I remember the first time I was asked to translate a website. The client copied and pasted the text into an email and sent it to me. To get a better idea of what the translated pages would look like, I printed out screenshots on paper and then cut out the translations, holding them up against the original versions to see if things would line up properly. This wasn’t an uncommon practice. I knew other translators who did this too.

Imagine! Resorting to printed paper to translate digital content. It seemed to be the only way to ensure I could get a clear visual idea of what the translated pages would look like. Without that technique, I felt that I was translating in the dark.

Amazingly, many translators today still translate in the dark without having any idea what the eventual translated webpage will look like. Agencies nowadays send translators files that they can import into translation software tools instead of just copying and pasting text. That’s a slight improvement, I guess.

However, the visibility problem remains the same for most translation providers. As a translator, simply working with words in isolation isn’t that efficient, nor can you guarantee the best possible quality.

That’s why I’m excited about our new partner program, which enables any translation provider to easily translate websites, mobile apps, and other types of digital content simply by signing up as a referral partner. More.

See: Smartling

See also: Smartling debuts partner program enabling translation providers to easily translate websites, mobile apps, and digital content

Subscribe to the translation news daily digest here. See more translation news.