Translating Import & Export Documents

by Target Language Translation Services

- December 21 2021

Nowadays, when so many businesses function on a global basis, it’s easy to see why high quality translation services are in such high demand. But perhaps no industry relies more heavily on professional translators than the import/export business. Since ancient times, people have transported goods across national borders and exchanged goods for other goods or currency. Merchants and traders ventured into foreign regions long before well-known conquerors did, to source valuable goods. Often they were on the road for months or even years and brought goods home from all around the world.

Rich citizens and aristocrats in particular, were supplied with foreign spices and exotic fabrics from all over the world. Over time, trade routes by sea and land developed and cities grew into vital trading centres. The introduction of coinage in the 7th century BC made trade much easier and people began to utilize uniform measurements. From the late 18th century onwards, import and export became increasingly significant. In the last 20 years, the rules for importing and exporting goods have undergone lasting changes, as the Internet makes it easy to open new markets and find trading partners. Every second of the day transactions such as changes in production schedules, proof of freight requirements, or urgent international import/export enquiries are requested, transmitted and decided upon quickly. Therefore, import and export needs fast international communication in the form of translations.

Main Types of Import & Export Translation

Add to that the high volume of paperwork involved in international trade, and you can easily understand why professionals in this field rely so much on high quality translation services. What follows are some examples of import/export documents, many of which must be translated on a routine basis.

Commercial Documents

This category includes paperwork related to selling of goods. Documentation such as price quotes, sales contracts, invoices, inspection certificates, product testing and/or health certificates (when appropriate), and insurance paperwork that covers the goods being shipped all fall under this category.

Transport Documents

Paperwork connected with the transporting of goods includes shipping orders, dock receipts, bills of lading, waybills, shipping guarantees and packing lists, etc.

Financial Documents

This category can vary greatly depending on from whom the goods are being shipped, who the goods are being shipped to, where they’re coming from, and their final destinations. Financial documents involved in the import/export business include documentary credit forms, standby credit, collection instructions, bills of exchange, trust receipts and promissory notes.

Government Documents

The import/export business is highly regulated, which means that there is typically a myriad of official documentation involved in shipping goods out of one country and into another such as certificates of origin, import/export declarations, import/export licenses, international import certificates, delivery verification certificates, landing certificates, and customs invoices.

Marketing Collateral

It’s an unfortunate but all-too-common mistake made by even the largest corporations – using a slogan, logo, product packaging, brochure or advertisement that translates poorly in the target marketplace. That’s why it’s so vital to have all marketing collateral reviewed by a professional translator who understands the culture of potential customers.

Importance of Import & Export Translation

The import/export business is, without a doubt, a complex, multi-layered industry, which makes finding high quality translation services that much more important. Professionals in international trade have enough to think about without having to worry about document translation. If you are working in this industry and in need of a professional translator, the best place to start is to contact a reputable translation company, preferably one that is ISO certified. They can match your needs with the skills of a trained linguist – one who is experienced in the import/export business and fluent in the target language, working hand-in-hand with you at every step along the way.

Target Language Translation has a lot of experience in this area, working with international transport and freight companies, as well as a number of Ports, docks and railways. Whether you’re moving exhibition boxes or racehorses, we can help you. With shipping translations of paperwork and records, phone calls overseas in any language using our 24 hour telephone interpreting. We can even translate your business card in any language.

Your translation will be looked after by experts. We take care of every aspect, from a clear and itemised quotation, through to delivery in the format you need.

We work in 500+ languages and for every assignment we select professional linguists who translate into their native language. This way, the tone, inference and expression can be conveyed seamlessly, ensuring a high-quality result.

The entire process is multi-layered, allowing for four stages of checks and edits to ensure the finished article achieves the quality our clients expect. The first stage of the process involves choosing a suitable linguist for the task in hand.

All our translators are experienced, qualified linguists and come highly recommended, but that isn’t enough; we always select a translator who is expert in the specific field. Once the linguist has translated the text into the required language, they return their draft to us. We then ask another linguist, equally qualified and experienced in translation in the same field, to proofread the first translator’s work. Our proofreader may make suggestions or identify areas for improvement. The text may need tweaking. It may be perfect. Of course, it’s always better to have a second pair of eyes to assess it.

Once we have the final draft at Target Language Translation, we perform an in-house quality check to ensure the text translation (and typesetting) meet our high standards before sending the final version to the client.

At Target Language Translation, language is our passion. We pride ourselves on offering a thorough, transparent approach that delivers an exceptionally high standard of work.

This article is reprinted from ATLAS, ALPHATRAD UK and MI TRSNSLATIONS.

If there is a copyright, please inform us in time, we will delete it right the first time.