Skip to content
Home > 9 Considerations When Working With A Translation Agency

9 Considerations When Working With A Translation Agency

If it’s time for your business to expand and enter new markets in different countries ensure that you communicate with your partners and customers in a language that they can understand as well as their preferred language. This advice is applicable to businesses where English is the official language of the company!

The reason is straightforward; numerous studies have demonstrated that consumers are more likely to purchase products or services from a business that communicates with them in their native language. In some instances, your business may have to legally translate documents like manuals and instructions into the local language.

A professional translation company can assist you in guiding your company in the proper direction.

The reasons to choose an agency for translation instead of freelancers

There isn’t an “standard” translation task or assignment, and having the ability to speak two languages does not make someone qualified to become a translator any like possessing two hands is enough to be a musician. Translation between languages can be a skill that requires exceptional linguistic abilities and a thorough knowledge of the country as well as the industry that the translation will be used for. What defines a top-quality translation is precise terminology, the correct usage of industry jargon , and an effortless, grammatically correct writing style that is tailored to the intended audience, while taking into consideration the cultural differences and transposing the nuances of one language to the other. In the field of translation this laborious process is called localisation.

If you work with a reputable and reputable translation agency, you can rest assured that your translations are given to skilled and experienced translators who have passed an extensive test and selection process.

The choice of an agency over freelancers on your own eliminates the possibility of the translation procedure becoming an obstacle to your project, since the agencies that specialize in translation are accustomed to managing large volumes of text that require translation into a variety of languages in extremely short periods of time. Also, you can get an immediate time-to-market for your product when you decide to outsource your translation tasks with an agency.

Which translation company should you pick?

If you’re looking for the best company for your business You’ll be amazed at the number of agencies available to pick from. It can be difficult to determine what they are that differs from each other.

The agency you choose to work with will depend upon your requirements and preferences and requirements. If you require one text to be translated for internal use, and precision and quality are not an important factor and you just need to concentrate on the cost.

If your text are going to be read by clients or colleagues it is a good idea to select a service that will deliver the high-quality you’re looking for. In the end, a bad translation could have devastating consequences for your business’s image and could compromise the worth of your product in the current market. Imagine the dire negative consequences that a badly translated set of instructions could result in, or when your website – your online business card – creates your business appear unprofessional.

What are the best ways to choose an agency for translation that will offer the high-quality and reliable service you require?

In this way also, it’s nearly impossible to discern how agencies differ from each other at first. The majority of their websites offer the same things: top-quality translations, cheaper prices than their rivals, quick turnaround, and excellent service.

Here are nine useful suggestions to make it easier for you to navigate the maze of translators and language services to find the most reliable translation agency that best suits your needs and preferences. requirements.

Remember these helpful suggestions to keep in mind when you select the right translation company:

1. Contact your friends and family and ask for references

The most effective method to locate an experienced provider is usually simple as asking for recommendations. In the end, people in your circle may have a reliable translation company that they would recommend. If that’s the case, it’s an excellent idea to follow up by asking a couple of questions regarding whether they’ve found the company to be trustworthy and stable , and how pleased they are with the quality of their translations.

You can also search for cases and other references on the agency’s website or, if you wish to go further, contact the agency and request for some client references you can reach directly.

2. Find out about their methods and procedures

Professional translation companies have developed efficient procedures to manage the translation tasks they receive from their customers which allows them to keep track of each project and the various languages that the texts of their clients need to be translated into and from. These processes assist the agency to speed up their translation projects and ensure that they’re completed as fast as they can. They often also offer clients the ability to check the progress of their projects and review every current and finalized translation they’ve given to the agency.

3. Find out which languages the agency provides

Even if you only require text translated in one, or even a couple of languages initially it’s worth to inquire if the agency can be capable of translating text to any other language. If they can then you can be assured that your company won’t ever outgrow the agency, and they will help in the future growth of your company and be able to meet your requirements.

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

Professional translation companies rely upon freelance translators as well as experts in language They have also developed an established network of suppliers that allow the translation of their customers text into a wide range of languages, while meeting their clients’ strict deadlines.

There are often significant differences in the standards that agencies expect their vendors to adhere to. To ensure that you receive the high-quality service you want agencies should constantly evaluate their vendors their work quality and their proficiency in their language combinations. They must also set standards for language experts in terms of their knowledge, experience, and education.

There are few translation companies that prefer to employ an internal group of translation experts. There are clear advantages to employing an in-house team of skilled translators that can guarantee an unbeatable quality and know the ins and aspects of the field.

5. You can get a sense of the level of service provided by the agency.

Contact the agency to find out how they respond to your email or phone call and if they take time with you as you are entitled to as an (prospective) customer.

How was the time it took for them to reply? Did they appear excited about your inquiry? Did they inquire about your requirements? This will give you an idea of what it is like to work with the agency and also the way they interact with their clients.

You can also ask couple of questions regarding how they interact on behalf of their customers. Are you assigned a particular contact? Do you have the option of calling or write them an email? Are they willing to have regular meetings to discuss your collaboration?

Of course, everything above is contingent upon what you’re looking for and require from a translation company.

6. Find out about their costs and the deadlines

As a customer is often beneficial to know the price you’ll be charged for a service or product. But, most translation companies will only provide a cost for an assignment after they’ve had the opportunity to examine the document you’d like to translate. This is due to the fact that the difficulty of a translation task can differ greatly depending on the level of technicality of a text and the topic(s) it covers and the combination of languages and so on. The process of reviewing the text prior to its completion lets the agency analyze the documents and incorporate discounts for repeated texts and segments that have been translated previously in the cost.

This is why we suggest choosing an agency that doesn’t insist on giving a quote before they’ve had a chance to read the document.

Keep in mind the fact that the cost per word is not just for the translation itself, for example the cost of project management and proofreading. If you’re offered a price that appears too appealing to be true the agency could be making a mistake in some or all aspects in the process of translation, which can affect how well the translated text they provide.

7. Ask the agency if they offer additional services

The most effective thing to do is locate an agency that is able to offer all the language services that you and your colleagues require to ensure that you send all of your work to the same company. There is also benefits to choosing a partner with whom you and your team members can establish a close and friendly business relationship. The entire process is made simpler – and the end product is much more effective after the translation company has become familiar with you and your business’s requirements and language, tone of voice and so on.

It is therefore important to inquire whether the agency provides editing, proofreading, writing, DTP and more. as well as if they have any restrictions when it comes to file formats or languages.

8. Ask the agency if they use technology and CAT tools.

Professional translation companies employ computers-assisted translating (CAT) tools to translate your text. Tools for CAT can enhance the quality of the translation by making sure that terms are translated in a uniform manner, for example and also making sure you receive the most competitive cost for your translation project as you pay less or none at all for segments that have been translated before and repeated translations.

9. The financial condition of the agency

Nobody wants to go to work only to discover that a trusted partner abruptly ceases to provide services or is forced to shut down, leaving you in the dark. This is why we suggest that you investigate the length of time that the agency has been in operation and also the condition of its financials.

If you adhere to these helpful suggestions when selecting the language service provider you choose You’ll be on the right track to success. It is important to choose the best partner early on so that you don’t have to change between different agencies and wasting a lot of time and money starting over.