Professional Translation
We provide reliable and accurate translations of both Japanese and French documents into English in a variety of fields and industries ranging from legal and business documents, to medical and financial texts. Our small but experienced team of linguists will be able to handle most client requirements. If we cannot help directly we will be able to recommend a trusted industry colleague from our network of translators.
Our turnaround varies but on an average day one of our linguists should be able to handle around 3000 Japanese characters or French words. The longer the deadline the better for our team but if you are in a rush we can turn things around in under 24 hours – depending on the complexity and volume of the document. Please bear in mind that a higher rate may be chargeable for high-priority technical work or rushed job requests.
The legibility of the document is also a factor. The “cleaner” the document the easier and therefore the sooner we can return the translation.
Technical Translation
Technical translation requires in-depth knowledge of specific industry terminology and our team is proud to boast knowledge in the following fields.
The fields we work in include but are not limited to:
*Medical (haemophilia drugs testing, audits for Osaka Hospital, diabetes)
*Automotive (marketing materials, and graphic identity for carriers)
*Real estate (sales transactions, estate inheritance, lettings agreements/terms)
*Finance (financial audits “短信”, ER reports, shipping brokerage documents)
* Tourism (pamphlets, guide books, agencies’ travel surveys, reviews, websites)
* Other (family registers, death and marriage certificates, bank letters, affidavits etc)
The cost for technical translation is usually higher than general texts owing to the complexity of the document, as well as the time required translating and proofreading. Also, some shorter documents may be quoted on a minimum fee basis. Please contact us, to find out more.
Accuracy matters - More than in any field of translation, accuracy counts most for technical documents. Technical jargon is very specific and has a correct or incorrect equivalent, which is open to very little interpretation. This is particularly evident when it comes to medical translation where the difference between correct or incorrect understanding of the source text can mean the difference between a patient receiving proper or improper treatment, or clinical reports and trials being misinterpreted. For these texts, we strongly recommend having a proof-reader double check the translation.
Get in touch if you have a technical document which needs translating
Proofreading
Our foremost concern as a translation agency is accuracy and while, of course, we always proofread our own work, the best option is to have a colleague run through the translation before delivery. This will naturally incur a slightly higher cost – somewhere around a third extra - but is well worth the investment, to guarantee the perfect translation. Four eyes are better than two, we always say! Or, in Japanese - 四つの目の方が二つよりよく見える (Yotsu no me no hou ga futatsu yoriyoku mieru). If you have a lower budget, please contact us to discuss your specific requirements and enquire about our monolingual proofreading option.
Monolingual Proofreading
As the name suggests, the reviewer is working in only one language, the target language. Here the proof-reader isn’t looking at the source material, but only at what has been translated. Naturally, there are pros and cons to this. The pros being that, turnaround time is often twice as fast and cost is far lower. Another “hidden pro” to monolingual proofreading is that, the reviewer will not get bogged down in deciphering every nuanced meaning available in the source text, which does happen in heavily context-based languages such as Japanese, but rather will quickly produce a smooth, natural reading piece of text, free of any overly literal wording. The cons are obviously that as the reviewer has no knowledge of the original document, any mistranslations, unnecessary additions or omissions made by the translator will be left either in or out as the case may be. We only work with experienced linguists who we trust will not make these kinds of mistakes, but we still always recommend erring on the cautious side and having your document proof-read, even if it costs a little more.
Translation Memory
We use translation memory wherever possible to maintain consistency and accuracy within the document. SDL Trados and memoQ help keep translations accurate and the terminology used consistent. Translation memory is especially useful for technical documents where there are a number of repetitions and originality is of minimal importance. However there are cases where a document cannot be parsed suitably into the software. If the text is not clearly legible, so that the built in OCR (optical character recognition) software cannot work its magic, for instance. Or in such cases where one can argued that the document won’t benefit from being translated using software. Most creative texts fall under this category. Literary works, manga, marketing material in some cases, will sound stilted and often jar when a machine is involved in the translation process.
Find out about more about SDL Trados here
Localisation
Collectively our team has over ten years-worth of experience in localizing Japanese anime and video games. We understand that when it comes to creative translation such as in video games and animation, transferral of the literal meaning is seldom the objective. The process of converting idiomatic syntax from Japanese to English requires a great deal of cultural knowledge of this highly context-based language. With this knowledge, the translator can grasp the often subtle nuance and its implication to the overall story. Literalisms are anathema to the creative translator. The original text is adapted to fit the target language, avoiding overly literal renditions, jokes and cultural references are reinterpreted where necessary and the original text is generally amended to fit its target audience. When subtitling or translating a video game or animated series, what matters is finding a natural equivalent in English, even if sometimes that means straying way off the source text.
Get in touch if you are in need of our localisation services.
Subtitling & Transcription
We subtitle documentaries, TV shows, anime and feature length films using the latest software, working from Japanese and French into English as well as English into Japanese. Our rates for subtitling and transcription are usually charged per minute of audio-visual material, but this will depend on the individual request and the quality of the material provided. We accept all file formats including .avi, .mkv etc.
Our team has worked on interview transcriptions and subtitling for Japanese food and music documentaries, medical research conference calls, educational interviews and more.
The transcription process is much faster as there is no need to time subtitles, and so naturally will be cheaper. We can also insert timecodes at regular intervals so you can easily find your way through your transcribed file, if you wish.
Get in touch if you are in need of our subtitling or transcription services.