Why translators have to be first-language speakers

Don't do this!

[jtara]

Here's why your translators have to be first-language speakers of the target language, with cultural background in the target country.

It's so easy to spot a bad translation. It makes the site look unprofessional, leaves users scratching their heads going "hmmm..." just trying to figure out the meaning.

One suggestion: if you can't afford a perfect translation, don't try to hide your company's location. In fact, if you make it clear that you are located or based in another country, I think a few translation mistakes will be benignly forgiven. Start out with "example.com, a subsidiary of Grand Fenwick-based Example Company..."

Here's a company that's trying too hard to look American. It's a bit laughable, since they got the translation so bad:

From an "about us" page:

example.com, a subsidiary of Example Company, technology concerns located in the corridors of Washington-Dulles technology belt. The business is dedicated to offer very special prices on the reputed branded line of products to end-users pecifically in the United States. example.com is designed to be a secure yet user-friendly web-enabled entity.

Wow, how many mistakes can we find on one paragraph?

- Spelling error ("pecifically")

- Incorrect punctuation

- Incorrect pluralization (concerns, branded line)

- stilted, stiff phrasing (entity, concerns, reputed)

- throwing-in localized slang (technology belt) doesn't help a bit. Don't use slang if you're not a native speaker. It looks silly, given all the errors

- second-language artifacts (very special). Often, when a language is widely-used as a second language in a particular country, the language will branch and adapt to some of the speech patterns of the primary language. This example may be subtle, but I guessed the country right away.

Amazingly, this came from an otherwise professional-looking site.

Touchy-feely stuff like an "about us" page is particularly vulnerable. The writer usually wants to impart a "company philosophy", values, etc. This is often written by or approved by top company management, and I think underlings are often loathe to tinker much with wording. That's too bad, as it usually needs a lot of tinkering to get it right.

BTW, this is better than the parent company's web site. It's "about us, History" page consists of a picture of a black guy in a business suit (trying too hard again) peering through a telescope. It says:

About

the ress traveled
pioneering the digital path

I guess they mean they've followed the road less traveled? All I can do is guess...

[Essex_boy]

I once received a sales letter from over seas it was great until the final which fininshed - Thank you for letting me waste your time.

Sad but true

[Habtom]

jtara, you have raised a few good points.

that's trying too hard to look American

. . . or just committed a few English grammatical mistakes. ;)

And yes, though your arguments are valid, translators don't necessarily have to be 'first-language speakers'.

I have been fortunate enough to work with a number of people from different parts of the world, and I learn a bit of everybody's culture all the time. If I decide to work on it someday, I won't put it aside for the reasons of not being 'first-language speaker'. And no, I didn't take this personal :)

<added> This is written with the assumption that 'first-language' = 'Mother tongue' (To keep it simple, the kind of language you learn from your parents or surroundings at the early ages of your life) </added>

[edited by: Habtom at 8:24 am (utc) on Nov. 15, 2007]

[LifeinAsia]

Thank you for letting me waste your time.

And that was probably the only honest thing in the whole spiel.