How to Undertake Translations

Introduction and Scope:

Translations can be required for various types of documents. These can range from health promotion literature, consumer consent forms, media releases and also letters inviting consumers to take up services offered by a specific health care agency.

The processes involved in producing translated material effectively and in an economical way are covered below.

Consultation with Client Target Group

A consultative approach to the development of translated materials is paramount to achieving a successful outcome. Using the Consumer Participation Toolkit with the ethnic group in question ensures printed materials are:

• Relevant and useful to the target group


• Culturally appropriate


• Translation is appropriate considering the clients group literacy levels

Translation Process

1) Planning your publication

Planning for translated documents should follow the same basic principles as for an English Version

• This would take into account:
  
  
  • target audience
  
  
  • how many copies
  
  
  • where distributed
  
  
  • dissemination plan
  
  
• Establish there is no existing translated publications (Refer to Research Sources on page 39)


• Establish if there is an existing English version publication which meets the requirements of the project.


• Using the Consumer Participation Toolkit plan the consultation process with the target client group


• Define the objectives of your publication.
  Do you want to inform, educate or promote?


• Establish the format of the source information
  Will it be a leaflet, fact sheet, brochure, pamphlets or a video?


• Establish your target group
  
  
  • Language
  
  
  • Age group – consider font size for elderly
  
  
  • Male/Female
  
  
  • Level of literacy
  
  
• When determining the most suitable method for producing and distributing translated materials, consider:
  
  
  • The nature of the message and its importance
  
  
  • The expected life-span of the information
  
  
  • The diversity of your client groups
  
  
  • Your budget
  
  

2) Develop a dissemination plan

Some ways to consider when planning to disseminate the information:

• Direct mail outs


• Traditional ethnic media


• Internal Community Networks which include:
  
  
  • Religious avenues
  
  
  • Community groups
  
  
  • Professionals
  
  
• Local Ethnic or CALD language papers

3) For New Documents - Drafting and Organisation of your Source Text

• Important items at the beginning of text


• Break your information in brief meaningful segments


• Use clear, appropriate headings


• Use consistent grammar (sequence of tense)


• Use short easily understood sentences (usually not over 20 words)


• Do not use metaphors or figures of speech


• Avoid bureaucratic/professional jargon


• Do not use culturally specific humour. This is usually not translatable.


• Use common terminology


• Use an active style of writing rather than the passive voice


• Avoid sexist language


• Spell out acronyms in full, such as. TAFE, GVH


• Provide adequate background information for newly acquired concepts in
  Australian Society e.g. Goods and Services Tax.


• Remember to include the date of production and details of who owns the copyright of the publication

Field-testing of Source Text

After you have drafted your source text (English in this instance) or sourced an already existing document, field-test the publication with speakers of English and members from the target group. This means if a publication is aimed at the elderly, field-test the publication with a group of elderly speakers of English and if possible, some elderly people from the target group who speak English.

• Undertake a professional, cultural and linguistic assessment of the English text


• Undertake a health professional assessment of the English text.


• Amend your source text as appropriate.

Commission the Translation

Once the source text has been field tested and, if required, amended according to feedback, the next step is commissioning the translation of the source text. Below is a list of factors to consider when you are commissioning the translation.

• Contact professional translating agencies in order to obtain a quote for their services to ensure it suits your budget. There are a number of professional translating agencies listed in the Yellow Pages.


• Keep in mind that an English text when translated may be up to 20% longer, so allow extra space in the draft stages. .


• Decide on the format of the translation. It is common practice to print an English
  version of the document and another document in the required community language. However, one of the most effective but also most expensive ways to provide translated material are shown in the samples below: .

• Advise the translating agency of:
  
  
  • The language/s the document is to be translated into
  
  
  • Which words are to remain in English (i.e. title of health staff and terms such as community health centres) or whether you want explanations to be added to terms that may be unfamiliar to speakers with limited English
  
  
  • Provide some background material including:
    
    
    • Glossary of specialist terms used to assist in the understanding of the document,
    
    
    • The gender, age of the audience,
    
    
    • Information on whether the text will be used as a brochure or a poster.
      Posters quite often consist only of slogans that need to be catching.
      Therefore it is important for the interpreter to gain an understanding of the application of the text.
    
    
  • Provide a contact within your organisation for the translator to discuss any issues that may arise.
  
  
• Field-test the translation by undertaking a professional, cultural and linguistic assessment of the translation, involving members of the target CALD group, the translator of the publication and an interpreter to interpret comments made by the CALD group.


• Organise for the translation to be checked and proof read by a professional translator as a second opinion.
  
  Checking is the linguistic comparison of someone else’s translation with the source text. A checker will look for spelling, grammar, accuracy and language. By having the translation checked it is ensured that the final text does not contain any awkward structure of literal translation. This process is then followed by proof reading, eliminating any typographical errors.


• Include the title of the text in English on the translation.


• Include the name of the target LOTE group in English on the translation.


• Include the date of the publication on front or back cover.


• Distribute the translation according to your dissemination plan in bilingual format – English & LOTE


• Record the publication in your “Publications Register” that provides information on the languages the publication has been translated into, review date and stock control. Translated publications should form part of the general publications register maintained in an agency.


• Quality assessment of the publication can be achieved by maintaining a feedback mechanism so that comments received can be considered when reprinting the publication.

Archiving Translated Publications

Most written consumer information has a rather short “shelf-life”, due in part to the changing needs of consumers and the dynamic nature of research. Therefore an economic way is to store all translated publications in electronic format for easy up dating and amending if required in future.

Consideration should also be given to having a shared drive between agencies to download publications as required instead of having it printed.

The following two Best Practice Examples are provided as a guide to obtaining translated documents.

Form 5: Checklist for Undertaking a Translation