In Australia, you can generally be certain that a NAATI translator meets exacting standards of translation quality, but not all NAATI translators or translation service providers who employ NAATI accredited translators may suit your requirements. So how do you find the translator you want at the right price?
You will be most likely to choose a NAATI translator for all formal translations, e.g. for translating birth and marriage certificates, but not all translations necessarily require a human translator. If you want to make an enquiry by email, for instance, with someone overseas who doesn’t speak the same language as you, then you can use any one of a number of free translation sites on the internet. They are not very accurate, but if accuracy is not essential, and all you want is the general idea of what is being communicated, they are certainly fast and free.
Using a translator that is based in the town or city where you live is rarely important, because most providers will have an online facility where you scan a document and send it by email or upload the document on to a specific place on their site. This gives you considerable more choice of who to use and how much they are likely to cost. There are some situations in which you may want to talk to the translator, especially if the project is likely to be lengthy or ongoing. Then you may wish to use a locally based translation company.
When you have narrowed down the choice of NAATI translation service providers you can then provide an idea of what you want translated and ask for a quotation. Many translators will ask a fixed price for relatively straightforward documents like qualification certificates, employment contracts and birth or marriage certificates, but it is always best to check that they specialise in the language you want.
Not all NAATI translators handle the full range of document types just like they may only offer a limited range of languages. If you have particular translation needs, such as legal document translations you should check that the translator you are thinking of using has particular experience with that type of document. Marketing translations are another area where the choice of translator is important. Marketing translations should be culturally appropriate so the translators not only need to know the language well, but have some depth of experience in the culture of the intended market, too.
