Gengo - Product & process

How can I get the best translation services?

Gengo — Mon, 08 Oct 2018 15:00:00 +0000

Translation quality can be highly subjective. Many times, there is no one “correct” translation of a text. Both translators and customers might struggle to objectively assess quality when there is so much subjectivity involved. Most professional translators and customers would agree that a good translation communicates the same meaning and intention as the original, but sounds like it was originally written in the target language. But how can you as a customer be sure of getting a good translation? Before you send off your text to be translated, here are a few things you can do in five minutes to help your translator create a fast, high-quality translation.

1. Provide as much context as possible

The best way for you to help your translator create a high-quality translation is to provide as much contextual information as possible. Make sure your translator knows the answer to the following questions.

Who is the target audience?
What is the content type?
Is the tone/style casual or formal?
What type of medium will you share the translated text on?
If the text is about your company, what is your job title and specific role in the company?

2. Provide high-quality source text

Make sure the source text is clear. Beware of using text that has already gone through machine translation because that usually doesn’t lead to high-quality translations. You should proofread the source text for misplaced words or sentences before submitting it for translation.

3. Develop a style guide

Style guides provide instructions to translators on language usage, composition, and orthography. You can use the style guide to communicate to the translator on your preferences about the reading level, vocabulary choice, capitalization, punctuation, spelling and grammar. You could also specify whether you would like the translator to use American or British English, or write in an informal or business tone. Style guides also help to ensure that the writing has a consistent tone throughout the text. If you are just looking for overall consistency, you could ask the translator to follow a published style guide such as The Chicago Manual of Style, Associated Press Stylebook, or Gengo’s Style Guide instead of making your own from scratch.

4. Use a glossary

A glossary is a collection of commonly used terms, phrases, and other specified words that occur in both the source and target languages. Glossaries are useful for ensuring that one term is used consistently to identify a single concept. For example, if your text is about blog posts, you can indicate in the glossary that the term “blog post” should always be used instead of other synonyms like blog, post, article, entry, or piece. We at Gengo have also published industry-specific glossaries in multiple languages to help you maintain consistency across multiple documents and help translators deliver high-quality work in less time.

5. Actively communicate with the translator

The best quality is achieved through communication between the customer and translator. Please consider making yourself available for questions from the translator, and collaborating with the translator to create the perfect translation for your project needs.

6. Use preferred translators

Have you previously worked with a translator through Gengo and were happy with their quality? If so, you can add them as a preferred translator. This gives them priority access to your jobs, which can be useful if you needed to translate technical content and the translator had a good understanding, or you simply liked the writing style. We hope you consider using some of the above tips for receiving a high-quality translation. If you have a few minutes to spare before submitting your translation order, please take these six simple steps to receive the best translation possible. Ready to order a professional translation? Please use our order form or contact us directly to get started.

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16 Best Translation Management Systems

Gengo — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 15:00:00 +0000

Translation management systems are essential for managing high volumes of translation projects. If you’re planning to translate your website or product, perhaps you’ve already considered using a translation management system. But did you choose the right translation management system for your specific project needs?

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite translation management systems and summarized the unique features of each one:

