Thread: Report translation to Spanish

Thought this link might be helpful to some Inspectors. It's a free, online language translator for documents.

In my area we have a fair number of Hispanic clients, many who do not speak English well. I have to be sure that the Agent is able to communicate ALL my findings in the proper manner, and with emphasis. This is risky, at best. So I will take certain areas of my report and do this online translation as an added measure. Hope this is helpful to some.

Free Spanish Translation and Professional Spanish Translation Services from SDL

You can also join for about $10/year which I believe gives you some added benefits. The simple doc translation is FREE though.

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Mitch,
That is very nice.
I also do quiet a few inspections for Spanish speaking clients.
Home Gauge also has a template in Spanish which I'm thinking of buying.

Bob

Great tool! Thanks for posting. I wonder how accurate it is, especially with the technical terms and different dialects?

Originally Posted by Jim Luttrall

Great tool! Thanks for posting. I wonder how accurate it is, especially with the technical terms and different dialects?

Good question, and I have not verified as yet. However, when doing work for Non-english speaking clients I submit my CREIA Contract in both with a separate doc stating that if any problems arise (such as legal) regarding the Contract and Report, that the English version will trump in a court of law.

If you visit the CREIA site you will find those documents availible. They will help, although not fool proof, should a legal concern avail itself.

I would that this language barrier did not exist. I believe assimilation into the US culture should be the goal of any and all immigrants. In the meantime I don't want to loose the business...and would like to protect myself as much as possible while still meeting my Client's needs for information.

Originally Posted by Bob Garza

Mitch,
That is very nice.
I also do quiet a few inspections for Spanish speaking clients.
Home Gauge also has a template in Spanish which I'm thinking of buying.

Bob

Bob,

I wonder if "template" equals reporting your findings in Spanish. Probably not. I guess you had better take a class in Spanish if you want to report so. Although it might be a good template if you then used the translator with your narrative and pasted to the Report. Probably more readable than using the English template anyway.

Now if there was a Russian, Pakistan, Indian, Vietnamese, etc., etc...
I guess I will stick to Texan as my official language, I have enough trouble with it!

Before I'd ever deliver a report in a foreign language I'd be sure I had a signed contract in that same language.

No matter how good the translation is, there will be some things that will translate differently than what you intended. If you provided the translated report, it is your report.
How about providing a link (or several) to a translator.
Deliver the report in YOUR language, THEY can translate it into anything they want. Then if there is a misunderstanding caused by the translation, it's not likely to be on you.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

No matter how good the translation is, there will be some things that will translate differently than what you intended. If you provided the translated report, it is your report.
How about providing a link (or several) to a translator.
Deliver the report in YOUR language, THEY can translate it into anything they want. Then if there is a misunderstanding caused by the translation, it's not likely to be on you.

Right! And that's good advice, which is exactly what I do in my Report cover letter. My clients can then translate any portions of the Report that are not already tranlslated. I always present the full Report in English with only portions translated. And then there's the signed document that stats "English" versions of the Contract and Report will be used for any legal conflicts arising.

Thanks for that comment.

Also, a full walk-through, with the Agent translating anything I have difficulty conveying. The Report follows the next day.

Originally Posted by Rick Cantrell

No matter how good the translation is, there will be some things that will translate differently than what you intended. If you provided the translated report, it is your report.

That's why, years ago when I had several Spanish-only speaking clients I investigated those translators ... then let them be - no way did I want to not say what I wanted to say, or say something I did not want to say.

Their purchase contract was in English, I gave them my report in English, I told them to have someone read it and translate it for them, fortunately there usually was a family member or friend who could do so. But it was not going to be me.

Mr Rude here

If they live in the United States they are getting it in English. On occasion I have had my termite folks help with a translation or 2 but in the end they understood English enough where it was not really needed.

Move to France.....learn to speak and understand French first.

Move to the United States..........learn to speak English first.

I would not expect the country I move to to all learn English so I could understand them.

Yeah yeah. Let me have it.

My fathers side were Italian and Sicilian. Ole Grandma and Grandpa learned to understand and speak English so they could fit in with society in the US.

A lot of my non english speaking clients end up bringing one of their children, often the only ones in the family who can speak our language. It was kind of strange the first couple of times I had to have a 10 year old translate everything I said.

The only bummer is that it most often takes about twice as long to do the walk through.

Ever tried to look up the word "Soffit" in Spanish?

Scott,
According to my English / Spanish dictionary by Larousse soffit in Spanish is sofito.

Bob

Mitch,
I agree with you that if you come to this great Country of ours you should learn our language. My parents came here from Mexico and both learned to speak and write in English. I feel the same way you do in regards to not wanting to lose the business.

Bob

Originally Posted by Bob Garza

Scott,
According to my English / Spanish dictionary by Larousse soffit in Spanish is sofito.

Bob

OK, now what is the meaning of Sofito?

