Without a magic wand, I’m afraid this wouldn’t be possible – although being able to speak every language is probably most translators’ secret dream. As a professional translator, I only translate into my native Polish from English, German, Spanish & French.
Having an excellent command of a language and translating into it are two very different things. Translation is all about quality. This means that if I know a native translator in the language combination you are looking for, it would make better business sense for you to work with them instead.
I’ll certainly do my best. My translation speed depends on the type of document I’m working on. If you send me a more general text, I can translate roughly 3,000 to 3,500 words per day; if the text is more technical in nature, you can expect my speed to drop to 2,000 to 2,500 words. Please send me the details about your project and I will get back to you with a quote and timeline.
A few things to bear in mind:
1. Unlike Google, I am not a machine, and translation involves a lot more than just the act of translating. To make sure your translation or localisation is as sharp as a freshly squeezed lemon, various other stages (such as glossary building, proofreading and QA checks) are included in the process.
2. Most translators work on more than one project at the same time, so the daily workload will be split across different accounts.
When I receive your file and translation or transcreation request, I examine the requirements and send you a quote. Once this has been confirmed, I prepare the files for translation. If your project is in an area that is relatively new to me, I will do some initial background research before getting started.
While translating, I create a term base and compile a list of any issues that come up to query with you. If you can clarify the points before the deadline, I will update my translation before delivering the file. If not, don’t worry. I can always make the corrections at a later stage.
Once the file has been proofread and delivered, I will send out your invoice. If requested, I can also carry out revisions in the final layer to make sure that the text, formatting and translation are all accurate. This is good for catching any issues with corrupted characters or graphics overlapping text.
As a general rule, documents for translation are sent via email.
You guessed it. Your documents are normally returned electronically in the same format in which they were received. No postage costs, no hanging around, just translations that are ready to use.
I wish I could give you a simple answer to this question. Given that no two translation or writing projects will be the same, it would be difficult, and in fact misleading of me, to give you a price list.
However, I can guarantee you two things:
• I probably won’t be the cheapest Polish translator you’ll find.
• Professionals charge professional rates – as I’m sure you already know from your own experience as a professional.
That’s not to say that language services need be out of your budget. I believe in providing my clients with value for money and translations that fulfil the intended business aims while ensuring the top quality of my final product.