Translation Management System	Description	Integrated with Gengo?
Localize	Inclusive translation editor allows for cross-browser access without requiring expensive software or plugins Simple integration with your existing tech stack, whether it be Magento, SquareSpace, or HubSpot Optimized for search so your business can index higher in search results of international markets
POEditor	Integrated with GitHub, BitBucket, and GitLab to manage localization files Integrated with Slack and HipChat for automated notifications in real-time Smart translation memory allows you to reuse translations
Crowdin	Integrated with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Google Play, JIRA, and more Order professional human translations from certified Crowdin vendors (e.g. Gengo, Translated) Community platform allows volunteers, managers, and in-house proofreaders to exchange comments in a casual setting
Lokalise	Build fully automated workflows through the API/CLI and integrations with GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket Connect Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD to localize designs faster and share visual context with translators Collaborate with team members or external translation partners via the built-in chat and productivity integrations (Slack, Jira, e-mail, Asana, and more)
Memsource	Leading cloud-based translation management system Processes 2 billion words/month Accepts 50+ file types and offers REST API, out-of-the-box CMS connectors, and powerful workflow automation Find out more about how to order a translation on Memsource
Smartling	Prioritizes business management, so its strengths lie in process automation and collaboration with various content management, marketing automation, eCommerce, code repository, and customer support platforms Use cases include British Airways, Spotify, and WeWork
Plunet Business Manager	High degree of automation and flexibility for professional language service providers and translation departments Web-based platform integrates translation software, financial accounting, and quality management systems Basic functions include quote, order and invoice management, comprehensive financial reports, and flexible job and workflow management
Transifex	Easily manages language files such as Gettext, Yaml, and XLIFF Suited for developers because it features command-line tools and a sophisticated translation storage engine to manage content
Phraseapp	Users can review translations and leave comments for the translators Suited for developers because it features command-line tools and a sophisticated translation storage engine to manage content
XTM International	Online CAT tool and translation management system available as a pay-as-you-go SaaS or for installation on your server No installation, hardware costs, or maintenance required Provides templates to create new projects from common file types
Consoltec	Fully customizable web portals for clients, providers, and project management Connect to CAT tools such as memoQ, SDL Studio, and LogiTerm
Wovn.io	Easy-to-use option for small-scale and page specific translation projects Plugins include WordPress, Tumblr, Jimdo, Shopify, and Weebly Simply insert and scan a line of code to translate your website Word count per scan, and can count double byte characters properly
Bablic	Easy-to-use translation dashboard Scans login pages and entire websites for word count by page/module and total word count
SDL Trados	Functions include advanced linguistic technology, process automation, content integration, business management services, and flexible customization Aligned with SDL Trados Studio to provide consistent analysis and reporting of translation projects
Wordbee Translator	Functions include project management, portal, business analytics, reporting, invoicing, and user-friendly translation editor Automates tasks such as project and workflow setup, job assignment, deadline calculation, multiple phase kick-offs, and cost management
Memoq	Enables integration with business management tools, machine translation engines, and external translation memory databases QA modules allows companies to check translation quality and measure the quality of their vendors

We hope this list helped you find the translation management system for your next translation project!

Still can’t find what you need? Gengo partners with several translation management systems that provide solutions to easily translate your website using our human translation services.

Contact sales to find out more about our partners.

or Contact us

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What is a translation management system?

Gengo — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 15:00:00 +0000

A translation management system (TMS), also known as globalization management system (GMS), is a tool that automates the human translation process as much as possible. Translation management systems aim to allow human translators to work efficiently by automating administrative and non-essential tasks throughout the translation process. Then, the human translators can focus solely on the creative work of actual translation, editing, and review. Translation management systems can range from a small tool installed on a computer to an online solution that is embedded in the customer’s system.

How do translation management systems work?

Translation management systems include two types of technology: process management technology to automate workflow, and linguistic technology to help the human translator. The process management technology monitors source language content for changes and routes the content to a team of translators and language reviewers, who could be working remotely from across the world. The main features of a translation management system include:

CAT tool: Translators and reviewers work on a platform called Computer Aided Translation tool (CAT tool). CAT tools include useful features such as translation memory (TM) and terminology database, which are useful for maintaining consistency across translations done by different people. Here is an example of memoQ’s CAT tool:

Translation memory: Translation memory (TM) is a database of previously translated phrases and fragments. The CAT tool records all translations as the translator works, to feed the translation memory. The CAT tool also segments source documents and suggests previously used translations if it finds a suitable match in the translation memory. The human translator must manually validate the suggested translation if they choose to use it.
Terminology database: This is a database of translations for terms and branding, which is important for ensuring consistency in branding across regions and languages.
Integrated machine translation software: Most translation management systems have API connectors for popular machine translation providers, which translators can use as they need. Sometimes it’s easier for human translators to edit and perfect a machine translation than to come up with their own translations from scratch.
Integration with customer systems: Some translation management systems are integrated with content management systems (CMS), Git, and other well-loved customer systems. This helps streamline the flow of content into the translation management system without requiring users to learn a new platform. This integration also further automates processes because the translation management system can easily push and pull content, and automatically send it back to the customer system.
Business management: Some translation management systems such as Memsource and Crowdin include business management functions such as a preview of how much a translation will cost, and a dashboard where users can monitor project activity and progress. Here is an example of Memsource’s project management dashboard:

Why should you use a translation management system?

