Languages

Whatever language you need to have translated, we can handle it. In addition to Samtext offices in multiple countries with in-house translators, we also have a large number of quality-assured freelance translators and proofreaders around the world.

Our main languages are English, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish and Danish. However, we can also translate to and from many other languages, including:

Translating one text into multiple languages

In by far the majority of cases, translation is performed by a translator who has the target language as their mother tongue. This is called the mother-tongue principle, and Samtext is a devout practitioner of this rule. A translation from Norwegian to French would not be done by a Norwegian, but by a native speaker of French. A translation from German to English would be performed by a native English speaker, not a German.

Proofreading undertaken by someone other than the translator is an indispensable method of assuring a translation’s quality. At Samtext, this step is absolutely compulsory.

The source language and target language of a translation are referred to as a language pair. If the text is to be translated into multiple languages, each language pair requires both a translator and a proofreader. Therefore, a translation into 18 different languages would involve 36 different people, plus our project manager. This is not at all a problem – quite the opposite, in fact, as this sort of situation is just another day at the office for our project managers. But be aware that no matter how short a text is, there will be a considerable amount of logistical work involved when so many people need to be booked and then sent the files (and a brief, if it is an advertising text).

Realistic pricing

We are not in favour of high minimum prices and long delivery times, and we strive to avoid these as much as possible. However, sometimes there is just no relation between a text’s length and the amount of administration and brainpower required to produce a reliable translation. If you want to translate “Do not squeeze the tube in the middle” into 110 languages, then that inevitably will involve 221 people, each of whom will require payment for their services.

That being said, many government authorities and large companies use us for similar multilingual projects, and have done so for years. We welcome any challenge you can throw at us! Contact one of our project managers on +47 22 80 52 00.