INSTRUCTIONS TO FREELANCE TRANSLATORS

IMPORTANT: This information is to be passed down to the actual translators of the document!

Through these instructions we are highlighting the most important resources and providing you with
some extra links you may find useful. These instructions complement the general instructions on the
Information Sheet and provide a short checklist for outgoing translations. For additional information,
please consult http://europa.eu/!rv88uk where you will also find the DGT Translation Quality Guidelines
http://europa.eu/!QR36WX

o Please note that the segments in the translation memories come from
different sources of legislation. Please check the consistency and
relevance of terminology from translation memories and, if necessary,
adapt the terms and segments to your own translation.
o With reference to DG AGRI documents concerning the Publication of
an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU)
Note on the use of No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of
reference 21 November 2012 on quality schemes for agricultural products and
materials / TMs foodstuffs, please follow the template available on our freelance
(if provided) website: http://europa.eu/!RK63wn
o Please address any questions regarding conflicting terminology
(translations) to DGT-MT-FREELANCE@ec.europa.eu
o It is important to ensure that in case of Combined Nomenclature no
changes should be made to the memory which hails from the relevant
reference document. It is very important to keep the wording of the
Combined Nomenclature of the Regulation being amended.

o Please use The Interinstitutional Style Guide (Il-Gwida tal-Istil

Interistituzzjonali) as well as the Departmental Internal Guidelines (Il-
Language Usage
Linji Gwida Interni) for translation. These can be accessed through
http://europa.eu/!vT67hW .
o However, please note that as a general rule, with respect to typographic
elements, translators should follow the lead of the original document.
For example, the translator does not have to intervene by introducing
unbreakable spaces as this can be catered for internally. Nonetheless,
attention should be paid particularly to punctuation in lists, the en dash
(–) and the em (—) dash.
o There is no need to introduce an unbreakable space between a figure and
a percent sign (%), but a normal white space should be inserted instead.
o For the translation of EU legislation, a distinction must be made
between the verbs "shall" and "should" as esplained on page 54 of the
latest edition of “Il-Linji Gwida Interni”.

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 The use of correct terminology is of great importance in our translations.
o Kindly refer to IATE on http://iate.europa.eu/. For more specific
terminology, any glossaries which become available, will be made
accessible on http://europa.eu/!KQ94fd
o Another source for terminology is the terminological supplement which
Terminology accompanies the magazine of the Maltese Language Department l-
aċċent. All terminology entries published in these supplements are
included in the IATE database.
o EUR-Lex & IATE – are they friends or foes? Kindly refer to the relevant
training which is accessible on https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/eur-lex-iate

o The EU Legislation on http://europa.eu/!mw78CN

o The Maltese Legislation on
http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/LOM.aspx?pageid=27&mode=chron
Legislation
o
o Another site which you may find useful is:
http://ec.europa.eu/index_mt.htm
o If the title of the document only appears on the cover page, please
provide the translation below the relevant non-editable box.
Translation of
o Tables and graphs are to be translated unless instructed otherwise or are
titles and graphs
in a non-editable form. Kindly translate the relevant reference files
provided and return together with the completed translation.
o You may find that various articles in l-aċċent could clarify any queries
you may have about the use of certain words: http://europa.eu/!gJ64Vm
o On our website you can also find some help with respect to grammatical
and orthographical issues. In fact the first section of Il-Linji Gwida
Interni deals exclusively with grammatical and orthographical issues:
http://europa.eu/!Ct66BF
o It is also important that you be aware of the decisions of The National
Council for the Maltese Language with respect to orthography in the
case of certain variants
(http://www.kunsilltalmalti.gov.mt/filebank/documents/Decizjonijiet1_2
Other relevant 5.07.08.pdf) and that you apply these decisions in your translation.
information o On the website of The National Council for the Maltese Language there
is also a section specifically dedicated to grammar and orthography on
Il-Kelma Maltija at: http://kunsilltalmalti.gov.mt/kelma?l=2
o Another highly recommended site is http://malti.skola.edu.mt/. The
section to the left – Għajnuniet – is a series of questions and answers
with relation to grammar and orthography (Servizz tad-Dipartiment tal-
Malti tad-Direttorat għal Kwalità u Standards fl-Edukazzjoni)
o The same applies to the names of countries: http://europa.eu/!CM46MK.
o When working with acronyms kindly refer to the guidelines provided in
the Internal Guidelines and IATE.

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SUMMARY CHECK-LIST FOR OUTGOING TRANSLATIONS

This summary checklist addresses the most recurrent issues of freelance translations.

1. Legiswrite (if applicable): please perform relevant document structural and quality checks as
indicated in the Legiswrite guidelines and other related material available on the Xtra portal.

2. Formatting: always maintain the formatting of the original the document. No highlights
(unless in ORI) or comments should be left in your translation.

3. Completeness: always check your translation for omissions or additions. Always check if all
diagrams / tables have been translated (if in editable format).

4. Spelling and other mistakes: spellcheck your translation thoroughly. Always check if the
figures and dates are correct.

5. Titles of legal acts: always check quoted titles in EUR-Lex. Do not solely rely on reference
material or translation memories provided. Always quote the latest consolidated version of a
legal act.

6. Quotes (explicit and implicit): always check quotes in EUR-Lex. Do not solely rely on
reference material or translation memories provided. When translating implicit quotes follow
the wording and terminology of the quoted act as closely as possible. Never try to
retranslate the text. Contact DGT-MT-FREELANCE@ec.europa.eu when in doubt.

7. Footnotes: check that all footnotes have been translated.

8. Terminology: check consistency of terms and the relevance of terminology sources used.

9. Orthography: check consistency of orthography used when acceptable variants exist.

10. Versions: always carefully check the compared version (CMP) of the source document to
make sure that you have incorporated all changes in your translation.

11. Hyperlinks and cross-references: check all hyperlinks and whenever possible update the
link to refer to the Maltese version of the linked publication. Do not update links
automatically, always check if the publication / webpage exists in Maltese! Keep the
cross-references from the original (in particular in COMP documents).

12. Any memory provided is intended as an aid.

13. The translation delivered must be of such quality that they can be used as they stand
upon delivery, without any further revision, review and/or correction by the contracting
authority. To this end, the contractor shall thoroughly revise and review the entire
translation. (Omnibus Tender Specifications, point 1.11).

14. Should you encounter any problems do not hesitate to contact us through our Freelance
Functional mailbox at DGT-MT-FREELANCE@ec.europa.eu.

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