| Frequently Asked Questions |
|
Everything you need to know about the language service industry in general and ASET's services in particular. |
| |
 Translation and Interpreting |
| What is the difference between translation and interpreting? |
| Does translation software work? Can I use it for my business? Do you sell it? |
| Why do most Fortune 500 companies use professional translation services? |
| What is "localization?" |
| What is the difference between "simultaneous," "consecutive," and "escort" interpreting? |
| Why is professional simultaneous interpreting the standard at the UN and the EU? Why is this form of interpreting recognized as the standard for international meetings worldwide? |
| |
| Services |
| Do you translate personal documents? |
| Can you translate/localize software? |
| Can you translate/localize a web site? |
| Can you translate/localize computer-based training courses? |
| Can you translate/localize videos or DVDs? |
| Can you translate documentation or user's manuals? |
| Do you offer over-the-phone interpreting? |
| |
| Products |
| Do you sell any devices or software that translates automatically? |
| |
| Production |
| What are your translators' and interpreters' qualifications? |
| How quickly can I get my translation back? |
| Do you use translation software? |
| Do you use translation memory tools? |
| |
| Pricing and Quoting |
| How will you quote my project? |
| What are your prices based on? |
| |
 |  Back to top |
| |
| TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETING |
| What is the difference between translation and interpreting? |
| Translation deals with the written word, while interpreting deals with the spoken word. Documents, web sites, contracts and patents are translated, while interpreting is provided in support of international conferences (such as at the UN) or in international meetings attended by people from many nations, where the attendees wear headphones or earpieces through which interpretation is provided by professional interpreters. |
| |
| Back to top |
| |
| Does translation software work? Can I use it for my business? Do you sell it? |
| Translation software is not designed to replace professional translators. It will not produce a document that is accurate, or one that represents you or your business well. The software is really designed to give you an "idea" of what a document is about — a process called gisting. For example, the paragraph explaining translation and interpreting above, run through a popular translation software program, produced this: |
| |
| The translation deals with the written word, when explained deals with the speech the word. The document, the website, the contract and the patent are translated, when explained is provided the support international conference (for example in the United Nations.) Either attended in the international conference wore the earphone or the receiver by the person from the attendee explained provided many countries by the specialized interpreter. |
| |
| The Wall Street Journal has declared, "These services are passable for travelers or for those wanting to translate a letter from a distant cousin. I definitely wouldn't use them for business or anything that remotely requires accuracy." |
| |
| ASET does not sell translation software. |
| |
| Back to top |
| |
| Why do most Fortune 500 companies use professional translation services? |
| Globalization has caused an explosion in the demand for reliable translation services. Major companies that compete for market share in international markets have learned that translating their products into local languages is essential to competitiveness. Moreover, the EU has mandated that products sold in the European member nations must be accompanied by translations in the local languages. Most large companies outsource this requirement to specialized translation companies like ASET, which has nearly 20 years experience advising such companies on their language requirements, while also providing a comprehensive range of professional language services to meet these requirements. |
| |
| Back to top |
| |
| What is "localization?" |
| Localization is the process of creating a product like a software application, a web site or a video game, so that the product is entirely "at home" in the target country. Localization includes language translation but goes beyond it, to include, for example, the conversion of formats, standards, layouts and designs as well as the use of customized colors, slogans and other components that influence the "feel" of the product. ASET provides localization services to its clients in over 135 languages. |
| |
| Back to top |
| |
| What is the difference between "simultaneous," "consecutive," and "escort" interpreting? |
| Simultaneous interpreting, as the name would suggest, occurs in close time proximity to the speech of the original speaker. It is provided continuously and in a smooth and consistent flow. Simultaneous interpreting, also sometimes referred to as conference interpreting, requires specialized equipment (headsets or earpieces for the audience) as well as control units and soundproof booths for the interpreters. This is the form of interpreting used at the UN and most international organizations as well as most major international conferences and business meetings. |
| |
| Consecutive interpreting is where the original speaker and the interpreter intersperse their speaking times. In other words, the original speaker will speak for a few minutes, stop talking and wait while the interpreter conveys an interpretation in another language, after which the original speaker continues. Consecutive interpreting is suitable for short presentations or business meetings, but because of the fact that everything is said twice (once in each language, alternating in time) it doubles the length of any event, which makes it less than ideal for major conferences or meetings held in more than one foreign language. |
| |
| Escort interpreting is a form of spoken language support for tours, visits or travel where individuals require ongoing spoken language support, usually in a single language. |
| |
| Back to top |
| |
| Why is professional simultaneous interpreting the standard at the UN and the EU? Why is this form of interpreting recognized as the standard for international meetings worldwide? |
| Simultaneous or conference interpreting is the only interpreting format that supports multiple languages, is efficient in its use of time and is unobtrusive to the ongoing proceedings. This is why this format has become the standard not only for international organizations but also for international business conferences, training sessions, meetings and other venues where multilingual language support is required. ASET provides a full range of interpretation services in all formats, including the ability to provide comprehensive equipment and booth designs and configurations, as well as technical support for equipment setup, operation and break-down. Click here to learn more about ASET's interpreting capabilities. |
| |
| Back to top |
| |
| SERVICES |
| Do you translate personal documents? |
