Trying to hire a translation company can be a daunting endeavor. With hundreds of providers available at any given moment, it can be hard to know where to begin. There are no guarantees that you will get the quality that you’re looking for. It is imperative that you’re doing your due diligence so that you don’t end up with a poor translation company. Here are some tips that will come in handy if you’re hiring a translation company for the first time.
Experience
It is important to check the experience of the translation company before you decide to work with them. You can only be assured of working with a high-quality translation company by looking at the number of years that they’ve been operational. Ideally, the translation company should have experience in your industry. This gives you the assurance that they will handle the project with the seriousness it deserves.
Quality
As machine translation has been evolving over the years, you’ll still want a human-quality translation. Machine translation might be effective but should never be used as a replacement for human translation. You should make sure that the company you’re working with has experienced human translators. The selection process should be open so that you’re aware of what the company looks out for when hiring.
Location
The internet has made it easier to work with companies from all over the globe. Even though you don’t need to visit the translation company, it is important to make sure that the company is registered. You don’t want to end up with outsourced services from a country where English is not their first language. You should not look at the price alone because the quality will obviously be compromised. Working with a local provider can be much more convenient because you can easily reach out to them.
Language Translation Services
You might be looking for language translation services. There is a difference between being bilingual and being experienced in language translation. You can get in touch with the company first so that you’re sure that the translators are fluent in the language that you want the work to be translated to.
Quality Management Process
Quality assurance is crucial for any translation service. It is particularly important if it is a big project because it can get challenging to track every little detail during the process. When looking for a translation company, you should be on the lookout for one that has a thorough quality assurance process in place. The QA process should be well documented so that there is consistency with the output of the work regardless of the size.
Experience with Glossaries
Every industry will have its own glossary and unique terms. It can be difficult for a translation company to translate the glossaries the way they’re supposed to be translated even if it is another language. A good translator will have experience with glossaries and will ensure to do the research if they’re not well conversant with the industry.
Auxiliary Service
You will need more services beyond the simple translation. If it is a complex project, you might need services like voice over, transcription, subtitling, and a lot more. If it is a big project, it might take some time before everything is uploaded and downloaded by the translation company. You don’t have to be looking for different companies for the different components that are required for the translation project to complete. Make sure to ask if the company has the capacity of handling your project.
Communication
It is important that you’re looking for a translation company that will keep you informed in every step of the process. They should be able to provide prompt feedback when you get in touch with them when you want to do something about the project to be clarified. They should also provide direct access to the person that will be handling the translation. If it is a big project, there should be someone to oversee everything so that there is accountability with the process.
To sum it up, looking for a translation company doesn’t have to be that much of a challenge if you know what you’re looking for. There are just too many providers out there and it can be a daunting endeavor trying to make a decision. Experience should be the main consideration when looking for translation services. You don’t need to tell people how to do their work. The translation company should have a track record of quality and reliability.
