Many companies from the Reutlingen / Tübingen area have a requirement for professional translations

Translating operating instructions should not be done with free translation tools. If there are errors in the translation, this can have serious consequences. Translation bureaux should be commissioned to undertake translations of this kind.

Everyone is sure to have had a professional translation in their hand at some point when they bought an electrical device. Most instruction manuals describe the functions of the device that has been purchased in several languages – maybe including German, English, French, Arabic or Chinese.

Several major processes have to take place before the description can be produced in this number of languages. If technical equipment, medications or tools are involved, then clearly every single translation has to be error-free.

Companies from Reutlingen, Tübingen and nationwide continuously need professional translations like this, because more and more companies are operating in the international environment and have customers and trade partners from a wide variety of countries. But private individuals also frequently use the services of specialised translation agencies, for instance to have a birth certificate translated or export a reference into a different language.

Translations must also frequently be certified, with a sworn translator guaranteeing and officially confirming that the translation is flawless – and not all translation companies also offer such certifications.

Going back to the example of the translation of an instruction manual which will be read in several countries, the company which requires this translation will initially contact an agency offering translation services. What should they bear in mind? First of all we should mention an elementary point concerning the quality, namely the certifications. Quite a few companies from all sectors have been certified in accordance with the standard DIN EN ISO 9001. This standard guarantees that all the normal office practices are correct, so it does not specifically apply to professional translation agencies. But in addition there is a standard that is not often awarded, which is aimed especially at the quality of the work of translation agencies. The translation agencies from Reutlingen, Tübingen and nationwide that have been awarded this standard have undergone an intensive audit process, at the end of which certification awaits for those agencies that complete it successfully. The standard referred to here is called DIN EN ISO 17100.

Companies which are certified in accordance with this standard work at the highest quality level in the field of translations and interpreting. And what’s more, this has nothing to do with the price – certified companies can also be just as well-priced as the competition, or even more so. And take care: some companies, for example, announce on their websites that they work in accordance with the standard DIN EN ISO 17100. But this does not mean that they have been certified in accordance with this standard, that this was extensively audited and documented, or that they really work continuously to a high quality standard.

GTBS, German Translation Business Service from Tübingen has been awarded both the certifications mentioned above, and is thus a trusted partner of many companies in the Tübingen, Reutlingen and Stuttgart region and nationwide.

If, for example, an instruction manual or a similar document is to be translated, it is also important that the selected translator is not only highly qualified (at GTBS, for instance, the specially trained translators have at least five years’ professional experience) but also knows their way around the subject areas for which they translate. Just as lawyers have their own language, the technical or medical fields also have their own terminology, which is only known by someone who is familiar with the particular sector.

The so-called “double reading” is also important, where a second professional translator takes over the text translated by their colleague and reviews it. This quality standard demonstrates the high level at which the translation company concerned works. It is easy to ask beforehand whether a translation company does this double reading, and whether this is included in the price, as is the case at GTBS from Tübingen.

Naturally many customers want to know not only about the quality, but also in particular how much such a translation will cost. The following tip is useful: look out for fixed prices, so there are no surprises, and ensure that the company uses the source text to calculate its prices.

Why? Many texts “grow” when they are translated, which means they simply become longer, and more words means a higher price.

But if the company calculates on the basis of the source text, you are in a more favourable position. You can quickly ask about this too, if it is not already stated on the translation agency’s website anyway.

And talking of websites: of course online presences are also translated into other languages by professional translation agencies. This calls for a great deal of flair, so it helps when this responsible task is given to an experienced agency.

Thanks to its large network of qualified translators, GTBS from Tübingen offers translations into all the official languages in the world. This is also of interest to many of our customers, as it means they can obtain the service they need from a single source and do not need to commission different agencies for different languages.

So there are number of points that companies and private individuals can bear in mind when selecting their partner for professional translations.

Experience shows that it is worth it: a high-quality translation guarantees easy communication – and easy communication is effective communication.