Translation enquiries,
answered before the brief

Translation orders begin by email or phone. The initial request should identify the files, source and target languages, intended use and required date. A written scope and confirmed deadline establish the assignment before translation starts. The order process explains the stages from enquiry through revision and delivery.

A useful quote request includes the actual source files, language combination, target market, subject field and requested delivery date. Reference translations and glossaries help clarify terminology requirements. Any expected source changes should also be identified, since a draft can differ materially from the final document.

The cost depends on the material and the work specified; a document needs assessment before a price can be established. Language combination, subject complexity, volume, repetition and file condition affect that assessment. The translation quote guide explains which details make quotations meaningful and comparable.

A delivery date depends on the volume, language combination, subject, source-file condition and review work required. Babylon Translations confirms deadlines in writing for the assignment. An urgent request should state the actual required date and whether the source is final, so that the proposed scope and timing can be assessed together.

Yes. Babylon Translations manages high-volume multilingual projects, including parallel translation into several languages. The brief should distinguish requirements shared by every language from those specific to a market. Naming the target countries and identifying a final source version help prevent different assumptions across the language teams.

A source change should be identified explicitly and its effect on the order assessed. Supply the revised file, its version and a clear indication of the changed passages. A new paragraph or altered specification can affect translation, revision and delivery, so it should be distinguished from feedback on work already completed.

The agency holds DIN EN ISO 17100 for translation services, ISO 9001:2015 for translation and localisation, ISO 13485:2016 for life-science and medical-device translation, and ISO 18587:2017 for post-editing machine output. The quality page and certificate scans show the four distinct scopes and explain their practical requirements.

Every translation is proofread and reviewed. In the ISO 17100 workflow, revision is performed by a second qualified linguist who compares the target text with the source. That comparison checks whether the meaning, completeness and terminology have been preserved; proofreading additionally addresses the finished target-language text.

The agency’s translators work into their mother tongue, live in the target country and have 10+ years of translation experience. They are specialists in their fields. The selection combines knowledge of the subject with knowledge of the language as used in the market where the document is intended to function.

ISO process certification does not itself give a document sworn, notarised or officially certified status. The translation-service and quality-management standards describe requirements for the work and its management. An official-use requirement must be identified separately, including the receiving authority and its instructions, before a service is agreed.

Approved terminology should be supplied with the initial request, together with reference documents and previous translations. Product names, defined contractual terms and specialist abbreviations benefit from clear instructions. If references disagree, identifying which source takes precedence helps avoid inconsistent choices. CAT tools support terminology consistency during translation.

Feedback should identify the file, the passage and the reason for the correction, with supporting terminology or context where relevant. Babylon Translations must have the opportunity to correct justified faults under its general business terms. Clear feedback helps distinguish a mistranslation from a new source change or a stylistic preference.

The published list covers 32 languages and variants, including English, German, French, Arabic, Japanese and Bulgarian. Several entries distinguish regional variants rather than separate languages. The language list is the reference for an enquiry; the exact source language, target language and destination market should still be stated for each assignment.

Yes. The destination country can determine spelling, terminology and conventions even when the language name is the same. The agency lists UK and US English, French for France and Canada, and several Portuguese and Spanish variants. A named market gives the translator a more precise brief than the language alone.

Yes. Babylon Translations offers multilingual projects covering all language pairs. An enquiry should name each source-to-target combination, the subject and the intended markets, rather than assuming that a list of target languages defines the complete assignment. The project manager can then assess the requirement as a specific order.

Send the material that needs translation and identify whether an editable source version is available. The format and condition affect how the content can be assessed and prepared. A PDF, screenshot or scan may conceal text that is difficult to count or edit, so the original working file is useful where available.

A scan should be supplied for assessment rather than treated as equivalent to editable text. Legibility, completeness and the availability of an original file affect the work required. Pages with unclear figures, handwritten additions or missing edges need particular attention. Any file preparation and delivery requirements should be agreed for the assignment.

Confidentiality requirements should be stated before sensitive material is supplied, so that the handling arrangements can be clarified. The agency’s published terms require source texts and additional information to be treated confidentially, including by subcontractors bound by the same obligation. Personal-data handling is described separately in the privacy notice.

Babylon Translations offers simultaneous interpreting at symposia, seminars and conferences, and consecutive interpreting at business meetings. The two formats organise speech differently: simultaneous interpreting follows the speaker while the speech continues; consecutive interpreting uses pauses. The interpreting service helps frame an enquiry around the event’s actual needs.

An interpreting enquiry should specify the event date, location, languages, subject, format and expected duration. The agenda and available presentations help describe the subject matter. State whether the requirement concerns a conference or a meeting, and identify any technical arrangements that need clarification rather than assuming they are included.

Full post-editing is professional human work on machine-translated text to meet the agreed requirements for the final translation. The post-editor checks the output against the source and corrects meaning, terminology and language. Babylon Translations holds ISO 18587:2017 certification for post-editing of machine translation output; fluent wording alone is insufficient.

Suitability depends on the document’s purpose, subject, source quality and the machine output itself. A poor draft can require extensive correction, and fluent text can still contain serious errors. The MTPE service page explains the assessment questions; the appropriate workflow should be agreed before work starts.

The source text and machine output are both needed to assess a post-editing requirement. Include the target language and market, intended use, reference terminology and delivery requirements. A target-language draft alone cannot show whether the original meaning has been preserved or whether content has been omitted.

The standards describe different workflows. ISO 18587 addresses full human post-editing of machine output; ISO 17100 addresses translation services and includes translation followed by revision by a second qualified linguist. A procurement brief should name the required service and checks explicitly rather than treating the two certificates as interchangeable.