9. Tell the translator what it's for

Give your translation provider as much contextual information as possible.

A speech is not a web site. A sales brochure is not a catalog entry. A graph heading is not a directional sign. An article in The National Enquirer is not a prospectus for an Initial Public Offering. Style, pronounceability, word choice, phrasing and sentence length all vary, depending on where your text will appear and what you want it to achieve.

An experienced translator or agency will probably ask you for this information; make sure you know yourself. In 1999, French utility Electricité de France spent over $150,000 on ad space for a full-page ode to its expertise in a range of premium press vehicles. A clumsy English version was sharply at odds with the international image the company sought to project ["EdF offers competitive energetic solutions"]. The translation provider, who had received no brief (and hadn't asked), had churned out what it assumed was an in-house memo. Cost of translation: under $100. Cost to image: incalculable.

Be sure to tell your translators what your text is for, so that they can prepare a foreign-language version with maximum impact for that particular audience and medium.