More and more companies are expanding their global reach and their workforces are becoming more diverse. The need for authentic cultural competency is now a highly coveted organizational value. And this means that the translation of materials in multiple languages is often a business necessity. But not just any translation will do. You need a high-quality, certified translation to ensure professionalism and accuracy.

Topics covered in this article:

• What is a certified translation?
• What counts as a certified translation?
• What are the benefits of certification?
• What are the types of certified translations?
  • Individual Certified Translators
  • Certified Translation Companies
  • Industry-Specific Certified Translations
• Ensuring Quality Translations

What is a Certified Translation?

A certified translation is one that has been done by a professional translator who is certified by a recognized translation organization or agency. This type of translation is accompanied by a signed statement from the translation agency, affirming that the translation is a true and accurate representation of the original source language content.

Certified translations are often required for official or legal purposes. Translated immigration applications, academic transcripts, and legal contracts may need to be certified. The certification signifies that the translation is reliable and accurate. Different countries and institutions may have specific requirements for certified translations. It’s important to check with the relevant authorities to ensure compliance.

What Counts as a Certified Translation?

To be considered a certified translation, the document must include the signed statement. Additionally, the translated document may include a stamp or seal from the translator or the translation agency.

What Are the Benefits of Certification?

Bad translations are bad for business. Many of us have been there: one missing accent mark or incorrect word can make the difference between clarity and a cultural misstep. It could be an irreparable mistake in terms of reputation and trust — or even the law.

Certified translations ensure accuracy, reliability, and integrity. They are completed by experienced translators who have a deep understanding of both the source and target languages. Additional benefits include acceptance by regulatory bodies, legal compliance, as well as continual professionalism.

What are the Types of Certified Translations?

Certified translations can come from a certified translator or a certified translation company.

Individual Certified Translators

In this instance, the translator is certified. This typically involves certification from a recognized translation association, such as the American Translators Association.

Certified Translation Companies

A translation company can also be certified. For example, as an Accredited Member of ATC, Interpro provides translations that are certified with ATC’s Certification Stamp. Being an Accredited ATC Member demonstrates that Interpro has passed the ATC’s strict membership vetting process, including audits on financial stability, quality management processes, client and supplier references, and also carries appropriate professional indemnity insurance.

Industry-Specific Certified Translations

In many cases, specific compliance requirements for translations are mandated by industries themselves. Such industries may include educational institutions, governmental bodies, manufacturing, health and medical fields, or legal agencies, for example. Professionals in these industries should work with compliance experts to establish and promote translation standards. They can then work with a certified translation agency employing subject-matter experts in their particular industry.

Ensuring  Quality Translations

If you need certified translations, you probably want the peace of mind that comes with a certified translation stamp. But the ultimate goal is a high-quality translation that your audience will understand and connect with.

Interpro offers world-class translation and interpreting services in any modern language that helps organizations with multilingual audiences. We ensure your business is well-positioned to handle a range of crucial and sensitive translation needs. We are a certified translation company through the Association of Translation Companies (ATC).

To ensure quality translations, we recommend these steps:

1. Learn more about common certified translation FAQs.
2. Understand localization vs. translation. It makes a difference, and not every translation company is localizing your content for your specific audience’s needs.
3. Find a translation company with ISO certifications for translation and quality management. A translation certification demonstrates the company has a reliable translation process. But the quality management certification ensures the company is aiming to continually improve and exceed your expectations every time.
4. If you’re ready to start translating, schedule a complimentary localization consultation with our team. We’ll create a game plan with you to ensure you receive high-quality, localized, certified translations.

As you research different translation options, consider the peace of mind that comes with working with an established, quality-oriented company like Interpro. A company with a quality focus and partnership-oriented approach will benefit your business through improved client relationships and translation success.

The post What is a Certified Translation? Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Discover how to use translation as a tool to increase information access for your company and the first steps to begin your language journey.

Our team is invested in providing access to information. Our recently rebranded mission is:

We create stronger relationships through language, and relationships create a better world. Interpro connects people of different cultures worldwide through language while creating long-term partnerships that bridge cultures and remove language barriers.

Language equity and improving information access for individuals who don’t speak English or who speak English as a second language are priorities at Interpro.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been at the forefront of many discussions. Inclusive language is a priority – but is multilingual language a topic in this journey?

If it isn’t, we feel it should be. When done accurately, translation, interpreting, and localization can be a powerful language inclusion tool. Language inclusion is not limited to any single industry. Associations, banking, finance, healthcare, gaming, technology, legal, automotive, manufacturing, travel, tourism, hospitality, retail, and eCommerce (to name a few) can all grow by offering accurate multilingual content.

So, we’re opening the Multilingual Inclusion for Language Access conversation in this blog. We hope that this will spark ideas on how your organization can play a role in helping promote language equity.

Getting Started: What is Multilingual Language Access (regarding building a multilingual-inclusive organization)?

