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Which
languages do you translate?
Please see our Statistics, Clients and
Languages page.
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How do I go about using your services?
You can send us your documents by e-mail
or fax. We will send you a quotation or a cost estimate
based on the documents received from you. At this point you can call or
e-mail us with any further queries you may have. If you had not
already advised us, please mention any specific deadlines you may have
at this time. If you decide to approve our quotation or cost estimate,
simply sign it and send it back to us by fax or e-mail, accompanied by
any other documents that might be required in view of the payment terms
or ordering instructions appearing on the quotation. On receipt of the
signed quotation or cost estimate, your project will be scheduled in
and you will be advised of the delivery date (unless a deadline had
already been discussed).
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How do I get my
documents to you?
If at all possible, please send us your documents by e-mail,
as editable attachments, preferably in Microsoft Word. This way, in
most cases, the translation will be an exact copy of your original
document in the language you requested, including font size, layout,
etc. We can also handle documents in other popular formats, including
Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, etc. If your documents are not available
as soft copy, we can work from hard copy sent to us by fax or
courier, or from a scanned copy of your document, in which case we will
attempt to stick as closely as
possible to the original layout. No additional fees will be charged for
working from hard copy, unless the layout is very complex
(very
involved tables, forms, flowcharts, etc.).
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How will I receive
the translation?
The
default delivery method is by e-mail, however, you are more than
welcome to request delivery by fax, post or courier. Please note that
all courier charges will be for
your account.
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The
whole document is too large to fax / e-mail. I just need an estimate
for now. Can you help me?
Yes.
Just send us a few sample pages and let us know what the total number
of pages is. This will allow us to provide you with a cost estimate. If
you like what you see and would like to get the exact figure, we will
gladly provide you with a firm, all-inclusive quotation, once we have
seen the entire document. Alternatively, you might want to place your
order based on our cost estimate, in which case you will be invoiced
based on the target word count (number of words in the translated
text).
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How
do you calculate the word count?
When presented with an editable soft copy, we obtain a computer word
count (most word-processing packages come with this feature). When
working with PDF files, faxes and hard copy, we normally use OCR
software to establish the number of words in the source document.
Sometimes, due to the poor quality or complex layout of the original,
the word count has to be estimated. Of course, if you agree to be
invoiced based on the target word count, once again, the word count
feature in MS Word is used - on the target text.
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Will
my documents be treated as confidential?
We take confidentiality and security issues very seriously. Every
single document we receive is treated as confidential. However, if you
have special requirements in this area, we will be more than happy to
sign a legally binding
non-disclosure agreement (available from our offices).
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How
long will it take to translate my documents?
Each translator on our team can handle approximately 2000 words per working
day. However, this figure is greatly affected by the nature and layout
of the source document as well as the amount of research that needs to
be done.
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I
have a very important deadline to meet. Can I count on you?
Of course! We understand the importance of meeting deadlines and are
proud to say that our reliability is nothing short of legendary. On the
other hand, we know that every job requires a certain amount of time to
be done professionally. We always try to accommodate any requests,
however, if we know that there are simply not enough hours to complete
the job before the deadline proposed by you, we will propose an
alternative deadline, as close to yours as possible. We do not believe
in accepting projects on the off chance of maybe, somehow meeting the
deadline, just to get your order. Our clients know that if we commit to
a deadline, it will be met.
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We
have a 40 000-word document and five days to have it translated. Can
you help us?
Some documents can be split among several translators to reduce
turnaround time. However, no two people’s writing styles are the same
and the terminology used by one translator may differ from the
terminology used by another. The final document will always have to be
edited by one person to address such inconsistencies, which also takes
time. We generally advise our clients against this practice, as the
fact that the job was rushed will inevitably shine through. If you need
a document translated strictly for information purposes, but are
pressed for time, this could be the answer. Otherwise, it always makes
more sense to take another look at the supposed time constraints
instead.
