… so you can get the most from your translation and make the process super simple
A sound brief = brilliant work
You might think that only the marketing department and copywriters need a brief, but they can be really useful for your translator too. If you are getting marketing copy translated it can be helpful for your translator to see the original brief to make sure they are on the same page, but what I’m talking about is something a bit different.
A marketing brief should do two things: inform and inspire. A translation brief needs to do the exact same, just with a different focus. Your translator requires plenty of information to make sure the text they send back to you does exactly what you need it to. Sadly, we aren’t mind readers, and what might seem obvious to you can be extremely valuable information.
Let’s look at an example.
Agnès works for a private healthcare provider, and has a questionnaire that she needs to get translated into English. She sends it to a translation provider without any additional information for the translator, but when the translation comes back it is full of complicated medical terms that she knows their patients, the people who will be filling it in, will find difficult to understand. The result? Patients might not be able to provide accurate answers to the questions about their health issues, or might not even complete the questionnaire at all. After all, not everyone can be expected to know that a myocardial infarction is in fact a heart attack!
What could she do differently?
By providing a brief (or more simply, just some background information), Agnès can let the translator know who will be reading the text, and so how accessible the language needs to be. She could also specify what format (plain text in Word or the finished, formatted product) she would like the text to be returned in, what tone of voice she would prefer (chatty, to put patients at ease, or more formal) so that the finished product fits in with the other materials the company produces, and what the purpose of the text is.
The last point is incredibly important.
If the purpose of Agnès’ patient questionnaire is to help a healthcare professional understand a patient’s condition and lifestyle with a view to determining the appropriate treatment, then the translator will need to choose their words very carefully to sound encouraging, but also prioritise clarity and readability.
If the purpose of your text is instead to show off your business or new product to potential investors or prospective clients, perhaps in the form of a brochure, then the translator will need to employ all their talents to create a persuasive, authoritative translation.
I’ve created a checklist of information that you may wish to provide when placing an order for a translation, to help you get the best out of the process. If you would like a PDF version to keep handy then email me at josephina@jwtranslation.co.uk and I’ll send it over.
- What is the purpose of the text? What do you want it to achieve?
- Who will be reading it?
- How long is the text? Can you provide a word count, or better yet, let me see the document?
- What language is the text written in, and what language would you like it translated into? If that is English, would you like UK or US English?
- Do you have a specific deadline in mind?
- Do you have any house style guides (or external ones, i.e. UN Editorial) that you would like me to follow?
- Do you have any preferred terminology?
- What format will you send me the translation in, and what format will you require it to be delivered in? (for example, plain text in a Word document, or the finished product polished and ready to publish)
- Can you tell me a bit more about your business and what makes you tick?
Let me know if you have any questions not covered here or would like to talk about a translation project using the contact page or by emailing me. You can also book a video call with me at a time that suits you here.