FAQs | Translation into Portuguese

Frequently Asked Questions

A Specialised Company

Who am I? Where am I? Where should I go?

We believe you are someone who is interested in translation into Portuguese (if not, please let us know what brought you to our site). If you don't have time to browse through each page on our site, you can select one of the downloadable documents in the Essential TIPS section to get an idea of the main information you'll find on our site. But we invite you to navigate through the site's pages to find interesting data about our company, quality translation services and the Portuguese language.

What is TIPS? What can you do for me?

TIPS is a company specialised in Translation into Portuguese. Most of your questions will be answered by navigating through these FAQs and our site. However, if you find you still have questions or if there is something else we can do for you, please let us know and we will be happy to get back to you.

What do you mean by...

...translation?

Translation is a high-value service, which serves the purpose of bringing effectiveness to a communication process that is limited by a language barrier. It is a very specialised service, since it is often requested as part of high-level corporate communication processes. Translation services deal with corporate content and assets, such as commercial contracts, high-tech instructions and global websites. It may also be a fundamental part of an entire production process, as is the case with software localisation. Translation has a high impact on the fundamental concerns of companies all over the world, such as client retention, corporate image and global sales. At TIPS, we understand this responsibility and we manage all projects with this in mind.

...localisation?

Localisation is a type of translation project involving a highly technological product, such as software or web applications. These projects require teams of specialised workers, with expertise on language, culture and technology. Efficient project management and interaction between all the experts involved is fundamental for the success of such a project. TIPS has translated and revised several localisation projects, including not only software applications by specialised companies, from tyre manufacturers to major software houses, but also web and mobile applications, such as online games and e-commerce sites.

...revision?

Revision is a fundamental stage in every translation project. It always involves a thorough reading of the translation and several checks, such as spelling, completeness and linguistic correctness. Revision is different from "translation review", which is an analysis of the technical adequacy of a translated text. It is also not the same as "proofreading", which is the final editing of a text, to eliminate any outstanding errors resulting from amendments and layout editions. At TIPS, revision is always included in our translation services, be it at a thorough and high-level standard, or at a more efficient and economical standard. It may involve several tasks performed by the translator himself or by a second professional. Take a look at our 3 levels of service for translation into Portuguese to see which tasks and checks each project includes.

...quality?

"Quality" is the set of features of a product or a service that determines whether that product/service is approved or rejected by its intended users. Only through quality of service can translation providers guarantee the quality of the products they deliver.

The pursuit of objective forms of quality is a concern for everyone working in our company. At TIPS, Quality Management is central to our workflow - we do not focus solely on the final quality control stage of the products we deliver. Everyone at TIPS participates in this effort, by striving to improve our methods of work, productivity, profitability and client satisfaction. The results we have obtained allow us to confidently say that we produce high-quality translations.

Are you available 24 hours/day, 7 days/week and 365 days/year? Or do you close for holidays?

We are not online translation machines, so we work regular office hours. Our office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 12:30 and from 14:00 to 18:00 (GMT) and we do not close for a specific holiday period. We close on national holidays only (9 days per year, though not always on weekdays), and on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Our quality and production levels fully justify that we take these much-needed breaks.

Quality

Why do you use the term “Quality management” instead of “Quality control” or “Quality assurance”?

"Quality control" means a set of procedures that are applied in a production chain so that non-conforming products are eliminated at critical stages. "Quality assurance" is a set of tasks, often standardised and performed at the end of a cycle, that check quality-defining details and approve products before release.

Translated text is a very complex product to analyse, since there are no standard specifications, it is heavily dependent on human decision, and any assessment relies on hard-to-define concepts of language quality. Translation service, on the contrary, is a well-known process that relies on good management practices. So, the standard practice of the translation industry is to focus on the quality of the translation service.

At TIPS, we manage quality through the entire lifecycle of a project, and we have a team of people dedicated to this. That is why we highlight the concept of "Quality management", as it is broader and more reassuring than "Quality control" and "Quality assurance".

Why aren't you ISO and/or EN certified?

We are planning to certify our company in any industry standards that attest to the quality and reliability of our work. However, we believe that some of the existing standards do not convey a flexible description of how translation services should be provided in an ever-evolving industry. At TIPS, we provide services under a flexible notion of service, adjusted to the varying requirements of our clients. We believe our reputation is an assurance that we are able to work on very demanding projects, with language quality being our main concern and production efficiency being our main target. We work with companies that demand compliance with these standards, and we have always been able to comply with them.

How do you guarantee quality? Is it the tools you use, your translation and revision procedures, or do you simply choose the best translators?

The answer would be "all of the above", as you cannot count on only one of these factors to guarantee quality. We have analysed the best translation tools available in the market, and we use them every day, but we know that their quality checks miss some details. We also know that the best translators are not always comfortable with certain technical areas, and that they sometimes need to complete a project quickly in order to start on the next one. So, we believe quality is guaranteed not only at the production stage, but by managing the entire process. We continuously analyse and manage all procedures in order to apply what we learn from one project to the next. Our guarantee is that each project is executed in the best way possible, according to the client's requirements, and that it includes the necessary level of revision and quality management.

My company operates in a very specialised technical domain. How can you guarantee that you deliver accurate translations in this domain?

Technical translation must be performed by the best translators with the best support. So, we hire translators who have the longest experience in your technical domain, along with adequate translation skills, and we support their work with the best management procedures, the best computer tools and the best communication processes available. The "best" means the most adequate for different needs, and you may choose the service level that you consider most appropriate for your project.

Communication is a central factor in this process. Translators will have queries, mainly related to the interpretation of source texts and to the use of terminology that the readers of the translated texts will recognise. Naturally, the best people to answer these queries work for our clients. For this reason, effective communication procedures that allow for on-going confirmation of translation decisions helps to guarantee that highly technical texts will be understood and correctly used by specialised readers.

