Quality Counts: Business Translation from English to German and Scandinavian Languages

Scandinavian and German Translation of Business Documents

One of the many reasons why translators at our company are screened so thoroughly is due to the nature, type, industry and background of our clients and their document translation needs. We don't accept just anyone who claims to be fluent in a foreign language, and it's safe to assume that any other reputable professional translation service doesn't either. While individual translators can often be tempting because rates can be dramatically low – this should be a red flag to any kind of business. Business documents often contain very high diction and levels of vocabulary which can only be fully understood and translated by those with many years of experience in professional translation. Only translators who have been, or are still immersed in the culture of the source language, should take on any kind of language translation service. Additionally, the native tongue of the translator(s) must always be the target language of the translation project. In other words, only a Swedish native living in England or the U.S. or any other English speaking country, should provide professional English to Swedish translation - especially for important, professional business documents.

We provided a business translation recently, for a client who needed English to German translation, as well as Dutch translation, Norwegian, and several other Nordic and Germanic languages in western and northern Europe. This business document translation was submitted to us by one of the business executives from an instant secure credit-reporting/credit-checking system (we promised to keep company details a secret). It's obvious as to why internationalization and localized translation services would be needed for such an operation: credit-reporting, loans, credit checks, credit card services, and so on, are needed on an international scale. In addition, our client requested expedited Norwegian translation, Dutch translation, and the other languages mentioned.

Highly Qualified Translators = High Quality Business Translation Services

So in review of all translation service particulars for this business translation, not only was this a fairly lengthy document full of high diction and vocabulary, some technical business phrases and contractual jargon – but the business document was needed quickly. This is exactly why it is so crucial for a professional translation company to insist upon thorough screening and testing of its translators. An individual with bilingual capabilities is something completely separate from a translator. Fluency in a foreign language does not instantly qualify anyone to translate documents. As we've recently illustrated in depth, opting for extremely low cost translations from just such individuals can end in disaster. A professional translation agency such as ours - one that demands all our translation deliverables be as close to perfection as possible – cannot afford to waste time, money and reputation upon under-qualified, inexperienced translators and language service providers. Which brings us to the primary point and question: if our translation company cannot risk poor translations by those who are not qualified to translate business documents – is it worth the risk for any kind of professional business? It's a rhetorical kind of question (or it would be if this were a speech instead of an article) – but we think the answer is pretty universal.