By Martin Heimann
Project Manager
for the US Office of OCE Translations Network
martin@oce-translations.com
www.foreign-language-translation.com  

Did you know that only 28% of the entire European population can read English? This percentage is even lower in South America and Asia. Even the growing Hispanic community in the U.S. still prefers to read in Spanish for the most part. This means that if you want to sell your products and services to these markets, you will need to be able to communicate effectively in their languages.

你可知道整個歐洲大陸人口僅有28%的人有英語閱讀能力，其百分比遠低於南美洲與亞洲國家。即使在美國逐漸增加的西班牙人口社區，大部份的人仍慣用西班牙語閱讀。這意味著想要把你的產品或服務賣入這些市場就必須有能力用他們的語言來有效溝通。

So how can you find a trustworthy and reliable translation service? In the age of electronic communications, you need not limit yourself to a local search. Translations can be easily delivered by e-mail, and under most circumstances, you can discuss all project details over the phone. For legal reasons and also for ease of payment processing you might find it more convenient to work with a provider in your country. Most every translation company will provide you a free consultation and a free price proposal for your project. Besides the cost, here』s a checklist of things to inquire about:

如何找到值得信賴的翻譯服務呢？在這個電子通訊的時代，你沒必要受限於當地的公司。譯本可簡易地用e-mail傳送，而且在多數情況下可用電話商討細節。考慮到合法性跟付款的便利性，可能和本國的公司合作比較方便。大多數翻譯公司會對你的企劃提供免費諮詢和估價。除了價格以外，以下清單上的項目都應該詢問：

1)  Native Speakers: Does the provider work with translators who are native speakers of the languages? There are plenty of fluent, non-native speakers of second languages, but only native speakers have a perfect feel for their language. Working with native speakers will ensure that your translations sound natural to your audiences, and not like a translation from a foreigner.

1. 母語譯者：此公司是否僱用以譯入語言為母語的翻譯者？現今有很多可以把第二外語說得很流利的譯者，不過仍屬母語譯者最具語感。和他們一起完成工作，可以保證你的譯文會讓觀眾感覺自然且不像是經由外國人翻譯的作品。

2)      Specialist Knowledge: Its not enough to speak the language. The people who translate your material must know your industry. Translating for a technology firm requires different expertise than translating for a pharmaceutical company.

2. 特殊專業知識：會說譯入語言是不夠的。翻譯資料的人必須瞭解你的行業。幫科技公司和製藥公司翻譯需要不同的技巧。

3)      Location: The best translators are those who work from their native countries. They are up-to-date with current developments and changes in the languages. If you choose a translation firm that has translators in exactly the countries you are targeting, you can be sure that your translations will be linguistically and culturally appropriate.

3. 位置：最好的譯者來自他們的祖國，他們瞭解語言最新的發展和改變。若是你選的翻譯公司有來自目標國家的譯者，那麼你就可以確定你的譯本在語言與文化方面都會十分恰當。

4)      File Formats: To avoid extra work and costs, make sure you choose a translation firm that can work with exactly the same file formats you use and require.

4. 檔案格式：為避免額外的工作與成本，要確認你選擇的翻譯公司可採用你所使用與要求的檔案格式。

5)      Technology: Find out what kind of technology the translation firm uses. For example, state-of-the-art translation memory tools allow the re-use of previously translated material. For example, if you make changes or update your material over time, you』ll only want those changes translated, and not the complete documents.

5. 科技：瞭解翻譯公司所使用的科技。例如，最新科技的譯本記憶工具可重複使用先前的翻譯資料。如果你多次修改更新你的資料，你僅希望再譯那些新資料而非全部的檔案。

6)      Quality Assurance: Ask the company for their quality assurance procedures. Find out if all translated material gets reviewed before it is sent out to you.

6. 品質保證：要求翻譯公司必須有品質保證，問清楚那些寄給你的資料是否反覆檢查過。

7)      Check references: Find out which clients the translation company has worked for in the past. Call those references and find out how satisfied they are with customer service and translation quality.

7. 詢問其他委託人：調查此翻譯公司過去的客戶，致電並詢問他們對顧客服務與翻譯品質的看法。

Once you have selected a translation provider make sure you work together with them closely in order to maximize the quality of your translations. One rule is to allow sufficient time. Rushing a job always risks compromising its quality. Also, make sure the source material is well written. You can never generate a great translation from a mediocre source text. Provide as much background material as possible to help the translators understand your product-specific context and learn your organizations jargon.

一旦選定譯者，就必須確實與他們緊密合作，才可以使這份翻譯作品享有最高品質。其中一個要訣就是給予充足的時間來完成工作，催促完工常有犧牲品質的風險。此外，確認原始資料寫作清晰，要是原稿品質不好，那是不可能產生好的翻譯大作。因此，盡可能提供相關背景資料來協助譯者瞭解產品的特定脈絡，熟悉其中的特殊專業用語。

Finally, it』s a good idea to remain available for questions and feedback during the translation project. Good translators are like good students they will always ask you questions.

最後，在翻譯期間，隨時回答問題並提供意見。優秀的譯者如同優秀學生，他們總是勇於發問。