Russian is one of the most widespread languages with over 265 million Russophones, or Russian speakers, worldwide. Russians also make up one of the largest diasporas, with reportedly over 30 million currently living abroad. Interestingly, the third-largest population of Russians abroad is in Germany, an important economic and political hub both within Europe and internationally.
Due to such a large domestic market and diaspora, an increasing number of organizations need Russian translation services. Contact us to connect with professionals who are ready to face the many unique challenges that can arise when translating from English to Russian and Russian to English.
Here are a few factors to consider when hiring a Russian translator.
Deep knowledge of Russian vocabulary
Many inexperienced translators assume certain words do not exist in Russian and fall back on transliteration, swapping the Latin alphabet letters for the corresponding Cyrillic script. However, Russian is not an emerging language but one with a mature vocabulary.
For instance, some translators make the error of translating the word mortgage as мортгедж when the word ипотека already exists for this term.
Knowledge of the necessary romanization standard
With 33 letters, the Russian alphabet is slightly larger than the English alphabet. The romanization of Russian is the transliteration of the Cyrillic script into the Latin script used for English.
You should ensure your translator has experience reading and writing in whatever script you need: Cyrillic or a particular romanization standard.
Experience translating
Fluency in both languages is a prerequisite for being a Russian-English translator, but it should not be your only requirement. Accurate translation requires knowledge built through experience translating between the two languages.
For example, synonyms are particularly prolific in Russian, and each synonym may have a slightly different connotation. An experienced translator will know the correct one to use based on the context.
Before you commit, ask prospective Russian translation services about their specific experience.
Turnaround time
You likely have a deadline for your project, so you should ensure the translator will meet it. Ask how often deadlines are missed, and request references to get a better sense of the translator’s track record.
Your reliable Russian translation service
You should have a good sense of your Russian translation service’s qualifications and standard practices, and you should also share your preferences before hiring.
If you are looking for highly trained and talented Russian translators, get in touch with us today. We staff only qualified translators who have experience translating for organizations of all sizes and in all industries.