Transhorsa

当今的翻译界可谓是百花齐放。尽管解放前和建国初期的知名翻译大家逐渐淡出了公众的视线，后来居上的是财经著作翻译、企业和机构的专职译员、独立自由译者、翻译团队和翻译公司。

财经和其他社科翻译是比较独特的一类译员。他们往往是一些大机构、大企业的高级分析师，也有一些管理者。因为他们具有比较丰富的专业知识和行业经验，从而占据了书籍翻译的至高点。出版社的翻译任务也自然委派给了他们。

企业或其他类型机构聘用的专职译员基本不是专业级的翻译。他们工作年限较短，并且多数不具备丰富的行业背景知识。这就造成他们翻译工作的效率不高。在工作时间内，很少全天工作时间都有翻译任务的情况。很多时间他们被上级主管要求熟悉行业、生产或产品知识，并且很多企业还不得不对其专职翻译进行培训，以提高他们的人力资源技能。但是多数专职译员在语言技能和专业知识提高到社会可接纳的水平之后，就会选择跳槽到更高待遇、更能发挥自己、而且也具有更大挑战性的企业或机构。

遇到大项目翻译时，这些企业仍然不得不依赖外部的翻译专家或者外包给翻译团队或公司。当大量文字翻译项目被包给外部协作者的时候，这些企业内部专职翻译就演变成外包管理和协调员。

经验丰富的译员很少愿意在一个企业担任专职翻译。专职翻译的来源有两类：一是语言基础比较好，工作经验少，需要在一家企业工作以便得到稳定的收入来源。二是作自由职业和其他专职工作后转到企业的翻译岗位上。他们的工作经验和行业知识虽然比较多，但是翻译经验少或者翻译水平有限，所以才会回流。此两类翻译都造成了企业或机构专职翻译技能不过关、译文水准欠佳的状况。

经验丰富的翻译员基本上作自由译者。自由译者面对的任务的行业跨度更大，获得的报酬也更高。但是总体而言，自由译者基本上都是面对翻译公司来承接业务。面对直接客户的自由译者往往会遇到诸多弊端，诸如有些企业结帐拖延，由于没有二次校对和译审把关，出现质量问题时还会导致客户拒绝付款，同时面对有译文排版难题的客户稿件时，自由译者多数由于不能掌握全面的软件工具，很难满足客户的最终文件格式需求。

翻译团队是介于自由译者和翻译公司之间的一种翻译服务组织形式。由于中国柜内很多翻译公司缺乏专业水准高的翻译项目经理，从而使他们不得不把项目管理(译员组织协调、进度控制、质量监控和专家译审)外包给翻译团队，从而形成一个专业协作的行业分工链。目前这个生态系统在国内处于萌芽状态，很多翻译团队不能全责控制质量和流程，只是起到一个组织译员和进度控制的作用。所以有实力的和形成一定规模的翻译公司，还是自己招聘项目经理进行管理，同时反过来也抑制了翻译团队这个分工链的发展。

翻译公司是一种最佳的市场营销、客户服务和翻译项目管理运作组织形式。所以这个行业在国外经历了从散兵游泳到组织化运营的发展历程，已经在迈向成熟。国内的翻译公司改革开放之初便逐渐在对外开放发展的环境成长。由于规模小、管理专业人才缺乏，导致目前国内的翻译公司作坊式的居多。形成一定规模和业务量的公司，在质量管理环节上还存在许多误区。比如没有译审环节来控制质量，为了降低成本使用缺乏经验的译员，甚至直接雇用在校学生，和国外的翻译行业对质量的观念有很大的落差。这种情况某种程度上也是由于国内翻译客户的认识偏差造成的。比如很多客户认为翻译任务是一个简单的文字对应工作，出价低于行业期望标准，谁的价格低就找谁。个别客户甚至认为翻译就是免费找个人帮忙的事情。水落船低，造成翻译公司对质量控制的两难困境。

近十年来，国际翻译企业的进驻中国给这个行业带来的先进的理念和品控标准。因为跨国翻译企业最初往往服务于跨国公司，这些客户需要把产品手册本地化；随着跨国公司来自世界各地，其员工的国际化程度不断加深，跨国公司的广泛的内部沟通需求日益成为不断发展。跨国公司对质量标准的认识不同于国内企业。所以跨国翻译公司基本都是采用国际翻译业标准进行品质监控的，保证了跨国企业的质量需求。同时跨国翻译公司的市场分额也随之不断扩大。

近两年来，随着中国企业的国际化步伐越来越大，同时金融和经济危机使中国制造的概念成为企业发展的羁绊。越来越多的中国企业，特别是实力强大的企业，开始着手从事设计、研发和市场营销等国际分工链条。他们对语言质量的需求不断增大，很多国内的翻译公司已经跟不上他们的脚步。越来越多的翻译业务也就进了跨国翻译公司在中国的分支机构的篮子里。

