Arabic Translators

Whether you require Arabic translation of software, documents, or online material, you need an Arabic translator with the requisite education, accreditation, professional development, and technical skills for the job. Every project makes different demands on a translator, from technical terminology to tight deadlines. For this reason, it is critical to understand what qualifications are required for Arabic translators, and their relative importance.

Arabic translation agencies
Arabic software translation
Arabic Web site translation

Education

Educational requirements vary, but most professional Arabic translators have at least a Bachelor’s degree and many have earned their Master’s degrees. Arabic translators who specialize in a field such as pharmaceuticals or law usually possess additional educational or professional experience in that field.

Accreditation

Different countries have different accreditation programs. In the United States, the American Translators Association offers one accreditation program. It is important to remember that although an Arabic translator may not have formal accreditation, he/she may still have the experience and education to be a highly-skilled, professional translator.

Professional Development

Perhaps even more so than during their education, successful Arabic translators need to develop specialized translation skills in the course of their careers. The more professional experience an Arabic translator has, the more likely he or she is to have mastered specialized terminology (telecommunications, for example), approaches to subject matter research, and the ability to maintain efficiency and accuracy under tight deadlines. Exposure to a wide variety of clients and project types also increases an Arabic translator’s skill set.

Technical skills

Beyond pure linguistic talents, modern translators need to have proficiency with translation memory (TM) tools such as Trados, Déjà Vu, or Catalyst. Such tools assist translators in managing terminology and repurposing repeated text for added consistency and efficiency. In addition to TM tools, it is helpful if Arabic translators have a working knowledge of desktop publishing applications.

For more information on Arabic Translators, please see our Quick Facts Library or follow one of the links listed above.