Here are just some of the benefits of using a translation management system:

Process automation: Translation management systems can save users a lot of time by automatically picking up the content to be translated.
Transparency: Translation management systems provide users with a clear, at a glance overview of all of their content via customizable dashboards and reports. Some translation management systems like Memsource have secure, 24/7 access to their translation project information and assets. Users can see project activities and monitor progress at each step of the way.
Website localization: Some translation management systems are integrated with content management systems (CMS) to regularly publish content to a website, which is useful for website localization. This way, the translation management system can automatically grab new content as soon as it is generated, and assign it to translators. In the future, we expect more translation management systems to support interoperation with content management systems, so content managers should be able to order translations directly through their content management systems. A few plugins such as WordPress already support this feature.
Project management: Users can bundle and manage orders from within the translation management system, and easily keep track of the status of multiple projects. You can also streamline processes for complicated translation projects that involve large teams with members working in different time zones. Here is an example of the cost estimation page on Crowdin’s dashboard:

Why Gengo?

We partner with leading translation management systems such as Memsource, Transifex, PhraseApp, Crowdin, and Wovn, so our translators can use the most efficient productivity features. Contact us to find out more about our partners.

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Post-edited machine translation (PEMT) and the evolving role of translators

Gengo — Thu, 24 May 2018 15:00:00 +0000

Predicted to hit $1.5 billion by 2024, the machine translation market has shown steady growth over recent years as more and more businesses aim to go global. The rising demand for location-based content across industries such as e-commerce, electronics, travel and hospitality drives translation agencies and language service providers to use faster and more cost-effective translation methods. Post-edited machine translation (PEMT) is a feasible solution that bridges the gap between the speed of machine translation and the quality of human translation.

What is PEMT?

Post-edited machine translation (PEMT) is a type of translation that requires the reviewing, editing and correction of machine translations by a human to achieve a better output. When utilizing machine translations (MT), post-editing is necessary. Translators need to compare the MT to the source text and check for accuracy and clarity before deciding to improve or even retranslate the text. PEMT is thus ideal for high-volume, cost-efficient projects that have tighter deadlines yet require a higher level of accuracy than the output of raw MT.

Machines help translators work better, can aid accuracy and offer much quicker turnaround times. They can predict outcomes based on stored information and can definitely boost work efficiency. However, despite recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), machine translations still need to be overseen by human translators to ensure several parameters of translation quality are achieved: fidelity or accuracy, intelligibility or clarity, and style. Automation may be the future, but there’s still a long way to go before we can create an infallible technology.

The evolving role of language professionals

The role of linguists will change as new technologies like post-edited machine translation arise. As experts continue to work on fine-tuning the algorithms to make machine translation more accurate, the skills and capabilities of professionals who possess creativity and a greater understanding of the nuances of the language will still be more reliable for businesses looking to grow globally. An English language and literature professor from Korea added, “It is likely that the human translators and interpreters will become editors who supervise post-edited translations that AI programs created.” In addition, more translators are encouraged to learn and master editing and proofreading post-translated content to improve its quality, style and readability.

Because of new trends and technologies, there will also be a major shift from the need for traditional human translation services to the need for content writers, transcreators, content moderators and analysts, marketing researchers, and more.

More translation technologies, more opportunities

Many may think that translation apps and sites threaten the jobs of professional translators but, in fact, these companies and language service providers create more opportunities. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 17% employment growth for interpreters and translators by 2026. The translation profession will continue to prosper as long as translators adapt to new technologies and are willing to learn new skills to remain marketable.

At Gengo, we have predicted and foreseen these trends and developments. This year, we are transitioning into a multi-service platform to remain competitive and provide more opportunities beyond translation. In line with this, we have started PEMT trials in a few language pairs. With PEMT, we aim to make translation more efficient so we’ll be able to meet the increasing needs and demands of our customers. More companies are requiring machine learning training data tasks such as sentiment analysis, content creation, moderation, and analysis, among others. Gengo has recently invested in providing high-quality AI training data to give translators more income opportunities while helping more businesses grow and expand.

As the translation industry evolves with technological advances, it’s important for translators and language professionals to prepare for inevitable changes by upgrading their skills and getting ready to use technology to their advantage.

