A typical translation might involve any of the following:
- contracts
- technical manuals
- websites
- marketing material
- letters
And of course many many more. The one thing that all of these examples share is context. Any text that requires translating is clearly part of the "whole". The translator knows exactly how any given word, sentence, paragraph, page, or chapter fits into the whole work. It is in context.
However, there is demand for translations which do not benefit from such rich context. For example:
- word lists
- dictionaries
- keywords
- software messages
Imagine you are presented with an excel file containing a long list of words in alphabetical order that need translating. How do you know how to translate the following words, for example:
- Bug (is it a small irritating animal, an illness for a person, an problem with a computer? Is it a noun or a verb?)
- Copy (is this a verb? Or is it a noun referring to a piece of writing for publication?)
And so on. So the key is to find a way of creating context. Here are some examples of word list type translations and the way in which context could be created:
1. Translating lists of words that are used to categorise images.
- For each word in the list, type it into an image search engine and see what the most common results are.
2. Translating dictionary or glossary entries
- Ask the originator of the material to provide a sample sentence showing the meaning of the word that requires translation
3. Software messages
- Use the software, or work with an experienced user of the software to understand exactly when and where each message might pop up.
4. Keywords for search engines
- Think about what the keywords are actually used for. Try searching for them in the relevant search engine. What comes up? What are the keywords trying to achieve? This should guide the translation.
5. Multilingual word lists
- Do translations already exist in any other languages? Have these translations been approved? If so, then they can provide guidance as to the required translation for the other languages.
Of course there is no substitute for asking the originator of the material to provide context or just talking to them! A translator can provide multiple options for translation, each with explanations so that the end user of the translations can best choose which translation is the most appropriate.
The bottom line is that translation is more than just translating words - context is king, and proper context will always help to produce the most appropriate translations. If there is not any obvious context, then the task of the translator, project manager, and person commissioning the work is to try to create context to maximize the likelihood of producing the correct and appropriate translations.
"Now YOU Can Create Professional 3D Animations, Games And Graphic Models Like Pixar and Dreamworks In 2 Hours or Less..."
