Odista at ProZ in Zagreb
A small delegation from Odista took the trip over to Zagreb, Croatia for a one-day conference organized under the patronage of ProZ.com, the largest online community for translators and interpreters.
As a long-term member of ProZ we wanted to be a part of this event, especially since conferences for members of the profession we are a part of are still unfortunately rare in the region.
Most of the topics of discussion were primarily of interest to working translators, with talks from a number of experienced professionals. However a number of issues were discussed relating to the market for translation services in Croatia, issues which sounded all too familiar to participants from Serbia. Specifically named were:
- the lack of regulation in the translation industry;
- the many unqualified translators working informally and charging greatly varying prices for translations of uncertain quality;
- frequently poor film translations (particularly due to short deadlines and poor pay);
- clients who simply do not know what kind of translation service they are getting for the fees they have paid.
The problem in Croatia, as in Serbia, is the perception that “everybody knows English” and that anyone can try their hand at translation provided they have basic knowledge. However, this frequently results in substandard work with poor rendition in Croatian/Serbian and actual errors in translation. This also contributes to a general decline in the integrity of the Serbian language as unnecessary foreign borrowings (most often from English) in the form not only of directly transcribed words but of entire constructions find their way into the language, even (or rather, not least) in formal written form.
One of the speakers, Kristijan Vlašić, a translation agency owner from Croatia, also pointed out the three main demands of the client when ordering translation services:
- added value (in other words, not just translation, but consistency, technical standard and warranty);
- maximum return on investment (getting the most for the price, no hidden costs);
- speed.
In other words, he quipped, they want it to be good, cheap and quick!
At Odista we feel that the business strategy we have adopted is fully vindicated by these discussions. “Good, cheap and quick” is an ideal we can also aspire to but the reality, in our opinion, and on the evidence we have collected, is that “good” is more often than not being sacrificed for “cheap and quick” in the area of Serbian-English translation.
As long as there is no outside quality control of translation services in Serbia, we will continue to place a priority on building a reputation for high quality translations from Serbian to English and English to Serbian so that our clients can do business in Serbia and abroad with confidence, knowing that the name Odista is its own guarantee of quality.
As regards the conference, we welcome this type of event and hope that there will be more of them in the near future, including in Serbia.
