Translation services FAQ
All texts are naturally subject to interpretation. There is no perfect translation, as so much of it is subjective. Sometimes, a faultless translation of certain documents requires as much time as the writing of the original text.
98% of our work carried out does not raise any kind of concern; the other 2% generally constitutes issues relating to stylistic preferences or certain doubts that we can quickly clear up. On the very rare occasions that a client is not fully satisfied with the project, we rework the translation until its approval by the client.
The quality of a translation also depends on the quality of the original text. We always make sure that a properly localized translation is produced, but translating does not mean rewriting. Aside from translation, the translator’s role is to communicate the message contained in the original text in the best way possible. They must also convey the style as far as possible in the target language, taking into consideration the stylistic constraints of their own language. However, they cannot enhance or rewrite the text, as this would be a case of interpretation rather than translation.
The client’s role is fundamental in the quality of the final translation. Their availability for replying to questions, their comments, their corrections and their collaboration on the final version contribute to the publication of high-quality documents.
Automatic translation and computer-assisted translation are two different translation methods and should not be confused. Automatic translation creates approximate translations by way of algorithms, whereas computer-assisted translation remains a 100% human procedure. In computer-assisted translation, after analyzing the text and its translation memory based on human translations, suggestions are made for expressions or terms which the translator has already worked on. It’s not just a translation aid, but a vast memory which takes into account the client’s terminology preferences. This guarantees the quality and continuity of the translations for each client.
Atenao has developed a long-term collaboration contract for its clients, allowing them to greatly increase their performance in translations thanks to our focus on quality, price and deadlines.
DEDICATED TRANSLATION MEMORY
As soon as the contract is signed, a Translation Memory (TM) dedicated to your organization is created for each language pair. This TM is a linguistic databank where all of your translations are stored as they are completed. This contributes to a vast dedicated glossary and maximizes the quality and speed of future translations.
EXACT REPETITIONS (100%) INCLUDED IN QUOTES
For translations, the price is calculated based on the volume of words contained in the source text. However, not all words will have the same price. New words are charged at the full rate, while duplicated translations are charged at 35 % of the full rate.
Without a TM, only duplicated repetitions found in the source text can be considered. Thanks to the dedicated TM, the price of translation decreases over time, as does the time required.
TWO TRANSLATORS PER LANGUAGE PAIR
For your organization we select and allocate two translators per language pair: one main translator, and a second as backup in case the first one is ever not available. Accustomed to working with your vocabulary and TM, they ensure the translations delivered are of optimal quality and consistency.
ONE DEDICATED PROJECT MANAGER
Simplicity, convenience and efficiency: just contact one person for all your projects. One of our project managers will be your specific contact. They will inform and advise you and will manage all your monolingual and multilingual projects.
FIXED RATES FOR TRANSLATION
The rates for translation are contractual and remain fixed for the initial contract term.
END-OF-MONTH INVOICING
All orders for a given month are detailed in a single end-of-month invoice, to streamline administrative procedures and to facilitate a quick translation project kickoff.
Atenao is committed to considering all information received, whatever the nature and whatever the platform, as confidential when sent to us for our services.
We can offer our clients a confidentiality agreement signed by both parties.
Translation memory is a linguistic database that saves the translation while the translator works, to be used again for later projects. All the translations are stored in this way (in source language-target language pairs called “translation units”).
In terms of quality, translation memory systems enable consistency of translations, automatically create a glossary dedicated to the client, and guarantee that set vocabulary is respected when several translators are working on one project.
A translation glossary is a list of agreed translations of key terminology, created and approved during collaborations between Atenao and its clients.
The approved terminology includes all the terms which are specific to the products or activities of the company, including names, abbreviations, technical terms and expressions, software, legal terms, catalogues and business or marketing terminology. Other references or relevant information specific to the context can also be included in the glossary. The glossary forms a shared resource for translators working on the project.
For a large number of clients, verifying the quality of a translation themselves before publication is often difficult. It’s our agency’s responsibility to guarantee the quality of its work and to gain its clients’ confidence.
In a worldwide market as fragmented as that of the translation industry, only quality service providers can survive and flourish. Since its creation in 2001, Atenao has consistently proven the quality of its translations: the number of clients (924 in 2016) and the extent of the work assigned to us are evidence of this. The agency translated more than 15 million words in 2016, in almost a hundred different language pairs. We offer our future clients the chance to see samples of translations that are not subject to a confidentiality agreement so they can verify our strengths and abilities.
All translations performed by Atenao are translated by a professional native speaker who specializes in the relevant sector. Before delivery, the translation is always proofread by the translator who has worked on the document.
The translator’s review focuses on:
- Checking the quality of the translation;
- Checking spelling, typography, and grammar;
- Perfecting the syntax.
We can carry out translation tests, either for a fee with no conditions attached, or free of charge according to certain conditions. If the test translation requires the work of one of our translators, and the time required to carry out the free test translation cannot be allocated to a confirmed project, this procedure is subject to certain conditions:
- The total of the quote must be higher than €500.00 excl. tax;
- Agreement on the budget established in the quote, if the test is validated;
Each of our translators can translate up to 2,500 words per day. For large projects needing the work of several translators, we can establish a team of translators in order to respect your deadline. This procedure allows us to multiply the volume of work carried out by the number of translators, and therefore to reduce the time needed for translation.
However: using several translators can lead to stylistic and semantic differences. In order to standardize the translation, it is essential that a third party proofreads the finished translation. In this case, proofreading by an independent translator is necessary in order to guarantee the integrity of our translated work.
Our translation rates are based on the total number of words to be translated in the source document, also known as the “source word”; this is what our rates are based on. The total number of source words is calculated using CAT tools (Trados, Swordfish, Wordfast, etc.).
Our standard price applied to the source word varies according to several criteria:
- The fields where the translated text will be put into use: the more specialized and specific the sector, the higher the price will be and vice versa;
- The complexity of the source text: the more complex the source text, the higher the price will be and vice versa;
- The client’s deadline: the urgency of the project can increase or decrease the price per word.
We recognize 3 types of repetitions: fuzzy matches, 100 % matches and repetitions.
A fuzzy match is a segment (a sentence or part of a sentence) from the source text which has previously been translated in another text and saved in the translation memory. This enables the translation of a word or a sentence which is similar but not identical.
A 100% match is a segment of the source text which has already been translated in another text and saved in the translation memory. This enables the translation of a word or sentence which is identical.
A repetition is a group of words or a segment which is repeated in its entirety within the text. Repetitions are calculated independently of the translation memory.
We apply a specific rate to each word, fuzzy match, 100 % match and repetition:
- New word: standard rate
- Fuzzy match: 65% of the standard rate
- 100 % match and repetition: 35 % of the standard rate