We have gathered and answered the most common questions our clients bring up. We have tried to be brief and clear in our answers, we hope we have succeeded in that. If you have any other question not included in this list, or despite our answer there is something you have not clearly understood, please, feel free to fill our contact form and we will respond within 12 hours.
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Tradunia works only with three languages: Arabic, English and Spanish, in every possible combination. We are aware that our decision of not offering more languages is making us lose many potential jobs, but sticking to the three languages our team knows in-depth makes us keep total control over the final result. For us quality is a must, not an advertising slogan
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You can attach them in an e-mail to info@tradunia.com , or, if the file is too large, you can use Google Drive, Dropbox or Wetransfer. We accept any kind of text or image format, but it will be much easier for us if you send us editable text files (that is, documents that can be opened and modified using Word or a notepad).
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It may sound obvious, but at Tradunia it is translators who translate. Translation is a profession, not a mere process, and it demands knowledge of techniques and resources that go beyond the command of the languages between which the translation takes place. That is why we only work with translators with proven experience in the translation world.
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Our job does not finish when the translation is delivered, but when our clients are satisfied. We value the feedback of our clients, and we thank them for any comments that can make our work better. If you have any corrections or modifications, as long as they are reasonable and justified, we will not hesitate to add it to our final result.
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We sign non-disclosure agreements with all our translators and collaborators, as well as with all the clients that request it.
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We have different mechanisms to guarantee the quality of our translations. To begin with, we work only with professional translators with proven experience, which guarantees that your texts will be treated with the care and professionalism this task requires. The next step in our quality process is selecting the translator or group of translators which are best prepared for each single job. The translator or group of translators that will take care of your project will translate only to his/her mother tongue (which guarantees appropriate expression and style) and he/she will have previous experience in the field of expertise of your texts (which guarantees precision in concepts and of technical vocabulary).
Finally, all our translators are reviewed by an external proofreader, who, if required by the client, will be a specialist in the subject matter translated (an engineer, jurist, technician...).
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First we receive the order and evaluate it to determine the workload, the specialization degree and the deadlines to be set. In this way we can arrange our human and technical resources before we even send you a quotation. Based on that, we create a quotation based on the difficulty, volume and the urgency of the job. Our quotations are sensible and accurate, without extra charges or last minute surprises.Once the quotation is accepted, we assign the job to the translator whose training and experience best fit the job. If the workload is high and the deadline short, the job will be assigned to a project manager, who will lead the team of translators and will be responsible for the final result.Once the tasks have been distributed, we translate the text, keeping in close contact with you if needed, and using all the resources we have (translation software, reference documents, terminological resources...) In the case of long translations the project manager will ensure uniform terminology and style. When the translation is ready we proofread it and carry out a thorough final check to make sure it meets your expectations as well as our quality requirements in terms of language (style editing, uniform and coherent terminology) and technical accuracy (appropriateness of the text to the specialized field, exactitude of concepts and terminology). Finally, we deliver the job, always in time, and exactly as specified by you. We stay in close contact for any comments or queries that may arise. We value the feedback of our clients.
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Hearing statements of this kind is not uncommon, as it is often assumed that knowing different languages qualifies a person to translate any text. Although it is true that some simple and unimportant texts can be translated by an assistant who speaks another language, if you need to go further than understanding the general sense of the text (for example, if your text is going to be published, or if it is a document the understanding of which is vital for the operations of your company), it is essential that you hire a professional translator.In which ways does a professional translator make a difference? Firstly, on the linguistic level: more than just knowing the languages he translates to and from, a translator has a full command of them and their different expressions, styles, registers, subtleties and typographic and orthographic norms. This guarantees that, on the one hand, the translator will be able to fully understand the source text, and, on the other hand, he is going to be able to express its nuances correctly.Second, on a technical level: translators are specialized in one or more fields of expertise, means they have an in-depth knowledge of the terminology and idioms of a particular field. Most importantly, this allows them to understand the texts they are translating, spotting any ambiguous or incorrect ideas on the fly and correcting them before they spread to different versions in other languages.Finally, on an economic level: translators do this professionally, so they automatize certain tasks and processes, they detect potential dangers that can be a problem in the future and they know where to look for resources (terminology, documentation...). The result is a flawless job executed in less time than a non-professional, so that in addition to knowing the task will be executed to the highest standard, you will save time and money.
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We accept payments by credit card, bank transfer and Paypal. More information on payment methods here.
Questions about quotations
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In order to give you a quotation we need to first assess your project. The most influential factors to set the translation fee are the technical difficulty of the project (whether it belongs to a more or less specific field of expertise, requires programming or image editing tasks...) and the due date (if it needs to be ready fast we would need to employ more translators or focus exclusively on your project, leaving aside other projects). Once the translation fee is set (it is defined in € per word), we multiply it by the number of words contained in the text.
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Counting words is easy if the text you are going to translate comes in an editable text file: open the text with Microsoft Word (or copy and paste the text in a new Word document), go to the “Review” tab and click on “Word count”, which is under the left group of icons (“Proofing”). If you are using OpenOffice, go to "File & Properties" and then click on the “Statistics” tab.If the text is not in an editable text file (as is the case with most scanned documents), you can calculate an estimate. Given that the program (usually a pdf or image viewer) cannot detect the number of words the text has, the estimation has to be done manually, counting the number of words in a line and then multiplying that amount by the number of lines the text has (we have to assume that the selected line has an average number of words). It is an inaccurate method, but this way you can get an idea. In any case, in order to be sure, you can send us the text you want to translate to info@tradunia.com. We have specific software to calculate the number of words a text has in a precise way.
