This blog posting is contributed by Rachel Wheeler of Morningside Translations. Understanding the perspective from the LSPs will give translators an edge. Read on ….
Professional translators are needed now more than ever. From HR and marketing positions to global clinical trials and e-discovery, workers with professional translation skills are in high demand. Need proof? Here are four completely different fields that require an LSP.
Marketing and E-Commerce
Today, conducting business on a global scale requires skill in reaching an international audience. It means interacting with different cultures and languages while also creating brochures, websites, ads, contracts, annual reports, etc.
In 2016, reports showed that 57 percent of participants across six continents purchased a product from an overseas-based website. By the end of that year, the U.S. ecommerce market garnered more than $322 billion in revenue. Those numbers are the product of an international audience – English speakers represent only 26 percent of the world’s internet users. As a result, translation and localization has become a must-know skill for successful international retailers and marketers.
International Litigation
International litigation is a complex field on its own. When diverse languages and cultures are added to the mix, it can become overwhelming.
Having someone with the ability to translate on the spot could be helpful in multiple situations, including but not limited to: Hearing cases in different nations; speaking with staff members who are not fluent in the prominent language of the case; identifying the differences in laws that are written in another language.
Global Clinical Trials and Research Publications
Translation has an important role in the medical industry, especially when it comes to conducting global clinical trials and publishing scientific papers.
Clinical trials require a lot of paperwork – there’s documents that the patients fill out, documents that the administering staff fills out, and documents that the doctors fill out, etc. If the research sponsor is conducting global clinical trials, then each one of these documents would need to be translated for each location, twice.
First, the documents need to be translated from the original language into the local language of the test participants. Then, once everything has been recorded, the documents must be re-translated into the original language of the research sponsor. It would be wise to have expert linguists on staff to answer questions during this lengthy process.
With 75 percent of scientific papers are written in English, a translator is needed in order for others in the scientific community to gain access to these papers
Patent Filing
Filing a patent is a tedious process. It is even more so when you’re applying in a different language under a different set of regulations.
Filing and maintaining a patent application in an international market can range from $11,400 in Israel to $25,700 in Japan. As the filing prices increase, so do the translation costs. According to the European Commission, “the costs for a single translation of a patent may be more than €1500.”
Hiring an LSP will not only help cut down costs, but will ensure accuracy throughout the patent application process. Having to file for an international patent again is a waste of both monetary and intangible resources (e.g. time).
Tips on Becoming an LSP
The secret is out: Translators are in high demand. So, how do you get ahead? Here are a few pro tips.
Revise, Revise, Revise: You wouldn’t call a plumber to fix a broken pipe only to leave your house without checking everything’s in working order. When it comes to translation, you should make sure all your files are accurate and error-free before returning to the client.
Make sure you’re comfortable: If you’re uncomfortable with the subject matter and language style, then it’s time swallow your pride. Whether you think so or not, your comfort level will affect the quality of your work.
Don’t be afraid to use your references: As a translator, your job is to be accurate. That’s what that stack of reference material, style guides, and glossaries are for. Use them.
