| Frequently
Asked Questions |
| Q: |
What is SM Chinese (Simplified Chinese)? |
| Q: |
What is TR Chinese (Traditional Chinese)? |
| Q: |
What are premium business cards? |
| Q: |
What are regular business cards? |
| Q: |
What are budget business cards? |
| Q: |
What is standard delivery? |
| Q: |
What is express delivery? |
| Q: |
How long will it take to process my
translation/DTP (layout & typesetting)? |
| Q: |
When do I have to pay for my translation/DTP
(layout & typesetting)? |
| Q: |
Can
I pay any way other than by credit card? |
| Q: |
Is there a minimum translation volume? |
| Q: |
Is there a minimum DTP (layout &
typesetting) volume? |
| Q: |
What do I do if I have a large-volume
project? |
| Q: |
Are there discounts for large volumes? |
| Q: |
What is the minimum deadline? |
| Q: |
What do I do if I need a shorter deadline? |
| Q: |
Does the rate depend on the document
format? |
| Q: |
Can you invoice me in my currency? |
| Q: |
Why isn't the number of words on the
invoice the same as the word count for the translated document? |
| Q: |
Do I need an Asian operating system
or Asian fonts to work with oriental translations? |
| Q: |
Do I need an Asian operating system
or Asian fonts to work with oriental DTP output? |
| Q: |
Do I need an Asian operating system
or Asian fonts to create an oriental website? |
| Q: |
What is an EPS outlined file? |
Did you find your question and answer? If
not, please do not hesitate to contact
us for further information. |
| FAQ
Answers |
| Q:
What is SM Chinese (Simplified Chinese)? |
| A: SM Chinese means simplified Chinese,
which is the script of Mandarin used in mainland China and also in Singapore. |
| Q:
What is TR Chinese (Traditional Chinese)? |
| A: TR Chinese means traditional Chinese, which is the script of Mandarin
used in Taiwan, and also Cantonese in Hong Kong and Macao. |
| Q:
What are premium business cards? |
| A: A professional translation of your business card
into the local language of your destination, typesetting of both sides
with identical formatting in the two languages, full colour process
printing on 400 gsm silk art board. |
| Q:
What are regular business cards? |
| A: A professional translation of your business card
into the local language of your destination, typesetting of both sides
with identical formatting in the two languages, full colour digital
printing on 300 gsm silk art board. |
| Q:
What are budget business cards? |
| A: A professional translation of your business card
into the local language of your destination, the target language and
the original English are typeset together on the same side (the other
side is blank), full colour digital printing on 300 gsm silk art board. |
| Q:
What is standard delivery? |
| A: For budget business cards: 1st class postal delivery by Royal Mail UK to worldwide destination.
|
| Q:
What is express delivery? |
| A: For premium & regular business cards: Special Delivery by Royal
Mail UK, including insurance & signed-for services. Normally delivered
next day for UK & Ireland, within 2-5 working days for Europe,
and within 5-12 working days outside Europe. |
| Q:
How long will it take to process my translation/DTP (layout &
typesetting)? |
| A: For translation: documents will normally be translated
at a rate of approximately 2,000 words per day. With this service,
a 10,000-word document takes one week to be translated. The minimum
deadline is normally 48 hours. If you require a shorter deadline a
project team can be set up with two or more translators working in
parallel under a project manager. The project manager co-ordinates
the translators and compiles a shared glossary to ensure consistency
in the translation. The minimum deadline for this service is 24 hours
(subject to a rush-job supplement). |
| A: For DTP: typesetting and layout are very dependent
upon the character of the materials involved, and delivery is normally
made by agreement after inspection of samples. The minimum deadline
is normally 48 hours, but if necessary we can usually meet a deadline
of 24 hours (subject to a rush-job supplement). |
| Q:
When do I have to pay for my translation/DTP (layout & typesetting)? |
| A: In general payment must be made on final delivery/receipt,
but companies within the UK will normally be offered terms of 30 days
credit. We accept card payment, using major credit cards, via the
PayPal secure server, and UK customers can also pay by cheque. |
| Q:
Can I pay any way other than by credit card? |
| A: For UK customers: YES. We accept cheques by post,
and other payment methods can be arranged on request. Please
contact
us for more details. |
| A: For customers outside the UK: In general NO. Once
we have worked together satisfactorily for some time, however, we
will be happy to discuss other forms of payment with you. |
| Q:
Is there a minimum translation volume? |
| A: There is no minimum translation volume. However, a minimum
charge equivalent to 300 words is made to cover the cost of the translation
process. |
| Q:
Is there a minimum DTP (layout & typesetting) volume? |
| A: There is no minimum DTP (layout & typesetting) volume.
