- How do you provide such inexpensive service?
- Why choose TW-DAY Translation?
- Why do I need to translate my website and other documents into Asian languages?
- Can I see a partial translation of my document before I agree to payment?
- Will the translation be edited? Is there any extra charge?
- How do I pay?
- If I’m not satisfied with the translation, what options do I have?
- Why can’t I just use one of those translation software applications or that guy in the office who speaks some Japanese?
- What is Globalization?
- What are the benefits of using local native-language speaking translators?
- What is the difference between translating and interpreting?
- With what criteria can a translation’s quality be judged?
- What are the main translation type categories?
- What are some of the problems faced by translators?
- What is machine translation, and why do we not utilize it?
- What is the difference between Computer-assisted translation and machine translation?
- How can I contact you?
=============================================================
1.How do you provide such inexpensive service?
We have streamlined our operations to reduce unnecessary expenditures. But mainly, our profit margin is simply lower than our competitors’. We make up for this through satisfied repeat customers, and large volume.
2.Why choose TW-DAY Translation?
Combining an understanding of Asian markets and experience that comes from years of conducting business in Taipei, a booming Asian business capital, we can help you market and communicate with multilingual solutions for your products and documents.
3.Why do I need to translate my website and other documents into Asian languages?
Already a majority of Internet users (over 400 million) do not speak English as a native language. Day by day, thousands of affluent Chinese are gaining Internet access for the first time. It is quite likely that Chinese Internet content will become more pervasive than English content in the near future - can you afford to have your message left out? Customers are simply more likely to consider purchasing your products if the content of your message is presented in their language.
4.Can I see a partial translation of my document before I agree to payment?
Yes, of course! When submitting your document (if over 1000 words or other special considerations exist) you may request that a 200 word trial translation of your source document be returned to you for your inspection. Seeing is believing, and if you don’t feel that we offer top quality translation at an unbelievable price we don’t want your money. If you approve, then the rest of the document will be promptly completed.
5.Will the translation be edited? Is there any extra charge?
Yes, your document will be professionally edited by a native speaker and even though many companies charge extra for this, TW-DAY has no extra fees for this service. All final translations will be edited and proofread before being handed back to you.
6.How do I pay?
You may use T/T, Paypal, or any major credit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express).
For credit card payment, please request a Credit Card Payment Form from us, and return it by fax.
7. If I’m not satisfied with the translation, what options do I have?
If you are not satisfied upon reviewing the translation, you may express to us the areas with which you would like modified and we will make revisions. Note the valid period for revision is limited to 7 days within final delivery of the work.
8.Why can’t I just use one of those translation software applications or that “guy in the office who speaks some Japanese”?
The target audience for your message will equate the words you use and the way they are presented with the reliability and thoroughness of your business. The presence of grammatical errors or incorrect word usage in your message will cause people to believe that your products or ideas are equally flawed. It is impossible to calculate the large amount of business lost by companies whose simple publicized slogans have serious verbal errors. It's very simple - when you accept avoidable grammar errors, spelling mistakes, or cultural misunderstandings in your message you jeopardize your image as a company able to provide flawless service and products.
9.What is Globalization?
Globalization is the process of conceptualizing your product, service, or idea for international markets so that they can be clearly and effectively understood by people of different nationalities. If you are marketing your product or services to the speakers of only one language, you are significantly limiting the exposure and potential growth of your business. Equal in importance to translating your message is considering the cultural subtleties of the target audience, in order to avoid unintended offensive or negative connotations.
10.What are the benefits of using local native-language speaking translators?
Depending on the type of document and the message, translators might need to adhere to the source text as much as possible to produce an unidiomatic text. Likewise, a document with a more liberal and casual message might require literary translation where the adopting of words or expressions from the source language are necessary to provide "local color and flare" in the translation.
11.What is the difference between translating and interpreting?
A distinction is made between translation, which consists of transferring ideas expressed in writing from one language to another, and interpreting, which consists of transferring of ideas expressed orally.
12.With what criteria can a translation’s quality be judged?
As the goal of translation is to establish a relationship of equivalence between the source and the target texts - that is to say, both texts should communicate the same message - while taking into account the various constraints placed on the translator, a successful translation can be judged by two criteria:
- Faithfulness, also called fidelity - The extent to which the translation accurately renders the meaning of the source text, without adding to it or subtracting from it, and without intensifying or weakening any part of the meaning; and
- Transparency - The extent to which the translation appears, to a native speaker of the target language, to have originally been written in that language, and conforms to the language's grammatical, syntactic, and idiomatic conventions.
13.What are the main translation type categories?
