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Translating an agency's
information and promotional material is probably one of
the most expensive activities in making your service more
culturally competent. For this reason, you need to make
sure that you get it right! In Australia the language we
use in relation to people with disability has changed
over time to reflect changing values and policies.
Agencies need to make sure that the messages they get
across to ethnic communities are congruent with the
agency's values and policies.
Some key points to assist you to
get your translations right:
Planning
It is useful to plan ahead for
translation. If you plan ahead you have a much better chance
of getting it right. Some of the key issues are:
- Plan what you want to
translate;
- Include a 'translation activities'
column in your annual plan so that you can allocate tasks
and responsibilities associated with the translation of
materials;
- Estimate associated costs (in
dollars, time and other resources) in your
budget;
- If appropriate, forge links with
other organisations/ service outlets and share the tasks
and associated costs.
Research
Identify the characteristics
of all ethnic communities in your geographic target area.
Some of the key questions here are:
- Which ethnic communities exist in
your geographic target area? Useful sources of
information include: census material; statistical
materials and plans etc. from local councils; and
information from local Migrant Resource
Centres.
- What are the specific
characteristics of each community? For example, are there
different languages being used in that community? How
literate is the community? What is the general level of
education in the community?
Consultation
Establish a focus group of
'specialists', including consumers, carers and service
providers from each language group to prepare the material
and review the translated draft Have the focus group check
that the draft translation is appropriate by retranslating
it back into English. Some of the questions for the focus
group to consider include:
- What is the literal translation of
some of the key words?If there is no word in that
language for what you want to say, or there is no good
way of saying it, consider using the English word and
provide an explanation the first time it appears in the
document. Some words that are difficult to translate into
other languages include: people with disability;
advocate; guardian; and, respite.
- Is the material relevant to the
target population?
- Is it pitched at the right level
of understanding? Can it be understood by people without
an academic qualification?
- Have you removed or explained all
jargon, specific terminology and slogans?
Where to
go for translations
A range of private and government agencies provide
translation services. Most importantly, you need to make
sure that your translations are done by an accredited
translator. Government services only employ translators that
have been accredited by the National Accreditation Authority
of Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). If you need a
translator, you have the following options:
- Contact TIS (Translating and
Interpreting Service) on 13 14 50;
- Contact Language Services at the
Community Relations Commission on 1300 651 500;
or,
- Check the Yellow Pages under
'Translations' to find private agencies.
It is crucial that you get an
agreement from the translation service that you will take
the first translation as a draft back to your focus group so
that you can request changes before accepting and paying for
the final translation. This process and the use of as much
'plain English' as possible in the original document will
ensure the translation is more accessible to your target
group.
Dissemination
strategy
It is pointless to develop
translated materials without an accompanying dissemination
strategy:
- Network, liaise and forge links
with the community who will be the recipients of your
materials to plan how to best distribute your translated
materials; attend cultural activities, fairs, festivals,
etc to display and distribute your translated materials;
and,
- Use your focus group to assist you
to devise a dissemination strategy and to understand the
key entry points into that particular
community.
Evaluation
You will also need to evaluate
the effectiveness of the materials you have translated and
disseminated.
- Do people use the translated
materials? Have you reached your target audience? Are you
receiving more calls from the particular language group?
Are more people from that language group using your
service? Do workers from ethnic organisations from that
language group ring your service?
Final
tip
When embarking on translating
resources for the first time, make sure that you include
information about:
- The type of service your agency
provides to the community;
- The criteria for gaining access to
your service;
- The costs involved for using your
service- if any;
- How to make contact with your
service -(address/phone/fax details); and,
- The Telephone Interpreter Service
phone number (1314 50) so people from non-English
speaking backgrounds can contact your service
Download -  The
Good Translation Guide
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