For the non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have a Effective and quality communication It is essential to spread your altruistic and humanitarian message in the most successful way possible. Only in this way are they capable of achieving the necessary impact to continue helping society. For all these reasons, the quality of the translations carried out by an NGO is key for the message to reach all audiences, in addition to being received anywhere in the world accurately.. In this article, we will delve into how we can tell if the translation of an NGO is working when it comes to reaching certain multilingual receivers, if it is meeting the main objective and if the communication is having a real positive impact on the people with whom you work and whom you are trying to help. Equally important is the communication of the actions they carry out so that potential donors help carry out their work. Equally important is the communication of the actions they carry out so that potential donors help carry out their work.
Clearly define the objectives of an NGO when translating
First of all, and before we start to evaluate the effectiveness of the translation of a non-governmental organization, it is important to set realistic objectives that are to be achieved. The organization should ask different questions to get answers to help them set those goals:
- Does this translation seek to spread information about certain projects that we carry out?
- The purpose of this translation Is inspiring the audience to support our work and thus get more people to help fix the problem?
These are only two questions at a general level that an NGO should ask itself before starting work on the translation of its communication. Once this is clear, it is time to determine what aspects we are going to work on when designing the organization communication and its subsequent translation.
Evaluate the linguistic quality of the content we send to the audience
The effectiveness of a good translation is based on its linguistic quality. It is crucial that the content is translated correctly, but also that it is transmitted in an interesting, precise, coherent and fluid way. Without these ingredients, it is difficult for the message to be understandable and received without ambiguity..
How can we evaluate the linguistic quality of a translation? This is the million dollar question but it has an easy answer: using Text revision and correction tools Together with the collaboration of a team of professional and specialized translators for each sector.
The first method is not effective by itself, since machine translation still depends largely on talent and human perception. A automated tool It is not capable by itself of perceiving certain aspects of language such as double meanings, metaphors, the hidden intention of the message, etc.
In this way, the internal review becomes essential to continuously improve the quality of the translations.
Monitor, pilot, and make adjustments continuously
Before carrying out a large-scale translation, it is crucial to carry out pilot tests to avoid errors that could destroy our work..
How do we carry out this? The NGO can select a sample group to accumulate comments and suggestions that allow adjustments and improvements to be made in the translation of the message. Finally, it is important to note that translations must be in a continuous process of improvement and evaluation. This is because the expectations of the audience change over time. This will ensure that the translations remain effective and relevant.
How do we analyze the impact of translation on the audience?
And how can we measure the true effectiveness of a translation? The answer is clear: measuring how it affects and what impact it has on the audience. In the case of an organization such as an NGO, it is easy to measure that impact, since its projects go ahead thanks to the selfless support of its audience.
How do you get an NGO that the message arrives clearly and convincingly? through a good translation that breaks language barriers. In this way, a translation must be able to make the target audience not only correctly understand the message, but also feel motivated to action and decide to help and collaborate with the NGO’s cause..
An effective way to measure that scope of the translated message motivation is by collecting comments and opinions. As with conducting surveys, interviews and data analysis in general. In this way, we can analyze the impact of the translated message on our audience.
Track the action taken by the audience
As we are commenting, the communication of an NGO must be supported by an effective translation that not only reports but also inspires the audience to decide to support a project.
To do this, an NGO must evaluate if the audience is motivated towards concrete actions and if the translation is capable of generating certain actions such as:
- donations
- volunteers
- Other forms of support
On the other hand, it is important to use certain metrics that provide such valuable information for an NGO. In this way, it is possible to design a translation that promotes collaboration between the organization and the audience..
