After many years of doing written translations in Bogotá and the rest of Colombia, the highest number of “translation scams” occur in the academic sector.

What is a “translation scam”?

A “translation scam” involves a person translating a document and doing a terrible job. Often they just pass it through Google Translate or DeepL and then send it to the client. Usually, the client doesn’t know enough of the target language to immediately identify that they have been scammed.

Why are there so many scams involving academic translations? 

There are a number of reasons why academics fall victims to scammers:

1. Academic translations are really hard. You need to know how to write in academic language, you need to have basic knowledge of the subject matter, and you need to be aware of the different style and grammar guidelines requested by research journals.
2. Academics (generally) don’t require many translations. Many academics haven’t previously worked with a translator. This means that they can be susceptible to people who promise the world but are really just looking to take their money without delivering a high quality translation.
3. Research Journals are really demanding. In my experience, a research journal will always request changes to a research article before it is ready for publication. No article is ever perfect. These can include corrections, changes to texts, adjustments to references and grammatical mistakes. In some cases, a Journal can take up to a year to request these changes, which means that the translator has to go back to a job they completed a long time ago and make the requested changes. Many translators don’t like doing this, especially if they are not going to receive an additional payment for this work.

As a result of these factors, scammers promise academics a high quality translation, take their money and give them a very dodgy article in the target language that is then rejected by a Journal.

Why is there more demand for academic translations?

Right now in universities in Colombia, there is a lot of pressure on professors and researchers to obtain publications in indexed research journals in order to keep their jobs. Given that there are many more journals in English compared to Spanish, it makes sense that academics in Latin America are looking overseas to find a suitable publication where they can disseminate their work.

How can you avoid getting scammed with an academic translation?

So that you can avoid a “translation scam”, here are some things to look for in an academic translator:

1. Experience is always the best thing. Ask them what other articles they have translated for indexed journals.
2. If you are going to do an academic translation, you should have written a thesis yourself, or at least studied at a university level. Real life experience as a student and researcher makes a big difference.
3. It is a great sign if your translator has done academic translations in different fields. No translator is going to be an expert on a specific field, but if they are adaptable and can translate both an engineering research project and an in-depth analysis of Foucault’s writing, then they are going to be able to adapt to whatever you need them to translate.
4. Fair price. Alarm bells should be ringing if the price quoted for an academic translation is too low. Ask your colleagues about what they have been charged in the past to get an idea of the average rate.
5. With this type of work, you want your academic translator to be a great communicator. Be aware of how fast they get back to you when asking for a quote and talk to them on the phone so you can see what their communication style is like.

Good luck! Academic translations are a growing sector and are really important for sharing scientific knowledge around the world. Hopefully this article can help you find the best translator for your needs.

ONG Traducciones provides high quality academic translations. You can find out more about this service by clicking here.

Different to an official translation and a certified translation, an apostilled translation is the most difficult to obtain in terms of time, resources and effort in Colombia.

Apostilled translations can be requested for migration procedures, child custody cases and international financial procedures. In Bogotá, Colombia, we have received a number of request for apostilled translations, which is why we are registered for apostilled translations at a Notary in Salitre, on Calle 26.

 What steps need to be taken to obtain an apostilled translation?

An apostilled translation has an additional level of certification compared to an official translation. It requires that an official translator does the translation of the document, and the translated document is then taken to a Notary where the translator has registered their certification and signature. The translation is then apostilled by the Notary.

Because of the complexity of this process, we have prepared a guide on how to obtain an apostilled translation that you can find here.

ONG Traducciones offers official translations and provides advice on how to obtain apostilled translations. You can find out more about this service by clicking here.

One of the most frequent questions we receive is how to apostille an official translation in Colombia.

Apostilles are the legal recognition of a document signed by a public official in one country so that they can be recognized in another country. They can include birth certificates, educational diplomas, academic transcripts, etc.

WARNING: Apostilles are only needed if they are specifically requested. Please find out if the apostille is required for your procedure.

To obtain an apostille for your official translations prepared by ONG Traducciones, you just have to complete the following steps.

1. Obtain your official translations from ONG Traducciones by sending your scanned documents to info@ongtraducciones.com and requesting a quote.
2. Pick up your physical official translations from FotoVisaVip (Av. La Esperanza #47A-54 in Bogotá) or ask us to send them to you via Servientrega.
3. Take the official translations and original documents to the Notary 73, located at Calle 26 # 69C – 03, Local 103, Edificio Capital Center (if you are outside of Bogotá, contact us so we can help you with this procedure).
4. Request an «Acknowledgement or authentication of registered signature» from the Notary and tell the official that the process is to obtain an apostille. This procedure has an average cost of $36,000 per sheet.
5. Pay the cost of the authentication in the Notary.
6. The staff at Notary 73 will provide you with a code to generate the digital apostilles through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
7. Go to https://www.cancilleria.gov.co and choose the option «Apostille or legalisation», then click on the tab «Request your apostille or legalisation here», and finally select the option «Electronic documents with digital signature». Enter your email address, country of destination of the apostilled translations and the code given to you by the Notary office. The apostille costs $36,000 per page and you can pay via PSE after going through these steps. At the end of the process, you will receive your apostilles via email.

In general, academic translations are the most complicated of all. With dense texts, highly technical terms and complicated language, translating a research article for publication into English from Spanish, or viceversa, requires a lot of skill. For this reason, we have prepared a list of features you should look for in an academic translator in Colombia before you hire them to translate your article.

