Despite only having 3.3 million citizens, Mongolia is a unique country with impressive wildlife and nature. It has a long and rich history and continues to be a special country today.
If you want to travel Mongolia extensively, you have documents that need translation, or you want to explore its market, you need the help of a Mongolian translator. Translating documents from Mongolian requires extensive skill to capture the exact meaning of this rich language.
About the Mongol Language
The Mongol Language, also known as the Mongolian language, is part of the Altaic language group, which is spoken by people in Inner Mongolia and some of its autonomous regions, as well as some provinces in China. The official language of Mongolia is based on the Khalkha dialect, but it is also closely related to the Buryat language.
Mongolians have been using the Cyrillic alphabet since 1943. The alphabet has 7 vowels and 35 letters. Mongolian letters follow different forms depending on their position in the word, and the script is usually written in a vertical column from the top of the page and from left to right. Also known as literary or classical Mongolian, the language represents what used to be spoken in the Genghis Khan era, but it differs in some aspects from the Mongolian language that is spoken in the modern-day.
The traditional Mongol script that is used in China is set to be introduced once more to the country in 2025, and it is of Syriac roots. This was borrowed from Turkic Uighurs and the Sogdians.
About Mongol Khuumii
The Mongol Khuumii does not cover the language spoken in Mongolia. Rather, it is about a voice technique. Mongol Khuumii is a musical art form that is comparable to singing. It involves producing two tones simultaneously with just a single human voice. This technique is quite hard to master since it requires a unique way of breathing that enables you to produce two tones. The first one comes out as a lower tone or base, while the other comes out like a whistle-like sound.
Is There a Need to Hire a Mongolian Translator?
Finding a Mongolian translator can be a challenging task. But as brands are becoming more globalized, it is an investment they have to make if they want to make room for growth. Expanding a business is not possible without solving communication problems.
Although English is already an established language in business, there are still people in Mongolia who do not speak the language well or at all. These people would prefer if you do business with them in their native tongue. When you hire a Mongolian translator, whether it is for a YouTube subtitle or a marketing video script, you can reach out to more people and have a higher chance of securing them as clients.
A Mongolian translator can help you expand your global market and cross every kind of language barrier. Whether you need to translate invoices, catalogs, and other important documents, a professional can help you. Surprisingly, a Mongolian translator’s services are not only limited to written materials but also the localization of websites, as well as consulting services, especially when it comes to marketing plans. In the long run, a translator can play a major role in ensuring your brand becomes a major international player.
Tips to Keep in Mind When Hiring a Mongolian Translator
Before you hire a Mongolian translator, you need to have an understanding of how the industry works.
The translation is amazing at bridging cultural and linguistic gaps that exist between the source and target language. Because machine translation programs tend to translate words literally or on a word-for-word basis, they cannot accurately convey figurative languages and metaphors, as well as colloquial expressions. It also cannot function well when dealing with words that have multiple meanings and jargon.
This issue may seem minor, but it can cause miscommunication. This can lead to a loss of trust. To avoid public relations mishaps, you should follow these steps when hiring a Mongolian translator.
Determine what you need
As with any project, you need to decide what kind of Mongolian translator you need. The important considerations you need to consider when making this tough decision is the kind of project that is involved, the availability of professionals who can translate to Mongol, the volume of work you need to finish, and the turnaround time.
For instance, if your project involves an e-mail marketing document in English that needs to be translated to Mongolian, and you have flexibility when it comes to the completion date, there are tons of translators who can take care of the job. On the other hand, if you have a 200-page medical document that needs to be completed in less than a week, you need to work with professionals that are knowledgeable in the medical field.
Know the qualifications you need
Whether you want to hire a Mongolian translator who specializes in a certain field or not, you have to check their credentials. It is important to note that the skills level of translators online differ considerably, so it is important to know what to look for if you want to hire one.
First, it’s vital to clarify a commonly misunderstood aspect of translation. Specifically, it is important to understand the distinction between being a qualified professional and being bilingual.
Bilingual speakers are people who can speak two languages, while a professional Mongolian translator is a bilingual or multilingual person who knows the languages you need, as well as understands the cultural and linguistic disparities between those languages. One analogy that is commonly used to distinguish bilingual speakers from professional Mongolian translators is that of a chef and a cook. You may know how to work your way in the kitchen, but that doesn’t mean you are a chef.
It’s also essential to understand that a bilingual person may not know both languages to the same extent. A Mongolian translator works in language pairs. For instance, they may only work on English to Mongolian, or Mongolian to English, or both. You should choose a translator that is very proficient in your target language because their level of proficiency in the source language is less important. This is because they can use resources to answer questions in the source text.
Education and experience
Other key areas you need to keep in mind are the educational level of the translator, as well as the number of years they have worked for general documents or in their area of specialization. If you need to translate a legal document, it’s safer to go with a translator who has attended law school. Ideally, go with someone who has worked with legal documents for years.
Certification
Perhaps the most important credential you should look for in a professional is certification. Now, the American Translators Association or ATA is the only organization in the US and abroad that can offer certification to professionals. This is very important to have since it validates a professional’s skills.
When discussing certifications with a professional, do not confuse it with a certified translation. Certification refers to the rigorous examination that is overseen by the ATA. On the other hand, a certified translation is when a translator has sworn before a notary that their work is accurate.
If you’re unsure about the professional’s credentials, simply ask for sample work and client references. This will give you the extra measure of confidence that you need.
Look for a native speaker
A native speaker refers to a person who grew up speaking the target or source language. In your case, they grew up speaking Mongolian as their first language before they learned other languages. This is different compared to a translator who speaks a language fluently. A native speaker can easily spot errors that a non-native translator will not notice. Not only that, you may be able to pay them at a lower rate because of their location.
If you can’t find a native speaker, choose a professional that has been living in Mongolia for around a decade. This way, they may have developed their language skills well due to the time they spent there.
Get informed about rates
The pricing of translators varies widely. Some professionals charge by the page or by word, while others quote their price hourly or per document. This fee varies. It depends on different factors such as the availability of translators that specialize in the source and target language you need, their area of specialization, and their credentials. The project’s level of difficulty and the turn-around time can also be a factor in the price.
It is important to know the going rate for projects. You can determine this by conducting an internet search or requesting quotes from professionals. Before you settle on the price, you still have to think about a lot of factors. If you are paying a Mongolian translator per word from Spanish, the resulting document will have fewer words.
When you agree to go with a translator with a per-hour rate, you may need to overpay. A simple project to you can be difficult and time-consuming to work on. This is especially true if you hired an inexperienced translator who works slow. Finally, avoid professionals that charge particularly low rates. The reason is simple. They may simply use machine translator programs to do the work for them. In the end, you’ll end up with lots of mistakes.
A Mongolian Translator Can Do Wonders for Your Business
Translating a language into Mongolian or vice versa can be challenging. This profession requires hard work, experience, and precision. If you own a business, you should invest in hiring a Mongolian translator to handle your documents. This will ensure that the level of accuracy and professionalism in your company will be maintained.