Visit Lionbridge.ai to learn more about our large-scale AI training data and crowdsourcing services.

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Introducing Gengo’s transcription service

Gengo — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 15:00:00 +0000

As we entered 2018 with new goals and an innovation-focused product roadmap, we’re excited to be on the right track for the first quarter. Last December, we rolled out our new transcription service to position Gengo as a multi-service platform. This service leverages the skills and capabilities of our translator community and provides them with opportunities beyond translation. We’re initially offering transcription in Japanese and English, but plan to expand into more languages in the future. We’re ready to engage more English transcriptionists to work on ongoing and upcoming projects!

Why should I become a transcriptionist?

Transcriptionists listen to personal conversations, lectures and talks, interviews, hearings, and business meetings and write down what they hear from audio or video files. If you’re a beginner, transcribing for Gengo is a good opportunity to learn the ropes and gain more practice. You’ll work on different types of content, from business documents, media and entertainment articles, to medical and legal texts. It would also be a great first step if you plan to venture into other freelance jobs, such as subtitling and closed captions. Learning a new professional skill is a bonus if you want to stay competitive in today’s online workplaces. Finally, doing transcriptions is another way to earn extra income through Gengo.

How do I become a transcriptionist?

At Gengo, we aim to deliver transcriptions that are clear, accurate, and consistent to its source. If you translate into English, possess excellent listening comprehension skills, and are adept at researching terminology, then you could become a Gengo transcriptionist. It helps to be a fast typist with a good-quality headset, too. To qualify, you must complete and pass Gengo’s English transcription test. You can only take the test once. Please familiarize yourself with Gengo’s basic transcription guidelines and expectations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask our online community. We’re looking forward to welcoming more members to our transcriptionist pool. Good luck! Want to become an English transcriptionist?

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Five workbench features to make translation easy

Gengo — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 15:00:00 +0000

At Gengo, our workbench works hard with our translators around-the-clock. We are committed to making sure our company’s “engine” is running smoothly and efficiently at all times. In our last update, we improved the comments section, site navigation, and mobile-responsiveness of the translator workbench. Since then, we’ve made improvements to some existing features, in addition to constantly enhancing our Translation Memory (TM) and validation systems. In this post, we also wish to highlight specific functions that will make translation more hassle-free for translators and customers alike:

1. Comments made visual

As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” That’s why we’ve found a way for customers to upload images and multimedia attachments, such as videos and audio files, to the comment section of the workbench. The ability to upload visual content adds more context, clarification, and a better idea of where and how translations are used. We recommend making the most of this feature to improve translation quality, particularly in the case of user reviews and product descriptions for ecommerce sites.

2. Machine translation (MT) alert

Another addition to our workbench system—machine translation detection. We’ve built a tool that can detect machine translations to ensure fairness, translation quality, and customer satisfaction. We take pride in the skills and capabilities of our hardworking translator community and we believe they can provide high-quality translations like no machine can.

3. Job filters to stay organized

Job filters serve as our translators’ filing assistant particularly when working on bigger collections. These functions can help improve translator productivity by keeping jobs organized to promote better quality translations done in less time. Translators are able to filter jobs by category:

Empty – These are jobs translators have accepted but haven’t started working on yet.
Unsubmitted – These are unfinished and pending jobs that translators haven’t submitted to the customer.
Submitted – These are translations that have been completed, reviewed, and submitted to the customer.
Revising – Customers may request revisions after reviewing submitted jobs. In this section, translators will find translations they need to revise and re-submit based on the latest feedback.
Cautions & Errors – These jobs include cautions which indicate spelling mistakes or missing glossary matches. Validation errors, such as untranslated and misspelled words, are also highlighted for translators to amend before submission.

4. Flagging for productivity

Our improved flagging function works as an S.O.S. whenever a translator needs Gengo’s help while translating on the workbench. This function has three main uses: First, translators can alert Gengo whenever the source text provided is inappropriate for its language pair or tier (e.g. it should be a Pro job, not a Standard one). Second, translators can flag a job if they need more context and information from the client to work more effectively on the project. Third, translators can flag to report a technical problem on a job or collection. Our teams monitor these flagged issues, try to respond to queries, and resolve issues as soon as possible.

