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It depends on who is talking… and on their budgets, clients,
and liabilities…
I see an increase in inquiries for this
service, especially into and from English and Spanish. That
is why I decided to share with you a few thoughts on the matter.
What “Back Translation” literally
means is “Rework.”
Or, in other words, “quality control”
or “disaster prevention.” It means taking the completed English-to-Spanish
translation and putting it back into English again – to make
sure that what was translated is what you meant to say.
When I worked as a productivity consultant,
my boss used to say, “We need to make sure that we do
not have checkers checking checkers.” This is the key
concept of quality control: if you do the things right the first
time, and maintain high quality in your own work you do not need
others to check over it again.
Well, if in the world of multilingual
markets and diverse cultures, a professional team of individuals
who translate, edit, and proofread their work completes the
translation from one language into another my old
boss would be probably right. Yet, in a market reality
like the one of today, your project may require such service and,
as a result, you may sleep tighter tonight.
If you ask around, budget-minded executives
would probably wonder, “What for? It is an extra expense
for the same job.”
But law offices, advertising
agencies, international divisions, financial firms, market researchers
may disagree. They may say, “Absolutely. Do it.” Because
for them, getting the right message through may mean millions
of dollars lost in reworking an international contract or
redesigning the concept in an advertising campaign.
So, it can go both ways. It depends
on whether they have been burned by a real fiasco, or if they
have always dealt with a reputable service.
Also, be aware that there are more software
packages on the Internet offering free translations, but
that “free translations” still have a cost…
especially for monolingual individuals who are unable to judge
the quality of these quasi-translations and need to confirm their
translation with a “back translation.”
If you truly want to verify the quality
of the work, go ahead and decide to contract
out the service of “back translations” to the same agency or
a different one. But before you hire someone, make sure you
follow these steps:
5 Steps to Ensure Quality Work in your “Back Translation” Services
1.
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Do not waste your money. If
you decide to assign the translation job to Agency A and the back translation
to B, do not tell B that it is a back translation
because they may try to only find problems... searching for
stylistic or other problems that do not really exist for the sake
of destroying the first agency’s job. Avoid that.
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2.
| Ask for credentials. Asking
for references and credentials has become a more tangible need. The American
Translators Association
is the most recognized body of accreditation for translators
in the U.S. In the case of Spanish translators, one out of five
passes the A.T.A. exam and becomes accredited. So, ask
the questions about the certifications of your translation agency
– do not be shy.
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3.
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Obtain confirmation in writing.
When ordering the back translation, if you decide to have
Agency A do both jobs (the translation and the back translation),
make them assure you that they will use
a different team to complete it. Pay full price for both translations
(1 and 2); do not bargain for a lower price. They may be tempted
to assign the second job to a translator who could be given the
original English version, and then ask him or her to match it as
much as possible to that document. It will lower the price, but defy
the purpose.
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4.
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Ask for the back translation to
be as literal as possible. The goal is to know if, in essence, it says
what you need to be said. You do not need a work of art.
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5.
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Again, it boils down to ethics and credibility. Like any other service, deal with
someone who makes you feel confident and understands your needs.
Hire a service that will put its reputation
on the line and, preferably, operates under U.S. laws.
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