Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I be sure Conversa's translation is good if I can not read the language?

A: Ask a native speaker. This may be one of your employees, customers, or perhaps a business contact. Conversa recommends getting this kind of feedback in the early stages of the translation process. If it is very important, you could give a portion of the document to another translation agency or a professor of that language at a local university. Finally, you could back-translate the document. This would cost you a little extra, but it would validate the accuracy of the translation. However, with our quality control, this step should only be necessary in special cases, such as a consumer product label.

Q: Can I get the translation back in electronic format?

A: Certainly. The languages for which there are complications are Arabic, Hebrew and Asian languages whose fonts your operating system may not support.

Q: Do you have one person at your agency who knows all these languages?

A: Most of Conversa's translators are bilingual, but some know 3, 4, even 5 languages. The translator working on your document will be a native speaker. That will ensure that the translation is well written and grammatically correct.

Q: Why is the translation so expensive?

A: Many people think translation simply involves reading the document and simultaneously converting the source text into the target language. The process is much more involved. Because each language is unique, text often can not and should not be translated word for word. Careful consideration must be put into the way things are worded. Syntax, vocabulary, and writing style can be language, culture, industry and country specific. This is why Conversa employs an editor and a proofreader to work on you document to ensure quality control. Our translators are professionals and are paid accordingly. (Although some always feel they deserve to be paid more!)

Q: Won't having someone in our company do the translation save time and money?

A: It may, if you have employees sitting around waiting for something to do. Having an employee do the translation will obviously take time. If it is an important document, you may not want to have a non-specialist do it on overtime or personal time, since it may not get the professional attention your project deserves. Having Conversa translate your document will save you money. Our professionals will take less time, without extra benefits or overtime costs involved.

Q: The District Sales Manager in France read the document and he thinks the translation stinks. What's up?

A: On rare occasion, one of our clients will get this feedback. Of course, if you don't know the language, you are caught in a tug-of-war between the translation agency and the critic. Be aware. Often critics may have a hidden agenda. He or she may have a friend or relative who is a translator and wants the next translation. Or perhaps this critic is engaged in intracompany politics from which he or she may benefit (i.e. the critic may want to take over the translation assignment). At all events, Conversa's quality control ensures that our translations are professional and accurate.

Conversa will address every critique you may have. And if there legitimate stylistic, grammatical or vocabulary problems, we will rectify them at no charge.

If the issue is difficult for you to resolve, have an objective third party review the translation and the critique. Be sure to consult a qualified professional who understands the complexities of the translation process.

Q: Are computer programs good enough to do a quality translation?

A: Computer translation programs have improved immensely in the past few years. If you have an electronic document, a computer can, for the most part, reasonably translate your document so that you can at least understand the context. For documents such as brochures, manuals, and business correspondence, computer program output requires editing. Most of Conversa's translators think it is faster and easier to start from scratch, without the programs, to ensure a quality translation.

Computer translation memory assistance programs are capable of producing quality documents. But the user must be bilingual to use them. Click here for more information (computer translation web page.)