5. Shortcuts for efficiency

To help translators save time and turn jobs around faster, we’ve added more shortcuts under the Tools section that can help them work more efficiently:

Issues – When translators use this shortcut, the validation panel will appear on the right side of their translations. This feature identifies and marks validation issues or errors that they can review and resolve before submission.
Matches – This shortcut will open the matches panel on the right side to display any translation memory (TM) matches.
Insert match – Our translators can use this shortcut to automatically insert the best translation memory matches and help speed up the translation process.

What other improvements would you like to see on the Gengo workbench? We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions in the comments!

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Key strategies for translating proper nouns

Gengo — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 15:00:00 +0000

Summer is here, welcoming in another installment of your quality updates. We’d like to introduce three basic translation strategies and how to use them to avoid some common translation errors. Going through your translation, you’ll inevitably see one of these pop up – a proper noun. Translating them may come so naturally, you don’t even bat an eye. For example, most languages have established translations for the names of countries or large cities: New York will always be Nueva York, Ņujorka or Ню Йорк while ピザ has firmly taken root as pizza. But what about other place names or other proper nouns? What to do when you encounter a smaller city or the name of an unknown dish?

Translation Basics: What’s in a name

The Proper Noun crossroad splits into three paths: leaving the term in the source language, translating it into the target language or transliterating (transcribing the pronunciation in the target alphabet). Let’s see some examples about how each of these strategies is used.

Route 1: Keep in the source language

As a general rule, if the source script and target script are different (Arabic to English, or Thai to English, for example), no words should be left in the source script in your translation. There are exceptions to this. English borrowings have made their way into many languages around the world and it has become common to see English words kept as-is in languages with other scripts like Russian or Japanese. So when is it okay to leave a source word as-is in your target language?

If the word is a loanword and has settled firmly into daily usage. Like some French words for food dishes in English (quiche). These should be so common you barely even notice they’re not a target-language word already!
Names of associations and organizations are provided in the source language for easy reference. See if you can spot some English words in these newspaper articles from around the world: in Chinese or in Hungarian.
Popular acronyms have also made it into many different languages. This includes words like ATM, EU, and others.

This is a small list! it’s because leaving a word in its original language is rarely the correct choice and should be used with caution. The most popular route is the next option: transliteration.

Route 2: Transliteration

This is by far the most popular choice for translating a proper noun into your target language. Transliteration is the method of converting the characters written in the source script to the target script. This is different from translation because it converts the pronunciation of the source word, not its meaning. Most names for popular items, destinations, and other words have already been transliterated into your language. The key here is to research the correct way to write the word in your target. For example, famous cities are already transliterated into your target language with a long-established spelling. The city of هونغ كونغ (Arabic), for example, is generally transliterated as Гонконг in most languages with a Cyrillic alphabet (Russian, Ukrainian), is written as 香港 in character languages (Chinese, Japanese) and Hong Kong in most European languages, as well as English. All of these capture the city’s pronunciation of Hong Kong and not its meaning of “Fragrant Harbor”. The tricky part comes in when the source word isn’t well-known. This includes minor cities, names of dishes, associations or even cultural events or items. Whether this particular idea is or is not well-known in the target language and culture is a judgment that the translator needs to make. Whereas flamenco is a well-known Spanish dance, its cousin Sevillanas is not. So the strategy here is two-fold: transliterate into your target script plus add a description.

I had flamenco lessons yesterday ✓
I’m starting sevillanas lessons from tomorrow x
I’m starting sevillanas (a type of Spanish dance) lessons from tomorrow ✓
We ate quiche for dinner ✓
We had takoyaki yesterday x
We had takoyaki (fried dough balls with octopus) yesterday ✓

Armed with these tips, how do you figure out which source sound maps to which target character? Unless a customer provides specific rules on how to transliterate, generally there are several accepted methods in any language pair. Remember to first research if the name in your text has already been transliterated previously. Also make sure you look up the different methods for transliteration that exist in your language pair.

