Translation Methodology
When I translate, I rely on more than just bilingual dictionaries and glossaries (reference materials that provide already-translated equivalents of terms). More often, I rely heavily on monolingual sources. I read specialized dictionaries and legal texts in English, Spanish, and Italian. I study English reference materials and texts side-by-side with foreign-language reference materials and texts. Then, I make a judgment on whether or not a concept or term is equivalent with a foreign concept or term. This not only helps me to achieve accuracy, but also to use terminology and style in a way that is precise, natural, and up-to-date.
Some examples of my translation research methods include:
reading offense definitions from Guatemala's criminal code and comparing them with similar offense definitions from the U.S. Code;
comparing the Spanish version of a United Nations treaty with its English counterpart; and
collecting newspaper articles from various Latin American countries to see if any of the countries use a particular term differently than the other countries.
My translations undergo multiple rounds of quality assurance. After I confirm that my translations are faithful to the foreign languages, I make sure that my translations can be read with ease. My best translations read as if they were written by the lawyer, government official, or subject-matter expert who drafted the original document.
When producing a typical translation, I:
deep read the original document, identifying the most complicated concepts and terms;
consider the text type and target audience of the original document, including any client-specific instructions;
study the subject matter included in the original document by using external monolingual reference materials and texts;
create a glossary with solutions to the most complicated concepts and terms from the original document;
translate the original document;
compare the original document with the translation, ensuring that there are no translation errors; and
read the translation without comparing it to the original document, ensuring that the translation reads naturally, as if it were originally written in specialized American English.
Do your translation justice.
I will personally review your Spanish- or Italian-language documents so that we can discuss language solutions.