Our project is still in the planning stage. How much time should we budget for translation?

Just as a rough guide, consider 2000 words to be a reasonable daily output for a translator working from German into English without compromising quality.

One other important point to keep in mind: translators working from German to English are a notoriously busy bunch. I do my best to fit small rush jobs for regular customers in immediately, but please book early for larger projects.

Just how do you define a quality translation?

Simple: a faithful, but completely transparent rendition of the original text - in other words, the quality you would expect from a professional writer working in his or her native language. One can say that the less apparent it is that a text has been translated, the more successful the translation.

Do you also translate English material into German?

No. I stick to working from German to English. Professional translators generally agree that working into anything other than one's native language isn't really satisfactory with regard to efficiency or the quality of the results. While many translators can work from source material in several different languages - and most translators do have a great deal of sensitivity for the nuances of their source languages - truly polished writing is best done in one's mother tongue, or "language of habitual use", to use the PC expression.

Having said that, feel free to call me if you have English-to-German work. Most freelance translators have extensive informal networks, and I'd be happy to refer you to a trusted German colleague such as Martin Bering or Susan Siewert. Both were involved in the translation and upkeep of the German version of this site at www.deutsch-englisch.net.

I've noticed references to "translation tools" on your site, and those of a couple of your colleagues. Does that mean that you simply feed your work into one of those translation programs?

Fully automatic translation programs are often portrayed as the nemesis of human translators everywhere, but pour a drink or two into most of us, and it won't be long until we start gleefully heaping scorn on them. At this point I have to make a distinction between programs that are actually designed to "translate", and tools designed to support the work of human translators, such as Déjà Vu or Trados.

As arcane as the subject matter may seem, these programs really deserve pages of their own - the next link will take you to my own shamelessly biased views on the wonderful world of machine translation programs. And on a more serious note, here's further information about one of my favorite tools, Déjà Vu, and its benefits for you as a translation customer.

How can I tell that I've found the right translator for my requirements?

There's no simple answer to that. Professional translators cover an astonishingly wide range of interests and inclinations, from the bilingual scientist or engineer to the artistically inclined wordsmith. Specialists of this caliber would never respond to the expectations of an equally broad range of potential customers with blanket statements such as "you've come to the right place".

A lot is at stake. Your online presence and printed marketing materials involve a substantial investment. What's more, their look and feel are a direct statement about your attitude toward quality - regardless of their language.

Translation isn't a matter of simply swapping words, but of conveying your message effectively in another language. Carefully polished original copy also requires greater sensitivity with regard to the expectations and mentality of the target audience and consideration of cultural specifics.

My point is that it's not possible to just "type it up in the other language". It's essential to have someone who is truly in tune with your field and your audience.

I appreciate your point about the importance of finding a subject specialist. Having said that, your profile doesn't really match my needs. Where else can I find a competent translator?

Since you already found my site, I assume that you need someone who works with US English, either as a source or target language. In that case, try the online directory of the American Translators Association.

The largest and most reputable international directories are those maintained by TransRef.org and Aquarius.net. They are open to all translators and thus can't enforce the same quality standards as the directories of the professional organizations. However, if you need a rare language combination or an unusual specialty, they may just have the translator to suit your needs. All of the above directories can be searched on the basis of language combinations, specialties, and the translators' location, should this be of relevance to you.

I just looked in the yellow pages and found a full-page ad for MegaTranslations International Inc, "All Languages, All Subjects". What can you offer me that they can't?

A direct customer-translator relationship is the natural choice for low to medium-volume work with a special emphasis on quality and involving only one or two target languages. A large company simply can't match the attention to detail applied to the final product and the gains in consistency resulting from such a relationship. This is especially true in the medium and long term, as "your" translator becomes more and more sensitized to your expectations.

Some large, reputable language-service companies offer convenience as a one-stop source for your technical writing, translation and publishing needs over a wide range of languages, but they can't offer this kind of flexibility and attention to detail due to the additional administrative layers between the customer and the anonymous translator. So when it comes to the relative merits of large companies vs. individual translators, there's no simple, universally valid answer. There is a lot to be gained, however, by choosing your partner with care.