What is a translation agency?
The aim of a translation agency is to deliver texts that are written for your target audience and use appropriate industry terminology. To do this professionally, it is essential to have talented translators, strong dedication and an efficient organisation.
Samtext has some of the best linguists in the language industry, but even they can sometimes make mistakes. However, we promise to provide you with texts that no other translation agency can beat. Not just when it comes to spelling and grammar, but also in terms of the overall readability of the text. The secret is obligatory quality assurance, performed by specially selected copy editors and proofreaders.
We offer the entire range of language services: translation, transcreation, copy-editing, subtitling, proofreading and post-translation DTP. We also compile glossaries that help us meet our customers’ high expectations, as well as apply terminology precisely and consistently.
Most assignments are performed using the translation memory tool Déjà Vu, which is connected to Samtext’s translation memory, TEAMserver. The goal is to reuse as much as possible of what we translate for you in any further work you may commission. This has two advantages: firstly, it ensures consistency in vocabulary and style, even if the translator who usually handles your translations is not available. And secondly, you get a favourable discount on any sentences that are reused.
Several translation agencies in one
Having Samtext offices in multiple countries guarantees a higher level of quality overall. All our translations are proofread and quality-assured by the office that performed the job. Then they undergo further quality assurance by the office that has contact with the client.
Our focus on quality is what sets us apart as a translation agency. Many customers who want to purchase a translation are not fully aware of how the market works. They are therefore drawn in by some suppliers’ promises of being “super good, super quick and super cheap”. While the work may indeed be quick and cheap, this does not mean that it is good. In our experience, in fact, the opposite is often the case: after all, quality takes time, and time comes at a price. With Samtext, we can promise that neither your time nor your money will be wasted.
A professional translation is flawless, and you should settle for nothing less from a professional translation agency.
For a free quote, please call us on +47 22 80 52 00, send an e-mail to post@samtext.com, or use this form:
Translation into English
The British translators at our branch office in the UK specialise in technical translations of IT and financial texts. In addition, we have a large number of quality-assured translators who cover the majority of subject areas and cater to target audiences in British English, American English and International English.
A little about English
English is not just the native language of many Brits, Americans, Canadians, Australians, South Africans and several other nationalities. It is also the second language of a large number of people and a foreign language to even more. Moreover, it is the world’s most widespread lingua franca – even Norwegians, Swedes and Danes use English to explain words and expressions to each other and clear up any misunderstandings.
All this means that there isn’t just one standard English. For instance, the difference between British English and American English is more than just in spelling (colour/color; tyre/tire) or even vocabulary (pavement/sidewalk; trousers/pants); there are also deeper differences of tone, reflecting the different cultures. These differences can have a decided impact on how your text is translated if your target audience includes every person on the planet who knows English. Therefore, it is important to establish exactly who your target audience is before you order a translation.
Native source proofing
British and American translators are skilled at producing translations that do not read like translations. But for those who translate from the Scandinavian languages into English, the source text is the chink in their otherwise impenetrable armour. Even the most capable translator occasionally misunderstands details in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish, be it a prepositional phrase, a figure of speech or cultural references that neither Google nor a dictionary can help with. Therefore, native source proofing, a term we have coined to describe the process of a native source-language speaker proofreading the English text, is an obligatory stage of translation at Samtext. The reason? An English proofreader is no better equipped to spot such hidden mistakes than the English translator was.
Do you currently have a text that needs to be translated into English? Or are you looking for a better translation agency than the one you have now? E-mail uk@samtext.com or call +44 1747 826 484 to talk to our experts.
Translating into the Nordic languages
Founded by a Norwegian, it’s no surprise that Samtext has close ties across the Nordic countries. The history and culture of the Nordic countries are very closely linked, as are their languages. (Finnish is a notable exception – see our “Finnish translation agency” section below.) This can particularly be seen with Danish and Norwegian. They are so similar in written form that one may ask why you would need two different translations at all. However, translations from one into the other demonstrate not only the differences, but also the nuance of translation. For example, English loanwords are far more accepted and frequently used in Danish than in Norwegian: the Danes say “e-mail” and “browser”, while the Norwegians prefer “e-post” and “nettleser”.
However, it is in marketing texts that the difference in temperament becomes clear: the two cultures simply don’t express themselves in the same way, and sometimes even say something else entirely. Naturally, this has consequences for how a text is to be translated. Samtext’s extensive experience with Nordic-language texts means that we understand that the key to properly hitting the mark with a translation is an in-depth understanding of the target audience’s language, preferences and tone. If you would like to see for yourself, click here to read this page in Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish.
Danish translation agency – Samtext Denmark
Samtext has its own branch office in Copenhagen, a large number of regular Nordic clients, and experienced native translators and proofreaders who can do it all.
Have you tried to have something translated into Danish without a great deal of success? Or are you ordering a Danish translation for the first time? E-mail copenhagen@samtext.com or call +45 35 24 99 50 to talk to our experts.
Finnish translation agency – Samtext Finland
Quality control at our office in Helsinki is so thorough that you can let the finished translations go straight to print.
Our Finnish translators are specialists in technical documentation, advertising, press releases, product presentations and websites. But even though these are native translators with many years of experience, they still need to familiarise themselves with your terminology. While it is likely that our translators have worked on texts about similar products and services before, your company, your products and your services undoubtedly have a message and a voice that distinguish them from others. If you have a Finnish branch office or importer to whom you send the translation for approval, this will be the perfect partner for the translator to discuss terminology with.
Send the translation back to us in its final layout and format before publication. Then our Finnish proofreaders can approve the final text on your behalf. For most of us, Finnish is as impenetrable as Ancient Greek; we are completely blind to even the most obvious typos. Therefore, it is vital that you have a Finn you can rely on as the final piece of the puzzle when you order a translation into Finnish.
Do you have a text that needs to be translated into Finnish? Or are you looking for a better translation agency than the one you have now? E-mail helsinki@samtext.com or call +358 10 219 3370 to talk to our experts.
Norwegian translation agency – Samtext Norway
Norway is the original home of Samtext, and our Oslo office has some of the most creative translators in Norway in-house. An open exchange of information between you, the project manager, the translator and the proofreader ensures that your texts are thoroughly understood, and that the proper technical terms are used in the translation. In addition to in-house translators, we also use Norwegian freelancers when we have high volumes of work. These work in close collaboration with our own translators, copy editors and proofreaders.
Do you have a text that needs to be translated into Norwegian? Or are you looking for a better translation agency than the one you have now? E-mail oslo@samtext.com or call +47 22 80 52 00 to talk to our experts.
Swedish translation agency – Samtext Sweden
Our Stockholm office has some of Sweden’s most skilled specialists in the transcreation of marketing texts. We translate for numerous Nordic companies, and the subject areas include everything from corporate finance to tourism.
We translate a wide variety of texts, including company websites, intranet sites, electronic direct mail, online stores, HR systems, apps, press releases, product brochures, data sheets, manuals, job adverts, course material and prospectuses.
Do you have a text that needs to be translated into Swedish? Or are you looking for a better translation agency than the one you have now? E-mail stockholm@samtext.com or call +46 8 714 79 97 to talk to our experts.
