TRANSLATOR’S GUIDE

Bisconsult Translation Agency

Important Translation Rules:

1. Be brief and clear: A crucial rule is to make sure your translation sounds natural and
understandable. Avoid using uncommon words just to appear sophisticated. Follow the
source style and keep in mind the target audience: readers should grasp the meaning without
struggle. The key point: your translation should not actually look like a translation to a
native speaker.

2. Use proper grammatical structures: Translation is not merely about converting words
from the source to the target language. It involves maintaining the gist and tone of the
original text. Pay close attention to grammar and word choice, especially with adverbs and
adjectives, to convey the intended message accurately.

3. Understand the content thoroughly: It is essential to read and comprehend the original
text thoroughly before translating. This may require multiple readings and additional
research, especially for subjects with evolving terminology. A deep understanding of the
content ensures a more accurate and contextually appropriate translation.

4. Context is king: Contextual understanding is vital in translation. Language is more than a

means of communication; it reflects cultural perspectives and environmental factors. De-
contextualizing and re-contextualizing the text helps translators convey the original meaning
effectively in the target language.

5. Reread and Proofread: After completing a translation, it is imperative to review the entire
text, checking for grammatical errors, typos, and overall coherence. Tools and apps for
grammar and spelling checks can be helpful. Ensure the translation sounds natural and
aligns with the context and intent of the original text.

6. Do the translation yourself: If you do not meet the deadline, please notify the project
manager. You are only allowed to involve third parties (your friends and colleagues) at the
approval of the project manager. Any errors in the translation received from you will be
considered to be your mistakes and put down to your personal record. This may result in a
refusal to work with you.

7. Meet deadlines: If you were told to deliver the translation by Friday 06.00 p.m., then you
must submit it no later than Friday 06.00 p.m. If you are going to miss the deadline, let us
know as soon as possible. If you were told to deliver the work on Friday and you send it on
Monday morning, you will not be paid for your work. If you notify the project manager that
you are unable to meet the deadline and the client agrees to wait, we will continue to work
with you but you will be penalized for the delay.
General Design Requirements

1. Autosave

Set your text editor to autosave every 3 minutes to avoid data loss in the event of a crash. If the
text editor or another program you use does not have an autosave feature, use the hotkey
combination (usually Ctrl+S) regularly.

2. Backup

Automatically backing up your work data will further protect your work in the event of a failure.
For example, you can use the SyncBack program:
http://www.2brightsparks.com/downloads.html. Backups should be made to another physical or
logical disk.

3. File name

Save the translated file using the following template: “source file name_translation language.file
extension”. For example, if the source file was named Example.doc, the Russian translation file
should be saved as Example_ru.doc.

4. File format

The translation should be provided in the same file format as the source file,
e.g. .docx, .xls, .ppt., etc. Exceptions are non-editable source texts, e.g. in .pdf format. In this
case, the translation will be done in Microsoft Word with the best possible compliance with the
original formatting.

General Project Information

Before you start working, you should obtain the following information:

1. Supporting information from the project manager

a) Deadline. Try to deliver the translation before the deadline. Translators who regularly miss
deadlines are considered “unqualified”, and the translation agency stops using their services.

b) Source text volume in conventional pages (1 page = 1,800 characters with or without spaces,
depending on the source and the translation language). Match the volume of the source text to
the given deadlines and plan the stages of your work:

 Brief introductory reading of the source text before you begin the translation;
 Identifying unfamiliar terminology and searching for adequate equivalents;
 Translation;
 Proofreading (this includes correcting any grammatical errors, stylistic errors and typos,
searching for terms not found earlier, eliminating any terminological inconsistencies, and
finally, checking spelling using the built-in function of your text editor);
 Making notes to the translation, if necessary, and sending them to the project manager
together with the translation.
c) Subject matter of the source text, target audience of the translation (specialists or the general
public) and pragmatic purpose of the target text. Most often, this information is not provided by
the project manager, so you will need to determine it on your own.

