How to approach translating a company's website from English to Spanish
September 8, 2015 5:21 PM Subscribe
My company is investigating translating a web site we work on into Spanish, and might even be looking into getting messages from website users translated from Spanish into English (and vice versa). We are large enough to have a real budget to do this professionally, but no one has done this before so we’re not sure where to start and what our options are. Talk me through the steps I should take to start investigating this.
The website in question allows customers to log in and see details of their orders (well, not exactly that, but I have to keep it vague for this question). One manager thinks we can just run the website through Google Translate and get a translated site for free. Everyone I talk to says this is a bad idea, but I’m having difficulty proving it to said manager and he’s still pushing the idea. So I guess the first part of this is “tell me why Google Translate is or is not an option to consider, and if it’s not a good idea where can I find some sources to show my coworker.” For this site, “good enough” is not good enough - the translations really need to be spot on.
Also, are there any automated translation services that are actually good enough to use? Or are all existing machine translations too bad for use in a production system?
Anyway, on to the steps we need to take to get this translated. It seems there are 3 types of data we’ll be dealing with:
Static text - text that rarely changes on the site, like instructions for navigating the site. This seems pretty straightforward, we translate it all at once then when we make changes to the English site we also need a process to translate all future changes into Spanish as well.
Dynamic fields - fields (such as a product's name) that can show different data depending on who is logged in, but all possible values are known. It seems we could translate all of the possible values ahead of time and have a process for translating future values as they come up.
It seems these 2 types of data could be handled by a company that provides ongoing translation services, in bulk at first then in smaller increments later. Do such companies exist? How do I go about finding them? Or are there other options, like getting our own translation staff?
Free text - translating messages sent to us by Spanish-speaking customers into English and translating replies from us from English to Spanish. Since we can’t know what these say ahead of time, they would have to be translated as they are received. Are there services that will translate messages like this within a few hours of receipt? Or maybe there’s a paid automated translation service that is actually worth looking into?
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
The website in question allows customers to log in and see details of their orders (well, not exactly that, but I have to keep it vague for this question). One manager thinks we can just run the website through Google Translate and get a translated site for free. Everyone I talk to says this is a bad idea, but I’m having difficulty proving it to said manager and he’s still pushing the idea. So I guess the first part of this is “tell me why Google Translate is or is not an option to consider, and if it’s not a good idea where can I find some sources to show my coworker.” For this site, “good enough” is not good enough - the translations really need to be spot on.
Also, are there any automated translation services that are actually good enough to use? Or are all existing machine translations too bad for use in a production system?
Anyway, on to the steps we need to take to get this translated. It seems there are 3 types of data we’ll be dealing with:
Static text - text that rarely changes on the site, like instructions for navigating the site. This seems pretty straightforward, we translate it all at once then when we make changes to the English site we also need a process to translate all future changes into Spanish as well.
Dynamic fields - fields (such as a product's name) that can show different data depending on who is logged in, but all possible values are known. It seems we could translate all of the possible values ahead of time and have a process for translating future values as they come up.
It seems these 2 types of data could be handled by a company that provides ongoing translation services, in bulk at first then in smaller increments later. Do such companies exist? How do I go about finding them? Or are there other options, like getting our own translation staff?
Free text - translating messages sent to us by Spanish-speaking customers into English and translating replies from us from English to Spanish. Since we can’t know what these say ahead of time, they would have to be translated as they are received. Are there services that will translate messages like this within a few hours of receipt? Or maybe there’s a paid automated translation service that is actually worth looking into?
Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!
To prove why Google Translate is not an option, take any piece of text from the site, and use google to translate it to Spanish and then back. And that´s the best automated translation software out there. Literal translations never work. There´s a lot of subtelties in choosing one word over another, and that´s without even considering idiomatic expressions or phrasal verbs.
