Frequently Asked Questions About Translation Services & Translators
What’s the difference between translation and interpreting?
Translation ensures your written content feels natural, clear and relevant to your audience, no matter the language. Interpreting, on the other hand, supports live conversations by enabling people to communicate smoothly in real time.
Choosing the right service is important because it directly shapes how customers experience your brand. Translation is usually the best fit for websites, brochures and marketing materials, where building trust and encouraging engagement relies on how your message comes across in writing. Interpreting is more suitable for meetings, events and tours, where clear, immediate communication helps conversations run smoothly and leaves a positive impression.
Why shouldn’t we use Google Translate for professional translation?
Google Translate helps you understand basic meaning, but it can’t reliably connect with customers.
Even Google has acknowledged the limitations of automated translation, particularly when content is intended for publication.
Machine translation struggles with accuracy, tone, nuance, and context. These details influence your brand’s perception.
Whether you’re updating investors, encouraging visitors or inviting customers to book, your message needs to sound natural, trustworthy and relevant to your audience. A word-for-word translation might make sense on paper, but it rarely builds the trust you need to win people over.
A truly skilled professional translator goes far beyond the words on the page. They consider: who your audience is, what action you want them to take, and how cultural expectations might influence their response.
This approach makes translation a seamless part of your customer experience, not just a text conversion.
Why shouldn’t we use artificial intelligence (AI) for professional translation?
AI might look like a quick and affordable solution. It can be useful for internal documents or early drafts.
But when your content is seen by customers, speed is only part of the story. Clarity, trust and relevance are just as important.
But for customer-facing content, speed isn’t the only priority. Clarity, trust and relevance matter just as much.
AI still has limitations when handling:
- cultural nuance
- humour and idioms
- emotional tone
- persuasive messaging
- brand voice
This is especially true in tourism and marketing, where the tone and personality of your brand voice can heavily influence whether someone books with you or selects a competitor.
There are also practical issues, like data security, especially if you’re dealing with confidential or sensitive business information.
AI translations reflect their training data. If that data is outdated or biased, so are the results.
AI can help with parts of the translation process, but it can’t replace real cultural insight or a strategic approach to communication.
For a more detailed look at where AI can support translation and where its limitations can affect quality, trust and customer experience, The Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence in Translations and Pros and Cons of Using AI to Automate Translation explore the wider challenges and considerations involved in using AI for multilingual communication.
Does a native English speaker also translate from English?
Not normally.
Most professional translators work into their native language because that’s where they can write with the greatest accuracy, fluency and cultural awareness.
A good translation is about making the final version feel natural, not just understanding the original.
There are exceptions, particularly with minority languages where fewer native-speaking professionals are available.
My colleague studied the language. Why can’t they translate the document?
Speaking a language and translating it professionally are two very different skills.
Translation conveys meaning, intent, and impact—not just swapping words.
A professional translator requires mastery of their native language, strong proficiency in the source language, deep cultural awareness, and expertise in the subject matter. They frequently undergo specialised training or enhance their industry knowledge.
If your content defines your brand or influences reputation and sales, do not settle for basic conversation skills. Choose a qualified professional—protect your business and elevate your message. Act now to ensure your words work for you.
How many words can a translator manage per day?
The number of words a translator can manage per day varies.
This can vary based on the translator’s experience and the nature of the content.
As a rough guide, a translator typically manages about 2,000 words a day. But this figure can vary widely depending on circumstances.
For example, some content is straightforward and repetitive, such as user manuals or technical documentation. In these cases, Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools can help improve efficiency.
Other types of content take longer to get right.
Marketing campaigns, slogans and tourism content often need transcreation. This means adapting your message so that it has the same emotional or persuasive effect in another market.
This goes beyond translation. It’s about understanding what your customers expect, how they behave, and what really matters to them.
If timing is important, talk to your translator about your specific content and goals rather than relying solely on word counts.
Why do translators specialise?
Context is everything.
Every industry uses its own terminology, conventions and customer expectations. A translator specialising in tourism, for example, understands how travellers search, compare and make booking decisions. That’s very different from translating software documentation or legal contracts.
Specialist knowledge helps ensure your content is not only accurate but also credible and relevant to your audience.
Translators build this expertise through formal study, hands-on experience or years spent working in a particular field.
What’s the difference between editing and proofreading?
Editing and proofreading cover different stages of the content process.
Editing helps improve clarity, structure and flow. It checks that your message makes sense and really gets your point across.
Proofreading is the last quality check. It looks for spelling, grammar, punctuation and formatting issues before you publish.
Both are essential but serve separate roles.
If translation is part of your customer experience, editing and proofreading help ensure your message feels polished, professional and trustworthy.
More Information
If you want to make a real impact in new markets, check out these resources for tips on selecting translation services, enhancing quality, and using transcreation for better customer engagement.
Selecting a translation provider is a strategic decision, not just a price comparison. This guide explains what affects quality, what to ask, and how to assess value when translation shapes your reputation and customer experience.
This is a practical guide to planning and managing translation projects. It covers briefing, setting quality expectations and how to get better results when you’re reaching international audiences.
When entering a new market, you often need more than translation. This guide reveals how transcreation helps you adapt marketing messages, slogans, and creative campaigns so they feel natural, persuasive, and culturally relevant in another market.