 If a specialized text is intended for a lay audience, try to use simpler and clearer language.
You may provide a decipherment of professional abbreviations when they are used for the
first time. If there are common lexis equivalents for niche words, use them.
 If a specialized text is intended for a trained audience (experts), use special terms of the
corresponding branch of knowledge.
 Adhere to the appropriate functional style (e.g., use short, expressive words and phrases
and directly address the reader in an advertising or marketing text, special introductory
expressions, impersonal modality, passive constructions and abundance of logical
conjunctions in a scientific/technical informative text or instructions, and so on).

d) Availability of translation samples, glossaries and translation memory databases. Useful

sources of information for the translator. Sometimes the client or manufacturer’s website
contains useful information on the subject of the text. Ask the project manager if there are any
sample translations you can draw upon.

e) Style requirements. Sometimes clients provide specific style requirements for the translation
(style guide). Please study them and try to follow them as closely as possible.

f) Page-by-page consistency. If a page-by-page match to the source text is required, a “page

break” (Ctrl+Enter) should be inserted at the end of each page. Never use multiple paragraph
breaks (Enter) for this purpose.

g) Special proper name spelling requirements. If the project manager has sent you the correct
spelling of a name in the target language (e.g. in passports, etc.), make sure you comply with this
requirement throughout the document(s).

h) Name and contact details of the project manager and other team members (translators,
sometimes the editor). Contact your project colleagues to agree on the terms and clarify any
controversial points.

General Operation Rules

1. Search for information online

First of all, draw upon reliable sources (official websites of organizations, well-known
encyclopedias, etc.). To search for needed information, use different types of search queries: a)
simple (e.g., TCP/IP protocol); b) open (e.g., what is a TCP/IP protocol?); c) descriptive (e.g.,
TCP/IP protocol definition); d) strict, i.e. with the search term enclosed in quotation marks (e.g.,
“TCP/IP protocol”).
If a term (name, abbreviation) has several translation options, choose one which shows more
references.
If you are not sure about the correctness of the equivalent found, feel free to use a picture search.
Use widely known and well-proven online dictionaries:
www.multitran.com
www.liderra.com
www.dexonline.ro
www.proz.com
www.linguee.com
etc.

2. Translation options

Provide only one translation option for individual words, terms or expressions.

3. Completeness

Translate the text in full, without omissions or arbitrary reduction of the source text. Translate
the content of the document (including the text contained in images, figures and tables), the
document form, seal/stamp inscriptions or handwritten inscriptions, excluding
operational/technical inscriptions that do not relate to the content of the document and the
bibliography. If the source text contains a handwritten signature, replace it in the translation with
the word /signature/ (lowercase, italicized, in brackets), for example:

Director /signature/ J. Smith

When translating seals and stamps, place the word Seal before the text of the seal or stamp:
(capitalized, italicized),

e.g.: Stamp: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Brno

Seal: Fiat International S.p.A., International Development Department

Coat-of-arms Seal: Moroni Giuseppina Giuseppina, Notary Public of Turin

Specific Translation Rules

1. Translation design

a) The following features of the source text shall be reproduced without distortions: division of
the text into chapters, paragraphs, subparagraphs, etc., arrangement of headings and subheadings,
numbering, formatting, style: bold, italics, underlining, etc.

b) The target text should not contain more than one space character in a row. If you need to leave
more space between two words, use Tab or Ctrl+Tab (inside tables).

c) Use a basic font that is readable and compatible (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri). If
the source text is provided in .doc/.docx format, keep the original formatting.

d) Punctuation for numerals written with digits. In English, thousands are separated by a comma,
while in Russian and Romanian they are separated by a fixed space starting with five-digit
numbers (i.e. 5000, but 10 000). In French, a comma is used to separate decimals, and thousands
are separated by a fixed space.

e) Write the date and time of day according to target language rules.
f) A non-breaking space (Ctrl+Shift+Space) is used when a number must not be separated from
the word preceding or following it (e.g. Article 5, No 9, off. 69A, October 5, 6 months), between
a person’s initials and surname, etc.

2. Numbering, references and footnotes

The numbering and arrangement of references and footnotes in the target text should correspond
as closely as possible to those in the source text.

3. Translation of text in diagrams, charts and images

By default, text in non-editable images shall be translated in a separate table as follows:

Year Год
Month Месяц
Total number of population Общая численность населения
Number of population with TB Число людей, больных туберкулезом
Inconclusive cases Число людей с подозрением на туберкулез

4. Corrections and notes

a) By default, it is not the translator’s responsibility to correct mistakes in the source text, but if
you wish, you can draw the client’s attention to any inaccuracies you find. To do this, highlight
the fragment containing the error (if the text editor allows this) and make an appropriate note in
the e-mail. Translate errors without correction.

b) If you cannot translate a fragment (e.g. you do not understand the meaning of the sentence or
you cannot find a suitable equivalent of the word or you have found several options and cannot
choose the correct one), highlight this sentence/word and inform the project manager.