You may also need to take into account localization. Is your Spanish speaking customer base specific to a country or is it worldwide? What may be a good translation for Argentina may be terrible for Dominican Republic (to the point of being illegible). A good translator will localize (you may need to get a translator from the specific country), or make it as neutral as possible, depending on your needs.
Translating all possible values for dynamic text is a good idea. I´m not a translator, I´m not certified, but I tried working as one years ago and if a company approached me about ongoing translation of new text I would have considered it, so I believe actual translators do it.
About getting in-house translation staff, the question is are you big enough to justify that? How often will you need to translate new stuff? Will they be sitting on their asses most of the time? If the answer to the last question is yes,memail me outsourcing it may be a better idea.
As for free text, translation is not cheap. Getting Spanish speaking customer service reps (in-house or outsourced), or better yet, bilingual reps, to handle those contacts with professionaly translated training materials, scripts, etc. is probably a more cost effective idea.
posted by Promethea at 6:02 PM on September 8, 2015
You may also need to take into account localization. Is your Spanish speaking customer base specific to a country or is it worldwide? What may be a good translation for Argentina may be terrible for Dominican Republic (to the point of being illegible). A good translator will localize (you may need to get a translator from the specific country), or make it as neutral as possible, depending on your needs.
Translating all possible values for dynamic text is a good idea. I´m not a translator, I´m not certified, but I tried working as one years ago and if a company approached me about ongoing translation of new text I would have considered it, so I believe actual translators do it.
About getting in-house translation staff, the question is are you big enough to justify that? How often will you need to translate new stuff? Will they be sitting on their asses most of the time? If the answer to the last question is yes,
As for free text, translation is not cheap. Getting Spanish speaking customer service reps (in-house or outsourced), or better yet, bilingual reps, to handle those contacts with professionaly translated training materials, scripts, etc. is probably a more cost effective idea.
posted by Promethea at 6:02 PM on September 8, 2015
Response by poster: I won't threadsit, but I want to emphasize this: "Translation software leaves a lot to be desired, and can come across as unprofessional."
This seems to be one of those things that everyone "knows" (myself included), but no one can produce evidence except for the oft-repeated "run it through Google Translate twice" advice. Has anyone demonstrated that today's paid machine translations really aren't up to the task?
posted by Tehhund at 6:05 PM on September 8, 2015
This seems to be one of those things that everyone "knows" (myself included), but no one can produce evidence except for the oft-repeated "run it through Google Translate twice" advice. Has anyone demonstrated that today's paid machine translations really aren't up to the task?
posted by Tehhund at 6:05 PM on September 8, 2015
I'm a translator (not Spanish though). You absolutely need a human being involved because machines/google cannot understand context; words can mean completely different things in different contexts. I use Google translate a lot as a tool to help me; trust me, if you rely only on that the translation will sound completely ridiculous and nonsensical at parts.
Not only do you need a human being, but you need one who is skilled and experienced at translating; just being bilingual does not mean one will be a good translator. It's a skill that requires linguistic ability, cultural knowledge, ability to infer context, and ability to write something in a comparable way when no completely direct translation is available; machines cannot do any of that. Google and machines can translate some words and phrases correctly but they cannot put them together into sentence and paragraphs.
You can start by looking at the American Translators Association for certified translators. You can also google translation companies,but it's harder to know what kind of quality you'll get. Another option is a website like proz.com- I am a member there and you can view member profiles and read feedback from other clients they have had.
posted by bearette at 6:11 PM on September 8, 2015
Not only do you need a human being, but you need one who is skilled and experienced at translating; just being bilingual does not mean one will be a good translator. It's a skill that requires linguistic ability, cultural knowledge, ability to infer context, and ability to write something in a comparable way when no completely direct translation is available; machines cannot do any of that. Google and machines can translate some words and phrases correctly but they cannot put them together into sentence and paragraphs.
