How to choose a translator
Right first time
Companies spend thousands of dollars on their websites, yet relegate their international business cards to the local copy shop. You only have one chance to make a first impression: having your business card correct is part of that. Your business card is probably the most powerful means of communication you use.
Translate your title. Most international business cards are over-translated, but the one item on a business card that must be translated is your title. Translation of titles is a difficult, yet critical, task since titles define organisational rank. Foreign businesses and organisations want to assign people of the same rank to deal with you. Even in English there are differences, for example in Australia the title ‘managing director’ is equivalent to the US title ‘president’.
Do not translate your address. What is the post office in Australia going to do with a letter or package that is addressed to you in Thai?
Transliterate your name and company. The names of the person and the company must be transliterated as a guide to pronunciation. Eliminate middle initials for simplicity.
Arrange contact numbers in the country’s format. In Australia we separate the area code and then have four digits grouped together, whereas Europeans are used to all phone numbers running together, for example.
Getting your communication right is essential for doing business internationally. Choosing the correct translator will help you to effectively promote your brand and get your message across in overseas markets.
— Tea Dietterich is president of the Australian Institute for Translators & Interpreters (AUSIT) Queensland, director of translation agency Multimedia Languages & Marketing, and an advanced NAATI translator and interpreter.
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