Translation Guidance Notes
SIS welcomes all enquiries from Service Providers prior to any translation requests. This can be beneficial for both SIS and Service Providers, as it’ll often help clarify the purpose, and therefore necessity, of translating any material.
Below are guidance extracts from the Institute of Translation and Interpreting and Communities and Local Government.
You will also find a simple check list, which should address some of the questions and queries about translations.
Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) has produced an excellent guide to purchasing translations. Click here to view.
The guidance outlines the following:
“Translate only relevant sections of existing documents, or produce shorter texts and have these translated. ” (Page 4)
“Be sure to tell your translators what your text is for, so that they can prepare a foreign-language version with maximum impact for that particular audience and medium. ” (Page 14)
“Speak your readers’ language. Put yourself in their shoes, and zero in on how your products and services can serve their needs. Be concrete. Be specific. (The same applies to your promotional materials in your source language, of course.)” (Page 17)
“Good translators strip down your sentences entirely before creating new ones in the target language. And they ask questions along the way. ” (Page 18)
Commission on Integration and Cohesion published a document called Our Shared Future.The report’s annexe E, (page 165): Translations – Efficiency and Integration; deals with recommendations for local authorities, and their partners, on translations.
Communities and Local Government produced further proposals for local authorities as a direct result of Our Shared Future document. www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/translationguidance highlights 5 reasons why local authorities should translate into community languages:
“a. To ensure that non-English speaking residents are able to access essential services, e.g. the police, education services, and safety campaigns, such as fire, road safety, etc.
b. To enable people to take part in the democratic process, for example enabling people to register to vote or take part in local consultations.
c. To support local community groups or intermediaries working directly with new migrants or non-English speaking communities.
d. To enable people to function effectively as citizens in society and be able to get along with others, by ensuring that they understand local rules and appreciate local customs e.g. rubbish disposal, parking restrictions and common courtesies.
e. To ensure compliance with the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 and ensure that no one is disadvantaged in accessing services because of their inability to communicate verbally or non-verbally.”