母语翻译是国际翻译界通行的标准。因为很多文化地理、人文习俗和语言思维方式的不同，造成中国人翻译外语作为译文目标语言存在太多的障碍。我们经常会看到国内大企业的外文网站，非常汉语化的译文充斥不说，甚至经过仔细检查，会发现很多细节错误。这在一定程度上解释了这些企业国际化的步伐慢的原因。国外客户阅读难以下咽的语言面包，从感性和理性上都会有反感，试问如何进行合作？

最近笔者浏览了前段时间经常在国内媒体曝光的”三一重工”的企业多语种网站，发现很多低级的外语错误。这不能不说是企业营销管理和国际化的一大败笔。如果中国企业不走出对语言的认识误区，企业的出口就会永远会停留在OEM订单的级别上；国际化的步伐也会被语言这个软肋所刺伤，千里之堤，溃于蚁穴。

Industry News chinese translation services, multilingual translation, native translator, translation company, website globalization, 企业国际化, 母语翻译

Summary: What’s the relationship between a pack of assorted beans and multilingual translation? We are supply well-meaning services in the public and creating private companies, constructing thickets of bamboozling artifice and stifling offers to serve the people.

I speak three different languages with various degrees of proficiency —- Chinese, my mother tongue, pretty English, and enough French to get into a discussion with the French teacher in my college about our cultural differences. I have also dabbled a little in Japanese. As a part-time translator, I have never done any work on multilingual translation, but I am clearly acknowledging the absurdity that the modern translation industry takes multilingual translation as a derivative of bilingual translation.

Any kind of translation is a process to paraphrase one language into another, while multilingual translation is the same process done by a translator whose native language is neither the source language nor the target one. The fact that the clients or translation companies prefer the multilingual translation relies on not only the mutual trust, but also the operational cost and risk.

Due to lack of international communication and cooperation in translation industry, customers’ fossilization results in. The customers will prefer the same translation company in whatever conditions after they have fulfilled the company’s work for several times. As a duckling will imprint the first thing that feeds it, and thereafter follow around, so do the loyal customers who imprint their long-term cooperator. When the clients want a multilingual translation, they may prefer an old translation company in China, instead of a new one in Europe whose native language is either the source language or the target one.

Some Chinese translation companies do not possess multilingual ability, but still take multilingual translation as their special service. They use Chinese as a medium, i.e. to translate the source language into Chinese, and then translate the Chinese into the target language. Due to the language and culture diversity, the accuracy of this kind of multilingual translation is much lower.

The other reason for the existence of multilingual translation maybe is the cost. The exchange rate of Yuan against foreign currencies is so high that clients abroad prefer domestic translation services, which is breeding the soil of multilingual translation. Due to the globalization, the language skills of domestic and international translators are becoming compatible with internationally accepted practices. Therefore, in China, it is economically available. I wonder whether it is an element of the socialism with Chinese characteristics or not.

Despite the optimistic predictions, the development of the translation industry will not be an easy flight. Great challenges loom ahead, including fiercer competition from within and outside the country, cost control, technology bottlenecks and further deregulation of the market. Then, fierce competition contributes to multilingual translation in China, which is spread as a publicity and stunts to help expend business or to attract clients.

Last week, in a local Carrefour, I did encounter one tiny object that seemed to epitomize the absurdity of the domestic modern translation industry. It was a pack of assorted beans, which contains soybean, mung bean, pea, etc. On the brilliantly sparkling plastic package, there was a price tag with an impressive printing — 20 Yuan. The current price of any kind of beans in it is only one tenth of that price. Several beans can be revalued after being mingled together, but in my eyes, beans are still beans. Such items are no more than naked commercial promotion aimed at attracting eyeballs. And so does multilingual transition.

Industry News Chinese translation company, multilingual translation, translation company

    The article proposes an indirect way for multilingual translation with English language serving as a bridge between Chinese and the target language.

China’s economy has been building momentum for three decades since it opened up to the outside world, with its foreign trade volume registering a year-on-year increase. As more global companies enter into the vast Chinese market, feeling that they cannot afford to miss out on the opportunity to get a share of this tempting “cake”, multilingual translation business, as a byproduct of prosperous economy, is also thriving at a rate that has never been seen before. However, despite its bright prospects, multilingual translation in China now is not immune from problems, resulting from the unique local circumstances here.

For one thing, in a translation company which conducts multilingual translation business, there has to be a number of translators who master other languages beside Chinese. The fact is, nearly every university in China offers English courses, but as for other foreign languages of less popularity, there are not a number of learners enough to meet the demand for multilingual translation in these languages. Without such translators, the direct translation between Chinese and the target language renders impossible.

