How do I hire a translator?
November 22, 2019 5:51 AM Subscribe
Seeking advice or recommendations for hiring an English-to-Tamil translator for a text of personal significance that ISN'T a legal text. (And quickly!)
I have a document (not super long - a couple hundred words) that I need to translate from English to Tamil.
It is not a legal document, rather, it's something sort of poetically written (think along the lines of a religious text). Therefore, I'd like to find someone who is comfortable translating the meaning rather than the literal words; I understand that that can take a slightly different approach.
I can see plenty of translation services on the internet but A. I have no idea how to compare them and B. I don't know if any would be better at worse at a translation like described above. Does anyone have experience with translation services like that that can recommend a service, or approach, or person? All advice welcome, even if it's not Tamil-specific.
Other considerations, if it matters or if you have more advice:
-This is also on a pretty tight timeline, so that's a consideration as well - I don't know how long these things typically take.
-I am not a Tamil speaker/reader, but other people involved in this are, so we will be able to understand the output and everything - they just don't feel confident doing this translation themselves.
-This would need to happen online
-Budget is pretty flexible for the right person
I have a document (not super long - a couple hundred words) that I need to translate from English to Tamil.
It is not a legal document, rather, it's something sort of poetically written (think along the lines of a religious text). Therefore, I'd like to find someone who is comfortable translating the meaning rather than the literal words; I understand that that can take a slightly different approach.
I can see plenty of translation services on the internet but A. I have no idea how to compare them and B. I don't know if any would be better at worse at a translation like described above. Does anyone have experience with translation services like that that can recommend a service, or approach, or person? All advice welcome, even if it's not Tamil-specific.
Other considerations, if it matters or if you have more advice:
-This is also on a pretty tight timeline, so that's a consideration as well - I don't know how long these things typically take.
-I am not a Tamil speaker/reader, but other people involved in this are, so we will be able to understand the output and everything - they just don't feel confident doing this translation themselves.
-This would need to happen online
-Budget is pretty flexible for the right person
Assuming you're in the US, I'd recommend you look in the ATA Directory - that provides a basic level of reassurance that the person you're dealing with takes the business somewhat seriously. If you contact a few of the names listed under English to Tamil (I see 10) you'll get an idea of the approach they'll take.
If you contact an agency they're likely to use ATA translators anyway, and it'll be more expensive for you.
posted by altolinguistic at 7:22 AM on November 22, 2019
If you contact an agency they're likely to use ATA translators anyway, and it'll be more expensive for you.
posted by altolinguistic at 7:22 AM on November 22, 2019
I've always liked to use Gengo for translations. Easy to use, fast, inexpensive, and good quality work. They crowdsource the work but somehow seem to maintain high standards.
posted by Dansaman at 10:01 PM on November 22, 2019
posted by Dansaman at 10:01 PM on November 22, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:09 AM on November 22, 2019