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In order to get a closed quotation, please contact us at info@traudunia.com providing us with information about your project. We will prepare a free final quotation. Remember that our quotations are final, with no last minute surprises or extra charges.
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Yes, if you need your translation very fast we would need extra translators in order to finish it in time, so the price will be increased. To be sure, send us an email to info@tradunia.com with your project, for a free quotation. Our quotations are clear and every billed item is clearly displayed.
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No, normally a quotation includes only the cost of the translation, not the cost of other additional services. The cost of formatting and changing the layout of a text depends on the project, and this can be more or less expensive depending on the length of the text, the type of layout, and whether there was a previously existing layout or it has to be created from scratch. This can only be calculated if we examine the project, so if you need a translation that requires formatting and changes to layout, please send us the text to info@tradunia.com explaining the features of the project and we will create a free quotation. Needless to say, if you do not need layout or you want someone else to take care of it, we can just translate the text.
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The translation of images requires the use of image editing tools in order to modify the original image and add the translation. That is why we add a surcharge for every edited image to the cost of the translation of the words in the image.
Questions about sworn translations
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A sworn translation (sometimes called “official translation”) is a translation carried out by a sworn translator that can certify that it is a true and faithful translation of the original document. In Spain, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation appoints sworn translators. A sworn translation, according to current Spanish legislation, must bear the signature and stamp of the sworn translator on all of its pages, must be closed by a standard final statement and must be attached to the original document.
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Legal translation means the translation of texts relating to the world of law (agreements, certificates, laws, last wills and testaments...), while a sworn translation is a translation made by an official translator (sworn translator) that certifies that his translation is a true, faithful, and complete translation of the original document that was submitted to him. It is not unusual that a translation is both legal and sworn (for example, a certificate of criminal records issued in the United States and translated into Spanish to be submitted to the Spanish authorities during a naturalization process or a scholarship application). In other cases a legal translation may not need to be sworn (for example, the translation of an agreement that is going to be signed in another language, just to know its contents), or maybe a translation needs to be sworn, but it is not a legal translation (for example, a foreign academic transcript that needs to be used in Spain).
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Normally, when a document written in a non-official language has to be submitted to a Spanish official body, it is required to be translated by a sworn translator. For example, during a naturalization process to obtain the Spanish nationality, the sworn translations of birth or marriage certificates written in a foreign language are required. Another example is foreign academic titles, which need to be translated by a sworn translator before their legalization in Spain. Likewise, some foreign bodies (such as universities, embassies or ministries) do not accept documents written in Spanish, and they request their translation into their language made by an official translator.There are other cases in which translations do not need to be sworn, although it is advisable. For example, the only way to prevent the foreign documents provided during a trial to be challenged is to have them translated by a sworn translator. On the other hand, business documents (such as contracts and agreements) do not need to be sworn translated, unless the parties require so, but it is highly recommendable to have them translated by an expert in legal translation, in order to avoid mistakes that may affect the interpretation of the document.
Questions about website localization
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Not all websites can be translated into Arabic. Arabic is a language written from right to left, so when one translates a website into Arabic it is not enough to simply write the contents in the new language, for you need to adapt the whole page to show the contents in the reverse order (the orientation of the menus, the position of buttons, the location of the sidebar...). If the page was created taking this into account, its adaptation is feasible and it should not present difficulties. However, if the website was not designed with a regard for right-to-left languages, the adaptation of the website will probably be more expensive than the translation itself, and sometimes even more expensive than designing a new website from scratch. If you want to know if your website can be translated to Arabic send an e-mail to info@tradunia.com and we will freely advice you.
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In this case we can translate the contents and send them to you.
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That depends on your needs. If you have IT support able to adapt the site to the Arabic content, we will restrict our remit to the translation of the contents in your preferred format (text file, Excel file, .xliff file, WPML editor...) If otherwise you need technical support to adapt your website to Arabic, the IT team at Tradunia can take care of it.
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Tradunia has translated websites designed with pure HTML and content management systems (CMS) such as Wordpress, Drupal and Joomla. If your website has been designed using other methods, please contact us. We will find the solution you need.
Questions about technical translations
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At Tradunia we work with specialized translators in the most important fields of science: Mechanics, Electricity, Communications, Transportation, Medicine, Architecture, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Geography, Biology and Mathematics.
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Specialized translators have wide knowledge of the fields in which they translate. They are used to the ways the specialists in their field express themselves in both languages, they know the specific terminology, which they use without ambiguity, and, most importantly, they understand the texts they are translating, what guarantees a coherent and readable result. A general translator may not have those skills, and, when facing an unknown term, he may choose an inaccurate equivalent, or when he is before an unclear fragment he may give a wrong solution.
Questions about interpreting
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Both activities consist in conveying a message from one language to another. However, translation deals with written texts, while interpreting deals with oral situations (conferences, lessons, proceedings, medical consultations...).
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Every situation that involves at least two speakers who want to communicate with each other but do not know the other’s language, and do not have another common language: conferences, business meetings, medical consultations, proceedings, lessons...
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If you hire our interpreting services, the interpreter will be with you for the full length of time you need, so you are not faced with any situations in which you are unable to understand or be understood.
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Our interpreters will prepare the foreign language encounter and its contents with you, in order not to leave loose ends and to make sure everything flows naturally. Once the encounter comes to an end, in case you need it, our interpreter can analyze the session with you to clarify any doubts and pick up on any nuances.