International translation (11)
As we work within rigid parameters regarding ad headline and body text length, how do you guys allow for international translation?
For example, an English headline may be under the maximum character length, whereas its translation into another language may exceeed it. Are there translation services that you can recommend which understand this requirement?
At OneHourTranslation.com you can leave a comment to the translator.
Mention you are looking for a certain text length.
just make sure to state "35 characters or lees INCLUDING spaces" they sometimes for get that
I had some ads recently translated from Eng -> German with onehourtranslation. What I did is send an Excel file with the English sentences and rows for the corresponding translations. I had a note written inside the Excel file which I also put into my translation request/message to translator.
What I also did in the Excel file is have a column after the translations with a character count. I set up a formula so if the number of characters inc spaces in the box exceeded a certain amount the cell would turn red. So then I just told them they cant exceed so and so, check character count in column, cell will go red if you exceed etc. Worked fine. I doubt you need anything so advanced but I intend to use it as a template for FB ad translations in the future.
Many thanks to everyone who replied.
I like the excel idea zeno. If I use Google Docs for this the tranlator won't even need to have Excel themselves.
If they do go over the character limit then you can just ask them to shorten it. They've always done it for me.
Originally Posted by zeno
Thank you.
Dunno, it's just what I do. I still use onehourtranslation. Some people love it, some people hate it. I have had good and bad translations. Once you find a decent translator for your niche you can set to prefer them and that makes things easier - e.g. for me I found some people who clearly know about games so are more likely to deliver translations that actually appeal to gamers.
If translating for FB ads I highly recommend going the route I take... simply because you will get less dicking about with people giving you translations that are too long. Most if not all of the translators will have Excel, I believe it may be required software to work for them. I also put notes in the Excel file about words that can be removed/replaced, e.g. adjectives which aren't necessary. Always run your text through Google Translate first to get a crude guide to how many characters you're going to get when translated. The translation is horrid, but it will get most of the words right so a reasonable character count.
In the translator note I say something like:
These translations are for adverts with strict character limits, the count cells in the Excel file will flag red if over. Please try to tweak the translation if it won't fit and leave a note to indicate how the translation differs if so. If it's impossible to fit please just let me know, thanks!
-Me
Originally Posted by zeno
Def OHT. They are fast and do great work.
Yep, just leave a note with your text to be translated. There are some languages that can be a real ball-ache for the 35 character limit. Makes you wonder how people manage to tweet their lives in 160 characters or less!
I'd say OneHourTranslation is the quickest and most professional.
You can get a lot translated on Fiverr at a cheaper rate, but it involves more waiting around.
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