1. Qualifications. Your academic translator needs to have studied at university, and preferably at postgraduate level. They need to have some experience researching and writing a thesis so that they can achieve a good translation of your research results. More study = better academic translator. 
2. Publications. Although it isn’t compulsory, if your academic translator has written their own articles or book chapters, it’s a really good sign. This means that they are aware of the structure of these texts, the language required and the importance of accuracy in these translations.
3. Communication. Due to the complexity of an academic article, it is essential that there is good communication between the translator and the author. This will allow the translator to clarify any doubts and ask questions about the text.
4. Academic English style. Writing in academic English is vastly different from everyday English. There are very specific words that are used and the language needs to be direct, well ordered and written in a clear style. A literal translation of a Spanish article would be rejected by a Journal due to problems understanding the text.
5. Logic. It might sound strange, but an academic translation needs to have a logical structure. This includes the ordering of sentences within a paragraph and organizing paragraphs within a section. This achieves that the results and discussion presented in an article have a logical order and are presented in the clearest way possible.
6. Perseverance. An academic translation can take time. Not only doing it, which requires meticulous work, but a Journal often sends corrections and suggestions, which the author usually makes first in Spanish. After this, we need to translate the corrections, incorporate them seamlessly into the article and send them back. It is also common that there can be corrections of the corrections. This is why need an academic translator with determination, patience and who offers a one-year guarantee for making corrections requested by the Journal.
7. Vocabulary. A central element of an academic translation is getting the terms right. We work with each author to build a customized glossary. If they don’t know how to translate certain words, then we research theses, articles and book chapters in English to make sure we get the right term.
8. Native speakers. No one translates better than a native speaker with experience in academic translations. It is impossible to replicate their knowledge or language skills.

ONG Traducciones offers academic translations of the highest quality. You can learn more about this service here.

Not all interpreting is the same. Different clients often prefer a specific technique, or the nature of an event might require an interpreter to use a variety of interpreting methods. In a city like Bogotá, Colombia, because of range of clients we have and the amount of international visits and events that occur, we have used all three, depending on the circumstances. Below is a short guide to the three different techniques that interpreters use.

Simultaneous interpreting

As the name implies, simultaneous interpreting involves the interpreter talking at the same time as the speaker. Interpreting equipment is required for this technique, either the booth or portable equipment.

Simultaneous interpreting is the most common technique used by interpreters for a number of reasons. It occurs in real time, ensures the highest level of accuracy and is the most comfortable method for both interpreters and clients.

Consecutive interpreting

This technique can be described as “listen, wait and repeat”. It involves someone speaking for between 30 seconds and 2 minutes while the interpreter memorizes what they are saying. The speaker then pauses and the interpreter takes over, repeating what the speaker said in the target language. Once the interpreter finishes, the speaker starts talking again.

Consecutive interpreting is commonly used when no interpreting equipment is available or it isn’t appropriate. This includes impromptu interactions with community members or schoolchildren, interviews with the media and situations where there aren’t enough headsets for those in attendance.

Consecutive interpreting requires incredible concentration and memory from the interpreter and is exhausting. It is best not to request consecutive interpreting from your interpreter beyond short periods of time.

Whispered interpreting

This technique is definitely the most “intimate” of the three. It involves simultaneous interpreting without any equipment. Instead of using a microphone and headset, the interpreter sits next to the client and “whispers” their interpretation into one of their ears. The whispering is required so that the interpreter doesn’t distract the person speaking or the other people attending the event or meeting.

Whispered interpreting is often required for impromptu meetings, cultural activities and conversations held in very small spaces like meeting rooms or moving cars. This technique is generally used for unexpected moments where interpreting is required and it is not recommended for all day events due to the advantages provided by portable equipment.

ONG Traducciones has experience using all three of the techniques described above. You can find out more information about our interpreting services by clicking here.

Ever since the pandemic, Zoom calls have become a huge part of the work carried out by businesses, organizations and government offices, particularly in major Colombian cities like Bogotá. These Zoom calls often involve people from different countries who require interpreting because they don’t speak Spanish. So how do you organize interpreting for a Zoom call? Below is a quick guide so that your online meeting goes smoothly.

1. 1. Identify which languages you require for interpreting. The most common combination in Colombia is Spanish and English.
   2. Find an interpreter who has experience interpreting for Zoom calls and who has some background knowledge of the topic of the meeting / session.
   3. Ask the interpreter to hire a Zoom Pro licence for the session if you don’t already have a subscription. This means that you only pay a small rental fee, instead of having to pay for software that you probably aren’t going to use every day of the year. You MUST have a Zoom Pro licence to be access the interpreting function.
   4. Make a list of the people who will participate in the Zoom call with their email addresses, as well as the time and date it will occur (specify that it is the time in Bogotá), and share it with the interpreter. Ask them to set up the meeting and make both of you co-hosts.
   5. Send the interpreter any documents you are going to discuss or present during the session so that they can prepare and research any technical vocabulary.
   6. If the Zoom call is just 1 hour, your interpreter probably won’t need a break. If it is between 1 and 2 hours, your interpreter is definitely going to need a 5 – 10 minute break in the middle to make sure that the interpretation is of the highest quality throughout the call. If the session is longer than 2 hours, you are going to need a second interpreter so that they can work in 15 minute shifts.
   7. Connect to the Zoom call 15 minutes beforehand so that you can check the interpreting channels in both languages.
   8. Enjoy the miracle of interpreting on a Zoom call!

ONG Traducciones offers interpreting for Zoom calls, as well as renting access to Zoom Pro for a day or multiple days. You can find out more about our interpreting service here.