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Whether you’re a small or large business, translation services can help propel your company to a higher level of success and notoriety. Translation services are particularly important for Canadian companies; more than 7 million Canadians are fluent in Quebec French. These Canadians have high expectations and require nothing less than their French documents to be equal to the English ones in every way. They must read as if they were written in French, not translated. No internet translator can do that.

While it may be tempting to use Google Translate, it is important to realize how poor-quality translation can harm your business. With the strong presence of online translators, we are often asked if we use online translation tools such as Google Translate. The answer is no! All our translations are 100% performed by human translators and revisers. Technology is used to assist with perfection, efficiency, and to streamline the process. For full consistency of terminology and style, computer-aided translation tools are in place. The actual translation, revision, and assessment of accuracy are done by our staff.

Choosing the right translator is important for your company. If you’re looking for translation services, here are some things to consider to help you pick the right one:

Full Comprehension

When you need translation services you want to go with a company that showcases an extensive understanding of domestic and international languages. Our translators’ purpose is to communicate your message in another language using means natural and appropriate to the target audience. For example, selecting a translation company that can speak and understands French or another language is irrelevant if they are unable to accurately translate and localize industry-specific terms, phrases, and the tone of the document. Be sure to look for a company that boasts an extensive background in the language you require before enlisting their services. Be sure to ask if they have resources familiar with your line of work and associated terminology.

Multi-Step Process

One of the key factors in delivering well-translated text by a professional translation company is ensuring they have a thorough revision, editing, and quality assurance process. This is accomplished with the balanced combination of human expertise and experience and the use of technology. Translations have the potential to inform, educate, and entertain people while mistranslations can confuse and irritate a reader and harm your brand. So, what should a reputable and highly experienced translation company provide? Be sure that they have editors to revise translated work and check that they are following through on the tone of the original documents.

Speed of Translation

As a business owner, you expect fast and reliable delivery. Speed plays a major role in a company’s success. When it comes to translation services, translations need to arrive quickly and efficiently without compromising quality. When choosing a translation company, be sure to discuss timelines and set reasonable expectations.

There are many things to consider when choosing a translation company including their ability to read and convey tone and if they are equipped with an in-house team of editors. For more information on translation services for your company, contact Fox Translations today!

Did you know that there’s a big difference between a French translator and a French Canadian one? Not many people do. But if you want to get an official document translated in Canada, it’s important that you know the difference between the two. Here we’ll show you how the two vary and how to find someone who specializes in French Canadian translation.

What Is a French Translator?

To date, there are 29 countries around the world where French is an official language and 13 that consider French as their only language. However, not all of these locations speak the same type of French. In fact, each group has its own unique and distinct dialect and some countries even have different idioms in each region. For instance, there is European French most commonly found in Paris and Marseilles, Dutch-influenced Belgium French, North American French, African French, Caribbean French, Creole French, and many more. To put it lightly, there is no one true French. There are cultural differences in grammar, formalities, and even names of everyday items.  So, if you want to have something translated into the right dialect, you’ll want to find a translator from that country. Otherwise, the message may be lost, and the vocabulary and grammar may come out different than intended. Meaning you’ll only confuse your audience and risk the chance of having incorrect information in your documents.

What Is a French Canadian Translator?

If you wish to translate French to English and vice versa in the Canadian market, you’ll need a French Canadian translator. And in Canada, it is important that you hire a professional translator that has the proper certifications and is fully versed in Canadian linguistics as well as the laws that govern language in Canada. This is because, in Canada, French and English have equal status. So, if you want to integrate your business into the Canadian market or need a government or official document properly translated, then you’ll need a properly certified translator in English to French Canadian translation. 

How Do You Hire A Certified French Canadian Translator?

You may not require a certified translator when you need a French menu or CV completed but there are several situations when you’ll need to hire a professional. This includes legal scenarios, immigration, college applications, business dealings, and when translating government documents. When you require a certified translator in Canada, it’s best to turn to a qualified company that has been recognized by a provincial or territorial certifying association. In Ontario, the only officially recognized certification for an individual translator is the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario (ATIO) number, seal, or stamp and signature. In Quebec, certified translators must be a member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OOTIAQ). 

Translation agencies and companies providing professional translation services can be also certified. The certifications recognized in Canada are CGSB 131.10 Canadian Translation Standard and ISO 17100.  Certified companies must comply with the criteria for quality, organization, procedures, technological and structural capabilities, reliability, and record of customer satisfaction, just to name a few.

Where Can You Find A Certified Translator

When you need a professional, certified French-Canadian translator, call us at Fox Translations. We provide professional document translation services for both government and business customers in 20 major languages to Canadian English and French. Our translators are certified, have decades of extensive experience in translating documents for the Government of Canada and all bodies and levels of government. We will handle all your technical, legal, financial or administrative documents as well! We will provide everything you need, from editing, revision, adaptation, localization, and updates as part of our translation services. Learn more about Fox Translations and our French Canadian translators here, and reach out today to receive certified translation for all your official documents.

