Just like products, there are varying ways in which cost for services are calculated. As for the translation industry, the most reliable methods include cost per word and in some cases, per page. The rates differ on factors like language pair, demand and supply of translators for a particular language, content domain, volume, matches & repetitions, etc.
The word ‘repetition’ can sometimes well be used loosely and the moment a (novice) client becomes aware of its precious existence in the content to be translated, concession is all that they want, just in the price and of course not in the service! Always associating repetitions with price reduction is like merely scratching the surface.
Here are some reasons that’ll help you understand why they’re not always what they seem :-
1. Repetition in the source text doesn’t imply its presence in the target language
There’s a world of difference (both literally and figuratively) when it comes to the composition of two languages. The vocabulary used in one language doesn’t necessarily correspond to the target language. Eg: धीरे धीरे in Hindi wouldn’t be written as slowly-slowly in English. It’ll just be written as ‘slowly’. If these Hindi words चाय पानी are repeated in the source text separately, the resultant translation will be ‘tea’ and ‘water’, as expected. However, if they’re used as one word, the meaning no longer will be literal in both languages and will have a different vocabulary in the target language, as चाय पानी would mean ‘snacks’ or ‘offering a bribe’ depending on the context.
2. Transitioning from grammar rules of one language to another
Sentence formation in some languages follow the ‘subject-verb-object’ pattern (Eg: Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish, etc.), whereas the others follow ‘subject-object-verb’ method (Eg: German, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Marathi, etc.). There are differences in usage of independent verbs, adverbs, nouns, conjunctions, prepositions, etc. During translation, the target language may not have a similar grammatical structure found in the source language, thereby making the presence of repetitions negligible.
3. Repetitions, like other words need to be proofread
There’s a world of difference (both literally and figuratively) when it comes to the composition of two languages. The vocabulary used in one language doesn’t necessarily correspond to the target language. Eg: धीरे धीरे in Hindi wouldn’t be written as slowly-slowly in English. It’ll just be written as ‘slowly’. If these Hindi words चाय पानी are repeated in the source text separately, the resultant translation will be ‘tea’ and ‘water’, as expected. However, if they’re used as one word, the meaning no longer will be literal in both languages and will have a different vocabulary in the target language, as चाय पानी would mean ‘snacks’ or ‘offering a bribe’ depending on the context.
4. Segments can be counted as repetitions, not independent words
A segment is considered to be the basic unit while looking for repetitions. Usually a sentence, segments are identified by the presence of these punctuation marks – . , ?, . , !. A mere recurrence of words will account close to nothing, as the same word could be used for different purposes and may not have the same meaning.
5. Size of repeated words vary both in source & the target language
There is a variation in the number of syllables used for the same word among two different languages. This either causes a word to expand or contract, thereby increasing the effort while formatting a document, especially if the content is mostly tabular or written within a certain space. The word ‘values’ is written as ‘schatting’ (Dutch), 값 (Korean), মূল্যবোধ (Bengali), mga halaga (Filipino). It is evident that the translated words differ in size, which then results in spatial changes.
6. Segments which are repeated cannot always be translated in the same way
If repeated segments are translated without making any changes, the translation could seem dull while reading. This holds true for translation of literary content. However, segments are kept the same when the content has to convey a fixed meaning i.e. set of rules & regulations, verbatim, official statements, etc.
7. Paying for a company’s service and not merely for words
Last, but not the least, it’s important to understand that when you finalize an agency or company to provide you with translation, you are paying for a deal that’s more like a package which includes translation, proofreading, formatting, corrections through feedback, efficient delivery timelines, effective communication about status of translated content, etc.
In conclusion, it is important to comprehend what kind of service is required from the provider and then opening doors for mutually beneficial negotiations, taking into account, the various factors mentioned in this post, including that of matches and repetitions; which will eventually depend on the scope of content to be translated.
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