You can start by looking at the American Translators Association for certified translators. You can also google translation companies,but it's harder to know what kind of quality you'll get. Another option is a website like proz.com- I am a member there and you can view member profiles and read feedback from other clients they have had.
posted by bearette at 6:11 PM on September 8, 2015
Here's an example of Chinese text that I just put into google translate (this is the English it came up with):
Looking to the future, preferably Required Technology More than 500 employees still adhere to "Dream with robot" of the faith, help mankind to create a smarter, more relaxed lifestyle, so that everyone can have a robot, and enjoy more convenience, but also intelligent life full of warmth.
Does your company want the website to read like that?
posted by bearette at 6:21 PM on September 8, 2015
Looking to the future, preferably Required Technology More than 500 employees still adhere to "Dream with robot" of the faith, help mankind to create a smarter, more relaxed lifestyle, so that everyone can have a robot, and enjoy more convenience, but also intelligent life full of warmth.
Does your company want the website to read like that?
posted by bearette at 6:21 PM on September 8, 2015
Pay a professional company to do it. I work for a marketing agency and many of our clients have international sites in spanish, german, French, Chinese etc. We always use a pro and particularly someone who is Web savvy and will be aware of things like keywords and other SEO elements. Google is an international site too so make sure to consider the types of words you want to rank for in the search results and share with your translator to see if there's a relevant equivalent. I'd take a look at wordsmith and similar companies that specialize in web translation (it's a big industry) to see if one fits. Feel free to me-mail if want more specifics about what to consider when translating a site.
posted by CosmicSeeker42 at 6:21 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by CosmicSeeker42 at 6:21 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Go to a foreign-language news site. Copy an article and put it through Google Translate. Have your boss read the result out loud.
Google Translate will no longer seem like a viable idea.
posted by erst at 6:29 PM on September 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Google Translate will no longer seem like a viable idea.
posted by erst at 6:29 PM on September 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Another translator chiming in here. Google Translate is fine if you're in a strange city. A professional website you want clients to see? Get a qualified professional or don't bother.
Google Translate is not going to be able to manage slang, find the correct register, or understand cultural context. That's not even taking into account regional variations in the language- did you know, for instance, that to table something (as in a discussion) means two completely opposite things depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on? Or that calling a maillot de bain a swimming costume will get you nods in Britain but peals of laughter from Americans? Those are just two examples, I'm sure other people can think of more. Point is, Google Translate is only a good idea if you want to make complete arses of yourselves.
The American Translator's Association has an excellent concise guide to translation, targeted towards people like you- Getting It Right. At the very least, you and your boss should read it before making any decisions.
posted by Tamanna at 7:27 PM on September 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
Google Translate is not going to be able to manage slang, find the correct register, or understand cultural context. That's not even taking into account regional variations in the language- did you know, for instance, that to table something (as in a discussion) means two completely opposite things depending on which side of the Atlantic you're on? Or that calling a maillot de bain a swimming costume will get you nods in Britain but peals of laughter from Americans? Those are just two examples, I'm sure other people can think of more. Point is, Google Translate is only a good idea if you want to make complete arses of yourselves.
The American Translator's Association has an excellent concise guide to translation, targeted towards people like you- Getting It Right. At the very least, you and your boss should read it before making any decisions.
posted by Tamanna at 7:27 PM on September 8, 2015 [3 favorites]
Google translate is a tool your clients can themselves use if you site isn't translated, it will give them a rough idea. No studies need to be done showing it isn't good enough, anyone who speaks more than one language can see that with one click. You don't even need two languages, here's an automatically translated news article. It works for comprehension, but it's really obviously google translate. Don't cheap out, be as professional in this as you are in your other areas and don't devalue your Spanish-speaking client-base by thinking they should make do with less.
posted by Iteki at 9:11 PM on September 8, 2015
posted by Iteki at 9:11 PM on September 8, 2015
Google Translate is fine if you're in a strange city.
I'm not a translator, but I'm currently living in a foreign city, and Google Translate I presume helps me get the gist of signs, but clearly gives crappy translation even there.
