Different Types of Translation Services in Need Today

The professional translation industry has dramatically evolved over the last few years. Now there are a number of new terms that are used to explain or describe translation services. Here are some of the common and basic types of business translation services offered by translation companies around the world.

Technical Translation Service

Technical translation refers to translating instruction leaflets, user manuals, financial reports, internal notes, administrative terms and so on. These documents are intended for a very specific audience. However, in the broader sense, technical translation also refers to the ‘technical’ documentation from IT, electronics, engineering, industrial texts or mechanics in general. This type of translation calls for knowledge of specialized terms used in the industry of the original text which translation companies are familiar with.

Financial Translation Service

Economic or financial translation services refer to translating of documents related to the financial industry including banks and stock exchanges. Documents can vary from annual reports, financial statements to financial packages and contracts.

Scientific Translation Service

It is a subgroup of technical translation as the name may suggest. Scientific translation refers to translating documents related to science. These could vary from papers, booklets, presentation, and study reports.

Judicial Translation

Often confused with legal or certified document translation services, judicial translation actually refers to the task of translation taken in a ‘court setting.’ Judicial translation means translating documents such as minutes of proceedings, letters, judgments by the court, expert opinions, minutes of interrogation sessions and depositions, etc.

Legal Translation Service

As the name suggests, legal translation service refers to a wide range of documents belonging to the legal industry. These can include warrants, summons registration certificates, remittance drafts, corporate statutes, administrative texts and technical documents such as texts for a judicial purpose, minutes of court proceedings, etc.

Juridical Translation Services

This type of translation services Johannesburg refers to legally-binding documents such as regulations, laws, decrees, general sales, and purchase conditions. It also includes:

• Legally binding labor contracts
• License and commercial contracts
• Partnership agreements
• Conventions and protocols
• Insurance policies
• International regulations
• Bail assurance

The juridical translator needs to have a vast legal background along with his linguistic capabilities.

Certified Translation Service

Certified translation refers to using signature or authority to authenticate official translations. Documents that need legal validations fall under this category. Certified translators also work in courtrooms and may act in the capacity of legal experts. They also provide a translation of marital agreements, civil status documentation, deceases, divorce settlements, wills and so on.

Literary Translation Service

Probably the most difficult of all, literary translation refers to translating and rendering the semantic content of the original text. There are many difficulties that translators may face in the process such as:

1. Polysemic word play in the literary texts – as a number of connotations can lie behind a word or a phrase which the writer has hinted at and the translator needs to render.
2. Translating the author’s specific literary style in a unique way to express the same ideas.
3. Working out the innate balance, rhythm, and meter of the phrase in texts like poetry or pros.

Script Translation Service

The entertainment industry is a huge one and many popular TV shows, movies, and sitcoms are required to be dubbed into multiple languages for worldwide audiences. For example, Harry Potter series was dubbed into 15+ languages and released in different countries. In order for these releases to take place, the scripts and the dialogues need to be translated first. Translating jokes, punch lines and catchy phrases in different languages can be a difficult task.

Website Translation Service

This refers to translating the website text/copy, documents on the website and any subtitles for the videos on the web pages. While translation websites, many elements need to be translated or localized such as address formats, layouts, currencies, etc. to customize it according to the local audience. In the recent year as the world is increasingly becoming more ‘globalized’, companies need to translate and localize their websites in multiple languages for different countries.

Multimedia Localization

This refers to the translation and localization or graphics, videos, GIFs, infographics, animations – all of which can be grouped as multimedia. As more and more organizations are making multimedia content to increase their audience reach and engagement – localizing content is very much in demand. It can be tricky as the translators need to ensure the content is appropriate for the target culture and will appeal to that region.

Conclusion

No matter what kind of translation you require, it is important to check the skill set and portfolio of the translation agency. Sometimes the translation can be a mix of two types. Competent translation companies will offer all these types of translation services.