With all the latest translation tools popping up online, many people are wondering whether they still need an expert translator. The answer to that is yes! 

The online tools provide only basic translation, and the language they use gives only the general meaning.  It may be sufficient in many cases but that is not what people are looking for when they need to translate a manual, a website or product information to Canadian or continental French, English, Spanish or other languages. 

Translation is a complex activity with numerous steps and procedures. For accuracy, consistency, proper style and tone, and correct terminology for your documents, you cannot just use someone or something that knows the language. You need a translator with a degree in translation and with a certificate from a professional association of translators. You also need an experienced project manager who is thoroughly familiar with the art of translation. The project manager will monitor your document from the start until the completion. All the way from the initial examination at receiving it from you, through the evaluation and pricing, pre-translation with translation memory, selecting the most suitable translator and reviser for your type of text. The project manager watching every step of the process to the final inspection and delivery back to you assuring that the translation met your expectations and will serve well its purpose. 

We Start with Your Project Evaluation

Before any translation is started we make certain we know your target audience and every detail of your particular need. Using computer-assisted translation tool we will look through all previously translated documents on file and on internet and search for similar projects we or someone else translated in the past. If same or similar already translated documents or sections of text that don’t need retranslation are found, we will use them in your translation. This will speed up the process, may lower your cost and shorten the delivery time. The pre-translated sections don’t go to translator but directly to reviser and quality control. The entire document including pre-translated and new sections will still be thoroughly revised to ensure you receive consistent and error-free translation. Translation that reads not as translation but as if it was written in the target language. The most sophisticated translation tool in the world cannot do that. It cannot generate translations that read as if they were written in the target language. And that is why you want to have your documents translated by professional translators, not by internet or someone who just speaks the language.

At Fox Translations, we are the leader in Canadian translation. We translate a wide variety of content from government to legal documents, technical, financial and even personal documents. You can expect nothing but the best results in the industry. When you hire our expert team, you’ll receive high-quality translation solutions, fast turn-around, efficiency, accuracy, and consistency every time. Learn more about our services by contacting us today.

With all the latest translation tools popping up online, many people are wondering whether they still need an expert translator for their documents. The answer to that is yes! They absolutely need a professional trained and experienced translator. Here is why.

There is a huge difference between the online automatic translation and translation done by a human translator.

Translations produced by online tools serve a very different purpose than translations done by trained, experienced translators. Human translation and machine translation are two very different phenomena destined to different markets, target audiences and serve different uses.

When Would I Use An Online Translator?

It is perfectly fine to use the automatic online translation when you want to have an idea of an email message in another language, or you find an article about a celebrity in a different language and want to know what it says. Another use for an automatic translation would be in the following situation – you subscribe to a mailing list available only in English and you are a French speaker. Or, info about a product you’re considering to purchase or an article in an online magazine, even a word that sounds foreign and you want to know what it means. You want to learn about a country, but its website is only in one language. For things like that there’s no better tool than an online translator. There’s no need for quality assurance and revision and editing and verification, nor in-depth comparison. When someone needs to know the general meaning of a text written in a different language this is the way to go.

However, these tools provide only basic translation. Their main disadvantage is that they often lack accuracy, and it is not rare that the content is garbled. The outcome is not guaranteed by a person or organization, nor is anyone accountable for the final product.

When Would I Hire A Professional Translator?

It is a very different story when someone has written an instruction manual of a product in English that needs to be available to the consumers in French-speaking countries. Other materials that need to be translated by a professional are training materials, PowerPoint presentations, or a website that must sound and look professional. Governments and crown corporations, large and small businesses, legal firms, labour organizations, NGOs and others write thousands of documents daily that need to be available in both official languages in Canada and, in different languages for other countries and cannot rely on machine translation.

Good quality translation produced by a professional expert translator reads as if it was written in the target language, and it bears no sign that it came from another language. The target audience expects and deserves nothing less than that. The best online translator in the world cannot do that.

What Documents Need Professional Translation?

Administration and management documents:
– Press releases
– Policies, financial management, health and medicine related texts

Legal documents:
– Agreements
– Decisions
– Judgements
– Leases

As well as, military and classified material and last but not least, personal documents like birth and marriage certificates, school certificates and transcripts, and dozens of others can only be translated by professional certified translators not only for the reasons of accuracy but also for their validity and legal effect.

For accuracy, you need a highly qualified and certified translation team who has expertise in your subject matter, who will use the appropriate vocabulary and phraseology and, who will ensure that the idea of the original is conveyed exactly and precisely using means and tone appropriate and natural to the target language. Otherwise, your message could be inaccurate and inconsistent, and you could end up alienating your target demographic. Don’t let that happen. Find out how our in-house certified translators at Fox Translations deliver precise English to French. French to English or any other content every time!

At Fox Translations, we are a leader in Canadian translation. We can convert a wide variety of content from government to legal documents, to technical content and even personal documents. You can expect nothing but the best results in the industry. When you hire our expert team, you’ll receive high-quality translations, fast turn-around, as well as efficiency, accuracy, and consistency every time. Learn more about our services by contacting us today.

