We have translated a lot of documents for the tourism industry, including for example:
You could think that translating a tourist text is relatively simpler than other types of translations.
After all, technical terms do not abound and the texts may seem easy at a first glance.
However, this is not the case.
These translations are much more complex than you may expect.
Here are the most common difficulties:
Let’s start talking about the content.
The content of texts intended for the tourism industry can focus on almost every topic: from restaurant menus, to monument descriptions and locations, to information on accommodation facilities, to advertising messages. Some of them may be quite general, other much more specific.
Rather than knowing all the places or monuments cited in the text, it is important to be able to spot the challanges that may arise in the translation process and to deal with them in the most appropriate way.
Here is where the experience of a professional translator makes the difference.
Moreover, there are often “culture-specific” issues to be addressed in a tourist text, which are related to the difference in culture between one language and another.
These often represent a challenge for the translator, too. So it’s not all as easy as it sounds.
Want to read more? Check this out: https://translationjournal.net/July-2018/cultural-problems-in-translation.html
Keeping in mind that there is always a cultural difference between two languages, the messages must be adapted to the culture of the target language.
This is because the final text should not sound “as a translation” to the final user.
Readers in the target language should feel that the text was written for them and should not perceive it as extraneous to their own culture.
Moreover, the message must be clear and effective to achieve the purpose for which the tourist text was written and published.
In conclusion, the translation for the tourism industry is not a simple transposition of words and phrases from one language to another.
We wouldn’t achieve the purpose of this kind of translation if we addressed it in a mererly literal way.
A “word for word” translation, albeit correct, is not what you want here.
The goal is to create a captivating and straight-forward content, a text that invites visitors to stop at a particular location or to visit a museum or a restaurant.
In addition to this, the contents must not be confusing or misleading for the tourist, but helpful and clear.
Action line has a professional team of mother-tongue translators who work alongside editors and project managers. We have gained expertise and know-how over the years and that’s one of the reasons why our clients trust us.
Do not hesitate to contact us for a free quote.