1- Preparation:
The client contacts Dar Al-Farouk which provides professional translation services to come to an agreement about language translation parameters and to obtain a translation quote. The client may ask for translation samples (specific documents translated by the translation service provider), the matter which helps to assess quality and responsiveness of the service provider.
2- Translation/Localization:
Translation stage is the core step of the professional translation service. As soon as Dar Al-Farouk is chosen by the client, we begin our work according to language translation parameters agreed on in advance. Since localization involves taking a product and making it linguistically and culturally appropriate to the target market where it will be used and sold, the translated documents (including graphics, dates, addresses, currencies, phone number, space requirements, etc.) can be adopted for a specific market or group. While translation and localization overlap, they are not identical.
3- Editing:
Once the translation is completed, Dar Al-Farouk performs editing. Editing is comparison of the target text (translated text) and source text (original text) in order to check the translation for accuracy and style. The best practice is to send the text for proofreading and editing to one of our linguists who is a specialist in the target language. In addition, the translation can be sent to the client’s reviewer (inhouse linguist, subject matter expert, partner/end-user in the target market) for bilingual and/or monolingual revision to verify the translation against predetermined translation parameters and check its appropriateness for the intended audience. After that, we analyze and incorporate changes suggested by the client’s reviewer and apply them – if possible.
4- Quality Assurance:
Upon the client’s request, other quality assurance steps can be performed, including: terminology check, back translation, and linguistic validation.
a- Terminology check: is performed to check if a translator has correctly and consistently used the client's specific terminology and industry specific terms.
b- Back translation: is a translation back into the source language. At first, a translator performs a forward translation (translation from the source language into the target language). Then, another translator, who does not have access to the source text, translates the forward translation back into the target language. The purpose of the back translation is to demonstrate that the forward translation has the same meaning as the source text. It enables to identify any mistranslations and inaccuracies in the forward translation.
c- Linguistic validation: is a complex process of forming translations that convey the same meaning for diverse groups of recipients. Linguistic validation includes: forward translation, editing, back translation, reconciliation of discrepancies, linguistic review, and final verification of the translations.
5- Formatting:
The edited and reviewed translation is typeset and formatted according to client requirements, or desk-top published, if applicable. Page layout, headers/footers and pagination are verified. Graphic elements are reviewed and optimized.
6- Proofreading:
Although both editing and proofreading are steps of the quality assurance process, they are actually different tasks which supplement each other. The final basic step of the professional translation service is proofreading. Since text length in the target language may differ considerably from the source text length, proofreading (final check) is performed to avoid, for example, having only half of the text visible on a page, overwritten by other text or hidden under graphic elements.
7- Fine-tuning: We still have more to do! To complete the picture of the professional translation service, specific steps are needed in some cases.
Some of which are:
a- transcreation (creative conversion of advertising, media and literature materials into other languages)
b- translation of video/audio contents
c- compilation and functional testing of software and websites
d- transcription services
e- copy editing
f- notarization of translations