We’ve put together the most common questions we are asked about translation

  • Do you translate into all languages?

    Yes, we translate into all languages.

  • When will my translation be ready?

    The delivery time will depend on the amount of text you need translated, and on the language combination. If you would like your translation delivered more quickly, you can order express delivery, which costs slightly more.

  • How quickly can you translate my document?

    We will help you get your translation when you need it. The delivery time varies depending on the amount of text and the file format. As a guide, you can assume that a translator can translate approximately 2,000 words a day, but this will naturally be affected by the type of text involved, the language and the file format. Is it a legal contract, a thesis, a newsletter to your customers, a technical manual, a handwritten letter or your whole website?

  • How quickly will an express translation be delivered?

    We do all we can to deliver your express translation as quickly as you need it. The delivery time depends on the amount of text and the file format.

  • Will I have direct contact with the translator?

    When you contact Semantix, you will be in touch with a project manager, who is then in turn in contact with the translator/translators involved in your project.

  • How do you safeguard quality?

    We translate in accordance with the EN ISO 17100:2015 standard with different levels of review. The translator themselves ensure that the text meets our requirements, i.e. all text is translated and spell checked, terminology is consistent, the text is linguistically correct and tailored for the target group, reference material taken into account, etc. Where desired, a reviewer can also examine the text to double-check that these criteria have been met. Before delivery, the project manager then checks that the file is not corrupt and that the translation corresponds to your order in every respect.

  • Why do you need an editable file?

    Because our translators work using translation tools, we need editable files that can be used in these tools. Unfortunately, PDF files are not editable. We can, of course, convert PDF files into Word format but the result will be less successful as the line breaks and pagination will no longer match that of the source file. We can prepare a PDF file and create a “new” original, but this will cost you more and take slightly longer. The easiest option is to give us the working file that the document was created from. This is often in InDesign. If the document contains images containing text, we also need to be able to access these.

  • What does authorised translation mean?

    There is no universal standard for the authorisation of translations, and the certification process varies from country to country. For example, in Sweden, a certified/authorised translation is produced by a translator who has been authorised by the Swedish Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency (Kammarkollegiet) by providing sample translations to check that the translator’s proficiency at general texts, legal texts and financial texts in the language combination concerned.

  • What is the difference between an authorised translation and a normal translation?

    An authorised translation may be needed in certain specific cases. Examples of times when a translation will need to be authorised include annual reports, certificates, testimonials, extracts from registers and legal documents that will be used in court. Customers sometimes ask for an authorised medical translation, but because it is not possible to obtain authorisation for medicine as a specific subject area, this will not necessarily mean the translation is of a higher quality and there may be a risk that a skilled medical translator will be excluded. This is worth bearing in mind if you are ordering translations of medical texts.

  • When does a translation need to be sworn before a notary public?

    There is no universal standard for the notarisation of translations. If you are sending a certificate or testimonial to a foreign government agency, a sworn translation may be required. Often an authorised translation is sufficient. However, we recommend that you check with the body that requires the translation and find out what their requirements are.

  • How much does a translation cost?

    The cost of a translation varies and depends on the number of words, the language combination, the delivery time and the file format that you have provided us with. Upload your text here to get a quote.

  • What do I do if I need a whole website translated?

    Ideally, we would need an exported file from the system that hosts the website, containing the text to be translated. This saves time for you and us. If we only have a Word file containing the text to be translated, this will involve much more work for us and for you. First of all, someone will have to sit and copy all the text from the website and then you will have to paste the translation back into the CMS once the text has been translated. If you cut and paste yourself, there is also a risk that you will miss pages and text that needs to be translated.

    We have technology to easily import and export texts for translation for many of the major CMS systems, such as WordPress and Episerver. But no matter which system your company uses, we will always try to find the most time-efficient and cost-efficient solution. Often the IT department or the person responsible for the website at the company will be best placed to export the text from the website.

  • Which file formats can you handle?

    We handle most file formats. Sometimes we might need to prepare the files slightly before translation and we have a technical department that can help with this. They will find the most time-efficient and cost-efficient solution for your text.

  • Have you got translators who are experts at finance?

    Our translators are specialists in their respective subject areas. We have translators who are specialised in translating economic and financial texts.

  • Do your translators have InDesign?

    When we translate texts in InDesign, we convert the InDesign file to idml format so the translator can handle it in their translation tool. Once the text has been translated, we will be happy to help you reimport it into the original layout, giving you a finished, proofread file with the correct hyphenation.

  • What do you do if there are tags and HTML code in the document? Do you protect these?

    Yes, we do. Our translation tools help to protect the tags in your documents. Our technical department can also go in and protect the tags in your document.

  • Will the translation look the same as the original text?

    Either you reimport the text yourself, or we can reimport it into the original layout, giving you a finished, proofread file with the correct hyphenation.

  • Do we need to translate into Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian? Or is it sufficient to translate into one of these languages?

    There are fewer differences between Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian than there are between Norwegian, Danish and Swedish, and in Sweden translators are authorised in what is termed “BKS”, which includes all these languages. Translations for the Swedish public sector are usually into and out of BKS, but if the target group for your text is in one of the countries itself, we recommend translating it into that specific language.

  • Which languages do we need to translate our material into? Do you have statistics on the languages we should translate into?

    We always recommend translating into the languages spoken in the markets in which your company operates.

  • What is DTP?

    DTP means desktop publishing and involves fitting the text into a layout. Have you got a layout file in InDesign or FrameMaker? If so, we can complete the translation in the file itself and, if you wish, we can also reimport the translated text into the original layout and deliver a print-ready PDF with the hyphenation and layout in line with the rules in the new language.

  • Transcreation, copy translation and creative translation – what does that mean?

    When we receive a transcreation, copy- or creative translation assignment, our translators add an extra layer of communication. Translators adapt the copy in the text based on your original file, e.g. for your local export market or to the environment where the text needs to work.

  • What is a CAT tool?

    Computer assisted translation or computer aided translation involves using a translation tool that helps the translator during the translation process. One advantage of using a CAT tool is that the translator can translate a much higher number of words per day because the tool recognises repetitions or text that has been translated before and can be reused.

  • What is alignment?

    Alignment is used to create a translation memory from previous translations that have been produced for your company. The advantage is that we can then draw on both the source and the target files from the previous translation. Alignment is carried out using a software program.

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