Why Engage Professional Translators & Interpreters?
Some people wonder if there is a need to engage professional and accredited translators and interpreters, or feel that any bilingual or multi-lingual person may be able to perform the job of translators or interpreters. This article discusses the benefits of engaging professional translation and interpreting services, as well as the difference between bilinguals, multi-linguals and professional translators and interpreters.
- Professionalism
Professional translators and interpreters are often required to abide by ethics set by professional translation and interpreting bodies, or their working agencies. Professional association and bodies that have set professional code of ethics for translators and interpreters include the umbrella body the Fédération International des Traducteurs (FIT - International Federation of Translators) in UK, American Translators Association (ATA), AUSIT organization in Australia and AIIC for professional conference interpreters in Geneva (the home for conference interpreters). Working translators and interpreters who are members of such professional bodies are required to abide by a strict set of ethics. Ethics include confidentiality, professionalism, impartiality and so on. Translators and interpreters working with translation agencies are also often required to sign contracts to ensure confidentiality of work. For example, ACTC signs a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) with its translators and interpreters. Therefore, engaging professional translators and interpreters greatly increases credibility in ensuring confidentiality and professionalism.
- Translation or Interpreting Quality
Professional translators and interpreters often only work into their native language to ensure language naturalness and proficiency. Some are also accredited by professional testing bodies such as the ATA in America and NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters) in Australia. Therefore the accuracy and quality of translation are already tested and proven for you. Most professional translators and interpreters are also full-time freelancers or in-house members so they often have much experience as well. Bilinguals who may be very proficient in both languages are often not trained and tested in translation work. The work of translation and interpreting involves the transfer and communication of one language into another language accurately and naturally. This is a complicated process and in many people, this often requires much experience, constant training and hard work to master.
- Lastly, Freelancers or Agencies?
Choosing between a freelancer and translation agency can be tricky. You may see bilingual teachers, engineers, academics or even medical doctors working as freelancers. This may seem convincing that they may be able to fulfil your requirements if you are looking for a specialized field of translation. There are also full-time freelance translators and interpreters who are accredited and chose to work as freelancers instead of registering with an agency. These working translators who are either professional or not, often charge lower prices.
Agencies are often useful if your project is big and of a technical nature. This is because agencies are often more established, specialized and professional. They also often have a large pool of tested and registered translators to choose from. For example, ACTC has a standard set of procedures through the way it works. The company receives a job, reviews the job, looks for the most suitable translator to do the job, and also have full-time proofreaders to control the quality of translations. ACTC is also qualified by the ATC (Association of Translation Companies) from the UK that has strict joining requirements. In addition, it is also required to follow the ISO9001:2000 standards that it has achieved.
We have roughly highlighted the benefits of engaging professional translators and interpreters, as well as the differences between freelancers and agencies. Finally, it all still depends on your personal job requirements, budget and preferences.
References:
https://www.atanet.org/docs/Getting_it_right.pdf
http://www.fit-ift.org/
http://www.naati.com.au/
http://www.ausit.org/
http://www.atc.org.uk/
http://www.aiic.net/
