Turnaround time… it’s no joke!
Turnaround time. Is it a farce? You might think so if you believe that the translation industry operates off of machines. But that is not the case. Translations to this day are still heavily dependent on human translators. Why? Because machines just can´t cut it. You can probably testify to this if you have used an online translations service before. The technology is just not there yet.
The fact of the matter is that people express themselves through language. It is a means of expressing your emotions, thoughts, feelings, and sharing your world with others. Language is a human tool and for now programmers still haven’t been able to replicate this tool through software. No translation software can compete with a human translator. Test it for yourself. Enter the following sentence into an online translator:
I would like the fish tacos but hold the hot sauce.
Now go to a Mexican restaurant and order your fish tacos in Spanish. I guarantee you they come out spicy.
For this reason the translation industry heavily relies on its human translators. The only downside with human translators is that… they are human. You can copy and paste a 20 page document into an online translation program and instantly have a full translation (or so called translation). The human translator can translate roughly 2,500 words a day (roughly 8-10 pages).
As the old proverb goes the good things in life are worth waiting for. This rings particularly true in the translation industry. If you want a good translation you have to be prepared to accept the turnaround time.