Document Translation

I provide quality document translations from French to English, Spanish to English, and German to English. My specializations include general, legal, financial, business, and technical translation, but I often translate texts on a variety of subjects and also work with international organizations.

What This Service Entails

You may be wondering: What exactly is translation? When I request this service, what will I be getting? The answers to these questions are outlined below.

Written, not Spoken

The key thing to understand about translation is that it is not the same as interpreting. Interpreting also involves taking a message in one language and delivering it another, but all of this is done aloud. Translation, on the other hand, is a written service. It involves taking a text written in one language (a “source text”) and delivering the message of that text in a second language (in a “target text”). Put simply, for my services, it means taking a message written in French, Spanish, or German and delivering that same message in English.

Accuracy is Key

The core of translation is accuracy: translations are intended to carry much more than just the gist of the original message. They must convey the same meaning as the original text, and they must be written in the same style and register as well. A document translation should have the same overall effect on the reader as the original text and should also contain all of the same details.

This is why professional translators generally only offer translations into their mother tongue. When people write in their second (or third, etc.) languages, they often make small grammar mistakes that they do not notice, but that jump out at a reader who is a native speaker of that language. They may also misuse words by accident, which compromises the accuracy of the translation. A key mark of a good translation is that it does not read like a translation: it should sound as though it was originally written in the target language by a native speaker.

Identical Formatting

Since translation is written, format is important too. For a professional impression and for ease of comparison between the two documents, the original text and the translated text should look the same. This can become tricky in situations where the original is provided in a format that cannot be edited, such as a PDF, but a dedicated translator will do their best. For example, below is a copy of a diploma that I translated from German into English; the document was provided as a PDF scan and I recreated the format as closely as possible.

                                     

Englishes Available

When you request a document translation, you will also need to decide what variety of English you would like to have your text translated into. This will be determined by the purpose of the text and by your intended audience – if your text is designed to appeal to your reader (e.g. it is a marketing brochure), then it will be more effective if you use your reader’s native variety of English. If it is simply an informative text, then the variety of English you choose may be less important, depending on the circumstances.

I am a Canadian English native speaker, but thanks to my lifelong exposure to American and British texts, together with my experience of living in the UK for over two years, I have a good understanding of the differences between these varieties of English. This understanding is deepened even further thanks to the fact that the differences between American, British, and Canadian English featured prominently in my master’s thesis, Translating into Canadian English, and I have done a lot of research into the area. Thus, I provide translation services into all three of these varieties.

Thanks to my recent move to New Zealand, I am also adding New Zealand and Australian English to my list.

More information about my experience with English and with different English varieties can be found on the page English and its Varieties. What is meant by “English varieties” is also covered on this page, and further explanation and examples can be found on the FAQ page under “What do you mean when you talk about different varieties of English?”

Translation for Official Purposes

If you are getting documents translated for formal or official purposes (e.g. for immigration), then you may need to get a certified translation. This is also a service that I provide; please see the Certified Translation page for more information on this specific type of translation.

Pricing

For information regarding my rates, please see the Rates tab.