Questions You Should Ask Your Chinese Translator

To make sure that the provider you are paying is really worth the money, here are several questions that you should ask before hiring him.

What experience do you have in translations?

In Chinese translation, experience is everything. The more years of experience your translator has, the better. Of course, the translator should ideally be native, but there are also many professionals who weren't born in China, but have studied and used the language actively for so many years that they have managed to master it as well as natives. Avoid working with a translator that has less than 10 years of experience. Talented as he may be, he might not be able to provide the top notch services that corporate clients require. Also, keep in mind that China is a big country and that your translator should be able to understand different dialects.

Are you familiar with specialized languages?

Specialized terminology can be seen as a foreign language within a language. There is a great difference between speaking Chinese and speaking business, legal or medical Chinese. There are many dedicated terms that designate different referents and which should be mastered perfectly. Take the translation of a contract, for instance: if the translator doesn't have a degree in legal Chinese, he won't be able to convey the proper legal meaning of the terms and the inaccuracies within the contract can even cause financial loss, not to mention misunderstandings that can ruin your image.

Do you understand the Chinese culture?

It is common knowledge that being a good translator doesn't just mean reading a lot of grammar books. A professional translator conveys the linguistic message from one language to another, but he also creates a bridge across two cultures. Translators and interpreters should be able to know the differences in traditions or forms of address and speak in such a way as not to offend. Given the fact that the Eastern and Western societies have different lifestyles and linguistic evolution, finding the perfect translator becomes all the more important.

Will you be able to make changes to the translation?

The collaboration with the translator isn't over when the provider hands in the translated texts. In the ideal case, you should be able to review his work and, if need be, suggest or demand certain changes. More importantly, these changes should be made free of charge.

These are four of the main questions that you should ask your translator, but not the only ones. After you've made sure that the service provider is professional and reliable, you can start negotiating price. Last, but not least, remember that you should never hire a translator based only on financial considerations. As always, quality comes at a cost and it's better to make a larger investment than to pay a small fee and have to face the consequences. As is widely known, being a professional linguist is a challenging task that requires skill, extensive experience, thorough knowledge of two or more languages and a strong educational background. Within the career path of translation, there are also many different niche markets that only certain translators are able to fulfill due to their particular expertise or experience. An interpreter can increase the quality of care for a patient by decreasing communication errors, increasing patient comprehension and satisfaction and improving clinical outcomes.

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