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Tips to Ensure High Quality Translation

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During this COVID-19 crisis, quality translation can be easily forgotten as there is a lot of moving parts and some pressure to get information out fast. Some have been tempted to just quickly run text through google translate or even skip translation altogether.

Even though the pressure to get information out is real, I would recommend taking a few extra steps that will help ensure that your meaning, tone, and message is conveyed regardless of the language. I’ll indicate (just my opinion/experience) what I believe the quality score is for each process.

  • Translation, Revision, Proofreading

    quality score: good-excellent

    Ideally, every document is assigned to professional translator to convert it to the target language. It always pays to have a second translator review their work as a second pair of eyes. Even the best, most experienced linguist can miss a word or meaning. It helps to work in a bilingual format for the first two steps of this process. It helps to divide the document up and focus on the language.

    Download a FREE bilingual translation template here.

    Once the translation/review has been completed, you can format the new document using the target text. You will need a linguist to proofread the text in the final format.

    This method is our standard for every project. The level of quality depends on the linguists, the subject matter, etc. So, it can vary somewhat. For most content this is a great way to get solid translations that meet the source.

  • Back Translation

    quality score: excellent

    If you want to be more involved in the process, asking for a “back translation” might be the way to go. Back Translation includes a step where a translator will translate the target text BACK into English. Then, an English speaker can compare the source English file and the back translated file to look for any tone, meaning, mistranslated text.

  • Parallel translation

    quality score: it better be awesome

    Another option for extra quality steps would be to have two professional translators provide the source text in parallel. Then have a third linguist ‘reconcile’ the translation. This can help alleviate human errors in handling the text. This is useful for sensitive topics like health care.

  • Can’t wait? Try Post Editing

    quality score: pretty good

    Sometimes we want to provide high quality, but we’re limited by time and budget. But, like Theodore Roosevelt said “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

    Depending on the target language, technology is improving all the time to help! Machine translation (like google translate) can work in a pinch. Especially if you just need the “jist” of the message to come across.

    I highly recommend adding a post editing step where a linguist will review and make changes to the text. This way it can still sound human.

    If you have a pretty straightforward document, you can Try Automatic Translation for Free!

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Theodore Roosevelt

How to Set a Budget for Language Access

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Time needed: 2 minutes.

It’s sometimes challenging to know where to start when you need to set a budget for language access. Usually language access is provided with translation and/or interpretation. This post will walk you through what you should consider in setting up a budget specifically for translation projects.

  • Know the word count of your documents

    Most translators charge by the word for translating documents. If you need translation, but have a tight budget, reduce the words! If you can get the message across with culturally appropriate images or reduce the word count in other ways, you can still provide quality translations on a budget.

  • Ask about minimums up front

    Many linguists require minimums to help them manage their time. If you batch jobs, you may be able to save a lot of budget by avoiding minimum fees per documents.

  • Ask for discounts

    It is not uncommon to ask for discounts on phrases that might repeat throughout a document. You can also provide glossaries and terminology list for linguists to re-use phrases. You can learn more about translation memory and how it can help you with providing quality translation on a budget.

  • Select languages

    Pick the languages that will have the most impact for the most people. You may not be able to afford to translate everything in every language, but you can do something.

On a budget? You can prepay for translation services and save! Click to learn more.

These are a few of the many things you can do to create quality human-sounding communication for your clients who may not speak English fluently. There are online tools that may be free, but if your clients can’t understand your meaning, they may not be an effective way to communicate. Not sure why quality is important? Check out this article.

Whether its a flyer or a website, you can show your clients that you care by providing quality translation.

Learn more about Language Access!

Tips for Remote Working with Limited English Proficient Clients

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Remote Working with Limited English Proficient Clients can be frustrating if you aren’t used to it. During the COVID-19 quarantine, a lot of us are learning new ways to do things. We want to help as much as possible. So we’re creating some informational posts to share resources that are available.

You may find yourself working with clients remotely who may not speak English fluently. Doing this remotely might be tricky, but if done well, you can provide equitable access regardless of where you are.

Here are five important things to keep in mind for remote working with limited English proficient clients.

  • Rely on written communication when possible.

    If you have ever spoken another language, the phone is one of the most challenging in ensuring understanding. A simple email or text might be a better way to get a message across.

    Have a longer message? You can get it translated easily by our team of professional translators. Make sure your communication is equitable ensuring everyone has the opportunity to understand.

  • Use already translated resources

    There are many resources available already that have been translated. Please make these available to your clients.

