Most Dutch people speak English these days, but that doesn’t make them professional translators. To translate a document well, you must have a profound knowledge of both languages, as each language has its own rules in terms of grammar and syntax.
Nowadays, people tend to use translation software like Google Translate, but the results are generally lacking in terms of accuracy and quality. Automated software tends to just translate words or phrases without considering the context. This means it works in a pinch if you need to understand the gist of a text or the meaning of a word quickly, but it definitely doesn’t give you a top-quality Dutch translation. This is where Dutch translation services can help.
1. Each language has its own grammar and syntax.
Although English and Dutch are both Germanic languages, they still have different rules in terms of grammar and syntax, so if you literally translate word by word, the translation won’t be fluent and is likely to look rather odd. Another thing to be aware of is that there are two ways to address people in Dutch, the formal way (u) and the informal way (jij). Depending on the content of your document, you can choose either way, but you can never use both in the same document. A good Dutch translation service will have no problem with this.
2. Dutch words can have multiple meanings.
There are also many words in the Dutch language that have several meanings, all depending on how they’re used in the context of the document. Again, translation software often can’t handle this task and, as a result, may offer a terribly inaccurate translation. When you hire a good Dutch translation service, there’s no need to worry about it. They have sufficient knowledge of the language to add the right nuance to the translation.
3. Translating proverbs is tricky.
Each language has its own proverbs, which can never be translated literally because they wouldn’t make any sense in the target language. Some proverbs have the same meaning in both English and Dutch, and a professional Dutch translation service will be able to translate them correctly.
These are just a few important factors to consider when translating a document from English to Dutch. After all, you don’t want to make yourself a laughingstock by using a translation software.
Are you looking for a professional Dutch translation?
Look no further! Our professional Dutch translators have the right experience and knowledge to ensure that you receive a fluent, professional Dutch translation without any errors. So if you have a document that needs to be translated, contact us and we’ll take care of the rest!