The vast majority of assignments undertaken by The Text Company are translations into English. Which is not really surprising, as this is the most frequently used language in international business. But German and French are also popular.
However, if you want to make a good impression with a translation tailored specifically to your client or target group in Norwegian or Spanish, for example, we can most certainly do this too.
We can supply Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Swedish.
Why a professional translation?
You speak pretty good English, or maybe your colleague has a working knowledge of French – so you or your colleague could translate a Dutch text into English or French, right?
Well, the answer is yes and no.
Yes, because it will no longer be in Dutch – and your colleagues can understand it fine.
But also no, because English is not your native language – although it is the native language of the target group for your text. And even if the text is also intended for non-native-speakers of English, it is still better to read real English than English with a Dutch flavour (also known as ‘Dunglish’).
Google Translate?
Google Translate and other automated translation services should be used with caution. These services can be useful if you want a quick idea of the gist of a text, but do not guarantee a correct translation. Sentence structure and choice of vocabulary can be wrong. Also, the text can be given a very different style or tone. A metaphor in one language can be completely meaningless in the other.
This can lead to translation errors such as the following, from Google Translate:
“Zij kan altijd zo leuk uit de hoek komen.”
“She is always so nice to come out of the corner.”
A software translator just converts the words into a different language, without knowing what they mean. Which is why translation is still a job for human beings.
The benefits of having a translation carried out by translation professionals:
• No language or context errors
• It is quicker: you or your colleague will probably take longer than a professional translator who translates every day
• So at the end of the day, it is also cheaper!
