Choosing the right translation agency is crucial if you are conveying points in a business communication piece that need to be accurately conveyed. Your company’s reputation will depend on the overall quality of the translated written materials that you put out, such as your company website, newsletters, brochures, presentations and more. With this in mind, keep reading for some key pointers on choosing the right translation agency to help with any communications materials.
Understand What You Need
If you are in the process of moving your business into an overseas market, then you will need to ensure that you are working with a translation agency that is able to accurately put the benefits of your products and service across and translate your calls to action in a way that encourages your new audience to respond.
Along with this, you will need a translation agency such as the Rosetta Translation agency that operates with the right amount of technical precision and accuracy if you need their services to translate information in operational manuals or instructions, for example. First understand what you need and then spend some time reading translation samples as you shop around for an agency, to figure out if they can express the essence of the business’s message.
Check for Quality Work
The quality of the translation work that any agency will deliver can vary, depending on what they interpret quality work to be. This is why, before you decide on an agency, it’s a good idea to spend some time speaking to them about this. Ask more about the quality control measures that they put in place, what the editing process looks like and if the work of the translators goes through any revisions before being sent back to you, the client, and how they ensure that the tone of the original message is still put across even after it has been translated into another language.
How the Agency Works
When choosing the right translation agency for you, it’s a wise idea to find out more about the translation methods that they use. Figure out if they are a traditional agency that fully relies on the skill of human linguists for manual translations, for example, or if you can expect them to use computer software that has been designed to assist in the translation process. CAT or computer-assisted translation techniques are done through software translation memory and a glossary or terminology management system that helps with completing the work. While CAT may be faster, it is often better to choose translations that are done by humans as this ensures more accuracy and fluency when it comes to translation work. A multilingual translator is an expert in at least one language pair and will be highly skilled when it comes to translating complex legal, medical, or business terminology.
Translation Speed
Before you choose the right translation agency for you, it’s worth finding out more about the order turnaround time, and to discover if the agency offers any additional services when it comes to speed, such as if they will be able to carry orders out outside of standard business hours. This is especially true if they are working with translators who live and work in different time zones – find out more about how they will be able to deliver on time and ensure that your work schedule continues to run smoothly throughout. Ideally you should look for a translation agency that has a pool of international translators available for them to work with, so that there is always somebody in the world available to get the job done for you.
Specialist Fields and Areas
When choosing a translation agency for your business, it is a good idea to look for one that has expertise across a wide range of industries. Even better, find a translation agency that specialises in the field or industry in which your business runs. A one-size-fits-all approach is not always the best choice when it comes to meeting the main goals and purposes you have with your communication materials. It is always a wise idea to look for a translation agency that works with translators who are not just an expert in their language pair, but also have an in-depth knowledge of the topic at hand, ensuring that the completed, translated communication piece is going to resonate with your target audience.
Customer Service
When asking for a quote and going through the process of finding out more about the agency to determine if it is the right fit for you, it’s a good idea to pay close attention to the questions that you are asked. This will help you get a better idea of if they are going to be able to meet your needs and how consistent they are going to be when it comes to providing excellent customer service. Have some questions of your own to ask to find out more about customer service, too, such as whether you will be assigned the same translator for all of your project, and about the process of editing a translated communication piece for a second time if needed.
Confidentiality
Finally, it is worth finding out more about any procedures that the translation agency goes through to make sure that your documents are kept private and confidential. Find out more about where and how your documents are going to be stored. Ask about any signed confidentiality agreements that they may have with the network of translators and editors that they work with to complete work for their clients. Will there be non-disclosure agreements that can be signed for special projects? If your business is in the medical field, how do they go about ensuring that any medical details, information and records relating to patients that need to be translated are kept confidential? Are they GDPR compliant?
There are several reasons why you may be looking to hire a translation agency for your business, especially if you are moving into an overseas market. However, you want the message to come across just as well in any language, so keep these tips in mind to find the right agency for you.