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Okay,
but what if I divide a large document into smaller ones and dish them
out to several agencies / independent translators to complete the
project faster?
Not a good idea at all. Your final product will be a complete mess that
will make you or, worse still, your target audience, want to scream
trying to make some sense of those fragmented parts with constantly
changing terminology and writing styles, never mind the fonts and
layout. It will not help you to complete your project on time. Rather,
on the day of your deadline, you will find yourself back at the drawing
board, only this time with a few hefty invoices on your desk from the
agencies / translators whose individual performance cannot be faulted.
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How
do you charge for your services?
All our fees are based on a rate per 100 words, which differs from one
language combination to the next. Please call or e-mail us
for our current rate applicable to a specific language combination.
Our complete tariff sheet is
available on request, by e-mail or fax. Our rates are not
affected by the nature of the text.
Alternatively,
you could simply send us your document(s) by e-mail or
fax for a firm, all-inclusive, no-obligation quotation for the entire
project.
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Do
you do technical / medical / legal / financial translations? Are these
more expensive?
We have proven experience in a variety of fields. In fact, we
are
proud to say that in most languages that we offer we can handle
virtually any subject. We do not charge more for specialised
translations. As far as we are concerned, it would be completely
pointless, considering that most texts that we deal with on a daily
basis are far from what could be referred to as “general”.
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Is
there a minimum number of words that you will translate?
No. Any order placed with European Language Services, big or small,
entitles you to the same customer service and attention to detail.
Please note, however, that we do have a minimum charge.
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Do
you charge more for rush jobs?
No. We do not charge more for rush jobs, provided that such jobs can be
completed during business hours. A 50% surcharge will, however, apply
to all jobs that will clearly have to be done after hours, on weekends
or public holidays. For example, such surcharge will apply to a
1000-word document received at 16h30 on a Tuesday, to be ready at 08h00
the next day, or to a 4000-word document received at 14h30 on a Friday,
to be ready at 09h30 on Monday.
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Could
you send one of your translators to our offices for a couple of
hours/days?
No. Although
we do provide in-house translators for very large and on-going
projects, this is done only by special arrangement and only under
long-term contracts for a minimum period of six months.
In all other cases, you will need to get the
material to us by e-mail,
fax or courier.
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Do
you translate personal documents?
Yes, we do. We will provide you with an official certified translation,
which is accepted by the Department of Home Affairs as well as by most
foreign embassies and consulates in South Africa. You will not be
charged any additional certification fees, provided the translation is
done by us. Please keep in mind that only original translations are
accepted for any official purposes.
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What’s
the difference between a certified translation and a sworn translation?
For
all intents and purposes, a sworn translation is required for anything
to do with appearing in or presenting something to a court of law. In
all other cases (personal documents, degrees, certificates, customs
declarations, contracts, patents, etc.), a certified translation is
usually preferred.
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I
find translation services quite expensive in general. Why is that?
A surprisingly large number of people seem to believe that producing a
translation involves little more than simply retyping the document in
another language. Sorry, it is not the case. In reality, translating is
a very time-consuming operation. As a rule, translating a document
takes quite a bit longer than writing it. In addition, most good
translators are highly qualified professionals with years of
university-level training in their field of expertise.
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I
see you don't have an office in my city/town… How is this going to work?
We
do not specialise in any particular geographical area. We have clients
all over South Africa and abroad. Modern technology and services
available today enable us to provide our clients with excellent service
wherever they are - be it just down the street or halfway around the
world.
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Do you offer
interpreting services?
No. We specialise in
translation services only, i.e., we deal exclusively with written word.
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Do you
offer telephone interpreting services?
No.
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Do you offer
language courses/tuition?
No.
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Do
you offer translations into/from African languages?
Unfortunately,
we no longer offer this service. Please follow this link to the list of
available languages.
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Contact us
for an unmatched combination of
service, quality, reliability and
efficiency
at excellent rates
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