Language inclusion is the active decision to choose words that avoid discrimination, exclusion, or alienation of a group of people.

When this concept is applied to an organization with either internal or external multilingual audiences, it takes on an even deeper meaning.

In other words, people who grew up with a different culture or speak a different language will have different cultural references and dialects. This can make it challenging to navigate and comprehend materials written solely in English.

If your goal is to create an inclusive culture for people who speak languages other than English, one simple yet highly effective step is to localize your materials.

This will overcome language barriers in the most efficient way possible. Localization helps ensure you and your organization are not widening the communication gap between English speakers and those who speak other languages. It often demonstrates that your organization is dedicated to building an inclusive multilingual culture.

Examples of Multilingual Cultural References: An American-to-Spanish Cultural Difference

Cultural references go beyond a shared place of birth or common background. They include experiences that might have a deep impact on message reception.

One Spanish cultural reference Americans may not be familiar with is the “siesta.” Siesta refers to a short nap or rest taken in the early afternoon, typically after lunch.

In many Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Spain and Latin America, having a siesta is a cultural tradition, especially in warmer regions where the midday heat can be intense. The concept of siesta is deeply ingrained in the Spanish culture and reflects a more relaxed approach to daily life, prioritizing leisure and well-being. This could be a drastic change for a Spanish native in American culture.

Compare this to the American-hustle-get-it-done attitude, in which a workplace nap will likely get a worker disciplined. Many have heard the expression that in the USA, “we live to work,” and in other countries, “they work to live.” Understanding these cultural differences can help ensure that your Spanish-speaking target audience understands and resonates with your message.

Is Multilingual Content Right for Your Organization?

Translations can be used to spearhead diversity and inclusion efforts for internal company training materials, eLearning courses, and communication. Or they can be used externally with clients and end users in marketing, packaging, and other communications.

Translating your content has the potential to increase the visibility of your organization. This has to be done accurately, ideally with human linguists paired with subject matter expertise. Inaccurate translations may look like you’re offering something inclusive, but poor translation or interpretation increases the risk of mistakes and offending a culture. The results could be detrimental.

But the question remains: is the investment in translating materials right for you?

At Interpro, we understand the importance and advantages of accurate multilingual content. But we also know translating all your materials is not the right solution for every organization.

Answer these questions to help determine if using a language service provider for translation or interpretation is right for your organization:

• Does your company want to increase its market reach?
• Does your company want to be part of a global community?
• Does your company want to increase understanding with your current multilingual employees, customers, or members for whom English might be a second language?
• Does your company want to reach more customers in underrepresented markets?
• Is your company in an industry with language inclusion requirements?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, having multilingual content could be right for your business.

The Real Benefits of Translation for a Business

Now imagine that a misunderstanding or offense occurs in the context of a more serious subject matter, such as:

• how to operate heavy machinery safely
• setting up your insurance benefits
• providing medical care
• an important legal contract
• a critical marketing campaign

Injuries, disastrous life-changing misunderstandings, or tanked sales can be serious results.

Translating your materials isn’t just a nice-to-have benefit in these critical situations. Potential misunderstandings due to a language barrier or incorrect translation could cause safety, legal, or financial issues for both your audience and your business.

Translating your organization’s materials is a great way to increase access, improve understanding, remove language barriers, and reduce risk. We like to think that when you translate the content, you reach your audience where they feel most comfortable.

Learning in one’s own native language has been shown to increase retention and reduce misunderstanding and situational disability. Situational Disability can occur often when visiting or residing in a foreign country without knowing the language.

Now that we’ve defined language inclusion and understand the benefits of translation for an organization, what can you do about it?

How to Start Your Organization’s Multilingual Language Access Journey

Organizations prioritizing quality know that you must bridge the gap between your experience and your reader’s experience. That’s where localization is a tool to promote language inclusion.

Although it’s unrealistic to offer all your content in every single language (there are over 200 modern languages still in use today), it is possible to take the first step: assessing and asking your audience about their language needs.

Once a single need is established, you can begin your journey by acting on that information and providing just one piece of material in one language.

We’ve seen organizations do the following for multilingual language access:

• Localize manuals, eLearning courses, videos, or safety instructions.
• Translate legal agreements, insurance benefits, or medical information.
• Localize website content and online educational information.
• Offer interpreting for meetings, conferences, and events.

These are only a few ways to begin your multilingual language access journey. After establishing a single need, involve a localization strategist for a more custom approach for your business. Accurately localizing your materials will only help your organization communicate more effectively with your audience.

Interpro’s Experience with the Multilingual Language Access Landscape

Multilingual is Inclusive

We believe that translation and localization are critical to an organization’s DEI efforts. We see more and more companies discovering translation as a tool for inclusivity.

A good translation can demonstrate the organization’s dedication to accessible information in many ways, such as:

• Encouraging diversity by engaging and representing different cultures in written materials and spoken events.
• Increasing equity through comprehension and removing language barriers.
• Allowing inclusive access to information for people of different cultures and languages.

