Services
Translation (en > fr)
I offer translations services from English to French for projects of a general nature and for computer- and technology-oriented projects. If your translation job requires literary expertise, for instance the ability to pick up subtle expressions of feelings and rhetoric and/or stylistic figures of speech and then carry them across languages, then I am not the best man for the job.
Get in touch with me whenever your project could benefit from my technical expertise, diverse background and rich professional experience, when you need what actually makes sense for people in the field instead of “official” terms and expressions from a terminology bank that nobody ever uses in reality.
Website localization (en > fr)
I am wont to process all files that make up a standard web site, whether on the server or client side - (X)HTML, Javascript, PHP, JSON, Java, etc. I can also work with images provided that the source file is available and in a plain-text format, e.g. SVG.
Software localization (en > fr)
I need a full working copy of the software package to localize as my experience as a software engineer leads me to believe that an out-of-context localization work is doomed to being a "blunder bag". A notable example of this is the Marble Cannon game on Nokia feature phones in which the "Play" button is rendered in French as "Lecture": although play applies to games and music (or media in general) in English, it does translate in French into "Lecture" – the standard term for media – or into "Jouer" – the verbal form of the word for "game" – which is also, but less commonly, used for music, video, slides, etc. Having my name attached to such works is not something I look forward to.
Revision
In case you need the result of a previously human-translated text edited, contact me and I'll provide you with the appropriate corrections, explanations and suggestions useful for taking the text to the highest levels of quality, legibility and accessibility.
Proofreading (fr)
Proofreading is a service that I (normally) offer only for texts that are originally in French. There are two reasons to this. First, I am not a native speaker of English. Second, and judging by what I've read on the Internet, French grammar is an order of magnitude trickier than English grammar, which warrants that texts in French need a sharp eye more frequently than texts in English – more mistakes, errors and weird improper uses of words and expressions.
It's not uncommon to see texts in French that are riddled with all kinds of errors to the point of hampering your reading flow. In all cases, it damages the author's image as it does the image of the publisher (website, journal, brand, etc.). With the advent of quick website construction, with how easy it has become to "become a writer", some people who should have not written end up being publicly revealed as "writers". I believe that the proof is in the test but some don't pass it.
I can do something for people who care about the quality of either their own texts or the ones they endorse or publish.
The only exception to my proofreading only pieces written in French is when the document to proofread is a scientific article in computer science, to be published in either a journal or book, and written by a French speaker . Reasons: I write better English than my fellow French scientists, my command of English grammar and style is up to the task and I am specifically interested in such articles.
What do you get?
What you get is a high-quality translation of your project by a professional translator whose income entirely comes from his translation business. In all cases, you get total commitment to the work at hand and your project delivered within the time frame mentioned in the quotation. My typical reaction time to a message you send via my contact page is in the minutes thanks to the “ever-connected” world we're living in. In case you haven't read from me after the one hour mark, feel free to give me a ring.
They say “to err is human” and “mistakes happen”. It's true but I go to great lengths (see below) to ensure that you get an error-free rendition in French of your English source text. Depending on your project and the level of similarity you want from the target text to the source text, the additional editing work left up to you might come close to nothing.
My gear is tailored to minimize hazards to the work you entrust me with.
Price information
Please read the Prices section on the Miscellaneous page. You can also find typical prices on the Portfolio page. Keep in mind that these are typical prices. Only a quotation will tell where you and I stand as to this highly subjective matter.
For translation services, my pricing is based on a per-source-word price (typical range is 0.12€ to 0.20€). For localization, matters are a little more complicated: software localization is at an hourly rate that depends on the visual support you provide – the program per se or screen captures (typically, 32€ to 56€ per hour). Revision is at a rate that ranges from 0.05€ to 0.12€ per word in the French version. Proofreading is usually a volume-based contract with the client but a typical price is 0.02€ per word. For further information, please visit the contact page and send me a message.
All prices are VAT-free due to the type of my business entity. Proprietorships like my company are VAT-agnostic in France – the tax doesn't appear on invoices, estimates and other documents, and we don't collect, remit or recover it but we pay it on all expenses.
How we'll work
- At the beginning of the process, you, the client, came across my website or were referred to me by some partner, client or translator of my network.
- After you've contacted me via the contact page – and uploaded [a significant portion of] the project to translate –, I'll send you a quotation and a copy of my terms of service. The quotation contains two important pieces of information: the estimated final price and the planned date of delivery. In case I can't accept your project, I'll let you know about the reasons. Should elements of my terms of service make you uncomfortable, we'll discuss them and try to see eye to eye about the eventual terms and conditions.
- Then, everything being agreed upon, you send me a purchase order and the filled quotation form.
- I start working on your project as soon as I get your purchase order. I usually don't use translation memories unless the project exhibits some noticeable repetitive patterns. My using and storing translation memories from your project depends on the choices you made regarding the pertinent checkboxes in the quotation form.
- Depending on our agreements, I may send parts of the final work back to you. But I prefer to polish the project as a whole.
- My polishing the project means that I put it “in-context” after the translating is done: First, I proofread and correct the target text resulting from my work. Then, I revise it for stylistic harmony/consistency especially with respect to the language level. Last, I read it out to myself so as to review the “text flow” and smooth edges that are rough on the ear.
- When I'm done and satisfied, I'll send the processed project and you'll also get to be satisfied. Of course, the relevant points in our service agreement continue to apply as defined, e.g. my preserving the confidentiality of your data and your crediting me.
Other information
- I require all of my work to bear a mention of my name and/or company name and/or web address. I take pride in my work and commercial visibility is needed for my business to thrive.
- I endorse the ProZ.com professional guidelines(en) and the terms and conditions(fr) of the French association of professional translators.
- You might be interested in the portfolio page for samples of my work.