Ken Subedi December 7, 2019

How to find skilled Nepali translators? What skills to look for in them?

Right now, the biggest issue with translation in Nepal is the lack of professionalism. People, corporations, and even government authorities take it lightly.

I will tell you a personal story; I once visited a famous lake in western Nepal, Rara. There was a signboard consisting of information about the place; I don’t remember by whom, but it was an official issue done by a government authority.

They had information in Nepali, and below, it was translated to English. The latter part was very off; spelling errors, missing full stops, to name a few were some issues that made me extremely disappointed.

Well, it might be overwhelming to find a good translation service in Nepal. Anyway, it is not impossible, and here are some tips which will help you choose the best Nepali translator for your need:

First, See if the Person Provides Translation as their Primary Service

You need to assure that the person or the company you are looking forward to hiring takes translation seriously. Work with someone who provides translation as a core service. It is a very demanding job; someone doing it as a side hustle can’t offer you the same quality like a person who does it for their bread and butter.

How Serious are they About the Job?

We already discussed before regarding how people take translation lightly. In many cases, a company asks an employee with totally different expertise to do a translation. For example, we have seen a software company asking a programmer to convert the language when creating a Nepali version of an international mobile application.

Run through the service person’s profile. Are they a translation company? Do they, at least, have a website stating they do translation?

Does the Translator Know Your Language Well?

Specifically, when talking about Nepali translation, the source language is mostly in English or Hindi. Whichever it is, you need to make sure that the translator has a good grasp of the language in your project. After all, when you translate, you don’t only work with the words or the grammar, but also the intricacies regarding the tune and the vibe.

Do they have a Good Base in Nepali?

You will need proof. This can be an academic certificate, a university degree, or a first-hand review from their previous clients.

The thing with translation in a different language is that the client doesn’t really know the quality of the result. After all, you take translation services because you have very little idea about the target language.

Also, see if they are in the position to get a bad review. For example, for someone doing a translation for some extra money, bad reception won’t matter as it does for a registered company with great authority on the market.

What Services Do They Offer?

Or, in other words, know the level of expertise. If someone is providing translation and localization, subtitles, and even proofreading and editing, you can understand that they do all of that because they are well versed in the subject.

Looking for someone to help you translate English to Nepali? Well, you can contact us for our samples and get a quote today.