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Why use a Professional Translator?
You may have studied a foreign language at school or university, even spent a year or more abroad. Does that mean you can produce good translations?
Here are four reasons why it may not:
 False friends
The German noun “Tachometer”, refers to what in English is called a speedometer; German “vital” means healthy and full of life and energy, not – as the English word with the same spelling and etymology – “very important”.
The list of “false friends” is long. Here are just a few further examples:
| German |
English |
| Silikon |
silicone (bathroom sealant) |
| Silizium |
silicon |
| Kontrolle (e.g. in process control) |
monitoring, inspection |
| Regeln, Steuern |
control |
| seriös (e.g. of a company) |
reputable |
| ernst, ernsthaft |
serious |
| Präservativ |
contraceptive, condom |
| Konservierungsmittel |
preservative |
| konsequent |
consistent, determined |
| folglich |
consequent(ly) |
| galvanisieren |
electroplate |
| verzinken |
galvanize |
| aktuell |
current |
| tatsächlich, eigentlich |
actual |
Regional mistakes
This applies especially to English as the language of international communication and of fashion in non-English-speaking countries. Here, certain elements of the local language are sometimes applied to English so consistently that non-native-speakers no longer recognize them as mistakes. A typical example is the German custom of joining up words, which seems natural to naive German-speakers and is therefore often incorrectly applied to English in German-speaking countries.
“Accent”
Just as your accent will reveal your origin or native tongue when you speak, you will be immediately recognizable as a non-native once you put pen to paper. You may deliberately want to give your text a “foreign” feel, in which case doing the translation yourself may be the right choice. But in most cases, you will probably want to say to your readers or customers “We're talking your language”.
Experience
Just as teaching a language effectively requires certain skills beyond the ability to speak and write it fluently, translators need skills to transfer the information and intention of a text into another language and cultural setting.
Conclusion
If cost is your main criterion, or the text will be used only within your company, the do-it-yourself approach can yield a sufficient quality; but if you want to project a professional and international image, get in touch with a translation vendor.
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The DIY Approach