  • Beware of mistranslations and google translate.

    Inclusive and meaningful access requires quality translation. Many times using google translation is worse than not doing any translation at all.

  • Use telephonic interpreters.

    You could struggle to communicate with a mix of broken languages. OR, you could conference in an interpreter to help you. Use zoom meetings or three-way calling to patch someone in.

    If you need an interpreter, we support most languages. Sign up for “LinguistLink” and get immediate access.

  • Practice Patience.

    We’re all learning this right now. Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

    “So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
    ― J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

Translated Resources for COVID-19

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person washing his hand

For speakers with limited English ability, it’s important to provide translated resources for COVID-19 in the native language spoken by the people you support. This virus is no joke. We’re in the middle of a pandemic. The best way to combat fear is to communicate, communicate, communicate. With that said, there is still a lot of misinformation going around. So what can you do to make sure everyone in the community gets the message?

Fortunately, there are a few existing translated resources for COVID-19 out there that you can share in some of the primary languages spoken in the United States. Languages such the following:

The following are other resources that might be helpful (Most of these are from Washington State (where I live!) but it applies to anyone anywhere.

COVID-19 Educational Materials (WA State Dept of Health) With flyers on basic information about the virus.

Public Health Recommendations This link includes recommendations that will help people understand what we can do to avoid getting it.

Multilingual Resources for Schools. This link provides resources that are kid-sized to share with students and family members. It’s only in Chinese and Spanish.

If you can’t find what you need from existing material, we have a special offer that will help:

If you can’t find information in a specific language, or if you have more specifics to communicate, we can help. We’re currently offering 20% off of any COVID-19 related translation.

Get a Quote

Spreading good information and banding together will help us get through this crisis. We realize how small our world is and it is up to all of us to help! This will pass, but what remains is how we acted. Simply by sharing access to translated resources that pass along scientific information about COVID-19 will make a difference to a lot of people!

What does Community Engagement Mean for Education?

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Can you have community engagement without a clear idea on who the people are in your community? Despite good efforts, I’ve recently read about examples in the news where community members were excluded due to cultural or language access limitations. Read these examples and tell me. . .what went wrong?

Example #1: Teacher’s Strike in Los Angeles, CA

I heard a program on NPR about the recent teacher strike in Los Angeles. A Spanish-speaking father went to drop his son off at school, but there was no school. The district sent communication out, but it was not in Spanish. The father had no idea there was a strike going on. Once he got to the school, he realized quickly he was going to have to scramble for child care.

Although the student’s needs are being considered in the school district, in this case the family’s needs were not. I wonder if this father really feels like he is a part of the school community?

How can a school improve community engagement by proactively helping non-English speaking families take part in a meaningful way?

Learn more about LinguistLink

LinguistLink has been making a difference for education clients. Get a demo to see how it can make a difference for you!

Check it Out

Example #2: Measles Outbreak in Clark County, WA

My county is in the news recently, but not in a good way. There is a measles outbreak–more than 40 people have contracted this awful condition, which is completely avoidable with modern vaccinations. The public reaction has been very harsh. Even I found myself judging people saying things like “these anti-vaccination believers are crazy and causing all kinds of public health issues!”.

But then I read that the outbreak began in a local Slovak church. Clark County has a strong immigrant community. In fact, according to the US Census Bureau, 15% of the county speaks a language other than English at home. The church where the outbreak may have started does not teach that vaccinations are harmful; however, some immigrants and refuges are distrustful and choose not to get them. Per the article:

. . .some parents mistrust the vaccines. The mistrust may be a holdover from time spent living in the former Soviet Union.

That last thought made me much more sympathetic. Instead of meeting these people where they are, we write them off as “crazy anti-vaccinators”. Maybe we should be asking ourselves how we can provide better education and resources for people who are originally from other cultures?

What Lessons Can We Derive from these Examples to Improve Community Engagement?

  1. Immigrants/Refuges are part of our community.
  2. Limited-English speakers aren’t getting the same information as the native English speakers.
  3. An increased effort from educational and public organizations to provide meaningful access to information will benefit the whole community.
  4. Inclusion means providing information as well as listening to community members who have limited-English speaking abilities.
  5. There are support and tools to help you do this!

The good news is–we can help. By sitting down with one of our Coordinators, we can design a solution that will meet the needs of everyone in your community. Whether you need an interpreter at a town hall, access to translators, or building an informational website — we can help! Contact us today.

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