This is why we have been able to deliver high-quality projects in such technical areas as heavy agricultural machinery, oil rigs, electrical quality testing tools, industrial air compressors, aviation fuel, heavy shipyard equipment, wind turbines, and many others.

Service Offering

Are your rates competitive?

Yes. We have carefully analysed not only our procedures, but also the translation and localisation market. We believe we are offering the best rates for the best levels of service. We do not compete directly at some levels of the translation market, but you will find that our services are adjusted to most business requirements, and that we offer great value for money.

If I pay you to translate, why should I then pay for revision? Why don't you hire a better translator?

Quality management is a crucial factor in every industry. You would not buy a car that did not undergo several stages of control or that was not thoroughly tested before leaving the factory. But that is not because car manufacturers hire unqualified personnel. On the contrary, the best professionals are the ones who work with multiple levels of control.

Our service offering for translation into Portuguese includes different levels of service, with different tasks, but an adequate level of management, revision and quality assurance is always included. After we receive the description of your needs, we will suggest an adequate level of service. We can also offer you an alternative level, so you are always the one who chooses the best solution for your needs.

I found this software that translates into Portuguese on the web. Do you think I can use it to translate this document?

Most online machine translation software is based on statistical procedures that assemble a new translation from bits of previous translations. This technological solution has shown some impressive results, but it is widely known that these are only useful for getting a rough idea of the content of a source text. Commercial software, on the other hand, usually uses what are called "rule-based" procedures, which have been tested for quite some time and have never been able to produce good results for all types of text. So, there is no software that will correctly translate your texts straight "out-of-the-box".

Machine translation is best used in working environments where professional translators post-edit the results produced by the software. TIPS has worked on several successful post-editing projects, so we can certainly advise you on the best solutions for your translation needs.

I cannot deliver the source documents in an editable format, because they contain privileged information and layouts and code cannot be changed. Can't you translate the text this?

Please note that in order to produce a version of your documents in our own language, we need to have reading access to the information contained in the documents. So, you must rely on the fact that Confidentiality is a cornerstone of our profession. We are available to sign Non-disclosure agreements as demanding as the ones we have signed with major international companies. It should be noted that this work ethic is what has enabled us to translate such privileged information as pre-market product releases, proposals for public bids and corporate financial reports.

It is also important to highlight that our tools guarantee that we handle only linguistic content and do not manipulate elements related to layout and file formatting code. These tools enable us to work in highly technological environments, such as the localisation of a website, or of an entire computer application, where a slight change to a single character can ruin the operation of the software. So, these tools have functions to ensure that all non-linguistic elements are maintained in the target documents exactly as they were in the source documents. These tools also allow us to check the quality and terminology of the translation, and to manage these projects in an efficient and consistent manner. However, the only way we can use these tools is if the source documents are supplied in an editable format.

I don’t want to depend upon a single provider of translation services. What advantages would I have in working with TIPS for all my Portuguese projects?

There are 4 main advantages to working with a translation company such as TIPS, with a clear and professional focus on quality and productivity. At TIPS, we work to solve our clients' problems, so we put all these advantages at your service. This is something you can depend on.

Knowledge management gains: Translation memories reflect diverse translation decisions, but do not include the knowledge behind those decisions. If you have a good knowledge management process, this information is rapidly applied to your projects. TIPS has worked with many different companies, with diverse needs, and has always put the knowledge it gained to their service.

Reliable and cost-free selection of providers: We know how to select the best translation providers for our language. So, when you need a different provider, we may offer just that. This way, you can avoid spending extra time and money going through a selection process.

Flexible and consistent services: TIPS offers different levels of service for different projects, all managed with the same quality, thus guaranteeing that the results will be adequate for the intended use of the project. Our service offering relies on a flexible in-house and freelance team. So, it's like having multiple providers, but with the assurance that they will always produce the same level of consistency and high-quality projects.

Open partnership: In the end, as with any other business, the main requirement for translation services is trust. When partnerships are open, all matters are clear and there are no dependency issues to worry about. We are used to working on projects with multiple providers, and in collaborative environments, so you can always feel free to discuss different working models with us.

Portuguese

Why don't you offer translation services for "all languages"?

We strongly believe that local language providers are the foundation of the linguistic quality that sustains the entire translation and localisation industry. We also believe our clients are better served by a high-quality local provider that is able to work on any multilingual project with ease, rather than by a local provider that tries to offer everything to every client.

Do you translate into Brazilian Portuguese?

Brazilian Portuguese is very different from European Portuguese. Since TIPS is based in Portugal, we can only guarantee the highest quality language services for European Portuguese. We do offer adaptation services for Brazilian Portuguese into European Portuguese, which is a good choice for specific projects.

Will the differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese disappear with the new spelling agreement?

European and Brazilian Portuguese are different at all levels of linguistic description. The "spelling agreement" is an attempt to standardise only some of the outstanding written forms of Portuguese. It does not affect the phonological, lexical, syntactical or pragmatic differences that exist between the two variants. So, even after the approval of the spelling agreement, European and Brazilian Portuguese will continue to be two very different variants of the same language.

What is the "standard" form of Portuguese? Is there a "mixed" or "neutral" form of Portuguese?

There is no "standard" form of Portuguese: Brazilian Portuguese is the standard in Brazil, and European Portuguese is the standard in all other Portuguese-speaking countries. Attempting to produce a "mixed" version of a text (with features from both variants) results in a hybrid text that is considered "unnatural" by all Portuguese speakers. Likewise, removing specific features from one of the variants of a language does not produce a "neutral" text, but rather an unnatural one.