Any type of written text can be a candidate for translation.However, the translation industry is often categorized by a number of specializations. Each of these specializations has its own challenges and difficulties. The major specializations include:
Administrative translation
Translation of administrative texts (e.g., company policies, regulation compliance documents, etc.).
Commercial translation
Translation of commercial texts (e.g., advertisements, brochures, etc.).
Computer related translation
Translation of computer related documents (e.g., user manuals, help files, etc.).
The notion of localization, that is, the adaptation of the translation to the target language and culture, is gaining prevalence in this area of specialization.
Economic translation
Translation of texts in the fields of economics (e.g., economic analysis, international trading, etc.).
Financial translation
Translation of texts of a financial nature (e.g., financial statements, investment reports, etc.).
General translation
Translation of “general” texts. In practice, few texts are really "general"; most fall into a specialization but are not immediately seen as such.
Legal translation
Translation of legal documents (e.g., legal contracts, wills, etc.).
A “skilled legal translator” is normally as adept with law (often with in-depth legal training) as in translation, since inaccuracies in legal translations can have serious negative implications.
Sometimes, to prevent such problems, one language will be declared authoritative, with the translations not being considered legally binding, although in many cases this is not possible, as one party does not want to be seen as being subservient to the other.
Literary translation
Translation of literary works (e.g., novels, short stories, plays, poems, etc.).
If the translation of non-literary works is regarded as a skill, the translation of fiction and poetry is much more of an art.
Many consider some forms of poetry to be almost impossible to translate accurately due to the structure and rhyming of the poem, and sometimes even the literary language used and abstraction of the poem, which make the real meaning of the poem unclear. Translation of such works would require a great deal of comprehension ability, imagination, creativity, and manipulation of words while abiding to the true meaning of the source text.
Medical translation
Translation of works of a medical nature. Similar to pharmaceutical translation, medical translation is a specialization in which mistranslation can have serious consequences.
Pharmaceutical translation
Translation of works in the pharmaceutical industry.
Like medical translation, pharmaceutical translation is a highly specialized area of translation where a mistranslation can have grave consequences.
Scientific translation
Translation of scientific texts (e.g., scientific discoveries, experiments, reports, etc.).
Scholarly translation
Translation of specialized texts written in an academic environment (e.g., thesis, dissertation, presentation scripts, etc.).
Technical translation
Translation of technical texts (e.g., construction or engineering manuals, instructions, etc.).
14.What are some of the problems faced by translators?
Translation is inherently a difficult activity. Translators can face problems which make the process even more difficult, such as:
- Problems with the text
- The source text not being the final text, due to redrafting during the translation process
- Illegible text
- Misspelled text
- Incomplete text
- Poorly written text
- Missing references in the text (e.g. the translator is to translate captions to missing photos)
- Problems with the language
- Dialect terms and neologisms
- Unexplained acronyms and abbreviations
- Unreasonably obscure jargon
- Other
- Highly specific cultural references
Cultural aspects can render translation problematic. Consider the example of a word like “bread”. At first glance, it is a very simple word, referring in everyday use to just one thing, with obvious translations into other languages. But ask people from England, France or China, and you will receive quite different results. How long is it? How crunchy? Is it sweet? Does it come sliced? Where do you get it? They will be envisioning completely different things.
It is a common saying that Eskimos have over 100 words for “snow” and the simple English word “dumplings” can describe dozens of foods that Chinese people may feel are different and distinct.
15.What is machine translation and why do we not utilize it?
Machine translation (MT) is a form of translation in which a computer program analyses the text in one language, the “source text”, and then attempts to produce another, equivalent text in another language, the “target text”, without human intervention. Presently, the state of machine translation is such that some form of human intervention is required, particularly during pre-editing and/or post-editing. In machine translating, the human translator supports the machine and not vice versa. Due to this reason, and the inaccuracy of machine translations, we choose not to use them.
16.What is the difference between Computer-assisted translation and machine translation?
Although the two concepts are similar, machine translation (MT) should not be confused with computer-assisted translation. Computer-assisted translation (CAT) is a form of translation whereby a human translator translates texts using computer software designed to support and facilitate the translation process. In machine translation, the translator supports the machine. In other words, the computer or program translates the text, which is then edited by the translator, whereas in computer-assisted translation, the computer program supports the translator, who translates the text himself, making all the essential decisions involved. TW-DAY uses TRADOS, a software used by thousands of language service providers worldwide, to assist the translating process.
17.How can I contact you?
Our customer service will promptly respond to all e-mail inquiries. As our customer service staff is located in Taipei, if you want t talk to a live person you may call us at (886) 2571-6086 between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm (UTC +08:00) or leave a message with a suitable time to call you back.
|
