In Today’s interconnected, diverse world of languages and cultures, there is an increasing demand for bridging the gap as well as building bridges between individuals and businesses across the globe. This is where the need for translation stems from. 

In accordance with Article (1) of the Constitution of the State of Qatar, the official language of the State is Arabic, which is the language mandatorily used for formal communications in ministries and other authorities. Nevertheless, whereas Qatar hosts a variety of multinational businesses and investors from various cultural backgrounds and languages, there is a pressing need to figure out a reliable means for conveying meaning, and that’s where one needs a professional, talented translator.

What are translation services?

From the most abstract perspective, translation services are employed when something in one language needs to be understood in another.

In the State of Qatar context, the conventional language pair is Arabic (the official language) and English, the most common foreign language used even among non-native English speakers living in Qatar. However, other widely used foreign languages exist, e.g. French, Urdu, etc. 

Translation Fields 

Translation is vital to all professional fields: legal, medical, financial, commercial, educational, media, literary, etc. Each field has its own set of prerequisite skills and knowledge. 

Types of Translation

There are two major types of translation: 

1. Written translation, e.g. translation of letters, contracts, reports, etc. in a written form, whether in hard or electronic format. 

2. Oral translation, which is commonly known as interpretation, and is subdivided into two major categories: 

3. Consecutive interpretation, is where the interpreter listens to what the speaker is saying, and conveys the message in another language after the speaker has paused. Typically, the speaker will pause after each complete thought to give the interpreter time to deliver the message.

4. Simultaneous interpretation, where the interpreter listens to the speaker's words and then immediately interprets the speech into another language, while the speaker is still speaking. 

Oral translation/interpretation is mainly required for live events such as forums, seminars, conferences, meetings, etc. 

Services associated with Written Translation

These are post-translation tasks, which mainly consist of: 

1. Editing: the process of making adjustments and corrections (if necessary), as well as offering suggestions to improve the overall quality of the translated text. Accurate language translation aims to ensure that the texts are grammatically correct, avoid ambiguity, and ensure consistency.

2. Proofreading: the process of meticulously reviewing the final draft of the written translated text to ensure consistency and accuracy in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting thereby elevating the readability and impact of written works.

3. Localization: the process of employing multiple techniques to adapt the content of the original/source to the local target culture or business, ensuring that the target/translated text makes sense to the target audience of that target culture or business. 

Any professional translator would be aware that no high-quality translation may be produced without going through all 4 steps: translation, editing, proofreading, and finally localization.