However, a minimum charge is made to cover the cost of the work process
& job handling. |
| Q:
What do I do if I have a large-volume project? |
| A: Consult with us ASAP. There may be discounts
for large-volume projects. If appropriate, a project team will be
set up with two or more translators/dtp operators working in parallel
under a project manager. The project manager co-ordinates the translators/DTP
operators and compiles a shared glossary to ensure consistency in
the translation/layout. E.g. a 100,000-word project can be done in
one month using the personalized project service. Use our quick
quote form to advise us of your requirements regarding the number
of words, job details and your deadline, and we will respond promptly
to suggest how the project should be structured. |
| Q:
Are there discounts for large volumes? |
| A: There may be discounts for large-volume projects.
Please use our quick quote form and inform
us of your requirements regarding the number of words, job details
and your deadline. |
| Q: What is the minimum
deadline? |
| A: The normal minimum deadline is 48 hours. Lotus Graphics &
Translations guarantees to meet the deadlines set for each project. |
| Q: What do I do if
I need for a shorter deadline? |
| A: Consult with us ASAP. We can often rearrange our existing work
to meet tighter deadlines, for example 24 hours. In such a case a
rush-job supplement would normally be payable. |
| Q: Does the rate depend
on the document format? |
| A: Certain types of document, such as QuarkXpress, FLASH, HTML or
XML may carry a surcharge due to the need for them to be processed
by specialized users. We will let you know if this applies to you:
please specify your job details on our quick
quote form. |
| Q: Can you invoice me in
my currency? |
| A: All invoices are issued in UK Sterling. We can, however,
include the prevailing exchange rate for US dollars or Euros. |
| Q: Why isn't the number
of words on the invoice the same as the word count for the translated
document? |
| A: Lotus Graphics & Translations invoices for the number of
source words in the original. The number of words may change slightly
from one language to another. The number of words required to convey
a given text in Anglo-Saxon languages (English, German, etc.) is usually
less than in Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian). The number
of words required in oriental languages is quite variable. |
| Q: Do I need an Asian
operating system or Asian fonts to work with oriental translations? |
| A: In principle, YES, but in practice you will probably find it
adequate to use a recent PC or Mac system which supports WorldScript,
together with system fonts for your target languages. |
| Q: Do I need an Asian operating
system or Asian fonts to work with oriental DTP output? |
| A: NO. We supply all DTP jobs as EPS outlined files or in
PDF file format. All texts in these files are in vector format, a
graphic representation which does not require Asian fonts for viewing
or printing. |
| Q: Do I need an Asian operating
system or Asian fonts to create an oriental website? |
| A: In principle, YES, but in practice you may find it adequate to
use a recent PC or Mac system which supports WorldScript, together
with system fonts for your target languages. You will also need an
up-to-date browser, with preferences set accordingly (consult your
browser's documentation for further information). |
| Q: What is an EPS outlined
file? |
| A: A vector-based Encrypted PostScript file, such as a graphical
representation of text, which removes the requirement for access to
the fonts and other infrastructure used in the creation of the text,
thus allowing independent viewing or printing, whichever operating
systems is in use and irrespective of the available fonts. |
| Did you find your question and answer? If
not, please do not hesitate to contact
us for further information. |
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