Testimonials

Kiwanis International (2008 – Ongoing)

“Always been satisfied with the work”

We have been working with Imafuji Translations since 2008 and we have always been satisfied with the work.

Our usual requests are mostly marketing materials, newsletters and bylaws translations and Imafuji Translation have been providing high quality translation for these requests.

Imajuji translations is also always on time on delivery.  We highly recommend this company.

– Kiwanis International

www.kiwanis.org


Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County (January 2009)

“We got more than our money’s worth”

The Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County, Indiana, was well pleased with the services provided to us by Imafuji Translations.

We contracted with Imafuji Translations for the translation of several documents before we made a business trip to Japan in September 2008.

Among the documents we needed were business cards, the on-screen wording and the script for a PowerPoint sales presentation, written introductions for members of our delegation, and the wording for plaques of appreciation that we presented to four companies that we visited.

Masahiro Imafuji responded by visiting with us and getting a firm idea of our needs and who we were trying to communicate with. He provided very quick turnaround on our documents.

What pleased us most was his attention to the nuances of language. When he saw an American term that would not translate well into Japanese, he asked what concept we were trying to communicate and then chose a Japanese term for it. For example, he thought that Economic Development Corporation might be misunderstood and suggested that we use a phrase indicating that we are a not-for-profit nongovernment organization. In Japan, this paid off handsomely: when we presented our business cards, our Japanese hosts instantly knew the kind of organization we represented.

Besides the quick, accurate and nuanced translations, we also believed that the rate charged by Imafuji Translations was extremely reasonable. In short, we got more than our money’s worth.

– Bob Hansen
Manager, Business Retention and Expansion
www.edcwc.com

NPR Manufacturing Kentucky, LLC (March 2008)

“今藤さんの翻訳スキルはとても信頼性が高くプロフェッショナリズムに長けていると確信”

2008年3月に今藤さんに弊社のピストンリング製造工程・会社の規定類、ならびに要領の翻訳を依頼いたしました。

今藤さんはMBA修士号をお持ちの上、海外での生活も長く日本と西洋文化に大変通じていらっしゃる方です。日本語から英語、または英語から日本語への翻訳は迅速正確でとても高い評価を得られています。

当NMKYにおきましても翻訳ボリュームの如何に関わらず我々の期待通りの成果をいただく事ができ、量産開始に向けて万全の体制を整えることができました。私共は今回の翻訳依頼を通して、今藤さんの翻訳スキルはとても信頼性が高くプロフェッショナリズムに長けていると確信いたしました。

弊社は今後も今藤さんに翻訳をお願いする事となっていますが、まだご利用をご検討中の皆様にもイマフジトランスレーションを是非推奨させていただきたいと思います。

– Senior Executive Assistant
NPR Manufacturing Kentucky, LLC

Different Kinds of Translation

In the global landscape that is today’s ever-evolving world, there are a variety of translating needs, and with them come various types of translations. In this article we will go into a discussion of three kinds of translation services.

With technical translation, a service that is considerably in demand, there needs to be a background in some technical field in order to be successful. This can be knowledge of certain software programs or some type of engineering or machine-style technical know-how.

Most companies involved in these kinds of translations will most often seek out a translator company as opposed to a freelance translator for the simple fact; agencies will house highly skilled and therefore more qualified translators who would possess the level of technical know-how sought after by the companies who need the work done.

Standardization is another reason why translator agencies are better fit for this type of translation services, to ensure that the translating work being done is the same across the board, and that none of the terminology unique to the technology will be lost or mistranslated.

However, this is not always the case. Big translation agencies that deal with a huge amount of work use various translators and proofreaders. This could result in inconsistency in terminology and wording.

My personal advice is to check with the agency that you are considering to work with.

Scientific translating includes the fields of medicine as well as the various sciences like physics, chemistry and mechanical science, and may also delve into the various research fields.

The better translation agencies will see to it that words and phrases in use with their translating services are going to be understood by any other country where doctors, scientists and researchers may be involved in ongoing work in their respective fields of endeavor.

Literary translations need a complete understanding and experience in the languages involved, both the original and the destination language, but translators in this task need to possess the special skills to be able to convey the feelings intended by the original authors, and to be able to choose just the right words in the target language to be able to accomplish this.

The best translation agencies will have proofreaders experienced with this ability, because they speak natively the language into which the literary work is to be translated.

Translating documents is a type of translation that always needs to be given to a translation agency to perform, because more often than not it needs certification of a special type.

Translating for general reasons is the easiest type of translating, as it doesn’t need any real skills in terms of meaning or terminology in order to translate it correctly.

Work from Home as a Translator

Commuting is a very arduous job and it can tire you out very easily. Are you one of those who are sick of commuting? If your answer is a helpless yes, you could go for translation services. It is the best thing you could do sitting in the comforts of your house if you know how to speak a foreign language. It is one of the most ideal home based jobs.

If you speak the foreign language perfectly and can translate easily, you will be able to make some great business out of it right from your house. Knowing a language and translating can be a huge opportunity for a great business for you.