Route 3: Translation

The last option is to translate the meaning of the source word into your target. Similar to the first option, proper nouns are translated only in several very specific cases and you must be careful when choosing this path. For example, the names of associations and societies are often translated. Most institutions of the European Union have been officially translated into many languages around the world. Another good example is points of interest. La Tour Eiffel, for example, becomes the Eiffel Tower, while most art museums will always become The Something (Tokyo, Metropolitan, Van Gogh) Art Museum, no matter what language you are translating from. In names of roads, stations, and buildings, the word “road” or “station” would be translated, while the name itself should be transliterated. Names of ingredients in a menu require a translation and may require a further description if the ingredient is not well-known in the target language. For example, Japanese cooking often includes a wide variety of fish. One example is the translation of 紅鮭 as “Sockeye Salmon”. Because salmon is a common variety of fish, simply providing the translation will be enough for a hungry traveler to know what’s about to be served. On the other hand, the translation for サンマ is “Pacific Saury”. For a fish species of lesser fame like saury, a further description is necessary for the audience to understand what they’re about to eat, like this:

サンマ → Pacific Saury (a North Pacific seawater red fish)

The above are the most common uses, but for most proper nouns, this strategy is not used, leaning instead on transliteration or a mix of translating and transliterating. Names of people and places, for example, are transliterated, ensuring that New York will never be a “new” York (as opposed to an old York). Similarly, Times Square will never become the Square of Time. We’ve given you the tools, tips and a wealth of resources to set you on your way. The next time you encounter a new name in your translation, come back to this article and see which strategy best fits your situation. Remember that mixing transliteration and translation is also a popular path to get you out of your next proper noun crossroads. Wrestling with any proper noun translations lately? Feel free to leave your feedback or questions in the comments below!

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Gengo ❤️ Payoneer: A new translator payment option

Gengo — Tue, 27 Jun 2017 15:00:00 +0000

Updated on 12 April 2018 Every month, we send payments to thousands of translators located in over 140 countries across the globe. Translators depend on easily accessible payments so we’ve made fast and reliable payments our top priority. For this reason, we’re happy to announce a partnership with Payoneer, giving our translators even more payment options and flexibility than ever before. From June 20, Gengo translators can start using Payoneer to receive their rewards. What’s more, they can use Payoneer to receive Gengo rewards in their virtual account which can be accessed wherever they are in the world. Payoneer removes the complexities of cross-border payments in today’s borderless digital world so the decision for Gengo to partner with them was an easy one. Payoneer’s global coverage and scalability made it an ideal partner that could support the needs and demands of Gengo’s growing translator community. With Payoneer, we can send payments to translators in over 200 countries and territories, and that coverage is constantly expanding. If you’re a Gengo translator, click here to learn more.

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Tips for translating from Chinese to English Part 2: Avoiding common mistakes

Gengo — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 15:00:00 +0000

Chinese and English are very different languages. Good Chinese to English translators must be able to understand the nuances of Chinese source texts as well as effectively express the meaning of these texts in English. If you are a native English speaker and Chinese is your second language, be sure to maintain your Chinese language skills through regular study and reading. If you are a native speaker of Chinese and English is your second language, Language Specialists expect you to write in English at a native level. This requires doing research to find the correct English term, brushing up on your English grammar, and being aware of cultural context.

Common translation pitfalls

Here are some of the mistakes and traps that Chinese to English translators encounter:

Less experienced translators may encounter parsing errors because they are unable to understand a sentence completely (or don’t know how to write it in English) so they just translate each character individually. This may produce very unusual results – such as on the sign above, where 吸烟 (smoking) has become “attracts the smoke.”
Research is critical for producing accurate translations. In particular, check proper nouns carefully and avoid assuming that they should be simply written in pinyin. For example, 康是美 is Cosmed, not “Kangshimei”, and 屈臣氏 is Watsons, not “Quchenshi.”
Be aware of differences in usage among Chinese speakers in different locations. For example, names for people from outside mainland China are normally not written using pinyin – 蔡英文 is “Tsai Ing-wen”, not “Cai Yingwen.” Some words may even have different meanings: 土豆 is “potato” in mainland China but “peanut” in Taiwan.
Be sure to use the right prepositions. For example, “新課程強調理論與應用並重” was translated as “The new course emphasizes on both theory and application.” Here, the use of “on” is incorrect and the correct translation should be, “The new course emphasizes both theory and application.”
Be careful when using the correct verb form. For example, “本人持教师资格证书” should be “I hold a teaching certificate.” but it was translated as “I am holding a teaching certificate”, which means the individual is physically holding the certificate at the time of writing, and not in possession of the certificate.
Be aware of cultural context and consider your target audience. In Taiwan, people sometimes refer to the international airport as the “national gate” (國門) because it is where people enter and leave the country. However, the literal translation is likely to only confuse foreigners who are unfamiliar with this usage. Use a more universally recognized term like “airport” instead.

