Blog Archive

This article is intended for people who do not speak Ukrainian but have to order, manage, and coordinate Ukrainian translations. Below we present some simple facts that will allow you to avoid common mistakes and misunderstandings when working with your Ukrainian suppliers. We note that similar problems exist with other Slavic languages (e.g. Polish, Slovakian, […]

In this article, we will tell you about the technical side of translation agency work. Many new translators and inexperienced clients of translation services are not always aware of this side. We are speaking of so-called CAT tools (CAT means computer-aided translation) and CAT systems. These are software applications using translation memory (TM) technology. Translators […]

In this article, we will tell you what happens at a translation agency after your order has been received. It would seem that there’s not much to tell: the text is received, sent to a translator, received from the translator, and sent back to the client. Not only is the process more complex than that, […]

Balloon flies in the skies In our kindergartens, teachers play a merry game with children. First, all the children sing a rhyme in chorus: Balloon flies in the skies,Up in the skies it flies.But we know, though it tries,It’ll never reach the skies! Then, the rhyme is repeated, but the word “balloon” is omitted—the children […]

This article describes the aspect of translation quality from a client’s view. As in any other field, it is extremely difficult for an inexperienced client to understand what it is that different translation agencies offer, what the difference between them is, and why their prices vary so dramatically, even though all of them assure the […]

МТ (machine translation) in its present form is a rather mixed and controversial phenomenon. Numerous misunderstandings and disappointments that are related to it are explained by the fact that both translators and those who use their work have adopted an erroneous attitude toward MT. Let’s look at what MT is for the translators who use […]

There have been perpetual discussions within professional translation circles between translators and translation agencies, whereby translators have questioned the existence of translation agencies per se. They see them only as commercial agents who reap the cream but do not benefit clients in any real way. Now and again debates have arisen about whose services the […]

Why should I take a test? I have a diploma/references/translation samples. The above-mentioned means absolutely nothing to us. Unfortunately, times are not easy for our educational system and a diploma cannot prove a person is suitably qualified anymore. Somebody else may edit the translation samples, and as for the references, they are only relevant if […]

The first thing any translator or translation agency does before accepting the order is to evaluate the scope of work and the project deadline. The translation services provider should know the text volume and its complexity to compare it with how fast the translation services provider can make the translation and what the price will […]

Introduction In this article, we will consider the reasons why freelance translators who have passed the initial tests at translation agencies do not always receive a large volume of work. Also, we will provide recommendations on building long-term relationships with clients. So, you have passed a qualification test and received a letter of congratulations from […]