During the last few years, a lot of things have changed in the translation industry. Software has improved, but still, the cleverest of software cannot match the skills of a native translator. The net has brought people from all over the world closer together and the world as such is a small place to live in. You don't rely on translators from your own country anymore, or even your city, if you need a translation- you can browse the world. Several freelance sites are in place to offer you a great choice of translators. And this is where the problem starts.
It all sounds great in theory; more choice means a more fierce competition for translation projects, which results in lower prices. So if you are in the market for a translation, you can expect to pay a much lower price than you did a few years ago.
All great, but how about quality? I personally think that competition is good. It can make you more determined to get things right, which provides customers with a much better service. But I also truly believe that people should do what they are good at. Therefore translators should only translate and localize into their native language. Even if somebody has been living abroad and speaking a second language for many years, they will never be able to speak it to a native level.
Unfortunately, some people think they can do it all themselves, sadly even with poor translation programs. Such actions reflect on the whole industry and slash prices for an actually really skilled trade and the results of this can be found everywhere on the internet.
Especially now, as your ways of trading are seemingly without any borders (Amazon, Ebay, etc.), you have got the chance to stand out from the crowd. I know the climate is rough at the moment, but if you get it right, then you have the chance to earn more than your competitors. Meaning, if you want to trade on foreign markets, get your translations right. Invest a few pounds or dollars more, it will pay off! Have you ever visited a website that is written in poor English? It looks dodgy and doesn't really encourage anybody to buy from this site. The same principle applies to websites in other language, which makes it so important for translations to be of high quality and 100% correct.
Wiebke Wagner
http://www.lingua-altera.com
http://www.lingua-altera.com
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