Translation FAQs
What languages do you cover?
We specialise in translations from any language into English. However, we are also able to handle alternative language combinations on special request. Please Enquire for more details.
Why shouldn't I use an automatic translation tool?
If you only want to get the gist of something and you aren't worried about accuracy or awkward wording, then an automatic translation tool will do just fine. It won't be able to produce a perfect translation but it will certainly work well to generate the first draft.
If, on the other hand, you're looking for superior precise translation of official documents, agreements, marketing brochures, annual reports and so on then you will need the skills of a human professional.
Automatic translation tools are designed to provide approximate translations based on formal and systematic rules. They aim to meet users' needs by matching words and estimating the relevance of the results. They aren't very good at dealing with ambiguous words, whose meanings vary depending on the context in which they are used, or with technical terms and phrases. Nor are they adept at understanding the effect of cultural differences on sentence structure.
Manual translation benefits from human experience and mental understanding. It allows for the most appropriate words to be selected according to the context and for their order to be adjusted to resonate authenticity. Unlike an automatic translator, our human translators won't be baffled by one tiny error in a file and an accidental omission or misspelt word is unlikely to result in the wrong translation.
Possibly the most important advantage of manual translation is that it maintains confidentiality. When you use an automated software tool, the words you translate will be stored on a shared server meaning that you run the risk of unwanted others being able to access them. Our professional, highly ethical translators guarantee to deal with your work in utmost confidence and we have all committed to strict confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements to validate our pledge. We will not disclose your personal information or private words to anyone without your express approval unless required to do so by law.
One final word: All our work is completed manually by our qualified human translators. Beware of companies offering incredibly cheap quotes for translation. Make sure you check they can say the same thing.
What subjects do you cover?
From apples to zeitgeists, annual accounts to zero-coupon bonds, anthropology to zoology. We can cover them all.
We have specialists in medical, finance, law, IT, economics, PR, investments, retailing, biographies, politics, religion, history, physics, sociology, philosophy… The list is endless.