In a laundry in Rome you could read: "Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time."

If you want to avoid "peculiar translations", choose a translation agency or a translator carefully.

The question is:

How do I choose an agency?

1. In making your choice, do not overestimate the price.

2. Remember that a good translation company will manage your project not just from its translation but also through to editing, proofreading, and if required its desktop publishing.

3. Be aware that not everyone who speaks a foreign language is a translator. he translator must be a native speaker of the language into which he or she is translating and most importantly, must also understand the nuances of the original English text.

4. Experience is essential. You need to entrust your project to a translation team which has the experience and qualifications to correctly convey your message in the target language. Good translators will have a genuine understanding of the culture of the audience country and readership. Most agencies try to get as many translators as possible in order to take as many projects as available. Be wary of these mega-agencies as they hardly ever really verify the quality of the work being done or the quality of the translators with whom they work.

5. Be clear. When choosing your translation agency, make sure that you discuss your project in detail. Be certain that you feel comfortable with the people who will be managing your project.

6. Planning is vital. Please, do remember that translators are not miracle workers. Poorly organised or nonsensical materials will remain so in the translation.

Whenever possible, the client should provide glossaries of preferred terms, as well as existing translations of similar materials in the target language.

What makes a good translator?

The key skills of the translator are the ability to understand the source language and the culture of the country where the text originated and render a faithful translation into the target language.

Do not overestimate "certification" or "accreditation" alone, nor is it a question of being bilingual. Rarely, can bilingual individuals express themselves in a given subject equally well in both languages. Also, many excellent translators may not be, or need not be, fluent speakers of the source language from which the original text is being translated.

Why is there so much difference in pricing for professional translation?

Different translation agencies have various strengths and weaknesses and work on different scales.