“It’s just a few pages! How long could it take?” It depends! There are a number of factors which affect how long it can take to produce a translation. Below, I will explain some of the time considerations involved when providing quotes to clients.
Familiarity
Is the document similar to others I have translated before? Is it a type of document I frequently translate?
It will be easier for a translator to produce a translation if they have translated similar documents in the past. Driver’s licence and birth certificate translations are two of my most frequently-requested services, so it is generally easier for me to produce translations of these documents on an urgent basis, if necessary.
Complexity and Difficulty
Will I need to recreate complicated formatting? Does the document contain highly technical language?
When translating documents that use forms or tables, I want to recreate the form or table as closely as possible so that the reader can compare the two documents side-by-side. It will take longer for me to recreate a very complicated form or table if I am unable to convert a client file to an editable format.
Documents like court orders or medical reports use very specialized terminology. It is more difficult to translate highly technical documents, so the translation process will take longer.
Type of Writing
Is the document typewritten or handwritten?
Decades ago, registrars wrote vital records (birth, marriage and death records) by hand. More recent versions of these documents are typewritten, but I am still contacted by clients who want to translate decades-old handwritten records. It can be time-consuming to decipher the handwriting used in these documents.
What to Do If You Require an Urgent Translation
When you search for a translator, you can see that we advertise our areas of specialization. The major areas of specialization include legal, financial, medical, and technical translation. When you require services urgently, you will be best served by contacting a translator specializing in the relevant type of document. For example, if you need a translation of a doctor’s note, you should contact a medical translation specialist. If you need a translation of a divorce decree, you should contact a legal translation specialist.
Canadian certified translators are skilled professionals of recognized competence who have fulfilled the certification requirements of a provincial translators’ association. We are considered capable of practicing independently, and our certified translations are accepted for official purposes in Canada. To search for a translator certified by the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO), visit the ATIO directory. If you want a quote for a certified Spanish-to-English translation, please contact me!
Laura L. Messer, Certified Translator Spanish to English (ATIO)
I am a certified member of the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) with years of experience translating legal and financial documents from Spanish to English.