Q: My administrative coordinator speaks Spanish. Can she translate my sales Presentation?
A: She might be able to handle the job well, but in our experience, there are many language and competency issues at work here. Generally speaking, knowing one language doesn't make someone a writer any more than knowing two languages makes someone a translator.
If you have just received a fax from Spain, your assistant could probably do a great job of providing you with a summary translation. This same person would likely be a poor choice to recreate your sale’s presentation in Spanish.

Q: Do you charge for quotations?
A: No, quotations are always free.

Q: How are your translations priced? How much do you charge per page?
A: All translation charges are calculated on a per-word basis with the rate being determined by the type of the Spanish in question, the turnaround time and the nature of the subject matter. Standard rates are applied to most translations; however, a surcharge of 2¢-5¢ per word may be added to highly technical or industry-specific projects. A minimum charge is applied to translation projects containing fewer than approximately 300 words in the target language.

Q: How do you price desktop publishing services?
A: Desktop publishing is priced on an hourly basis. Minimum charges may apply for short projects under an hour. Larger projects have a project management fee, which is often a percentage of the overall project.

Q: Why does Translations Wave have minimum charges for translations?
A: Minimum charges are a translation industry standard. Small translation projects aren't economically viable for translators or agencies when priced using a straight per-word calculation method. Our minimum charge is $75.00 to $125.00 depending on the subject.

Q: Does Translations Wave use native speakers to perform its translations?
A: We use native speakers proficient in both the target and source languages. Translation assistance software is used where appropriate, but Translations wave does not currently provide any type of machine translation services.

Q: What are alternative formats?

A. Braille

Braille consists of cells that contain a series of raised dots that can be read with the fingertips. Letters and numbers are represented by different numbers of raised dots in different possible areas of a Braille cell. Likewise, common contractions, such as "tion" or "ing" are represented in Braille.

Large Print

Large print refers to the point size for font; however there are many additional considerations. The Smithsonian Institute recommends a minimum 16-point font for the best viewing by people with vision loss while maintaining a small enough point size to include a good amount of information. The type of font is important as well. Fonts with embellishment lines and curves at the tops and bottoms of letters are difficult for a person with low vision to read and therefore should be avoided. Sans serif fonts are one of several (Bookman Old Style, Arial, News Goth, etc.) that the Smithsonian Institute considers to be the most legible. By definition sans serif means "without short lines stemming from and at an angle to the upper and lower ends of the strokes of a letter."
The Smithsonian Guidelines for Accessible Exhibition Design and the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG A4.30.5), identifies the need for a minimum of seventy percent contrast between background and text colors. Using an eggshell or other off-white paper will reduce glare. The Smithsonian Guidelines also indicate that characters per line should be held to a maximum of 60 with consistent letter and word spacing, the margins should be flush-left and staggered right while leading, or the space between lines of print, should be at least twenty percent greater than the height of the letters.

Computer Disc

People with visual impairments may prefer to have information available in an electronic format such as a computer disc. The computer disc may be a preferred alternative format for information designed for home review. A person with a personal computer that has screen reader software or enlarged font capability can access the information on the disc and the information can also be printed out in large print or by using a Brailler. This format is for use anywhere the patron has computer access that will allow for the preferred choice of formatting.

Audio
Audio can be offered in a variety of delivery methods including audiocassettes, audio compact disks.