Philosphy
of Edge Translations
Translating? A profession on the verge of becoming extinct, according to
some, who predict that the computer will take over completely. Somebody who does the proof
reading is all that will be needed. Translating as a technical challenge.
Translating? According to others translating is impossible. How could a text ever be truly rendered into a different language, a different system of thought? And there is never only one solution in the target language, just one of many. Translating as a form of art.
Translating is both of course. However, the quality of machine translation is as yet far from satisfactory, and the raw product is not fit to be presented to your client. Proof reading requires a lot of time and professional expertise – at which point we come back to the translator.
You might also think, why translate at all? Everybody can speak English. Or can they? It is true that many, though by far not all, people in Europe speak English – with varying degrees of proficiency. However, as you might have experienced yourself, trying to understand a text in a foreign language is hard work and will always be more difficult than getting to grips with one in your native language. You want to sell? You want to convince? You want to transport difficult issues? Make your clients’ lives easier, and you will have a greater success.
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As translators we can help you to cross the language barrier. We aim for technical perfection. After all, the quality of every translation can be judged according to set of rules. How has the content been rendered into the target language? How is the style? How natural, that is idiomatic, is the use of the target language? How close is the translation to the original? It is self evident that every translation should be technically 100 percent correct concerning grammar and spelling. |
It is also clear that a translation should never be recognisable as such – it should read like an original. Here is where the art starts. And it is only possible if the translator is completely at home in their own and in the source language and has inside knowledge concerning the subject area of the text (see qualifications). Patience is needed, love to detail and sometimes a detective’s nose.
With Edge Translations you deal directly with the translator, not an agency, avoiding extra administrative and other costs on top of the costs for translating. Edge Translations charges a basic rate. In the UK this is calculated in £ per 1000 words source language. German customers please visit the German part of these web pages. All other customers please contact Edge translations for further details. On top of this basic rate an extra charge may apply according to complexity of the order (difficulty, not MS Word formats, independent proof reading). All this will be negotiated when the order is accepted. There is no VAT payable. Ask for a free quotation for your language project.
Terms and conditions apply as recommended by the ITI (Institute for
Translation and Interpreting). See and download them as pdf-file at
http://www.iti.org.uk/pdfs/newPDF/19FHModelGeneralTerms.pdf
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NWTN - North West Translators' Network
The NWTN is an organisation of translators in the North West of England and is attached to the ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting), and therefore the same code of conduct applies. Accordingly, we only translate into our mother tongue (more under http://www.iti.org.uk). In the NWTN you will find a variety of language professionals, who work together for one aim – to offer you a better service. Our web pages are available online (http://www.nwtn.org.uk) and we eagerly await your comments.