How To Choose The Right Translation Agency To Work With

If it’s time for your business to expand and enter new markets in other countries Make sure that you are communicating with your customers and partners in a language they understand in their own language. This advice can be applied to companies in which English is the main language for business!

The reason is easy to understand; many studies have shown that people are more likely to buy a product or service from a company who communicates with them in their native language. Additionally, in some instances your company may also require legal permission to translate certain documents such as manuals and instructions to local languages.

A professional translation company will help you steer your organization in the right direction.

Why you should select a translation agency instead of freelancers

There’s nothing that can be described as an “unique” translation assignment as being able to speak two languages doesn’t qualify someone to be a translator , any more than having two hands qualifies them to be a musician. Translating between two languages is a skill which requires an exceptional level of linguistic proficiency and an in-depth understanding of the country, culture and industry the translation is for. What makes a good translation is accurate terminology, correct use of industry jargon , and a flowing, grammatically correct writing style that is tailored to the intended reader, taking into consideration cultural differences as well as transferring specifics of one language to the other. In the world of translation, this painstaking process is called localisation.

If you work with a reputable and serious translation agency, you can be assured that your translations are given to skilled and experienced translators who have gone through an exhaustive testing and selection process.

Choosing an agency over freelancers on your own eliminates the possibility of the translation method becoming the bottleneck for the projects you are working on, since translation agencies are used to managing large volumes of text that need to be translated to a wide range of languages within very short timeframes. In other words, you will get a quick time-to-market for your products when you decide to outsource your translation work through an agency.

What agency to select?

If you’re trying to find the perfect firm for your needs, you’ll quickly discover how many there are to choose from. It can be difficult to discern the difference between each other.

Which agency to pick depends upon your requirements as well as your preferences and preferences. If you require one single translation for internal use, and where accuracy and quality aren’t an important factor, then you may just need to concentrate on the price.

However, if your texts will be read by clients or colleagues It’s best to choose a company that can deliver the quality you’d like. In the end, a bad translation can have catastrophic consequences for your company’s image and may even compromise the value of your product in the market of the future. Imagine the dire negative consequences that a badly translated set of instructions may bring about, or even the case that your website’s online business card – creates your business look less professional.

How do you choose an agency for translation that will provide the high-quality service you require?

In this regard also, it’s nearly impossible to determine how agencies differ from one another at first glance. Many of their websites boast the same thing: top-quality translations, lower prices than their rivals, quick turnaround, and excellent service.

Here are our nine helpful tips to make it easier for you to sort through the jungle of translation service providers to locate the best translation agency that best suits your needs and preferences. requirements.

Keep these nine helpful tips to keep in mind when you select the right translation company:

1. Ask around in your network and ask for references

The best way to locate an experienced provider is usually just asking for recommendations. There’s a good chance that people in your circle may already know a great translation company that they would recommend. If that’s the case, it’s a good idea to follow up with a couple of questions to see if they’ve found the firm to be trustworthy and stable and how satisfied they’ve been with quality of the translations.

You could also find case stories and references on the agency’s site, or if you want to go a step further, contact the agency and request them to provide some client references you can reach directly.

2. Find out about their methods and procedures

Professional translation agencies have implemented efficient procedures to manage the translation tasks they receive from their customers which allows them to keep track of every assignment and the various languages their clients’ texts need to be translated from and into. The processes aid the agency in speeding up the translation process and ensure that the translations are completed as swiftly as is possible. In many cases, they give clients the opportunity to monitor the status of their assignments and review every current and finalized translation they’ve given to that agency.

3. Find out which languages the agency offers

Even if you just need texts translated into one or a couple of languages initially, it may be worthwhile to inquire about whether the agency is capable of translating text in any languages. If they’re capable, you can be sure you won’t see your business grow out of the agency, and they will aid in the growth of your company and meet your needs.

4. Find out what standards the agency uses in relation to its language experts

Professional translation firms rely on freelance translators and language experts and have created an established network of vendors which allows for them to convert their clients text into a wide number of languages and meeting their clients’ demanding deadlines.

There could be significant differences in the standards they expect their vendors to meet. To ensure that you receive the standard you require, the agency should continuously evaluate their vendors on their work’s quality and proficiency in their language combinations. They should also set criteria for language experts’ level of qualifications, education, and experience.

There are few translation agencies that choose to have an internal workforce of translators. However, there are certain advantages to employing an in-house team of skilled translators that can guarantee an consistently high standard of quality and understand the ins and aspects of the field.

5. Find out what you think of the level of service provided by the agency.

Try calling the agency to check how they react to your message or phone and whether they spend time with you as you’re entitled to as an (prospective) customer.

How was it that long it took them to reply? Did they seem enthusiastic about your enquiry? Did they talk to you questions about your needs? This can help give you a sense of what it will be like working with this agency, and how they treat their clients.

You may also want to ask few questions about the way they work on behalf of their customers. Are you given a designated contact? Are you always given the option of calling or write them an email? Do they want to meet regularly to discuss your collaboration?

Of course, everything above depends on the specifics of what you’re looking for from a translation service.

6. For more information, inquire about their pricing and their deadlines

As a customer as a customer, it’s important to know the price you’re expected to pay for a particular product or service. However, many translation agencies offer a quote for an assignment once they have had the chance to look over the text that you’d like to translate. This is because the difficulty of a project to translate can be wildly different depending on the level of technicality of a text, the topic(s) it covers or the type of language used or combination, etc. Reviewing the text beforehand also helps the agency analyse the file and offer discounts for repeats and segments that have been translated previously in the cost.

We recommend choosing an agency that does not insist on giving a quote before they’ve had the opportunity to examine the content.

Remember that the price an agency charges per word will include more than the translation itself, such as project management costs and proofreading. If you’re offered a price that appears too promising to be true it could be that the company is cutting corners on some or all aspects within the translating process, which could affect what they can deliver. they produce.

7. Ask the agency if it offers additional services

The best thing is to locate an agency that is able to offer the full range of language services you and your colleagues need to ensure that you send all of your work to the same agency. There’s also advantages to choosing a partner with whom you and your team members can build a friendly and close friendship with. The entire process is made simpler – and the end result is more refined after the translation company is familiar with your and your business’s requirements and tone of voice, terminology and so on.

You should therefore ask whether the agency can provide correction of text, proofreading Copywriting DTP as well. And if they are subject to limitations with regards to file formats and language combinations.

8. Find out if the agency utilizes technology and CAT tools

Professional translation firms employ computers-assisted translating (CAT) tools to translate your texts. Tools for CAT can enhance the quality of the translation by making sure that terms are translated in a uniform manner, for example but also guaranteeing that you receive the most competitive price for the translation task because you will pay less or nothing at all for previously translated segments and repeats.

9. The financial position of the agency

Everyone doesn’t want to go to work and discover that a trusted partner has suddenly stopped providing services or shuts down completely, leaving you hanging. This is why we suggest that you take a look at how long the translation agency has been around as well as the status of its financials.

If you adhere to these nine helpful tips when selecting your language service provider, you’ll definitely be on the right track to success. It is important to find the right partner from the start so you don’t need to switch between agencies without wasting energy and time starting over.