Global is Local

Interpro originally began by working with organizations that required localizing materials for international audiences (i.e., organizations selling products to customers globally) – but over the years, our team has helped more and more organizations translate exclusively for multilingual audiences based in the United States.

Representing multiple languages in your content can have an immense competitive advantage. Sixty-eight million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home. Depending on the industry, a higher percentage of the audience may use a language other than English at home.

The shift from translating for only international audiences to domestic audiences is why Interpro wants to join your writing process long before the translation stage begins. We want your message to translate well because accurate information access is critical.

Building an inclusive and multilingual company culture begins with a multilingual audience that is already local and listening.

Multilingual Help is Here

We take pride in assisting our clients with their English materials, even before completion. That includes helping them write content that will be considered localization-friendly.

Each target language can be different, and languages evolve on an organic basis. We’ve found the best approach for sensitive subjects is consulting with our in-country teams of linguists. Translation teams that are focused on the end user and dedicated to professional localization can often solve these potential translation issues, including:

• Content that might be considered taboo.
• Emotionally-charged content.
• Offensive cultural differences (meaning of colors, attire, symbols, phrase structure, etc.)

Because Interpro delivers all of its work in accordance with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO:17100 certifications, we implement several quality assurance steps and a highly detailed localization process. This can include adapting names, foods, ingredients, dates, formatting, money, slang, and more to the target language. Long story short, we take all measures possible to avoid publishing subpar translations.

We care deeply about each client’s language needs, and that makes accurate translations for information access simple. We aim to keep growing our resources on the subject as it evolves. If you have any questions, please ask them here.

Thank you for joining Interpro on our language access journey. We are here to help you with any questions about beginning your multilingual inclusion journey.

The post Language Access: Understanding Multilingual Language Inclusion appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Professional translation and interpretation are closely linked and the terms are often used interchangeably. However despite the obvious similarities, these two disciplines are very different and it’s incredibly rare to see an individual who does both professionally. On the surface, the main difference is that translators work with the written word while interpreters deal with speech. Translators are fundamentally different from interpreters.

Here are 6 key differences between professional translation and interpretation.

1. Translators focus on written content

First, let’s define both key terms:

• Translation: a written rendering of a foreign text’s meaning.
• Interpretation: an oral rendering of a foreign speech’s meaning.

Language is composed of written and oral components and each trade concentrates on one element respectively. Translators focus exclusively on written content and understanding cultural norms of related societies.

2. Translations aren’t immediate

When a translator begins to translate content, he or she will use professional translation software and a series of reference books before beginning a meticulous transference process. Translators use their knowledge and research to understand the target country’s cultural and linguistic nuances so they can write better translations. Naturally, this process takes significantly more time than an interpreter’s rendering, which occurs on the spot.

3. Translators don’t have to be fluent in their second language

Translators typically only translate into their native tongue and are not required to tap into a great wealth of vocabulary for an instant translation. Though they aren’t always conversationally fluent, translators can often write better than native speakers. Interpreters must have conversational fluency.

4. Translations demand greater accuracy

Think about your oral and written sentence structure. While you may be perfectly capable of writing a coherent sentence, your oral syntax is likely to be grammatically incorrect. However, effective spoken communication doesn’t require the same grammatical accuracy as effective written communication. The same principle applies to interpreters and translators.

Interpreters translate phrases and idioms between two languages instantly, which leaves a lot of room for inaccuracies. Conversely, translators have more time to analyze a text and research the best transference of meaning. As a result, translations tend to be much more accurate than interpretations.

5. Translators don’t do live events

If you’ve ever seen an international hearing, you may have noticed politicians wearing earpieces and professionals speaking rapidly. These people are interpreters, not translators. You’ll frequently find interpreters in conferences, business meetings, courtrooms and police stations. In these situations, interpreters are essential to successful communication in the moment.

Translation professionals don’t work at live events. Instead, you’ll find translators in quiet offices surrounded by reference books and professional translation technology. While translators won’t be “in the field” acting as a bridge of communication, their copy does act as an initial connection with broad audiences.

When a company uses professional translation services to localize its website, the translator is facilitating a connection with the business and a new customer base.

6. Translators use a cultural knowledge base

While translators may use a dictionary to find appropriate terminology during the translation process, an interpreter is probably close to memorizing the dictionary. This quick knowledge of diction helps interpreters translate much more quickly.

Instead of studying vocabulary, translators are more likely to study the variations in dialect or the cultural implications of certain symbols. To write a quality translation that does the original work justice while catering to a target region, professionals must have a deep understanding of common cultural practices in the area.

Though it may be easy to confuse the two, translations and interpretations are two very different disciplines. Whatever you do, don’t mistake your translator for your interpreter again!

The post Translation vs. Interpretation: Understanding the 6 Key Differences appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.