You should have absolute confidence in the quality of your translations, if you use an established, reputable service. Your translation must be provided by a native-speaking subject matter expert and typically, should be proof read in detail by a second, equally qualified translator. If you have properly vetted your vendor, it is highly unusual to receive translations that are “wrong”. Yet, clients frequently receive feedback from in county contacts and sometimes incorporate a “review” into their translation process, unnecessarily prolonging projects. It helps to understand reviewer feedback and to have a plan to properly manage it.

In almost every instance, negative critiques result from individual preferences rather than incorrect translations.

Professional translators adhere to industry standards. They translate what you have written, mirroring your tone to accurately convey your intended meaning. They don’t improve your copy unless they spot a serious error and you are notified if that is the case. In country reviewers are bound by no such rules and may not have the same command of grammar and punctuation as a professional translator. Thus their opinions must be received with a bit of caution.

Imagine routing an English document to your colleagues for input. Some would approve it without a single comment. Others would redline the whole thing and some would nit pick a few phrases or rearrange your sentence structure without altering the meaning of your original text. Stylistic preferences are often offered as “corrections” to translations that are perfectly fine, as is.

Most marketing specialists and technical writers don’t routinely solicit feedback on their English communications. Project timelines would stretch and competing input would be impossible to reconcile. If input is solicited at all, it’s from a trusted few with something specific to contribute (e.g. engineers, product managers), not from any available person who happens to speak English.

If you have chosen your translator well, you should have the same degree of confidence in your translations as in your English. If you receive comments 1) stay calm, 2) ask for specifics, 3) check the facts and 4) update the translation only if you believe the changes truly improve the communication.

Emotion laden, unsubstantiated blanket comments from native speakers are common (“This translation is unusable!”) and it can be distressing to receive them. Here are some guidelines you can use to manage the process:

Solicit feedback early: Ask in country contacts to help develop a glossary for your industry-specific technical terms. Your translator will appreciate it and the in country folks will be happy you asked.

Get feedback on the English version: If, for example, you have included products in your catalog that are not sold outside the US, your reviewers will spot this before you have incurred the expense of translation. Dissatisfaction with the source English is often mischaracterized as a problem with the translation.

Ask for specific feedback: Find out exactly which words are incorrect and why, so that your translator can evaluate the feedback. A reputable vendor will let you know whether the criticism is valid. If you opt to accept minor stylistic changes, your files can be updated and the changes retained for future reference.

Use one in country review contact per language: If you do conduct an in country review, be sure to select one contact person per language, and use that person every time for consistency. Sending the same file to 3 different Italian contacts could result in rewrites from each person. Then the challenge is to decide which comments to select! Typically, in country reviewers feel obligated to revise “something” rather than send your file back unchanged. It is important to note: “If the translation is correct as is, please don’t feel obligated to make changes.”

Control timelines: Allow a few days, at most, for any feedback to avoid derailing your project timeline.

Format after feedback is received: If your translator provides you with foreign language desktop publishing services, it can be difficult and costly to make all but minor updates to formatted files. If you must incorporate in country review into your process, complete the review and then have the files formatted.

Take comments in stride: Reviewer comments often reflect the personality of the reviewer or a high level of cultural sensitivity for a specific locale. If a local sales rep, for example, thinks he/she could have done the translation better, you are likely to receive some feedback.

When you manage translation projects, it is your responsibility to make sure that the translations are accurate and audience appropriate, delivered on time and within your budget. That is the deliverable you depend on when you outsource. Your focus should be on making sure your intended message is clearly communicated and that it is the same in all languages, regardless of how many languages you provide. Learn about the quality control processes employed by your translator so that you can proceed with absolute confidence. Then, you won’t be distracted or delayed by excessive reviewer feedback.

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