How to improve translation time? An how-to guide containing 7 easy steps. [Part 3/3]

Step #5 :: Do not cut on communication expenses. What I mean is that one must keep all communication gates open: it will allow better and faster communication with fellow translators, specialists, and customers. This will not only cater for a faster translation process, but also more efficient marketing, while assuring an image of credibility and availability for future projects.

Step #6 :: Discipline. Translation is “many things”. Some say it’s an art, others to it as a craft, others defend one must have a vocation for it, and so on. When we are talking about fast and optimal quality translation services we finally understand it is a job to be made by professionals who are target-focused people who make all efforts to deliver an output which makes no compromise with quality. This requires discipline. There is no other explanation but discipline for the Herculean efforts translators go through to deliver documents in the different working languages (also known as procedural languages) in international organizations (such as the United Nations, the African Union, or the World Trade Organization) or summits (for instance, minutes and final declarations issued in multilateral meetings). The translator is often the person who turns off the light at the office, even when the day is breaking...

Step #7 :: This tour-de-force on faster translation could not be finished without mentioning the working environment. This is especially true for those who work at home, as it is more easily controlled. The environment should fit your needs for space, light and noise level. On a very special personal note, I can’t forget the time I was working on a construction project as both translator and interpreter: the batches of documents I had to work on didn’t care about the scorching temperatures, and the concrete mixers and jumping jacks working close-by. Always do your best to guarantee the best working conditions, maximise the questions about safety, comfort and ergonomics. If the neighbor is testing your patience with renovation works, consider relocating those hours to the public library, most offer free broadband access, better than average dictionaries and source books, and at campus you may even find cabinets where you may work alone.

These tips are guidance for the professional translator who wishes to offer the best and fastest translation service. Some of these ideas will make you score big with clients, because deadlines are a real issue in the translation business and they can put one ahead of the competition. We hope you don’t have any excuses to postpone. If you have a work to do, just do it!