Consequences of bad translations

Human translation services are still far superior to those made by machines when it comes to persona or business documents translations. Any company or individual client looking to have professional translation to or from English or French have to be sure that the linguistic professional is thorough and the document will be proofread to ensure that there are no errors or no alterations are made when conveying an initial message.

One of the most recent mistakes our team has seen was in the corporate financial report and experts notes attached to it. Luckily, the document was given to us for an independent review prior to being presented to a team of investors. In the notes attached, it was suggested that the core business of the company may potentially suffer in the distant future if competitive pressure increases and no diversification efforts are made by the company management.

The translation, however, clearly indicated that the company’s business is on a verge of collapse and, if no action is taken immediately, serious financial losses may occur.

This misunderstanding and misrepresentation of facts, however non-deliberate, result in very tangible reaction of shareholders and lead to actual monetary problems. All happened only due to a couple of rather tricky words used in the initial text and difference in their meanings when interpreted into English.

Such an example is one of the best examples speaking in favour of using professional translators versus simply bi-lingual individuals. Certified translators are skilled and experienced experts with years of expertise and special university-level education. They are trained to work with various aspects of both target and source language including specific terminology, acronyms, abbreviations and terminology.

If you are looking for a professional team to handle your document translation needs, DocsBase Canada is here to help you. Our local, Toronto-based certified and accredited linguistic experts work 24/7 to fulfill your needs and deliver the best results in time and within budget.