# Translation service **URL:** \ **Category:** Where Can I Find...?\ **Created:** [November 10, 2007, 11:23am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/translation-service/41406 "2007-11-10T11:23:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MustangSammy](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@MustangSammy](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/MustangSammy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 11:23am UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/translation-service/41406/1 "2007-11-10T11:23:54Z")
A Chinese friend needs around 22 pages to be translated from Chinese to English. Does anyone know who to approach for this? ---
**Author:** ![ironlady](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/i/d2c977/32.png) [@ironlady](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/ironlady)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 2:28pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/translation-service/41406/2 "2007-11-10T14:28:00Z")
Depends. Does he want it translated well, or just “cha bu duo”? If he wants it done well, there are several good native English speaking translators who frequent this board. Oh, goodness! I’d be one of them! Hmmm. How coincidential is that? 😃 If he just wants something in the Roman alphabet with the word “the” liberally sprinkled in (right or wrong), that someone can “clean up” without reference to whether the final product really means what the Chinese original once did, a quick Google will turn up dozens of translation agencies in Taipei and Taiwan. Frankly, I can’t recommend any of them enthusiastically. If you must use an agency, Pristine isn’t bad, and does have native speakers doing things in-house (or did; you might want to check to be sure). They’re about the only one I’d even mention in a positive way. But going direct to a translator is almost always going to be better on at least two out of three of the (price, quality, time) set. On a side note: since the Work Permit Police are now checking tax returns before renewing work permits, what’s going to happen is that qualified foreigners who don’t happen to be married to Taiwanese nationals will effectively no longer be able to freelance for companies, and this will include many people who translate for Taiwanese translation agencies. With Taiwan also charging 20% Taiwanese tax on payments to overseas nationals (even people who are not in Taiwan – if someone contracts a translation from me, technically they are supposed to withhold 20% Taiwanese tax, which makes no sense at all as I am an American business entity doing business in the USA – can you say “protectionism”, boys and girls?), I predict a growing, swelling tide of “chabuduo” in the Taiwanese translation industry as the tiny number of native English speakers with a) professional-level bilingual qualifications and b) permission to do this kind of work who c) want to do this kind of work, shrinks and almost disappears. ---
**Author:** ![Juba](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@Juba](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Juba)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 3:03pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/translation-service/41406/3 "2007-11-10T15:03:43Z")
> [@MustangSammy](#): > > A Chinese friend needs around 22 pages to be translated from Chinese to English. Does anyone know who to approach for this? What kind of content? Different translators specialize in different fields. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonbones](https://forumosa-12829.kxcdn.com/user_avatar/tw.forumosa.com/dragonbones/32/1125_2.png) [@Dragonbones](https://tw.forumosa.com/u/Dragonbones)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://tw.forumosa.com/t/translation-service/41406/4 "2007-11-10T17:29:54Z")
MustangSammy, whichever route you take, just remember: you get what you pay for. Pay crap, get crap translation. It’s worth it to pay a professional to do a good job.