At the Taiwan Taoyuan Airport, not “National Gate” Image source

There are many resources available for translators to use. I particularly like the free app Pleco which is available for both iOS and Android for checking vocabulary. There is also a wealth of resources online, like Grammar Girl to ensure that your English grammar is accurate. Whatever your background, improving yourself as a translator takes time and patience. Being aware of these common pitfalls encountered by Chinese to English translators and checking your translations carefully can help ensure a high-quality job. Main image by Kyle Taylor via Flickr under CC

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Tips for translating from Chinese to English Part 1: Avoiding overtranslation

Gengo — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 15:00:00 +0000

When translating between languages and cultures as different as Chinese and English, the problem is the inadequacy of the target language to express the source. Chinese, with its incredible succinctness, can often express in a couple of characters what seems to need a phrase to say in English. It’s not surprising that sometimes, like the translator of the photo above, people just give up altogether!

Overtranslation has a range of meanings in translation theory, but here I will talk about translating things that don’t necessarily need to be explicitly translated. This is something we see quite regularly when we carry out quality reviews. Avoiding overtranslation can help your text read more naturally in English and make it more useful to the client.

For example, one phrase that’s used a lot in Chinese is baokuo 包括, which means “including” and deng 等, which means “etc.” or “so on”. A common mistake made by translators is to use “etc.” in the English translation when that can inadvertently change the meaning of the sentence.

Original text: 亞投行在網站公布13個新成員名單，包括香港、加拿大、阿富汗等
Overtranslation: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank published a list of 13 new members on its website, including Hong Kong, Canada, Afghanistan, etc.
A more natural translation: The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank published a list of 13 new members on its website, including Hong Kong, Canada, and Afghanistan.

In more formal contexts such as this one, or when you are dealing with long and complex sentences, it is much better to leave “etc.” out of the translation. None of the meaning of the source text is lost (“including” is all that is required in English), and the register of the source is preserved.

Another example is the word yijing 已經, or “already”. Given that Chinese does not use inflection to express tense like English does, this word often fulfills the same function as the past tense in English. That means the word “already” doesn’t need to appear in the translation. For example, the following sentence is far better without it:

Original text: 甲方保證已經閱讀和理解了如上文件
Overtranslation: Party A pledges that they have already read and understood the above documents.
A more natural translation: Party A pledges that they have read and understood the above documents.

Of course, there are also many situations in which yijing 已經 does need to be translated as “already” such as:

她趕到登機口時飛機已經飛走了
By the time she had rushed to the gate the plane had already taken off.

As with most things in translation there are no hard and fast rules. The best way to avoid overtranslation is to ensure that you don’t translate character by character: read the whole sentence before beginning to translate, determine the function each character/phrase plays in the sentence as a whole, and, if necessary, translate according to this function rather than the literal dictionary definition. Be ready to adapt your translation strategies to the specific text you are working on.

Few people have “overtranslated” as much as Ezra Pound (1885-1972), the modernist poet who freely translated the works of Li Bai and others into English despite having little knowledge of Chinese. On occasion, he even translated each of the component parts of Chinese characters into English, as in the first line of the Analects:

Original text: 學而時習之，不亦說乎？
Overtranslation: To study with the white wings of time passing, is not that our delight?
A more natural translation: Is it not a pleasure, having learned something, to try it out at due intervals?

Here, he has understood the character xi 習 (to practice) in terms of its components yu 羽 (wing) and bai 白 (white) to get the translation “white wings”. This is wonderfully poetic, but unfortunately means that the emphasis on “repeated practice” in the original is missing. Compare renowned scholar D.C. Lau’s far more natural yet less poetic translation of the same phrase.

Can you think of any examples of Chinese phrases that are commonly overtranslated? What do you think of Pound’s approach? Let us know in the comments!

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Main image by Ewan Macdonald

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