreader will ensure that you don’t miss the point, that coherence is maintained throughout the text and that no typos made its way into the final version. If the text is a translation, the proofreader will also ensure that it says the same as the original.

Proofreading is generally charged by the hour, as it is sometimes difficult to see at firs sight how much work there actually is to be done. Regardless of the final number of hours, you should provide us with an editable file to work with, otherwise we will not be able to work on your assignment.