FAQ

Translation is the written transmission of meaning from one language into another.

Generally speaking in Austria, the cost of translations is calculated according to standard lines. In general, 1 standard line corresponds to 55 characters including spaces (the characters are counted from the target text and not the source text). The prices can vary depending on scope and level of difficulty. A fixed rate is charged for short texts.

When we talk about a certified translation, we mean that a court-certified translator has confirmed the accuracy of the translation of a document with their signature and certification stamp.

Certified translations can only be produced by court-certified translators who are required to pass a special examination in addition to their language training.

Certified translations of certificates, official papers and other documents are requested by educational institutions, courts and other authorities such as the civil registry office. Translations of contracts are often requested in court-certified form, too.

Every company uses its own terms which cannot be found in a standard dictionary. With this unique corporate language, each company distinguishes itself from its competitors and consciously sets itself apart from them. 

It is therefore important that companies use the same terms in all their documentation, in order to ensure consistency and thereby avoid confusion among customers.

These terms should of course be used consistently in translation, too, which is where terminology work comes into play.

A translation memory and a term bank serve as storage for customer-specific terms and their translations, and allow them to be quickly searched and used consistently in translations of customer-specific technical terminology.

The international standard for language service providers ISO 17100 determines and defines the requirements which must be fulfilled in order to provide high quality language services in the field of translation.

The whole service encompasses not only the translation work itself, but also the entire work process (project management, revision, quality assurance and technical aspects).

Acomputer assisted translation(CAT) designates a bundle of different software applications, such as SDL Trados, memoQ, Wordfast and others.

CAT tools support the work of the translator by storing translations in a database (translation memory) so that they can be re-used later in subsequent projects.

CAT tools are used above all in technical manuals, software localisations, but also in texts with repetitions. The prerequisite for the application of CAT-tools is an editable source document, e.g. a document in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, InDesign or FrameMaker format.

CAT tools are not to be confused with machine translations (that is, automatically generated like Google translations).

CAT tools guarantee efficient terminology, time and cost management.

Interpreting means communicating a message verbally to its recipient in their own language, e.g. at conferences, lectures, business negotiations, court hearings, seminars and similar events.

Simultaneous interpreting means that the speech of the speakers is translated almost at the same time into the target language. This ensures that work can proceed practically without a time delay.

For this to be carried out, one needs efficient interpreting equipment (such as soundproof booths, headphones and microphones) and at least two interpreters per language.

For conferences, lectures, seminars and anywhere where the flow of speech must be uninterrupted and processed without a time delay.

Simultaneous interpreting is a very strenuous challenge and demands a great deal of concentration. The interpreters alternate approximately every half hour.

Consecutive interpreting means that the speaker says several sentences before their words are translated into the target language. For this one has to allow for the fact that the duration of the speech will double.

For press conferences or public addresses which do not last for longer than one hour and which do not need to be translated into multiple languages, e.g. lectures, meetings, court hearings, company visits and the like, where direct contact with the interpreter is required.

Whispered interpreting means that the interpreter whispers the speech in the ear of the participant. This type of interpreting is suited only for a maximum of three people who require interpretation.

This refers to the use of a court-certified interpreter in court hearings, official and notarial deeds, where the judge, registrar or notary must ensure that a person who does not speak German can reliably follow the course of the relevant procedure in their own language.

For the interpreter to be well prepared it is essential that they receive at least a rough version of the speech before the day of the event, as they must familiarise themselves with the relevant material so that they are able to react in a fraction of a second.

Especially for technical details, figures, names and lists, interpreters need to have a point of reference.

The price is determined by the type of interpreting, the location and the language combination, and is generally charged at a rate per day/half-day.

In criminal and police proceedings the provisions of the Austrian Fee Entitlement Act [GebAG] apply.

The Austrian Standard ÖNORM D 1202 determines and defines the requirements which must be fulfilled in order to provide high quality language services in the field of interpreting.

The whole service encompasses not only the interpreting work itself, but also the entire work process (project management, selection and preparation of interpreters and technical aspects).