Checking

The good, the bad and the ugly—ensuring quality in Japanese‑to‑English translation

Checking, Industry trends, Japan, Native speakers, Quality assurance / By Phil Robertson

In Japan, with its huge Japanese‑to‑English translation market, the caveat that a translator should only translate into his or her own native language goes largely ignored, and a huge volume of Japanese material ends up being translated by native speakers of Japanese—often with dire results.

Why is there such large variation in the prices charged by different translation companies?

Checking, Frequently asked questions, Japan, Quality assurance / By Phil Robertson

Many translation companies choose to compete on price, which requires that they slash their own costs to the bone.

How to improve as a translator—advice for the frustrated freelancer

Checking, Quality assurance / By Phil Robertson

A good translation both accurately captures the meaning of the source text and reads smoothly—just as if it had been originally written in the target language.