The benefits of a Multilingual Translation

A multilingual translation differs from translations with only one language combination, due to the management of many teams and translation processes at the same time. It’s not just a matter of multiplying an activity for the number of languages the customer chose, but it’s necessary to develop ad hoc approaches for every single language combination.

For example, the translation of a text from Italian to Arabic – that is an RTF language, written from right to left – will include a new layout at the end of the translation process. This is also true of just German translations, where words are 30% longer than the English ones and may come out from the original spaces, like bar charts, figures, captions and so on. In other cases, like translations for China, there may be the need to change the design and the colors, in order adapt them to the chromatic conventions of that country. In addition, the customer may be not interested in translating some contents of a language, but he prefer them to be translated in other languages.

Actually, each language has its own features and needs which are often very different, even between variants of the same language: for example, Portuguese is the official language of Brazil and Portugal and there are many differences between Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese spoken in Portugal. The secret of an effective multilingual translation lies in the affinity and the familiarity with the culture and the population that use it.

Being a native speaker is a fundamental requirement, but it’s not enough: depending on the type of translation (web site, brochure, contract, etc.) and the jargon (legalese, marketing, financial, etc.), you have to trust only in linguists with the right skills and a professional background.

The Foreign Friend recruited a team of about 3,500 professional translators who reside in their native countries, so we are able to produce translation in more than 50 language combinations. For example: