Understanding Translation Quality

A translation of high quality has the following characteristics.

Complete

All content/concepts of the original text are represented in the translation.

Accurate

The meaning of the original is conveyed as intended in the original

Idiomatic

The translation will express concepts naturally in the target language

Stylistically

Appropriate The style of the translation is appropriate to the target audience and is informed by the original

Grammar and Syntax

Grammar and punctuation of the translation meet the commonly held standards of the target language and locale

In order to achieve these qualities, translators may need to do the following

Take "license" with the translation. In order to provide an idiomatic translation, the translator may need to use idiomatic expressions that use metaphoric language different from that of the original, e.g., in German, the phrase "das Kind beim Namen nennen" is equivalent to the English, "to call a spade a spade", but it translates to "to call a child by name."

The amount of license a translator takes depends on the context and the importance of style for the text. For example, for technical communication, translators avoid taking too much liberty with the translation, since technical accuracy is of primary importance. In the case of a marketing piece, translators and translation editors take far more liberty in order to provide translation that is well localized and reads like any another "native" marketing text the reader may encounter.

Drastically change the order of presentation of information. Oftentimes the order in which information is presented in the original does not flow well in the translation, so the translator must adjust it to read better in the target language.

Change the level of formality or "form of address" of a document. It is common in the U.S. to use an informal communication style. In many target markets, this may not be appropriate and the translator will use a more formal way to address the reading audience.

Depending on the format and means by which text is being presented, it may be necessary for the translator to abbreviate text due to space constraints or even edit the message down in order to accommodate limited space. This is fairly rare and must be disclosed to the client in order to avoid an omission of important information.