Back Translations: Inspect What You Expect? ** You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the by-line is included. Notification of publication would be appreciated. Please send notification to mgalindo@translationsandmore.com ** 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. 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. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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. 5. 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. See you next time. P.S. What do you think about our new look, in lieu of our 9th year in business? mgalindo@translationsandmore.com ********************************************************************** About the Author, if using, please include: Martha E. Galindo, President and CEO of Galindo Publicidad, Inc. A multilingual translations agency, selected twice as a Florida 100 company. Author of “How Do You Say…?” an eNewsletter designed to help you improve your business communications in other languages, Subscribe http://www.translationsandmore.com/subscription.html GPI, Inc. Request a free project quote- http://www.translationsandmore.com/contact.html ***********************************************************************