5. Proper names

a) In English, French and Romanian, the proper names shall be preserved. When translating
into Russian, it is recommended to transcribe/transliterate the name and then indicate the
original spelling of the name in brackets. Thereafter, only the Russian version of the name
will be used in the text.
b) Since there are several ways of translating the types of business (transliteration, equivalent
selection, omission), you should consider the function and target audience of the translation
text: a) by default (in specialized texts and in most other cases), use transliteration, e.g.: ZAO
Samarskij Centr Proekt-Elektro; b) when the type of business has an important semantic
load and affects the understanding of the text (e.g. if we are talking about shares, liability of
founders, etc.), the transliteration shall be accompanied by a decoding in brackets, e.g., ZAO
(Closed Joint Stock Company) Samarskij Centr Proekt-Elektro; c) if the text is intended for a
general audience and the type of business is irrelevant, you may omit the designation
completely or replace it with a more general word (Company, etc.).
c) Names of foreign institutions and organizations. Use the equivalent names of institutions
commonly used in the target language. If you do not know them, search for them online
(official sources, first of all). If you have not found an equivalent, translate the name on your
own. In English names of world-famous institutions and organizations, all words are
 capitalized (e.g., United Nations Organization). Always check the names of organizations in
reliable sources online.
d) Replace foreign geographical names with target language equivalents in accordance with
geographical atlases, special reference books and dictionaries. Geographical names that are
not available in atlases, maps or reference books should be transcribed and the original name
in the source language should be given in brackets when first mentioned; thereafter, only the
transcribed name should be used.
e) When translated into Romanian, addresses will be left untranslated and the country name in
Romanian will be added at the end in brackets, e.g.: 30 Karpenisi Street, PO Box 20533,
Nicosia, Cyprus (Cipru). When translating a Russian address into a foreign language, by
default, you should transliterate the address (including elements such as building, street,
avenue, etc.), preserving the original order (building, office or apartment number and street
names). For example, the address [443110 Россия, г. Самара, ул. Новосадовая, д. 44, оф.
69А] would be translated into Romanian as: [443110 Rusia, Samara, str. Novosadovaya, bl.
44, of. 69A] and in English: [Ulitsa Novosadovaya, d. 44, of. 69A, Samara, 443110 Russia].
However, if the address is used in a marketing or informational text (company website,
brochure, publication), you may change the initial word order and translate the service
elements: 443110 Россия, г. Самара, ул. Новосадовая, д. 44, оф. 69А – Strada
Novosadovaya 44, Samara, 443110 Rusia (in Romanian) / 44 Novosadovaya Street, Samara,
443110 Russia (in English).
f) Names of documents, products, materials. The names of documents are usually translated
(e.g. Руководство по эксплуатации изделия/ Manualul de utilizare a produsului/ Product
operating manual). Alphanumeric codes (e.g. A3114-РЭ) are not translated/transliterated.

6. Abbreviations

To translate abbreviations, search the Internet for generally accepted equivalents in the target
language. It is recommended to decipher the abbreviation in the target language in brackets at the
first mention. If you cannot find an equivalent in the foreign language and you are not sure
whether the abbreviation should remain untranslated, translate it yourself. Additionally, when an
abbreviation first appears in the translation, specify in brackets: (1) what the abbreviation stands
for in the source language; (2) a full translation of the deciphered phrase into the target language;
and (3) the resulting abbreviation made by you.

7. Quotations, book and document titles, etc.

When translating quotations and legal passages, check whether the text of the quotation/legal
provision is available in the target language. If it is available and appears to be appropriate or
coming from a reliable official source, use it.

Technical Style and Terminology

The following features are not allowed in a translation unless present in the source text:

- colloquial speech, technical and professional slang;

- different close (synonymous) technical equivalents for the same term;

- improvised word-building.
Every source language term should have only one target language equivalent.
 Cyrillic to Latin Transliteration Rules

Source letter Transliteration Source letter Transliteration Source letter Transliteration

А a К k Х kh
Б b Л l Ц c, cz
В v М m Ч ch
Г g Н n Ш sh
Д d О o Щ sch
Е e П P Ъ ’’
Ё yo Р r Ы y
Ж zh С s Ь ’
З z Т t Э e
И i У u Ю yu
Й j Ф f Я ya

I have read the Guide and agree to comply with it:

Surname, name _______________________________________

Signature ________________________
Date _________________