In the collective imagination, translation is often associated with books and literature. Some confuse it with interpretation, which is oral rather than written translation.

In today's world, most translations are of corporate communication, internal documents or materials that a company or organisation make available to the general public. We’ve all seen multilingual websites, tour guides, user manuals and information leaflets. Editorial translation is of course still an important sector, but it is merely a drop in the ocean of translated words.

Technically, translation is the transfer of a text into a language other than the original (according to the Devoto-Oli Italian dictionary). This means a translation is the result of rewriting a text in another language. Interpretation is indeed a form of translation, but of speech.

For Traducendo, a translation is created out of understanding a text in depth and transferring it into the target language, taking care to interpret its context and not merely translating it word for word.

The price of a translation includes the initial translation by a specialised translator, revision by another qualified translator-reviser, an additional proofread by the initial translator and a final check by the project manager.

The price of translating a document or website content is calculated per word or per character. This is a way of quantifying our work. Just as petrol is priced by the litre, or bread by the pound, for document translation the conventional unit of measurement is the word. Website folders are measured by character, so here the actual number of letters in each word count as well as the spaces between them! The cost of a translation therefore incorporates:

• Analysis of the document by our expert staff (who are able to assess the degree of technicality and the specific requirements of the text)
• Selection of the professionals most suited to the field of specialisation
• Professional translation using the most advanced and up-to-date technical and technological tools and best linguistic resources
• Verification and quality control of the translation by our specialist revisers and experienced project managers
• 24/7 multi-channel communication to always answer any queries
• The security of a job well done, with a 12-month warranty

While each quote is specifically tailored to the characteristics of the work requested and each client’s instructions, there are of course key components:

• Source language (the language in which the text is written) and target language or languages (the language or languages into which the text is to be translated)
  
• Scope of the text (general or sectoral)
  
• Text length (number of words or characters)
  
• File format (editable or not)
  
• Desired delivery date
  
• Level of urgency
  
• Requested legalisation
  

All services offered by Traducendo Ltd can be paid for by bank transfer or PayPal. However, we are looking at innovative solutions to make life easier for our clients and will update you as soon as new payment methods are added.
If it’s our first time working together, we ask for an instalment of 50% upon confirmation and another 50% upon delivery. Unfortunately this is a precaution we have been forced to take after some negative experiences. For regular clients, our required payment terms are 30 days from the date on the invoice.

As we talk about in FAQ 1, the basic concept is the same: both relate to the transfer of text into another language. However, whereas in translation we are dealing with a written text, in interpretation we work on an oral text.

Interpretation is thus really the translation of speech. It is the direct version of oral communication from one language to another. There are various forms: simultaneous or consecutive, in a booth or whispered in the ear (chuchotage), in person or remote (e.g. by phone or video chat). It is essential in meetings when you need to understand your interlocutor immediately, but do not need written documents. To be precise, interpretation is oral translation from one language to another, whilst interpreting is the activity of the interpreter as an oral translator from or into a foreign language.

Written translation, on the other hand, does not take place in real time. It takes longer, often requires the in-depth study of terminology, and the composition of the text requires a different level of attention and very high reliability.

For example, a translator might need to render in the target language (let’s say, English) what is said in the source language (for example, Italian) so that the text appears to have been written directly in English.

Traducendo Ltd is primarily a provider of written translations, but we have partnered with Ablio to offer our clients an innovative remote interpreting service.

There is no particular format that must be used for the documents to be translated. Traducendo Ltd accepts practically all formats and guarantees delivery in the same format provided by the client.

That said, some formats are better than others. All proprietary Office document types are very simple to translate (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) because no modifications need to be made to the internal file structure. In contrast, scanned documents or photographs require the most work, because it is often necessary to reconstruct the pages so that the formatting reflects the original.

Sworn/legalised translations are translations carried out by professionals registered with the public institutions of certain countries (usually courts or foreign ministries).

Legalisation of translated documents may be required by public bodies (schools, universities, courts, public administrations, etc.) or private bodies (typically banks) where absolute certainty of the accuracy and authenticity of the translation is needed. Sometimes, sworn or legalised translations are required to bear an apostille, which is an additional certification that validates the authenticity of the translated document.

Traducendo Ltd currently offers sworn/legalised translations for Malta, Spain, France and Belgium.

Well, first you take a calculator and then you start from the top of the document counting word by word... Haha! Of course you don’t!

There are various ways of calculating the number of words in a text, and the easiest is to use MS Word's word count tool. Simply click on the "Word Count" function under the "Review" or “Tools” menu (depending on your software version), et voila!

However, some types of documents are more complex. Traducendo Ltd uses translation management software that can analyse different file types and provide accurate word counts. So, don't worry! If you don't know how to count the words in a document, we'll take care of it!

In some cases where it is impossible to calculate the volume, for example because it is a poor-quality scan or an image that cannot be converted into editable text, we can offer you other options. We might base it on the number of words translated, or on an agreed estimate of the volume of words to be translated.

You might prefer a price based on the number of pages for the sake of simplicity.

In some countries or sectors, the term “standard page” is generally used to indicate a page that comprises a standard number of characters, usually between 1500-1800 characters (spaces included).

Charging by any kind of page comes with limitations. One of these is the differences in word length across different languages, which can create considerable differences in the price of the translation.

We are happy to provide quotes on the page basis if a client wishes, but at Traducendo Ltd we prefer to use words as a unit of measurement in the interests of fair, accurate pricing. So, don't be surprised if our rates are given to the nearest cent!

The million-euro question! The answer is simple: it depends.

Traducendo Ltd’s team of professional translators are renowned for being adept at translating even very long documents in sometimes very short time frames! We are able to do this thanks to our effective horizontal management of resources and communication, which means we can process large volumes in short time periods while maintaining quality.

To give you an idea, our team can turn around up to 10,000 words a day and up to 2000 words in 3 hours, but the standard for a translator is 3000 words a day (about 10 pages). These daily volumes allow us to translate, revise and complete thorough checks. A surcharge is applied for an urgent translation service, but when the minutes count, this expense is well worth the guaranteed result.

Traducendo Ltd speaks all… well, almost all of the major world languages.

We translate from and into all European languages, even those less widely spoken, such as Maltese, Gaelic or Breton. We also translate from and into the main Asian languages (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Hindi, Urdu, Bahasa and Arabic).

Okay, so this doesn’t really cover the entire world, but we can help you to communicate with at least 5 billion people. If the language you need is not listed above, do not hesitate to consult us. We are translation professionals and can provide you with top-quality language services in many language combinations. We specialise in particular in translations to and from English, French, Spanish, German, Maltese, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch.

Since we are conscious of our fortune in life, we want to give something back. If your organisation has a project with a social impact aimed at supporting the schooling or training of young people and adults, or an environmental initiative, get in touch with our translation agency and tell us how we can help you. We will take all proposals received into consideration and carefully and responsibly assess the possibility of offering free translations. What’s the use of having if you can’t give?