If you live outside the translation sphere, you’d probably think it is a simple task consisting of changing words for others. Well, you’ll be surprised to find out that it’s so much more than that.

I found a great infographic depicting the whole process that goes into translating. From the research needed beforehand to the proofreading and editing steps, handling translation projects is a wide and massive task requiring time and reflection.

To have a look at the document, please click here. The website is curated by Clara Giampietro from Winged Translations.

If I had a piece of advice to give to clients willing to have their business literature translated, it would be to, first and foremost, establish some kind of brief with the following elements: the aim of the documents (informative, commercial, promotional,etc), the target audience (employees, customers, investors, etc), deadline and specifics about formatting and/or terminology. Also, if your company has a very specific terminology that needs to be abided by, then it’s of the utmost importance to provide your translator with the necessary references (glossaries, style guides, past translation projects for consistency purposes).

Preparing a translation project should be like preparing an ad campaign, it should be well thought-out and accurately targeted to ensure optimal results.

Clients and translators need to work hand in hand to ensure a project is successful. Communication is key!