What is translation?

"translate (...) v. 1 a (often followed by into) express the sense of (a word, sentence, speech, book, etc.) in another language" (The Concise Oxford Dictionary, 1990 ed.)

The concept is simple, but the task rarely is. Commercial translation of documentation is a multi-step process. Generally, as the job or project size increases, the number of applicable steps increases. Any or all of the steps below may be required to do the job right:

• Identifying the material to be translated
  Is it "for information only," software localization, advertising copy?

• Preparing for translation
  Was your documentation written with translation in mind? What about pre-editing? Do you know how your company purchases translation services?

• Selecting the translator(s) or agency
  Can you do the job "in house"? Do you have more than one target language?

• Defining the translation scope
  Is the schedule realistic? Do you know what to expect in terms of cost? Do you want the translator/agency to do desktop work? Programming? Product testing?

• Defining/creating the terminology (glossary-building)
  Does the field/job warrant dictionary creation or glossary-building?

• Translating the materials
  Do you want in-house staff (if available) to do the job? Or should the in-house staff do the technical review?

• Reviewing the materials
  Do you have offices abroad or bilingual personnel in your company you can rely on for this?

• Finalization and publication of the translated materials
  Will you be handling the printing? Have you made arrangements with your agency/translator to input suggested review changes?

Throughout this process, constant contact should be maintained with the agency/translators to ensure that no problems remain which could negatively affect the final translation.

This process is rarely a matter of saying: "Here, translate this and call me when it's ready." Not every translation will require all the steps above, but it's a good idea at least to go through the checklist before embarking on the complicated and important task of translating your documentation. After all, much time and expense went into your documents during their preparation. Why reduce their effectiveness by misunderstanding the translation process?