Spanish is one of the most major languages in the world today. It is very important in multiple fields ranging from business to tourism to the sciences. As the Latin and Hispanic communities continue to grow, so will Spanish and its economic importance. This means the need to translate many and diverse documents from the cultural to the legal into Spanish. The Spanish speaking populations of the world continue to expand especially in the USA where it is the number one minority. This means that commerce and other concerns will benefit from Spanish translation to broadcast their message to this increasingly important market segment.
Spanish Translation
Spanish is read and spoken throughout the world and it can be translated to/from its own Spanish dialects and to other languages. Modern Spanish and its variations are all derived from its pure and original Castilian. Dialectical use of Spanish can require local or regional translators to provide true and meaningful translations. Punctuation standards such as question marks and exclamation points are different for Spanish. Capitalization rules are also unique to Spanish. These subtleties can be important in transacting business in Spanish-speaking and Spanish-dialect zones.
Business Translation
Spain and Spanish-speaking countries are doing more and more business with Anglophone countries. These business needs obviously create translation needs for business-related documents. The bulk of these translated documents can be diverse ranging from advertising to legal to tourism documents. The whole of the document must be proofread by a native-speaking expert for its accuracy, precision and intangibles. The subtleties of Spanish translation and their number can dictate the amount of needed translation time. It has been said elsewhere that dictionaries are for in-context word translations only. Machine translations are for whole text, low-cost rough Spanish translations.
Transcription versus Translation
The difference between Spanish transcription and Spanish translation is academic. Transcription is the mere documenting of spoken or written text. Hispanophones usually transcribe from Spanish, while Anglophones usually transcribe from English. If an official document is to be transcribed and then translated into another language (or Spanish) a certification is usually required from the translator. The certification is typically overseen by a local or regional governing body. Machine or online translation is possible for non-certified translation work, but can lack the humanness needed for some documents. In these arenas, direct human translation is required and often superior.