Many countries address the issue of quality in translation by providing language academies and universities that grant Master's degrees in translation. In the U.S., translators are not recognized as a profession (like e.g., nurses, psychologists) and consequently there are no clear state or federal quality standards. Now, there are private organizations that accredit and certify their translators, but this is not necessarily an indication of quality. Few colleges and universities teach translation. They may teach language, but not at the level or with the rigor required for translating or interpreting. Some exceptions are: The Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA; Georgetown University, Washington, DC; and the certification procedures for interpreters administered by various Federal and State Courts.

So what can you do?

It is important to realize that not all translations are created equal. Peritus operates with three different levels of quality:

• The lowest level of quality is a literal translation. Under certain conditions this may be sufficient for getting an overview. But anything more could be disastrous. You wouldn't want your financial documents going to a foreign banker describing a market for bulls (i.e., bull market).
• The next level of quality is a linguistically accurate translation in which the translator uses the correct vocabulary, terminology, grammar, and sentence structure.
• The highest level of quality and the one that you should strive for if the translation is published or going to be used widely within the company is the culturally adapted translation. Here, the translator will adjust the text to capture the essence rather than just the words.

Finding Quality and Recognizing Pitfalls

If any of the following occur, beware quality may be compromised:

• Individual translators who claim that they can translate to and from more than three languages. There are a few exceptions, but normally, a person will only be able to achieve a translator's proficiency in two, at the very most, three languages. If working with an agency, it is the agency's responsibility to provide high quality translators.
• Beware of translation software and machine translations. They should be used for overviews only, never for print or Internet material. The quality is not acceptable, because translation is not a mechanical process. Also, there is a difference between using translation memory tools and machine translation. Memory tools assist in providing consistency in terminology, whereas machine translation is still limited in its use.
• Beware of the ten-page document that can be translated overnight at five cents per word. Professional work has its price and takes time.

If you are interested, you can take the Peritus QUALITY QUIZ