Your work as a translator at lengoo What can you expect from your journey with lengoo? What is most important to us and our customers?
What is most important to us and our customers? lengoo GmbH 2015
Quality is the top priority for our customers. So what do we and our customers expect from your translations? They can be read easily and fluently They are correct in spelling and grammar They comply with the predetermined layout They are delivered to our clients in time
What do we, therefore, expect you to do while translating? Stick to the original layout Use a linguistic style that is appropriate for the text Find, indicate, and correct mistakes in the source text Check and correct spelling and grammar Comply with terms and deadlines Always be at our disposal in case of questions regarding your translation
What else do you have to pay attention to? Information in our translation request Client glossaries Check emails Sometimes clients or project managers provide you with helpful information about the text or tell you what you have to pay attention to while translating. We created glossaries for some of our clients. If a glossary is available, we will unlock it or send it to you. After you handed in your translation, you should still be at our disposal and check your emails frequently in case questions arise regarding your translation.
What is the working routine for a translation request at lengoo?
We send you a translation request via email. At first, read the entire text so that you know what it is about. Do you have the necessary skills, i.e. knowledge in the demanded field / computer skills, to produce a high-quality translation? This translation is perfect for you! Go ahead and accept the request! Do you have enough time to meet all demands and also the deadline? Consider the information given in the request as well as the determined deadline. If you have any questions, you can always contact us within the determined deadline. But please do not wait too long so that we still have enough time to find a solution for your problem. We are looking forward to receiving your translation!
Time management tips lengoo GmbH 2015
You always have to comply with the determined deadlines because we also need enough time for proofreading your translation. lengoo GmbH 2015
That is why you should include the following points when planning your translation: Reading up on the topic via parallel texts Researching terminology Formatting Proofreading Parallel texts can help you find terminology and chose an appropriate style for your translation. Attention! Some texts require extensive research. You should always stick to the original layout. Take a short break between translation and proofreading. Do not forget to check and correct spelling and grammar!
If you cannot comply with a determined deadline, please contact us well enough in advance so we can find a solution to your problem. lengoo GmbH 2015
What do you have to consider regarding your translation? lengoo GmbH 2015
The guiding principle of translation is: As literally as possible, as freely as necessary! The reader should not recognize the text as translation You should maintain style and mood of the source text You should recognize and explain culture-specific passages or transfer them into the target culture Often a literal translation is not the best choice. The goal of a translation is to represent the content of the source text the best way possible. Therefore, it is often better to translate freely in order to maintain the meaning of the text.
Which skills and qualities should a good translator have? lengoo GmbH 2015
These qualities are very important for a translator: A good feeling for source and target language Preciseness and accuracy Courage General knowledge A good translator should be able to use his native language intuitionally and correctly and has to recognize mistakes in the source text. Both we and especially our customers notice if a translation lacks concentration and accuracy. Do not be afraid of translating freely or restructuring sentences if that increases the quality of the translation. With a broad general knowledge you can accept translations from many different fields and easily work your way into topics and terminology.
How can you improve your translation skills? lengoo GmbH 2015
Do you still feel a bit insecure about your translations? These tips can help you improve your translation skills! lengoo GmbH 2015
1. Read, read, read! It does not matter if you read texts in your native language or a foreign language. While reading, you train your feeling for languages, learn something new, and gain the ability of understanding foreign language texts easier. You should not stick to just one genre but read many different types of texts.
2. Use other media in your foreign languages! Watching movies, TV shows, series, or the news can also be useful for establishing your foreign language skills. Just watch your favorite show or the next movie in a foreign language and have fun improving your translation skills.
3. Benefit from our feedback! We will try to give you constructive feedback after your translation to show you what you should work on to improve your translation skills. However, this will not be necessary after each translation. Please do not take our feedback too personal and feel free to give us some feedback, too.
We are glad that you are part of the lengoo team and hope you have a great time working with us!
Getting Started Exercises: Repeat what you just learned! Imagine the situations described below and explain how you would react in them. On the following page, you can compare your answers to the reaction we would like to see from you. That is how you can find out if you are ready to work with us and our customers or if you should repeat this lesson one more time. Situation 1 We send you a translation request via email. What do you have to take into consideration before accepting the request? Situation 2 You accepted a translation request. After some time you notice that you will not be able to comply with the deadline. What do you do now? Situation 3 You translate a text for us. What do we expect from you and what do you have to pay attention to? Which principle is also important regarding translations? lengoo GmbH 2015
Getting Started Exercises: Repeat what you just learned! Situation 1 We send you a translation request via email. What do you have to take into consideration before accepting the request? First, you should read the entire text so that you know what it is about. Consider if you have sufficient knowledge in the demanded field, the necessary skills, and enough time to translate the text. Situation 2 You accepted a translation request. After some time you notice that you will not be able to comply with the deadline. What do you do now? Inform us about your time problem as soon as possible. Sometimes we can extend the deadline. However, we occasionally have to find a new translator for a job. Please do not try to finish the translation at any cost if you know you do not have enough time. In cases like this, you usually make many mistakes and the quality of the translation suffers. You should always include enough time for researching terminology, working out a fluently readable text, and correcting spelling and grammar. Situation 3 You translate a text for us. What do we expect from you and what do you have to pay attention to? Which principle is also important regarding translations? Stick to the original layout. Check and correct spelling and grammar mistakes in your translation and indicate mistakes in the source text. Use a linguistic style that is appropriate for the text. Ensure that your translation can be read easily and fluently. Comply with terms and deadlines and be at our disposal after you handed in your translation. As literally as possible, as freely as necessary represent the content of the text the best way possible. The reader should not recognize the text as translation. That is why you should rather translate freely than literally to maintain the meaning of the text. lengoo GmbH 2015