Sports translation

In July 2020, a translation mistake confused a group of Spanish referees and they made an ill-advised decision.

Apparently, Sergio Ramos stepped on Raúl García’s foot, and Dani García did the same thing to Marcelo during that same match.

On one of those instances, the referee blew for a penalty and on the other, no.

The “intention” was what came into debate, but that concept was perfectly hashed out in the rules.

The problem, after much debate, turned out to be a bad translation of the rules.

And everyone knows how passionate soccer fans are — on both sides of the field.

That’s not an isolated case. Translating the rules is a task for professionals in the sector — not just in the translation sector of course, but also in the sports sector in question.

There are technical words and expressions that can change everything if they are not well interpreted in the original language and rigorously expressed in the translation. Too many things can be at stake!

Spain is a country that performs highly in sports, there are many leading athletes in our country and the same is true of sports clubs.

Both in the massivly popular stadium sports and the minority sports, the truth is that many Spanish athletes travel abroad — it’s a booming sector and, fortunately, it is growing.

This means that our Spanish athletes have to travel and, in many cases, to go abroad to live for long periods. They will need translations of all kinds of paperwork but, in addition, they will start training and living outside their home country long before they have had time to learn the new language.

To get a quality sports translation, it is essential for the translator to know not only the language but also the sport in question, as well as its technical words and slang. This true whether the translator is providing simultaneous interpreting services during a training session (it can take time until athletes speak fluently enough for them to go to training autonomously) or if he has to translate written text… in all cases, it is essential to know the sport and be familiar with its ins and outs.

And we can do this in more than 550 language combinations.

Sports translation services

Sports translation is an area that requires advanced qualifications and vast experience, just like any other specialized translation service.

In recent years, and given the importance that this field has acquired both nationally and internationally, sports translation has adopted a fundamental role in communication, with specialization reaching the individual sport level.

It is very important for the sports translator to perfectly master all the specific terminology of each sport, both in the source and target languages.

The sports translator spends a lot of time gathering information about current sports events, as well as learning new terminology. This practice, together with the sports translator’s specialization and experience, guarantees a successful and quality translation.

Who needs a sports translation?

Due to the growth experienced in the sector in recent years and its great financial impact, there are more and more people and entities that need this type of translation. Here are some examples:

• Clubs and federations
• Manufacturers and distributors of sports equipment and textile products
• Communication, advertising, merchandising, and packaging agencies
• Leisure and free time companies
• Sponsoring companies
• Audiovisual production companies
• Athletes
• Specialized publishers, magazines, and blogs
• Specialized training courses

When is a sports translation needed?

There are many reasons why sports translations are in demand, but the most relevant are the following:

• For the translation of specific sports terms: over the years, each sport has developed its own vocabulary to define plays, penalties, and other actions. Therefore, it is of great importance for these types of technicalities to be made available and translated correctly, ensuring proper communication between all parties involved.
• To avoid literal translation: Literal translation can bring about grave mistakes, as well as confusion. Literal translation may also mean that, in the end, the desired message does not end up getting conveyed correctly.
• To break down language barriers: This will help companies/agencies and individuals who are in constant contact with people from different countries and cultures so that, little by little, they can become familiar with sports terminology.
• To improve performance: Especially in sports disciplines in which technical teams are made up of people who speak different languages.