The statements made and opinions expressed herein reflect only my personal views on the topic under discussion. In no way do they represent or convey the official position or doctrine of any official body or organization of any country on these matters. And I take responsibility for any error, inaccuracy, omission, or misjudgement found herein.

Polish your translation style, and win more jobs from your clients! That’s right-“win” more jobs. Clients have a wealth of resources in the Internet, and they can easily find countless translators online for their projects by doing a simple search in Yahoo! or Google. Minor improvements to your translation style will ensure that clients think of you before going to the major search engines. Read on and profit!

If you do not already have one, start by developing a translation methodology. A methodology, especially one that suits your work style, will enable you to translate more efficiently and accurately. For illustration purposes, I have included below the translation methodology that I use for Japanese to English translations.

Using a systematic approach in translation can help achieve better results. Abiding by a few key principles will lead to translators with better skills who can produce higher quality translations which leads to higher customer satisfaction and higher rates of return.

The quality of the brief from our clients directly affects our ability to achieve their objectives of speed, value for money and effective communication in local markets but, unfortunately, not all clients fully appreciate this connection.

Translation is not only a mechanical work. It requires skills and artistic approach. It's not enough to know all the rules, there are additional secrets of success, which can make your translation better. These several tips will help to improve the quality of your translation and make the process simpler.

1.      Good equipment. Before starting your translation make sure you have all necessary equipment, which can simplify the process of translation. Bilingual dictionaries, encyclopedias, electronic dictionaries, dictionaries of idioms and jargonisms can be very subservient and you will save a big amount of time if you prepare everything in advance.

In the past few years, a new trend has emerged: standardizing procedures for a contractual relationship between the client and the service provider. The idea is this: following certain pre-established procedures when producing a translation will increase the likelihood of good quality.

In fact, the fundamental assumption in quality standards (namely ISO 9000) is that business processes can be improved to ensure the desired level of quality at each pass. And for this approach to work, general criteria are necessary to standardize the production process and appraise the quality level.