Greater than 2 minutes
Is the flight attendant flying your plane? The importance of hiring a professional translator
You get in the plane, get comfortable, and hear a message, “This is your flight attendant, I will be your pilot for today.” Would you be afraid? Or, would you just look down and continue playing Words with Friends? You are probably wondering why I ask such a silly question. Well, this is somewhat equivalent to asking someone in your office to do your business translations just because they are bilingual. It is not the same.
I have seen this done so many times. In many cases you just get work that is not up to par. “But, I’m saving a lot of money by having my bilingual employee just do it!” True, so what is the difference?
When you hire a professional translator, you are getting someone with experience, with training, and who knows what to look for. It is not as simple as translating word by word. There is so much more. We are taught that you translate the meaning and not the word. You have to understand who your target audience is and write in that register, equivalent to the source text. You have to understand the difference between words that sound very similar in both languages but do not have the same meaning. You have to research and understand what the company is about, what is the purpose of that document, who will be reading it. As a translator, we understand that one simple work can totally change the content of your message; it can bring major liability to your business. As a professional in our field we do all this (and more) to ensure that your target document flows. We make sure it does not “sound” like a translation, but as it if it was the original itself.
I have friends and family who ask me to review documents to make sure their employee (not a translator) did it right, and every time I can guarantee discrepancies. Not to say the individual does not know the language. They just do not know how to translate. Just like knowing how to drive does not make us a NASCAR driver.
So, in the future, when you need something translated, regardless of how big or small, stop for a second and think about some of the differences I have described. Think about who you would like to fly that plane, and hopefully, you will consider giving me a call.
Claudia Befu 
Ayman Saa'd 
“We make sure it does not “sound” like a translation, but as it if it was the original itself.” – this is very important in my humble opinion. Only professional translators who work with language every single day understand how to convey the meaning of the original and make it sound as natural as possible. And in some areas it is important to make sure that the text flows naturally and awkward choice of words or weird grammar choices don’t distract readers.
Thanks so much, Dmitry.
I liked your post, Gina! As I shared in my most recent post, not every bilingual can translate. Choosing a bilingual vs a professional translator will always depend on what the client needs and the return on investment that the client will get, if any, from investing in a high quality translation. If a client needs a document translated because the court requires it for legal purposes, this client won’t care if the translation is high quality or not–he/she is just fulfilling a requirement. On the other hand, if a client is wanting to expand his current audience and wants his/her brand to become well known in this new market, he/she will look for a high quality product and will be willing to pay accordingly. There will always be people out there who will rely on bilingual friends & family members for translation, and if it meets their needs, I don’t see why they shouldn’t go for it. However, seeking for professional translations is essential when trying to preserve the reputation of a well-known brand or business. Thank you for your thoughts!
Beverly, thank you so much for your comment. It is so important to continue to get the word out there and to continue to educate businesses that one day may become customers, either ours or someone else’s. There are many professions that are underrated, ours being one of them.