January 23, 2015October 29, 2015 by #translationfreelancer
In case you have ever wondered what ‘boutique’ means when it comes down to translation I guess I owe a little explanation here. For years, I have worked as a ‘general’ translator, specialising on anything and nothing at the same time. And though I have never faced a major fuckup even when I did translations on topics I was not hundred percent familiar with, I’ve come to realised there are certain fields which I feel more comfortable about than the others. Be it of my own interest, or just that I’ve gained enough experience over the years, I have now enough knowledge and expertise to say I can deliver close-to-the-best quality translations in those domains. What does that mean to you?
Terminology
Concentrating on three key domains only, I have enough time to thoroughly research everything I need to make sure the content is as consistent and terminologically accurate as can be. If there’s anything I don’t know (it does happen now and then), I know pretty well where to look for information. In addition, my own terminology glossaries and translation memories are a treasure of information I can rely on.
Style
Being closely familiar with the three key fields, I know what style to use for any of them to make my translations read as if they were written by someone who actually works in that field. Not only it helps my clients to enhance their professional reputation, but it also helps get a message across to their target audience in a lingo they understand, and which appeals to them.
Time
Having thorough knowledge of the three domains, I don’t need to spend much of my working hours on checking the proper terminology (as I mentioned earlier) or research into a particular topic. That said, I have more time to do the actual ‘typing’, cutting down the turnaround time as much as possible.
Costs
Knowing that keeping costs down is a top priority for many clients (which may kill the quality sometimes, though), with a ‘boutique’ translator it is very likely you won’t need to have the translation proofread. So, even if you may not get the lowest quote for the translation, at the end of the day, you may find you have saved on not having to hire an extra proof-reader.
To wrap it up, there are four major benefits you can get from working with a ‘boutique’ translator: accurate terminology, writing style appealing to the target audience, shorter turnaround time and reasonable prices.