There are all kinds of nationalities in the world, and many of those nationalities have their own language. So, it should be of no surprise that there are thousands of monolingual and bilingual speakers in each nationality.
If you’ve decided to begin a translation business, then you’ll notice straight off the bat that you don’t have that much competition from rival businesses. You might also not question the myths of translation.
Myth 1 – Native Speakers Know What They’re Talking About
Native speakers are typically held to be the authority of their language especially when it comes to translation issues. However, that’s the first myth to keep in mind: native speakers are reliable.
When you begin your business, you’ll learn that the majority of customers want the translation to be completed by someone who speaks the native language, assuming that this person is a good writer. That’s not exactly the true!
Sure, there are more than one billion English speakers in the world but only a fraction of them can be trusted and depended upon to make the judgment on whether or not the translation sounds linguistically correct in a business context.
It should not be automatically assumed that native speakers are great writers in their native tongue. And, it should even be less assumed that they are good translators. The reason to have some caution in native speakers is this: they have to have thorough knowledge of the source language along with the target translated language.
When you employ the help of translators for your company, it’s important that remember this: a native speaker of a target language doesn’t always make a good translator.
Myth 2 – Clients Demand Quality
The second translation business myth is assuming what a client’s priorities are. Most people assume the client wants quality material.
And, of course, people cannot be faulted for this way of thinking. After all, who wouldn’t think that a client’s goal is to get back top quality translation from a professional translation company? However, some clients really don’t care about the quality than just getting it done.
According to several studies, the majority of clients want speed, not quality. That does not mean a client will be pleased by broken translation or garbage so long as the material comes back quickly. Here’s something to keep in mind: quality standards when looked at in a business standard is far different than the standards expected in an academic context.
College and university students are taught to attain the linguistic perfection. They must generate translations that include flawless grammar and have a neutral style. However, this kind of training may not be what the client is looking for.
All clients, however, have a thing for deadlines. When foreign clients have shown up to sign a contract, they better be something for them to sign. When magazines are slated to appear on the market, it needs to be available at that time.
When looked at in a business setting, there may be several parties involved in the generation of one document. This means delays can occur quickly and could have serious financial repercussions. Beginning translators need to be mindful of the quality equate to adaptableness to a client’s jargon. Thus, short deadlines are just as likely to get a business’ attention as quality will. If your translation service attracts businesses, you’ll find out rather quickly that the translation industry can be very profitable.
Myth 3 – Translation Has Low Margins
The last myth that must be dispelled is this: translation is an ad hoc business that delivers extremely low margins. This is certainly not true either! There have been several successful translation businesses that have contradicted the conventional image of translators slaving away from the time the sun comes up until the sun goes down in an attic or basement and just barely making enough money to live. Yes, translation is tough work and, even with a computer’s help, the signs show it will still be a manual business for many more years.
Bear in mind this: if you are capable of producing translations of high-quality, can meet the goals of your client’s requirements and work within a deadline, you can make good money and be taken seriously as a translator.