Agreed that there are a number of different software for language translation. Also agreed that they are absolutely free but the fact remains that even these texts need to be proofread manually and have their mistakes corrected.

If you know a little of Japanese, you will easily be able to realize that a translator over the internet will not be able to translate Japanese to English or vice versa properly at all. The translated script will need to be read and corrected by a human because Japanese is a very complex language. Only when it is corrected by a human well versed with both the languages, will it be understandably converted to the desired language.

You can see this for yourself by browsing the internet. There are a number of websites that have pages translated in Japanese which are indeed very questionable.

I personally have seen numerous such websites that are very poorly translated. It is very obvious that these websites have been translated by non-native Japanese people. Companies pay a whopping amount for translation but they don’t get their worth at all. Badly translated texts mean a lot of loss to the company because they will lose their clients and visitors. It is hard for visitors to trust websites that don’t even have readable and understandable texts. Bad translation is thus very harmful and damaging.

This is the reason why we need people like you who are willing to work from home and translate well so that the companies hire you and benefit themselves. We need sophisticated translators who will work well from the comforts of their house and deliver good results of translation. You will be able to make great business and Japanese companies and people will hire you.

Translating is thus a very good business opportunity for you. If you know a foreign language, don’t let it go waste. Utilize it and earn well!

A Trustworthy Language Translation Service for You

One of the most frustrating scenarios to occur is not having the ability to translate a particular language, e.g. Japanese- English translation and vice versa. You may have hired a Language Translation Service, but further down the line you come to the conclusion that the service is nowhere near as good as you require.

It’s obvious that you will need high quality services and products, regardless of why you need the language translation service in the first place. You do not want someone with broken language skills to carry out the translation for you. But a common problem is that you may not be aware of the quality of the language translation service until you converse one-on-one with the individual or company. Unfortunately, it’s too late by then.

So you need to ask yourself an important question, “How can I find a reliable language translation product or service from the start?” Although this is a difficult question to answer directly, it does help to have a contact on the other side.

The good news is that those who can speak other languages tend to have the ability to speak English, so they can tell you if the language translation service or product you opt for makes sense and is accurate.

When you start to look for a language translation service, do your due diligence. The old saying “You get what you pay for” really rings bells here and is true.

You will find yourself burned later on if you find that a service you received is less than the high quality that you desire. Therefore, it’s important for you to take you time and search for the right Language Translation Service before it’s too late.

It’s especially important to be careful looking for services for complicated languages such as Japanese, which has so many different styles of writing, such as:

· Polite style

· Extremely polite style

· Friendly style

· Business style

· And so on…

So if an appropriate style hasn’t been chosen by the translator, your company can lose trust from customers and business partners. This is why it’s vitally important for you to choose correct language translators that provide a high quality service.

Three Myths You Must Dismiss To Be Successful In The Translation Industry

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.

Practicing Quality Assurance for Freelance Translators

There are few professions that require greater precision and accuracy than that of a freelance translator. Perfection of message transmission requires that you provide the quality assurance of your translations so that they meet all of your clients’ needs as defined by a clear set of client guidelines on how and what you will communicate. It is up to you, the freelance translator, to develop the quality assurance process as it relates to the customer’s needs.

The Technical Quality of the Final Language

For the best results, you should focus on jobs that involve translation into your native tongue. This is important because your primary focus is on the quality of the message provided to the final, intended recipients in their native tongue. So, it is not enough for you to have spent most of your life studying and speaking the target language. Few people can study a language after the first couple years of life and learn all of the subtle variations in the language usage, no matter how grammatically correct their language skills may become. But learning as much of the source language as you can and attaining credentials that show your fluency is a key to ensuring an accurate, total translation in the target language.

Proofreading and editing are not optional. They should be centerpieces of your quality assurance practices. As much as possible, you need to have a separate third-party acting in each of these roles. For a professional freelance translator to maintain quality, proofreading must follow editing in order to ensure the full grammatical and functional accuracy of your written translation.

Ensure Your Understanding of Source Language Materials

If the source language materials have inaccuracies or imprecise information, it is likely to be amplified in your translation. It is up to you to ensure that you review the meaning of the information with your client. You should make any necessary edits to the source language materials before beginning your translation.

Asking Basic Questions About the Purpose of the Translation

It is important to recognize that the meaning of the source materials is likely to be tied up in cultural understandings. But before you can even to begin to untangle culture and language, you’ll need to ask basic questions about the purpose of the source materials and the reasons your clients want them translated. Your method of translation should be based on answers to these questions. You need to understand if your purpose is to convince the audience of something or to provide technical documentation.

Another basic question that must be answered is about the regional dialect of your target audience. Most languages have variations from one region to another and from one class to another. Likewise, language varies between common individuals and technical experts. Ask enough questions of your clients to make sure you provide the right type of translation.

Finally, you need to make sure your documents maintain the visual style of the original. Look over everything to make sure it flows smoothly. Taking the time to see to it that you have the proper appearance in your documents shows a true commitment to quality assurance.