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Translating English-Language Documents
As our community grows more diverse, Local Hazardous Waste Management Program has responded by providing translation of printed material as well as the interpretation for non and limited English speaking customers.
This document is intended to shine a light on:
- The main points to consider when planning to create translated materials; and
- The basic steps to produce a final document.
This is NOT an exhaustive description ― just some aspects to think about as you plan your production.
Step 1: Decide what to translate, languages, format etc.
Considerations:
Opt for the "most critical" languages, i.e. languages with the most speakers and/or whose speakers are most in need of the information in translation. The main languages spoken in King County are Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Somali, Tagalog, and Korean.
Consider ahead of time:
- how info will be distributed
- how responses to info will be handled, i.e. what if it works?
- Write English-language text
Considerations:
- Readability – would this make sense to someone from another country?
- Use common sense! Legal language is unintelligible in English – imagine how it reads in Cambodian.
- Most important: basic messages plus how to access service. Assume that personal contact will be vital for non-English speakers - craft your materials accordingly.
- Language:
- Keep it simple.
- Avoid expressions, colloquialisms, acronyms, etc. (E.g. "Open House", which might get translated as “Vacant House”)
- Examine every line and each word for possible ambiguity, miscommunication.
- Keep it simple.
- Really simple.
Step 2: Translation
- General considerations:
- Unless your translator is producing a final product, get your doc as a Word file – make sure you also can get the font, and that the font works in Windows. (Unless you use a Mac.)
- Get a hard copy from the translator. Use this to compare with your own Word file print-out and any future files prepared from this text.
- Always get the translation proofread by a second, unrelated translator, working from printed copy.
- Working with a Service
- If you're planning to do a lot of work, it's important to establish a good relationship with a service. Ask questions; ask for references; contact other Public Information Officers for recommendations.
- Make sure the service can provide you what you need. E.g.:
- A finished layout? Can you make changes if necessary?
- A Word file + fonts?
- Make sure the service can guarantee its quality. I.e., an independent proofreader; willingness to make changes if a problem crops up, etc.
- Working with an individual translator
- Pluses: Closer working relationship allows quicker communication; opportunities to make changes more easily; sometimes less expensive
- Minuses: Potentially risky – can you be certain of their skills? You may have to arrange your own proofreader; other details may fall to you.
Step 3: Design
- Use a basic, clean-and-neat design - no peculiar text distortions or rotated text.
- Always provide year of printing and label the language used in the document – Vietnamese, Russian, Spanish etc. – in small text on the front or back of the piece.
- Graphics and/or photos: make sure they are the appropriate ethnicity.
- Photos: make sure all subjects give you a signed release that refers to the specific document in production. A signed release from three years ago may put you on solid legal ground, but could still cause public relations problems because of changes in the subjects' situation.
Should you and a designer prepare the final document yourselves?
- Pluses: you have more control at all points. If you need to reduce or expand text/display heads to make things fit, you and the designer get to make those decisions yourselves. Final result: a more professional-looking document.
- Minuses: More work, possibly more expensive.
Or should you give the entire job to the translation service?
- Pluses: Probably easier and cheaper.
- Minuses: Less control. You may have to settle for a less professional-looking document. This can be a factor with brochures, promotional materials; it matters less with standard, text-heavy materials.
If a translation service is preparing the final document:
- Review the original English-language layout that serves as the model. Are any changes in the layout warranted? Will it work with the new text? Some translations take much more space than English - does the layout allow flexibility?
- Communicate clearly to the service any special layout concerns you have. Don't assume they understand your purpose or plan.
If you and/or designers are preparing the final document:
- Whenever you make adjustments in the layout, keep an eye on the text blocks. Do they still look the same? Did something weird happen? Best to proceed slowly, checking often. If you save your file frequently, you can always use "revert" or "undo" to backtrack to before the weirdness.
- You don't need to speak a language to spot changes in text. Once you start to work with non-English fonts, you can develop a familiarity with their structure and look.
And whichever way you choose to finalize your document…
- Proofread the final document before printing. Sometimes typographic errors can slip in due to font weirdness. If you are working with a designer, use a printout of the final pre-press version of the file that will be going to the printer. Compare it with the original hard copy from the translator to check for character substitutions, missing accents, etc.