There is a simple solution to this problem being faced by multilingual translation venders. Considering large numbers of English speaking people, we may take English language as a go-between for translation from Chinese to the target language. English has long been considered as a universal language. It has been adopted as the official language by 75 countries and the people taking it as their second language are the largest in number. Therefore in case that direct translation of Chinese to a particular target language cannot be managed, we may resort to a round-about way, that is, via Chinese-to-English, English-to-target-language.

Of course inevitably there will be more information lost this way than direct multilingual translation. To minimize the information loss, translation quality in both Chinese-English translation and the English-to-the-target-language translation should be guaranteed at high levels.

With the help of Internet, geographic restriction for multilingual translation cooperation is no longer a problem. However distant the two companies are from each other, the communication between them can virtually be just a click of the mouse. Information exchange is quick and convenient on Internet. Right now many translation companies have already set up translation platforms on Internet which can be accessible by more people.

If translation companies from all countries can be combined into a multilingual translation network, then theoretically any translation from one language to another can be made available. There is another element that may hinder the implementation of this bold promising strategy-cost. This indirect translation method certainly involves more people and resources in the process, thus making costs rise. Unless we can keep the cost at a reasonably low rate which can be accepted by our clients, we cannot survive the fierce competition in the market.  

The whole world has already become a “global village” via Internet; let us hope in the future that such a multilingual translation network will be established as soon as possible. Exchanges across all areas will become even more active and efficient at that time when language barriers are overcome.

Industry News high quality translation service, multilingual translation, multilingual translation companies

Every translation blog on our shrinking planet, our treasured home, our precious blue waterworld, possesses a living soul unique to itself and to its readers.

The uniqueness of each translation blog informs a substantial part of what we call “individual character” and, together with the obvious arrangement differences, plainly differentiates one language from another one.

Critical choices are available to everyone as the new century begins to unfold. Upon the wisdom of big power hangs the fate of all life on this planet. Mutual understanding is crucial and language, not only several major languages, but all languages, holds the key, .And translation blog offers an alternative choice for international communication.

Common interests, enticements and rewards of trade, technology and cultural exchange have brought the great societies into a smaller world now named Global Village. Inevitable that as the trade barriers began to fall, the language barriers would follow. Therefore, translation blog will be a pioneer bridge between languages.

Translation bloggers are destined to be major players in the affairs of Planet Earth during the twenty-first century. They form a symbiont circle: what happens to the one will bear directly on what happens to others, and, by extension, to the entire globe.

It is an optimistic beginning. Translators and interpreters have seized the initiative with determination and good will, beginning with the hot passion for language usage. With the Internet technology, translation bloggers are building a great bridge to link all languages whose role is more crucial than the Tower of Babel. As a Chinese, I am glad to see more “Confucius Institutes” are set up around the world, and Chinese language learning is booming followed by the English language fashion.

We are all the beneficiaries of the international program to teach every child and most adults foreign language. The approachable virtual technology can fulfil every desire for language learning and cultural communication. And more and more bilingual links are from translation blogs, which exemplifies the values, thinking patterns, imagination and cultural awareness of a nation. They provide visitors a window into a unique intangible cultural heritage as a result of its long history.

Many translators or interpreters are indulging in demonstrating their language abilities on their translation blogs, which boosts the language developments and international communications. In doing so, they have put forward a challenge and clarion call for us in China to join in.

At the dawning of a new century and a new millennium, our world is at a turning point. A golden dream of deliverance, a dream of global unity, prosperity and responsibility, looms before a planet wearied of terror, wars, and environmental devastation. It is a remarkable moment fraught with opportunity, but the hour is late, very late. The dream must be realized, otherwise we will be lost. Therefore, we translation bloggers in China should find ourselves in a unique position, feel privileged and honoured to be “in the right place at the right time”. We humbly accept the challenge to contribute, in whatever way, to the realization of this dream. 

Author Information:

Albert Lau 

Marketing Manager of  Transhorsa Translation Co.,LTD.,Shanghai

http://www.transhorsa.org

Native translator & proofreading

Global Business Strategy multilingual DTP services, multilingual manual translation, multilingual translation, professional translation team, translation blog, translation outsourcing

 Once translation is considered as a kind of business, the force of commercialization will show its prowess in many ways. Translation quality has now become a hot topic. In this paper we will first cast a sight on real problems that determine the translation quality in today’s translation industry. The ISO9000 and 14000 quality standards are recommended and regulation of the translation industry needs to be launched forcefully. Finally, some personal viewpoints are suggested to formulate guidelines for translation services.

English has always been the international language as an information vehicle despite the world language had been formulated for decades. Now the translation market is broadening its horizon at an amazing speed, bringing about more opportunities as well as generating more challenges like any other booming industry. At present, the gross global translation production has reached over $13 billion dollars annually. The translation industry therefore can be called one of the hottest industries in the world.