As an example, from a receipt I had lying around:
"Blago menjamo v roku 8 dni od nakupa, ob predložitvi originalnega računa. Gotovine ne vračamo, možna menjava ali dobropis Ob nakupu blaga z napako menjava ni možna! Reklamacije upoštevamo samo ob predložitvi original računa. Zahvaljujemo se vam za nakup!"
Translates to:
"Goods linen is delivered within 8 days of purchase, upon presentation of the original invoice. Cash will not be returned and possible replacement or credit note when you purchase the replacement of defective goods is not possible! Complaints considering only upon presentation of the original invoice. Thank you for your purchase!"
Which, ok, I understand what it's getting at, but it's clearly not colloquial, and certainly doesn't rise to the level of professional.
Find some Spanish somewhere, run it through Google Translate, and give it to your boss to read, and then ask if that's the level of professionalism he/she wants for the website.
posted by leahwrenn at 11:16 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm not a translator, but I'm currently living in a foreign city, and Google Translate I presume helps me get the gist of signs, but clearly gives crappy translation even there.
As an example, from a receipt I had lying around:
"Blago menjamo v roku 8 dni od nakupa, ob predložitvi originalnega računa. Gotovine ne vračamo, možna menjava ali dobropis Ob nakupu blaga z napako menjava ni možna! Reklamacije upoštevamo samo ob predložitvi original računa. Zahvaljujemo se vam za nakup!"
Translates to:
"Goods linen is delivered within 8 days of purchase, upon presentation of the original invoice. Cash will not be returned and possible replacement or credit note when you purchase the replacement of defective goods is not possible! Complaints considering only upon presentation of the original invoice. Thank you for your purchase!"
Which, ok, I understand what it's getting at, but it's clearly not colloquial, and certainly doesn't rise to the level of professional.
Find some Spanish somewhere, run it through Google Translate, and give it to your boss to read, and then ask if that's the level of professionalism he/she wants for the website.
posted by leahwrenn at 11:16 PM on September 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
I finished up on a big UK-Foreign Language (FL) research project last year. The responsibilities of the UK organisation leading the project (not my organisation) included a newsletter to go to interested parties about the on-going work of the project and then its results. They got round to putting something together in English but then rather than pay to translate they ran it though google. Luckily they sent it to project partners before sending it to our mailing list. I can tell you that the FL project partners reacted very, very badly. Essentially the project leader, who was himself a native FL speaker but hadn't bothered to consider the quality of what he was going to send out, was going to send out gibberish to organisations with whom the partners had on-going professional relationships. Not surprisingly, they were very concerned about sending out what was effectively pidgin-FL to hundreds of partners, customers, funders. I say concerned, I mean utterly furious. Because it would make them look like incompetents.
Just think about the message you are sending when you do this:
1: You literally don't know what message you are sending, since no-one who understands Spanish is reading it on your side before it goes to a customer, so you have no check on what the words actually say. Words don't translate, accents don't get picked up, verb tenses confuse the translation software, typos stay in English.
2: you are telling your customers, 'hey, we are slapdash and cheap, and we see you as less worthwhile than our English speaking customers.'
If you want to try another exercise in what translator text looks like, go into tripadvisor and pick Spain, look up a town and look at hotel reviews. Some reviews will be in Spanish. Hit the google translate button on a few and see whether any come out in good quality English. None will. Some will be mostly understandable, but with odd construction, some will be a mess, you can never be 100% sure that you are understanding the meaning that the writer meant to express. Its pretty safe to assume that google translating your website English to Spanish will have similar results.
It is pretty easy to find good translation services, and for a relatively small website the costs won't be that high. We went through a tendering process for translation last year and there were lots of services, with a big price range. Most individual services offered ranges of quality checks, its tempting to go for the cheapest but this was not great in our experience and I would advise just getting one of the ones with more quality checks built in, especially since you don't have much access to someone who can check it for you.
posted by biffa at 3:10 AM on September 9, 2015
Just think about the message you are sending when you do this:
1: You literally don't know what message you are sending, since no-one who understands Spanish is reading it on your side before it goes to a customer, so you have no check on what the words actually say. Words don't translate, accents don't get picked up, verb tenses confuse the translation software, typos stay in English.
