Types of Document Translation

With fast business globalization today, online document translation services have become crucial for marketing strategies in various fields. Despite differences in specialty, businesses have relied on document translation services to reach their goal of breaking down communication barriers between them and their foreign customers. Each field has its own jargon and rules to follow. Therefore, only a specialized and experienced translator in a particular field can provide the best translation results for that field. This article will provide basic information on five types of translations that clients often need.

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What is Translation?

The meaning of translation is not limited to just the language industry but also in biology, mathematics, and technical industries. In this article, we will hone in on the meaning of translation and some of the most frequently found translation needs. Language translation refers to converting words from one language to another without changing their meanings.

Translation is very important in today’s day and age. That’s because it offers convenience in cross-cultural communication in today’s world of globalization. Businesses that want to advance to a global level must rely on document translation services.

Types of Document Translation

#1 Standard Documents

Standard document translations include government documents, legal documents, business documents, medical documents, financial documents, digital documents, and personal documents.

Depending on the purpose of document translation, people can choose to use machine translation or online document translation services provided by professionals to ensure the best possible results. In the case that translation is needed for internal communication or personal use, machine translation can be used. For that use case, mistakes or errors would not result in any severe damage. But for other uses, such as translation for business purposes, it is important to use translation services provided by professionals for the best and most accurate results. Because professionalism and brand image are at stake.

#2 Technical Documents

Technical document translation can be found in various industries, from marketing and advertising to medicine and pharmacology. Businesses in these fields must adhere to international standards before they can serve customers globally. Technical documents include informative documents, user manuals, patents, manufacturing standards, specifications, technical drafts, architectural documents, testing procedures, etc.

Generally, translators who typically deal with more standard document translation are not qualified to translate technical documents. Because only translators who are well experienced and have industry-specific knowledge can accurately and clearly translate the message while choosing appropriate words and jargon from specific industry terminology. Therefore, avoid using machine translation if you need this type of document translation.

#3 Business Documents

Businesses that seek to enter international markets will inevitably need online business document translation. These business-related documents require accurate translation, which only professional commercial translators can provide.

Business-related translations are varied, including, but not limited to, annual reports, brochures and catalogs, business proposals, business websites, contracts, financial reports, insurance documents, private and public share sales, tender documents, pitch decks, etc. Business-related documents cannot have any mistakes; therefore, human translation is the only reliable option in this case.

#4 Literature

Literature translation refers to translations of books, poems, stories, plays, novels, scripts, advertising blurbs, magazines, editorial reviews, author bios, and other content produced with literary effort. This type of translation is considered one of the hardest because literature translators need to express the concept in the source language with a culturally appropriate and accurate equivalent in the target language. During the process, the feelings, emotions, and other cultural references behind each sentence must be considered.

#5 Certified Documents

The content of certified documents is translated by certified translators; this is to ensure the translations’ precision and accuracy. Certified translated documents are often submitted to officials for authorization, and the requirements of a certified translation vary with countries and document types.

Certified document translation includes documents such as, diplomatic translations educational certificates, adoption documents, background checks, power of attorney letter, name change documents, financial statements, tax returns, marriage certificates, divorce registrations, driver’s licenses, national ID cards, passports, visas, etc.

The requirements and processes for different types of document translation services vary from industry to industry.  Despite various types, all translation types are meant to enable smooth communication between multilingual parties.  It’s important to choose a language expert who is well-versed and experienced in document translation to ensure content gets communicated effectively.  

Contact us at DoubleCheck. We provide English consulting and document translation services by native English speakers, designed to help your Thai business communicate skillfully with English-speaking audiences. Whether on your website, billboard, video, flyers, or social media, our translation service will ensure that all the English in the materials you produce is perfect, avoiding the risk of public embarrassment. We use nuanced language tailored to your target audience, increasing your effective reach and, most importantly, helping to bolster and protect your brand image. You can visit our website at https://doublecheck.co.th

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