5 Essential Things To Consider Before Hiring Translation Services

Are you looking for translation services? Below are five things worth considering before hiring a translation company to entrust your brand.

Can They Meet Your Needs?

Make sure that your provider fully understands what you want to achieve. For instance, translation of contract and financial records for M&A due diligence is something entirely different from website localization from English to Chinese. The two examples require in-depth knowledge that goes beyond that of just the respective languages. In short, the translators and services they offer should align with the project requirements of your business. And if that is delivered, then you and your provider are bound to have a long, mutually beneficial partnership.

Should You Rely On A Test Translation?

According to Alphatrad, which offers legal translations London, doing short translation tests is a common practice by most translation service providers. And it aims to provide a high level of professionalism and quality of work. But the tests are not always a sure bet when prospecting for providers that can deliver quality on a long-term basis without wavering. On the one hand, there is the possibility that you are dealing with a company that will invest more in the test than it will in the real work. On the other hand, a single test cannot be used as enough proof of the providers’ proficiencies. It alone cannot test the abilities of even a customized team of translators and can efficiently handle the specifics of the job.

Moreover, language is subjective, and thus you should give the translators guidelines before starting the test. Make a list of the key terminologies you prefer and provide examples of translations and outline the style and tone you want. Make sure you are clear about the objective of the test to ensure the translators understand what is expected. Is it something adapted to specific markets or customers, or is it a highly literal translation?

Does The Company Have A Quality Control Process?

In most cases, the translation service providers view these tests are a one-shot opportunity, and therefore they will do their level best of impress. As such, the team that handles the test may not necessarily be the one that handles the main work. Given such possibilities, you should inquire about the team of linguists assigned to handle the test and the work to ensure they are familiar with the subject matter and not generalists. Also, look into the processes the company employs in checking for consistency in the performance levels and quality delivery of its team of linguists. How will the service provider respond when the volume of work is larger than what the assigned staff can handle?

Quality is a no-brainer yet, just like language in translation services, is highly subjective. A translation service company can opt to use different techniques to ensure it meets its client’s expectations. The provider can rely on the style guide and terminology glossary to ensure they stay on track. However, that will not matter if they do not select and carefully evaluate their translators. Spot-checking is essential. It calls for an editor that has an eye for detail, reviewing each document sentence by sentence. Also, ensure that who you hire stand behind their work with a quality delivery warranty.

Cost

Since you are paying for services, you should take time to scrutinize the cost. Pricing variables are expected in translations services since there are different players in the industry. But even then, a low price does not imply that you are getting low quality. The cost of what you are getting is subject to the delivery process based on the skills of the linguists doing the work, the spot checks done, and complexity of the work at hand that may require additional services. Bear in mind that a price quote that sounds too good to be true should make you think twice about the provider.

Regardless of the price, ensure the quote you get is fully-inclusive. Check to see if it accounts for the project management time or even the editorial review process, the time allocated for formatting and reviewing the final document as well as the webpage in its final presentation. If the quoted price for all these services is very low, then the provider may be using machines to handle the translation and then the expert linguists to review the document and correct the would-be errors.

Speed And Ease Of Translation

From a professional perspective, the translation service company should value the importance of meeting deadlines. It should be a principal concern for you when choosing a service provider to hire. Efficient, reliable, and timely service delivery should be what you look for in the company. Whoever you hire should establish a timeframe that you and them clearly agree to from the very start.

Bottom-Line

Finding the right translators that can deliver high-quality work can be a daunting task. But, if you consider the above tips, then you are bound to find a service provider that can meet your needs and one that you will build a lasting and mutually beneficial partnership.

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