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Professor Winn’s 9-Point Translation DiagnosticWhen Professor Winn renders your Spanish, French, and Portuguese documents into English, his 9-point translation diagnostic ensures a quality product in your hands.
[Download the Show Notes for this episode].
Choosing a competent French/Spanish/Portuguese to English translator is a challenge.
Is a translation ace like Professor Winn with cultural competence, language proficiency, and a 9-point translation diagnostic, producing optimal French, Spanish and Portuguese translations for your organization?
9-point Translation Diagnostic
Due diligence of any translation project requires a comprehensive diagnosis, a careful evaluation of the final product.
Like a medical diagnosis, Professor Winn performs a 9-point translation diagnostic of your translated document(s).
Your Spanish, French and Portuguese documents, once rendered into English, are checked for the following to verify compliance with my high-quality translation standards.
Point 1 – Accuracy – omissions?
The main objective of a translator is to capture the meaning of your original document (in French, Spanish, or Portuguese) and transmit it precisely and promptly in English, Professor Winn’s native language.
I only translate into my mother tongue – English.
Verify that fact before you hire a translator for your next project!
A part of producing an accurate and faithful rendering of your documents into English is sidestepping omissions or unintentional exclusions of certain words or phrases essential to the meaning of the document.
Being mindful of omissions does not, however, create the need for word-for-word translations which is a major pitfall of inexperienced or pseudo-translators.
Point 2 – Ambiguity
Another factor in the accuracy of a translation is the cloud of ambiguity over the final document.
Thus, translating from French, Spanish, or Portuguese to English, in that case, the translation diagnostic demands the removal of any unclear English words or phrases.
Of course, the clarity of the final document can only be as good as the lucidity of the text in the original document.
Ideally, a high-quality translation begins with a well-written text in the other language.
Point 3 – Grammar
Another factor in the accuracy of a translation is the cloud of ambiguity over the final document.
Spunky poet Edgar Allen Poe once compared grammar to Caesar’s wife saying it “should not only be pure, but above suspicion of impurity.”
Your document could be a cover letter to an employer or a Request for Proposal.
In any case, impeccable grammar is not only expected but guaranteed in Professor Winn’s 9-point translation diagnostic.
Your documents undergo a careful reading and edit for fine-tuned grammar to make sure you have the best representation of your document possible.
Point 4 – US-UK Spelling and Punctuation
You may request your document written in US or UK English.
Some refer US English as “international English” given its spread via Hollywood, the pop record industry, scientific discovery, and tourism.
While spelling is one difference between the two styles of English, vocabulary is also distinct as well.
For example, US English words ending in “-ize” like recognize are spelled with “ise” like recognise in UK English.
If you need your documents in UK English, Professor Winn’s translation diagnostic is flexible enough to adapt the text to reflect these cultural nuances.
Sometimes even punctuation is an issue between US and UK English.
UK English insists that the period (.) appear outside quotes while US English moves it inside the final quotation mark.
Point 5 – Word Choice – Vocabulary
Translators (and interpreters) are constantly in search of what the French call, le mot juste, the best word.
Trust Professor Winn to use precise words to communicate your message to the world in English.
Even logophiles like me are stumped occasionally to find the right word to capture an adequate meaning.
Professor Winn’s 9-point translation diagnostic ensures a quality product in your hands.
The 9-point translation diagnostic, of course, includes an inspection of every word and phrase to evaluate the sameness of meaning between the Spanish or Portuguese text and final English version.
Point 6 – Tone – Style
The tone and style of your documents must be consistent.
That is why translators (and writers) need to know the target audience of the document.
Style helps to present your information in a manner appropriate for both the audience and the purpose of the writing.
The tone of a document reflects the syntax, your point of view, your diction, and the level of formality in your writing.
Matching the tone and style of your document in its translation is one aspect of Point 8 – producing a mirror copy of your Spanish or Portuguese document in English.
Point 7 – Cohesion and Naturalness
A high-quality translation involves more than just translating sentences, however grammatically accurate.
Cohesion contributes to the clarity of your ideas so readers easily see the logical links between the various points made.
Upon rendering a document into the target language, a translator must ask: Does this document flow naturally like the original document?
Any stilted language or wordiness must be eliminated to produce a more cohesive document.
The logical connections between the arguments and ideas presented in your document and the natural flow of its words are checked in the English translation as part of Professor Winn’s 9-point translation diagnostic.
Point 8 – Mirror Copy?
Translators strive to make the target language document (in my case, English) a mirror copy of the source language (in my case, Spanish or Portuguese).
The above 7 points and Point 9 – Formatting – are all elements that contribute to producing a document that looks like the original.
Given the usual “inflation of words” of Spanish – Portuguese texts compared with English (fewer words to the say the same message), the latter will be shorter.
However, the position of photos or graphs, and the message should be the same between the original and target language documents.
Professor Winn’s 9-point translation diagnostic ensures that the final target language text (in English) is a parallel copy of its original.
Point 9 – Formatting
The finest point of a translation project is to preserve the formatting between the two documents.
If the client can provide the native files of graphics or charts, these can be easily manipulated in English instead of recreating them from zero.
If the final document is supposed to have any special formatting, like specific margins or footnotes or page numbers, these are reviewed to be just like the original.
Get In Touch
Professor Winn’s 9-point translation diagnostic is included in every translation project.
The post-evaluation goes far beyond just a revision or edit of the document(s).
An in-depth study of the document ensures your high-quality translation.
Even more, your message to the world or a select client is communicated clearly in precise English.
Consider Professor Winn for your next translation project and the advantage of the 9-point evaluation.
Are you ready today?
Send your French, Spanish or Portuguese documents and details to Professor Winn for a free quote.
Just Complete the form below.
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