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How to Choose a Freelance English French Translator or French English TranslatorYour choice of an English French translator or French English translator can make the difference between a successful translation and a disaster. Here is some advice to help you make the right decision. At the bottom of the page, you'll find additional information, including a French translation pricing guide. No, I was looking for a free French translation. When hiring a French translator, here are some of the things to look for: 1) Native skills in the target language. The target language of a translation is the language that you are translating into. You should look for a translator who is a native of the translation's target language. For example, if the translation is from English to French, you want a translator who is a native French speaker. If the translation is from French to English, you want a translator who is a native English speaker. Be aware that there are differences in the French spoken in different parts of world. These differences become more important depending on the type and subject matter of the translation. For example, the business terminology used in French-speaking Canada is not always the same as that used in France. When in doubt, look for an English French translator who is from the same geographic area where your French translation will be used. 2) Understanding of the source language. The source language of a translation is the language that you are translating from. The translator does not have to speak or write the source language well but has to be able to understand it completely. A translator who has trouble understanding the source language is likely to make translation mistakes. He or she is also likely to translate too literally, sticking closely to the words of the original rather than finding the best way of translating the meaning. 3) Knowledge of the subject matter. Even if your French English translator understands French, she may not understand legal French. Even if she's a native English speaker, she may not be able to write a technical document in English. To translate your text, a translator needs to be able to understand the original perfectly and to use the appropriate style and terminology in the target language. For highly technical documents, we recommend looking for an English French translator or a French English translator who has actually studied or worked in the relevant field -- for example, a translator who went to law school will likely understand legal documents better than one who only took a legal translation course. If this isn't feasible, try to get the translation edited by a professional in the relevant field who is a native speaker of the target language. "No matter how much someone might look things up in dictionaries or on the Internet... it's very different from when a translator really knows what he's talking about." - Perrine Souffez, English French Translator and Project Manager 4) Professional experience. Just because someone speaks foreign languages does not mean he or she is qualified to translate. Translation is a craft that requires particular skills which translators learn in the classroom or through experience. Look for an English French translator or French English translator with several years of professional translation experience, preferably working on translations similar to your project. A translator with experience will be able to work faster, will know how to research terminology, will have honed techniques for moving information from one language to another, and will be able to avoid common translation mistakes such as translating too literally. 5) Positive references. Before hiring an English French or French English translator, we recommend asking for references from past clients, and talking to these references. Find out how satisfied past clients are with the quality of this translator's work and with the translator's professionalism. Ask if there have ever been problems in the past and how they were resolved. Find out if the translator is reliable about deadlines. 6) Proven translation ability. It can be a lot of trouble to administer a translation test and then find someone qualified to evaluate it. But before hiring a translator for an important translation, we think this is definitely worth the effort. Perrine Souffez spoke to us about the translator selection process in the translation agency where she worked as a project manager. "We received a ton of CVs every day, and sometimes I'd see one in an area of specialization that we needed. For example, we always needed technical translators because there were a lot of technical projects coming in. We'd send the translators a translation test, which they had twenty-four hours to complete, and we'd send the test for revision. Then we'd start them out with a short translation in the beginning, and then a longer one." - Perrine Souffez, English French Translator and Project Manager Translators are often willing to complete a test translation for free if it is not too long -- around 300 words is a good length. If a translator is not willing to do a test translation, then you can ask for examples of previous French English translation work (get both the source documents and the translations, and make sure the translator tells you which are which). If you are yourself a native English speaker hiring a French English translator, you may be able to evaluate the test yourself. However, if you are not native in the translator's target language or if you are not able to judge the accuracy of the translation, then look for a native speaker to evaluate the test for you. You may have a French colleague who can help you with this, or you may have to hire an English French translator specifically to do the evaluation. We recommend asking several translators to complete test translations of the same text, then sending the results to your evaluator all together: that gives the evaluator a basis for comparison. See typical French English translator rates Read about choosing a translation agency Browse all French English translator resources |