They are working on a real time translator that would work through a cell phone of other device. You would speak into it in English, and the other person could hear it in Spanish, Russian, or I imagine a whole host of languages. Fascinating idea, and what a great invention if it ever makes it.

However, it will need to work better than the VR software that they use for the closed caption TV's at the gym I go to, so I'm not holding my breath for it any time soon.

Thats right this isnt the Burger King of Home Inspections you'll take the report the way I give it you, even if you are the client and are paying for it. I will make no effort to accomodate even if I knew that you spoke no English when I took you on as a client and agreed to take your money, thats the American way.

Now as for me I would prefer to help them understand what they are getting in hopes that it will generate more paying clients. Spanish, French, German or Japanese speaking only come on down I will at least give it a try. To all those who are willing to try, may prosperity come your way.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I am in the USA and, here, we speak English. That's the language that my inspection report is in and English is the language that my inspection agreement is in. This is America.. if you are living here, it's time to assimilate and learn the language.

I would never have my report translated by someone else into a foreign language because I can't confirm the accuracy of the report and you know who is responsible for the contents of the report..

If there was a dispute, I don't want to lose a legal proceeding because the client can simply claim that he didn't understand the inspection agreement and/or report and that he was 'taken advantage of' because he didn't understand the contract or report. I know another inspector that this happened to, he did absolutely nothing wrong, but the judge decided in favor of the plaintiff because he used the 'I didn't understand the inspection agreement in English' argument. Cost him his $2,000 deductible, his E&O paid, and his E&O carrier dropped him 6 months later when there was a 2nd 'more valid' claim against him.

Hello everyone. Its been over a year since my first and only post. I was raked over the coals for among other reasons for bringing up the subject of working with Hispanics. Let me give this new, improved and more professional forum one more try. I am bilingual, to some extent (Tex-Mex), and I work the Dallas/Fort Worth area. A couple of years ago I wrote to TREC asking if I had to translate my report to any other language. They said no. That was a great relief. I always highly recommend that my Hispanic clients ,who don't speak English at all or who don't feel comfortable speaking English, that they be present at the end of the inspection. I also have a statement in my contract in Spanish saying that they should have someone else translate the inspecton report for them because I won't. I also have another statement in my report that I copied from a long-time inspector that the report is not complete unless the client was present during the walk-thru.

I have tried some of the on-line translation services and they range from totally misinterpreting to a Spanish language that I have never seen or heard of. It worries me that all it takes is for one translated word to be off and there I am in court.

When I started working for non-English speaking buyers, I quickly realized that I did not know many of the correct Spanish translations for the technical terms. What I did was to go to Homey (Home Depot), read the labels on all of the building supplies, which are in English, Spanish and French. I made a long list of the translations and then carried a cheat sheet with me to all inspections. Even then those translations give me problems because depending on what part of Latin America the buyer is from they may still not understand me.

Several Hispanic Realtors have sought me out, to help them with their Hispanic clients, because they don't want the liability of translating my report. Interesting enough, I am working with many Asian buyers and they have all spoken very good English.

Another problem that I am having with the Hispanic buyer is that many don't have access to the internet. But that is a whole other story for another time (hopefully).

Originally Posted by Jim Robinson

They are working on a real time translator that would work through a cell phone of other device. You would speak into it in English, and the other person could hear it in Spanish, Russian, or I imagine a whole host of languages. Fascinating idea, and what a great invention if it ever makes it.

However, it will need to work better than the VR software that they use for the closed caption TV's at the gym I go to, so I'm not holding my breath for it any time soon.

My HTC smart phone has an android app that I speak English into and hit the button to translate into Spanish. Maybe not real time as while I am speaking but as close to it as soon as I am done speaking.

I am wildy curious and certainly not trying to single out a particular national, but, why is it I can perform inspections for German, Japanese, Russian, Indian, Nigerien, Chinese, Philippine, Scandinavian, and almost any other national, they already have a wonderful understanding of and can speak English and our border folks that wish to flood our country over fences and across rivers demand a translator or they go to someone else ...... even if they speak English over the phone to you asking all about you and your price.

Does anyone else find that just a bit odd?

Please, not bashing just grasping for knowledge. The tremendous effort and expense to get someone to shuffle them over here one way or another and they cannot even speak to someone in English, or should I say as my grandfather did, American as the rest of the world refers us as.

Originally Posted by Mitchell Toelle

Thought this link might be helpful to some Inspectors. It's a free, online language translator for documents.

In my area we have a fair number of Hispanic clients, many who do not speak English well. I have to be sure that the Agent is able to communicate ALL my findings in the proper manner, and with emphasis. This is risky, at best. So I will take certain areas of my report and do this online translation as an added measure. Hope this is helpful to some.

Free Spanish Translation and Professional Spanish Translation Services from SDL

You can also join for about $10/year which I believe gives you some added benefits. The simple doc translation is FREE though.

That would be a great link to give to the spanish speaking client to use at their own risk. No way would I ever deliver a report using any kind of automated translator. Its far too easy to have your words misconstrued even when you and your client are speaking the same language.