It takes more than just the ability to understand two languages.
Professional translators and interpreters have the education, experience, and expertise to understand the nuances in one language and transfer them to another. The right professional will have solid knowledge of your industry and will know how to culturally adapt your content for the target audience you are trying to reach. You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make sure it counts.
Can I afford to hire a professional?
You can't afford NOT to. Getting your message wrong can cost money, ruin your image, and even cost lives. Whether you’re having a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign translated or need an interpreter to communicate treatment options between a doctor and patient, it pays to hire a professional to get the job done right.
Instead of hiring a professional, this restaurant used machine translation and did not realize the result was an error message.
Understanding what’s at stake
ATA publishes articles to illustrate why it is critical to hire qualified translators and interpreters.
The High Cost of Cheap Translation
Why You Shouldn’t Skimp When Leaping the Language Barrier You pay for the best product development and manufacturing. Your legal and administrative people are top-notch. You choose your advertising and marketing partners with utmost care. And then you pick the lowest bidder for your translations. There’s a good chance you’ve just made a costly mistake. Size Does Not Mean Quality…
Read More5 Tips for Taking Your Business Global
The Coca-Cola Company is the leading beverage maker in China’s $69 billion soft drink market, but the story might have been quite different if it weren’t for some smart and localized brand management at the very beginning of its foray into the country. Protecting the company’s valuable trademark was a high priority when Coca-Cola began to expand outside the United…
Read MoreDon’t Get Lost in Translation. Get It Right!
We’ve all seen them: eyebrow-raising “translations” that leave you either shaking your head or slapping your knee. Just ask Google and you’ll find countless examples, such as a no smoking sign in Israel that says “violators will be peralized” (yes, it’s even misspelled) or a bilingual road sign in Wales telling Welsh-speaking truck drivers: “I am not in the office…
Read MoreAutomation Doesn’t Solve Everything
Six Things You Should Know About Machine Translation Taco Bell’s return to Japan in 2015 was widely anticipated, but the company’s launch of its Japanese-language website spawned a media frenzy—but not because of the food. With machine-translated menu items that turned “Cheesy Fries” into “Low Quality Fleece” and “Crunchwrap Supreme – Beef” into “Supreme Court Beef,” the company had to…
Read MoreCertified Translation vs. Certified Translator
What is a Certified Translation? In the United States a certified translation consists of the following three parts: The source-language (original) text The target-language (translated) text A statement signed by the translator or translation company representative, with his or her signature notarized by a Notary Public, attesting that the translator or translation company representative believes the target-language text to be…
Read MoreHello, World! Quality Website Translation is Your Entry Pass to a Global Market
What stands between your business and world domination? Language, for one. Whatever your native language is, most of the world doesn’t understand it. So if you want to reach most of the world, you’re going to need a good translator who can make your corporate message resonate in foreign ears. A website is the number-one marketing channel, source of information,…
Read MoreWhy Hire an ATA Member?
ATA members have a commitment to continuing education and are held to the highest professional standards. Feel secure knowing if you’re hiring an ATA member, you’re hiring the best in the business.
The ATA Compass
Our outreach publication provides up-to-date information and resources about the translating and interpreting industry.
What's the difference?
Translators do the writing. Interpreters do the talking. ATA helps you find the right language professional.
Can't a computer do all this?
There are times when machine translation is useful, and times when it's not. Learn when to use Google Translate, and when to hire a professional.