Your company has a technical translation project in mind and they want you to handle the arrangements. This is a new experience for you. In the best case scenario, the technical materials have been prepared with translation in mind. (See the earlier post by Myriam Siftar, “For Technical Translation, Best Practices Start with Technical Communicators.”) But, even if best practices haven’t been followed to this point, you can still facilitate the process by asking questions before you search for a language partner. The answers will help you choose your partner wisely and will make the translation process faster and more efficient.

HAS YOUR COMPANY USED ANY TRANSLATION PARTNERS IN THE PAST?

If you don’t know the answer, ask around and find out, and also see if you can get copies of the previously translated materials.

HOW WILL YOU PROVIDE THE MATERIAL TO BE TRANSLATED?

For translation purposes, an editable electronic file is preferable. If all you’ve been given is hard copy or a scanned document, ask if the document is available in an editable file format like any Microsoft Office program, a design file like InDesign or QuarkXpress, an html file (if it is from the web), or some other electronic format. If you’ve been given a PDF…

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