Spanish Free Translation Guide: Managing Your Translations Spanish to EnglishThe Translations Spanish to English Guide explains the essential project management steps to keep your translation project under control. For sample translator rates and more translation help, see the bottom of this page. (Looking for a free online Spanish translator?) Essential project management for a successful Spanish translationIf you are hiring a freelance Spanish translator, you are probably responsible for managing the translation project yourself. However, even if you hire a translation agency to coordinate the project for you, these project management steps can improve your chances of a problem-free, successful Spanish translation. First step - find the right translator or agency. Which is the better option for you, a freelance Spanish translator or a translation agency? If your project is complex or in multiple languages or if you have limited time to coordinate it, you may be better off with an agency. Otherwise, working directly with a freelance translator is likely to save you money. More about different translation options in the Spanish Free Translation Guide. If you decide to work with a freelancer, look for a native of the translation's target language (that is, the final language of the translation, ideally with several years of translation experience and a knowledge of the subject matter. More on choosing a translator in the Spanish Free Translation Guide. If you opt for an agency, look for one with a positive reputation and experience managing translations similar to yours. Some other points to look at are the agency's translator recruitment criteria and their quality control processes. More on choosing a translation agency in the Spanish Free Translation Guide. Second step - get proposals. Once you have found some good potential translation partners, ask each of them for a price and timing proposal. In order to give you an exact quotation, they will probably need to review the document for translation. If it is not possible to send the document ahead of time, try to give the exact document word count. An efficient approach is to send out a series of e-mails, clearly marked "Quote request," and include the document as an attachment. Don't forget to specify the languages of the translation, as well as the country or countries where the translation will be used, and any special requirements you may have (for example, a technical translator, specific formatting, a fast turnaround). Ask the translation provider to propose both a price and a timing for the work. Go to our Translations Spanish to English Pricing Guide More on translation timing in the Spanish Free Translation Guide Third step - select a partner and reach an agreement. Once you've settled on a proposal, formalize your agreement in writing to avoid misunderstandings later. Even if you discuss the project on the phone, send an e-mail summary of what was discussed. This agreement should include:
Fourth step - prepare your file for the translator. Ideally, the document you send your translator should be a final draft to avoid time-consuming and expensive changes later. If there are parts of the document that should not be translated, try to mark these to prevent confusion. More on document preparation in the Spanish Free Translation Guide If you have access to a corporate glossary, similar past translations, or other materials that the translator might use for terminology reference, it can be very helpful to provide these as well, always clearly indicating why you are sending each document (you don't want your translator getting confused and translating a document that you have sent only for reference purposes). More about information to provide to your translator in the Translations Spanish to English Guide Fifth step - stay in touch. No news is not always good news in project management. If you are working with a translation agency, it is quite normal not to receive updates until the project is complete. However, if you have hired a freelance translator, it is worth checking in regularly to make sure everything is going according to schedule and to answer any questions that may have come up. In some cases, the freelance translator may not want to "disturb" you with questions that may be slowing down the translation or putting it at risk. It is better to be proactive and show that you are available to help. And if anything is going seriously wrong with the translation, you are more likely to see signs early on when there is still time to look for a solution. Sixth step - revise the translation. Do not take risks with important translations. In the case of translations Spanish to English, you may be able to check the translator's work yourself. For English to Spanish translations, if you are not a native Spanish speaker, it is best to have a native editor check the finished translation carefully against the original. If you are hiring a translation agency, you can look specifically for one that provides this service. If you are hiring a freelance translator, you can hire a second translator to act as the editor. More on managing revision in the Translations Spanish to English Guide If you do not have the benefit of a native editor and do not speak the language of the translation, there are still quality control steps you can take. You can run an automatic spell-check. You can compare the translation to the original to see if the formatting is correct and if it appears to be complete. If there are numbers, addresses, lists in the original, look for the same in the translation. However, do not attempt to make any corrections in the translation yourself unless you are fluent in the final language. If you find a problem or a potential one, bring it up with the translator. Most translators will appreciate your careful attention to detail and will be happy to answer questions and improve the quality of their translation. Seventh step - pay the translator. It is important to pay translation bills promptly. Freelance translators depend on client payments for their living expenses. And an agency depends on your payment to pay its translators. Translations Spanish to English - More HelpCompare prices charged by Spanish language translators Get a Spanish free translation online See a list of all pages in the Translations Spanish to English category
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