2: you are telling your customers, 'hey, we are slapdash and cheap, and we see you as less worthwhile than our English speaking customers.'
If you want to try another exercise in what translator text looks like, go into tripadvisor and pick Spain, look up a town and look at hotel reviews. Some reviews will be in Spanish. Hit the google translate button on a few and see whether any come out in good quality English. None will. Some will be mostly understandable, but with odd construction, some will be a mess, you can never be 100% sure that you are understanding the meaning that the writer meant to express. Its pretty safe to assume that google translating your website English to Spanish will have similar results.
It is pretty easy to find good translation services, and for a relatively small website the costs won't be that high. We went through a tendering process for translation last year and there were lots of services, with a big price range. Most individual services offered ranges of quality checks, its tempting to go for the cheapest but this was not great in our experience and I would advise just getting one of the ones with more quality checks built in, especially since you don't have much access to someone who can check it for you.
posted by biffa at 3:10 AM on September 9, 2015
I like to recommend a company that is a successful case of proper translation and advanced modern day integration.
Have you ever used TripAdvisor? They use a combination of services, but one of them is a human translation service. This is all done through a startup called Gengo that leverages a community of translators and managing staff to provide translation services at impressive turnarounds.
I had the pleasure of researching and interviewing (didn't get the job) with them and I cannot recommend them enough as a company to associate with.
Many of their customers are companies such as yours trying to launch into totally new languages they are unfamiliar with, but want to get a start in. I would try to get a consultation with them if possible.
posted by Bodrik at 4:26 AM on September 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
Have you ever used TripAdvisor? They use a combination of services, but one of them is a human translation service. This is all done through a startup called Gengo that leverages a community of translators and managing staff to provide translation services at impressive turnarounds.
I had the pleasure of researching and interviewing (didn't get the job) with them and I cannot recommend them enough as a company to associate with.
Many of their customers are companies such as yours trying to launch into totally new languages they are unfamiliar with, but want to get a start in. I would try to get a consultation with them if possible.
posted by Bodrik at 4:26 AM on September 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
There are probably differences between Spanish from Spain and Spanish from Latin America (like US/UK English), so if you do go with professional translation, make sure you specify your target audience.
Google translate is great if you need to translate a large doc to your own language and then take the time to perfect that text, but to trust its raw output for your website... No way!
Website translation is also very tricky because there is often no context for the translator, especially for menus, titles and things like error messages. Even if you pay for a pro service, it may not be that great.
Ideally you need someone who knows your industry and writes perfect Spanish. Are there companies that do the same thing as you in Spain or Lat Am? You could call and ask to speak to their marketing department. Maybe there's someone there who would be interested in doing it for a fee. It would probably get you the best results.
posted by guy72277 at 6:36 AM on September 10, 2015
Google translate is great if you need to translate a large doc to your own language and then take the time to perfect that text, but to trust its raw output for your website... No way!
Website translation is also very tricky because there is often no context for the translator, especially for menus, titles and things like error messages. Even if you pay for a pro service, it may not be that great.
Ideally you need someone who knows your industry and writes perfect Spanish. Are there companies that do the same thing as you in Spain or Lat Am? You could call and ask to speak to their marketing department. Maybe there's someone there who would be interested in doing it for a fee. It would probably get you the best results.
posted by guy72277 at 6:36 AM on September 10, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also, please get a human to translate the site. Translation software leaves a lot to be desired, and can come across as unprofessional. Not sure about translator services -- all the translations on the website I work for are handled by people on our staff who speak fluent Spanish as well as English (about half the employees). They are not employed as translators full time, but translate for the company on an as-needed basis.
posted by ananci at 5:35 PM on September 8, 2015 [2 favorites]