It is ideal for any customer that the price and the quality could go with a cost- effective principle and the translation process could be an automatic plug-in one in a shortest waiting time. But the human translation working is under such a high pressure that it becomes so dear resulting in high quality. Early in the 1990’s, Lixianlin, a linguistic master deemed the translation crises are caused by many reasons; one of the most important was the increasingly declined translation quality. It is undoubted that the translation quality is a problem that we can not obviate any more.

When a translation work piece appears below the normal standard, the first idea strikes our mind is the translator is lack of required certificate or the ability of understanding a foreign language instead of pondering over something deeper.

In the second, the inadequate sense of social responsibility makes the poor translation quality. The translator should place the customers’ benefit above anything else. For example the overseas market effects of the products to be introduced in a language which is popular in the target area are largely determined by the translation quality. This is what translators or translation houses should make clear. Furthermore, a few translation companies run their business under such a situation in which the project manager himself is a layman in translation supervision!

The translation industry guideline has not been imposed to be executed by all translation service body and some illegal behaviors such as deceiving and big quote difference are making wormy sores in this industry structure, which makes the industry standardization rushing. Some ratfinks assign the projects they get and have no mind to pay for their contemporarily employed translators’ work. Some translation companies quote the lowest one can’t imagine in order to grab large amount of deals. After getting

They either employ unqualified translators or dissect the whole manuscript into small paragraphs of hundreds of word and get the free translation from hundreds of different translators in the guise for a trial. At last the customer becomes the biggest victim.

Translation Trend legal document translation, multilingual DTP services, multilingual manual translation, multilingual translation, professional translation team, translation outsourcing

Like many industries, translation industry has its own bio-system, which usually consists of translation service buyers, translation service providers, translation assistance tools, translation trade associations and translation skill-training organizations. Technical translation is becoming an ever-important part of our hi-tech business world, taking up larger share of the translation market and developing at ever-increasing speed. Let us shed some light on the first two components: the translation service buyers and translation service providers:

1. Translation Service Buyers

According to information from LISA Asia Globalization Resources Survey (2002-2003), most companies employ their own technical experts such as engineers with only mid-level target language ability to translate their product documents and also act as their only overseas market liaison communicators. Such companies could be described as technically oriented and production-cost oriented. They impose a higher responsibility on their experts to provide secondary services (language translations and communication channels) at the detriment of their actual technical duties not to mention the increased time demand on them. And only one third of these companies will entrust a third party translation institution with the target language edition and translation. However, if both an affordable quotation and professional, precise & accurate multi-language translation services are available, 50% of the companies are most likely to buy a full packaged translation service.

As to the spending on translations, the majority of companies will allocate from 2 to 5% of their gross income on project/product localization and from this, only 80% of the fund is paid for direct translations and linguistic maintenance with the rest 20% spent on electronic business services, network promotions, etc.

In terms of international languages market segment, English and Chinese are the two topmost target languages with market shares of 53% and 14% respectively, followed by Japanese of 11%, Korean of 7%, German 4% and French 3%.

2. Translation Service Providers

Currently translation language service providers can be classified into three main types: domestic translation companies, international localization institutions along with their affiliates located in the developed regions of the world and freelancers registered in a whole mass of translation platforms. The first conspicuous feature for the domestic translation companies is that a legion, supported by putting some words into the other ones, is being formed. The second feature is that most of their permanent staff although bilingual, are limited in technical knowledge and most will in turn contact and engage freelancers when a service order comes in. Their main customers are native companies who pay a moderately high bill for such hand-over service. Their target language business includes English, Chinese, Japanese, German, French, Korean and Russian and their service catalogue covers the fields of trade, legal, electronic, telecommunications, computers, machinery, the chemical industry, oil, auto industry, medicine, food, textiles and sports. As a result of strong competition and wide industries coverage, such companies are exposed to one another and the quotations they put in have a tendency to outbid one another and the corresponding service levels they provide also drop.

The total number of elite (field specific) experts who are engaged in project/product localization is not more than 1,500 persons and they are usually hired by some of the reputable language service companies such as MLV and RLV. The translators working in these companies must possess strong welding ability from source to the target language and have high level of technical knowledge with preferred career experiences in related fields. Such localization companies also rarely use freelancers. Freelancers enjoy their full scale of freedom from the price they charge to the way they work. Bypassing the language agencies, having no referrals, they are free from paying the commission but they cannot guarantee their work outputs would be professional and accurate. They seem more welcomed by those smaller firms who have limited budget allocation and one of type of work. However, it must be said that the freelancer group is flooding the market overwhelmingly at an incredible speed with little guarantee of quality and timeliness.

Industry News language translation service, multilingual DTP services, multilingual manual translation, multilingual translation, professional translation team, translation outsourcing