All official documents presented to a government organization require certified translation. If you are a new immigrant or returning Canadian, your personal documents and qualifications in another language will need to be translated by a certified translator. Translations of personal documents and certificates like driver’s licence, vehicle registration, birth, marriage or divorce certificate, school transcripts, degrees and diplomas, criminal registry records, and many others required by municipal, provincial or federal government agencies in Canada must be certified. Translators holding the title of certified translator have gone through a comprehensive process of training, screening and testing and guarantee that translations affixed with their seal are accurate, truly reflecting the meaning of the original. Documents affixed with the official seal of a certified translator are automatically accepted by all municipal, provincial, federal and other professional or educational institutions and contribute to worry-free processing of your documentation originating in other than one of Canada’s official languages.

There is one organization per Canadian province with the authority to grant certification to a translator. In Ontario it is the Association of Translators and Interpreters of Ontario, ATIO; For Quebec it is the Ordre des traducteurs terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec, OTTIAQ. Respectively all other Canadian provinces have their own provincial translators’ associations able to grant the title of certified translator. If you live in Ontario or Quebec and need to present translations of your personal records to an official institution, they must be stamped by an ATIO or OTTIAQ certified translator.

Documents Produced by Government

Everyone knows that in Canada, French and English have equal status under the policy of the Official Languages Act and official bilingualism. As a result, most of the documentation produced by the Government of Canada and some provincial and municipal governments, internal and public, must be in both official languages. That means translation is needed for everything government related. Translators producing translations for governments are often serving very specific and sophisticated needs. Under numerous contracts, standing offers and day to day requests our certified translators annually translate thousands of documents in millions of words for the Government of Canada’ departments and crown corporations.

Translation companies and agencies also have their quality certification. It is the ISO 17100 and CGSB 131.10 national standard for translation services developed by the Canadian General Standards Board and approved by the Standards Council of Canada. Fox Translations was granted the proof of meeting the translation industry highest quality standards by receiving both these professional certifications in September 2019.

Canada Has Two Official Languages

In 1867, French and English were clearly established as Canada’s official languages to be used by members of Parliament, the Federal Court, and Quebec’s National Assembly and courts as outlined by the British North America Act. Although the Official Languages Act stipulates that citizens can choose to speak the language of their choice, the Federal government must provide services in both English and French. This is especially important today because there are more than 200 different languages spoken in Canada. The Act ensures that the government can communicate and provide services in both official languages to ensure all citizens can understand its message, and to also guarantee that those languages continue to survive in Canada well into the future.

Where Can You Find A Certified Translator

When you need a professional, certified translator you can rely on, give us a call at Fox Translations. We provide translation services for both government, business and general public from 20 major languages to Canadian English and Canadian French and vice versa. Our office is located right in the heart of Canada’s capital and we have extensive experience in translating documents for the Government of Canada, provincial and municipal governments as well as for private corporations, NGOs, labour and professional organizations. Whether you need to translate a technical, legal, financial, or administrative document – we have the knowledge you need. We will work hard to match your documents with the correct expertise. You can rely on us with the quality of your translations. In the end, they will read not like translations but as if they were written in the target language you requested. Our services include everything from editing, revision, adaptation, localization and updating. Learn more about our services and processes here and reach out today to receive certified translation for all your government, professional and personal documents.

The perception that people who speak two or more languages can translate in those languages is rather common. The truth is quite the contrary. The profession of translator includes a set of sophisticated skills and talents where knowledge of a language is only the essential first step.

Required Translation Experience

Most translators hold a university degree in translation. Employers that want to hire translators usually require a minimum of two years of full-time translation experience.

To become a translator, the candidate must gain knowledge in basic linguistics and language theories, vocabulary, grammar and style, theories of translation, terminology, lexicography, use of translation technologies, writing techniques, how to do research, and many other skills. And hours of translation practice to increase the speed.

How Much Do Translators Translate?

When it comes to speed, an experienced translator translates about 2000 words long document of a general administrative nature in one day. Employers or clients that are looking for translators usually expect such standards of daily production.

For technical, medical, legal, financial or other specialized translations, the capacity is lower as it takes more time to understand the meaning of the document and to research and find proper terminology. Translators that specialize in translation of technical documents often become real experts in their fields. For example, legal translators translate contracts, leases or court decisions and judgements, medical translators work on documents in the area of medicine, health or medical research.

What Do Translators Translate?

Translators face many challenges in their daily work. They are expected to translate any document that someone needs in a different language. The first step is to understand the text for translation. Some texts are written very well, some have very long sentences, sometimes the meaning gets lost in the complexity of the subject and other times keywords are omitted. The translator must be able to figure out a solution in all these or other situations and in the end come up with a correct, accurate and error-free translation. It applies to English to French, French to English, English to Spanish and Chinese, Italian, Czech or any other language combination.

At Fox Translations, we associate with the best professionals in the field. It is part of our vision to appreciate and value the talent and hard work of our translators and revisers.

Feel free to contact us at fox@foxtranslations.com if you would be interested to discuss the translations you require further.