| ASET does not translate personal documents. This includes birth, marriage, divorce or death certificates, school diplomas or records or any other personal documentation. The costs tend to be prohibitive for individuals and the company is designed to provide high-volume, high-quality translation services for corporations, institutions and government agencies, not individuals. |
| |
| Back to top |
| Can you translate/localize software? |
| ASET provides a full range of software localization services in over 135 languages, with over a decade of premier support for leading Fortune 500 companies, an in-house localization testing lab and a full in-house engineering staff. A complete description of our software localization services can be found here. |
| |
| Back to top |
| Can you translate/localize a web site? |
| ASET specializes in corporate web site localization for complex, multi-level sites in multiple languages. The company is also adept at managing ongoing updates to content through various content management systems. A complete description of our web site localization services can be found here. |
| |
| Back to top |
| Can you translate/localize computer-based training courses? |
| ASET provides comprehensive localization of CBT courseware in a wide variety of production formats. ASET engineers work with your source files, including text, animation, flash, audio/video and other media to provide a seamless finished product. To learn about ASET's experience with CBT courseware, click here. |
| |
| Back to top |
| Can you translate/localize videos or DVDs? |
| ASET offers a variety of options in localizing video in a broad range of formats. The company provides full-service professional voice-over services (foreign-language dubbing) as well as subtitling in over 135 languages. To learn about ASET's video services, click here. |
| |
| Back to top |
| Can you translate documentation or user's manuals? |
| ASET has extensive experience providing translations of documentation, user's manuals, product guides, brochures and ads in a wide variety of DTP formats, including InDesign, FrameMaker, QuarkXPress, PageMaker and more on both PC and Mac platforms. A complete description of ASET's documentation production capability can be found here. |
| |
| Back to top |
| Do you offer over-the-phone interpreting? |
| Yes. ASET's LanguageFōn® provides instant access to professional interpreters in over 100 languages by phone. With on-line language interpreting at your fingertips, you can call anywhere in the world with confidence. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To learn more about LanguageFōn®, click here. |
| |
| Back to top |
| PRODUCTS |
| Do you sell any devices or software that translates automatically? |
| No existing device or software provides automatic language translation at the level of quality necessary for business requirements. For that reason, ASET does not sell or market these products, nor do we use them in producing our own translations. Our primary mission is to support our client's international operations in a professional, quality-focused manner. |
| |
| Back to top |
| PRODUCTION |
| What are your translators' and interpreters' qualifications? |
| ASET's translators and interpreters are industry-leading, native-speaking professionals with a minimum of 5 years experience in the field (most have 10+ years) and distinguished performance records. Many of our translators and interpreters teach in professional translation programs at the university level, provide continuing education to their peers or lead presentations at professional conferences. |
| |
| Back to top |
| How quickly can I get my translation back? |
| Turn-around times depend on many factors, such as the length of the document, the format in which it was produced, the complexity of layout and other elements that make up the translation. For example, a translation of a Word document most likely will require much less time than the translation of an indexed user's manual in a DTP program such as InDesign. All translations must also pass through procedures mandated by our Quality Assurance Program. Your ASET sales representative or account executive can provide you with guidance on turn-around times. We work closely with our clients in order to accommodate their production timelines and requirements. |
| |
| Back to top |
| Do you use translation software? |
| No, we do not use software that actually produces the translation. The low quality of translation software generally makes it useless to professional translators. The amount of correction, editing and "clean-up" required is so extensive that it makes more sense to simply translate the material from scratch. |
| |
| Back to top |
| Do you use translation memory tools? |
| Yes, ASET makes extensive use of translation memory tools, which are sophisticated databases employed by professional translators to aid them as they work. These tools improve consistency, leverage existing translations and can dramatically reduce translation costs. |
| |
| Back to top |
| PRICING AND QUOTING |
| How will you quote my project? |
| In general, translation and localization are priced on a per-word basis, with other professional services (layout, testing, engineering) priced on an hourly basis. |
| |
| Because every translation and localization project is unique, fixed price lists are of limited use (that is why there are no price lists published on this site). Moreover, pricing is affected by such factors as format, deadline, volume and client-specified requirements. We also request your files in order to calculate potential discounts through the use of translation memory technology. For this reason, we provide quotes on a per-project basis to best meet client requirements. |
| |
| In our quoting phase, we will request source files, discuss languages, formats, deadlines and deliverables, run analyses of files and develop our own recommendations for your project. We will provide you with a detailed assessment, proposal and quote for each project, including discounts. We are happy to provide these consulting services at no charge. The final quotes are free, involve no obligation, and can be helpful in scoping a project. |
| |
| Back to top |
| What are your prices based on? |
| Translation is a professional service, much like dentistry or law. With professional services, you get what you pay for. The translations of your brochure, user's manual or web site constitute the public face of your company for millions of readers of that language. The translation of a patent or a medical consent form may involve significant liability for your company. This makes quality paramount in today's risky and competitive international business environment. |
| |
| We do offer volume and special discounts and use translation memory tools to reduce costs, often considerably. We are also one of the few translation companies in the industry deemed to have a translation Quality Assurance Program sufficient for an insurance carrier to grant professional liability insurance. But rarely are we the absolute lowest price. As in dentistry, it is always possible to find a cheaper rate. However, most people would agree that it is not always a good idea to base a decision about a dentist — or a translation — on price alone. |
| |
ASET provides training on best practices in the industry, and in connection with such training has developed a good overview of criteria for selecting a professional translation and localization services provider.
|
