A human translator is the most popular provider of translation services. Their translations exceed all others in quality and expertise. However, some may wonder why most people prefer this translator over a machine translator.
Therefore, to help you understand why translators are the best, we’ll discuss every major aspect of their work. You’ll learn how translators facilitate global communication through superior language services.
Read on to understand translators’ contributions to communication!
Table of Contents
4 Types of Human Translators
There are different categories of human translation services according to their specializations. Please find below four different types of translators and what distinguishes them from others.
1. Freelance Translator
A freelance translator works independently. They usually take one-off jobs or retainers but charge per job. Freelance translators don’t work from a brick-and-mortar office. Rather, they work from home and can commit their time and attention to producing quality translations.
Because they lack a physical office, freelance translators advertise their services on online job search platforms. When contracting a freelancer, you should know that their work schedule is flexible. Hence, both parties must agree on the best delivery time. However, since there is no formal structure, there is sometimes a lack of accountability.
Some unqualified individuals who take crash courses pretend to be translators. Therefore, it’s advisable to verify a freelancer’s qualifications before hiring.
Normally, any translator from an international industry association like the American Translators Association (ATA) is genuine.
2. Official Translator
An official translator has the necessary degrees and academic qualifications and works for a translation agency. Most translation agencies are reputable, so people easily trust their staff.
The agencies perform thorough checks to confirm the skills and capabilities of their staff. Hence, you can be certain of getting the best translations from staff who understand idiomatic expressions and international translation standards.
Official translators can tailor each translation to meet the specific requirements of individuals and organizations. However, due to the value they provide, their services are slightly more expensive.
3. Certified Translator
A certified translator is one approved to certify the documents they translate. Their skills surpass those of a regular translator, and thus, they can take on more specialized tasks.
Certified translators have institutional approval to validate translations and confirm their accuracy. Mistakes can slip through renditions; hence, certified translators crosscheck and affirm that all details within translated documents are correct.
Some organizations specifically request certified translations of documents. In such instances, you need to contact an accredited translator. They’ll issue a statement of accuracy alongside their credentials and signature.
4. Licensed Translator
People often assume that licensed and certified translators are the same. However, that’s not always true. One can have a certification without a license and vice versa. Translator licensing is approval from the government authorities that authorizes a translator to operate within a certain jurisdiction.
However, not all jurisdictions issue licenses. But if you live in a place that does, you’ll need a licensed translator for corporate translations.
Categories of Translations
Translators handle different types of translation jobs. Therefore, it would help you to understand the types of translations. When you do, you’ll be able to decipher the right professional to contact instead of getting machine translation technology.
The most basic type of rendition is the standard translation. It involves reading and understanding documents in fragments and converting the text from source to target languages.
However, the conversion must be accurate and complete, account for grammatical and cultural nuances, and be devoid of language bias.
Next, we have the certified translation, which validates legal, government, medical, and other important records. Professionals render certified translations and review and verify them with a signature, stamp, and certificate.
Notarized translations are also very unique and important. They’re useful in international legal proceedings and immigration applications. However, people tend to confuse notarization with certification. But you must note that a translator doesn’t perform notarization.
The process of notarizing documents involves two phases. First, a qualified language expert translates the documents and hands them to a notary public. The notary legally validates the document with a stamp, confirming its authenticity and making it fit for international use.
Localized translations also form a unique category. Localization is similar to translation but more intense. Localized translations adapt content to suit specific target audiences from different geographical regions.
Therefore, localization accounts for details like writing style, currency, symbolisms, and societal norms.
The final major category is specialized translation, which has many subgroups. This category deals with translation according to field, niche, and industry. For example, there are medical, legal, and patent translations.
Since specialized translations focus on specific topics, they require technical language and are critical to handle.
Human vs. Machine Translation
Machine translation is a popular alternative to hiring human experts. People who use machine translations boast about the ability of machine tools to deliver instant renditions. While that is true, humans and machine tools have advantages and disadvantages.
Machines translate through Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology and deep learning neural networks. Neural machine translation trains tools to interpret using a large database of previous translations.
However, language is complex and evolves daily, so relying on data from previous translations is unideal. Moreover, machine tools interpret messages without understanding their context and ideas.
Machine translation is fast, cost-effective, and easily accessible, but also inaccurate and lacks creativity. It also lacks cultural sensitivity and contextual and conceptual understanding, all of which affect the quality of translation.
On the other hand, human translation is more expensive and time-consuming. Sometimes, human professionals can only handle specialized fields, and their translations may be subjective. Moreover, the risk of meeting an unqualified translator is high, but you can always verify their qualifications.
With a good translator, you can be sure of an accurate job, creative and precise expression, and the best quality. Moreover, translators also offer rush translations, so you can even get same-day translations.
Though human translation outshines machine translation software, they both have their purposes.
For example, those working on a budget will prefer AI translations as they are instant and sometimes free. Moreover, you can hire a professional to retouch the translation for accuracy.
However, the editing fees may be high. Therefore, it’s best to use machine translation for informal communication where the recipient can overlook errors. However, professional translators are better for official documents as they offer the best foreign language document conversions.
FAQ
We’ve discussed the most important things you need to know about human professional translators. Hence, let’s delve into the answers to recurring questions about translators.
Do human translators use computer-assisted translation tools?
Yes, translators often use translation memories and computer-assisted translation tools. These tools can process bulk translation projects simultaneously, thereby simplifying the job. However, translators still edit and improve results from such tools.
How much will a human translator charge me per page?
Professional translators charge an average of $25 to $30 per page. However, the price may change depending on the volume of work, language pair, and specialization. Therefore, predicting the exact amount you’ll need to pay for a translation is difficult.
Do all human translators charge per page?
No, not all translators charge for their services by page. Some, especially freelancers, set hourly rates, which may or may not be subject to negotiation. Nevertheless, you can ask, compare prices, and choose whichever fits your budget.
Hire a Human Translator From Rapid Translate
When searching for a translator, it’s best to understand the different translation types. This knowledge will give you insight into the kind of translator you need. Luckily, you don’t have to scour several platforms to find good translators.
You can patronize Rapid Translate, one of the most legitimate translation agencies available. Order placing is as easy as walking into our physical office or using our online website.
We operate locally and internationally and offer authentic human translators in over 60 languages. We offer two-to three-day delivery and affordable pricing. What are you waiting for?
