How can good communication with clients
improve your translation?
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| Communication |
Every translator has encountered the
following scenario: one minute you are flowing through the text, translating
one of the long paragraphs, rhythmically hitting the letters on the keyboard,
alternately looking at the source and the target text, and the following minute
you come across something in the source text which interrupts your typing
rhythm and makes you wonder. What should you do next? Should you assume that
this is a mistake and correct it in your translation? Or it would be better to
contact the client and clarify this problem? What if the client does not
respond in time?
All great translations are the result of
good communication between the translator and the client. It is only with the
presence of this kind of relationship that the translation itself can meet all
the requirements of a client. That is why it is very important to immediately
establish the fastest and the best way of communication with the client. This
communication should not represent a difficulty in the translation process, but
rather an opportunity to build a better relationship, so as to achieve the best
translation possible.
In order to explain the text and document
translation process to a potential client, it is highly recommended that you
explain the most common questions about the translation services to the client.
Here is more advice on how to deal with difficulties during the translation
process:
1. Talk to the client and explain the
difficulty
The translator should communicate with the
client on a daily basis. If a certain part of a text can have more than one
meaning, you should ask the client to provide you with more information about
the text, especially about whether the text is intended for a website or whether
it will be presented as a part of a document or maybe printed. If you come
across a mistake or an inconsistency in the source text, you should inform the
client about it and ask for clarification. Explain to the client that you
require additional clarification and information because you want to provide
the best translation possible and thus meet the client’s requirements. The
clients will surely be willing to help you in a short notice, since you have
informed them that this is for their own good.
2. Be polite, kind and professional
When sending a message to a client, always
do your best to be polite and professional. If you find yourself in an
unpleasant situation where the client wants you to translate the text in a way
that you do not agree with, explain to the client why it is that you have
chosen exactly those words in your translation and why it is that you think
that your suggestion is the best choice. If you provide the client with an
incorrect translation, it will definitely cause a lot of problems to the client
himself/herself, even though the client may not be aware of that at the moment.
You should always stay focused on what is best for your client and remember - even if you
are having some trouble with the client, politeness and kindness is always the
answer.
3. Offer the client more than one
translation suggestion
Sometimes clients are not aware that words
and sentences can have multiple meanings. If you find yourself in a situation
like this or in a situation in which it is possible to offer several
translation suggestions, all of which are correct, you should inform the client
about it and provide him/her with translation nuances regarding the subject part
of the text. After you have thoroughly explained a few translation suggestions
to the client, it will surely be much easier for the client to give you
feedback on the matter, i.e. to provide you with their opinion on the
difficulty you are experiencing.
4. Always double-check the message you are
sending to the client
In order to be sure that there are no
mistakes, you should always check your message before sending it to the client.
Whether the client himself/herself or some other person is reading your message,
he/she will surely show more respect and understanding if that message, i.e.
question, is clear, concise and written correctly.
How do you usually deal with translation
difficulties such as these and do you communicate with your clients on a daily basis?
