How To Choose a Translation Provider
Many translation agencies have entered the market. Choosing the right one for you is not a simple task. Our post will help you avoid the major mistakes usually made during translation services project due diligence and will lead to contracting with a quality provider.
There are many considerations when it comes to choosing the perfect translator for your needs. It is important to ask questions about the costs, the time needed and the quality. We will look at the so-called TEP and QA process. We will be looking into these questions along with some others in this post, to make your choice a little easier.
When choosing a translation company, chances are you’ve seen plenty of offers like this; “Translation Company provides translation services to/from/for XYZ language at the lowest prices in the market.” It’s a common sales tactic, but if you take a closer look at such offers, you’ll notice that it doesn’t tell you much about what to look for when comparing translation companies.
Choosing the correct translation provider depends on the need of the client, the cost of the process and the time taken for the process to complete. It is also important to understand why some translation providers will be more costly and might take more time.
What Should the Buyer Pay Attention to When Choosing a Translation Provider?
Perhaps the most vital to consider is a provider that is fluent in the desired language and has a good knowledge about the country or locale. The source material language, and the target language will both have to be a language that the translator is fluent in. The linguist might need to have a strong affiliation to the country in which the language, tradition, customs, and laws apply.
Localizing the translation process will get the message across with a better effect. When translating something for Georgia the message translated will be different than it is when translating the same document for an African country. Getting the correct message across is essential for the translation processes but it is especially important when it comes to advertising and promotion.
The next thing to consider is whether the translation process will need specific industry knowledge. When the process of translating is specific to an industry the linguist needs to have some prior knowledge about the industry. Ask the translation provider if they provide this before settling on your choice.
Look into the verification and rating of the provider before settling on one. It is always best to go by past performance. Translators can make mistakes and that is human. A professional editor will be able to detect these mistakes during the editing phase. A company that provides a skilled translator is good, but an excellent editor is better.
The translation company must be easy to reach and communicate with at any time. The translation company should also be able to keep the client up to date with any progress made. This helps the client understand the amount of time that goes into the process. It will also give the client assurance that they can give their input if anything needs to change.
Certification verification is something that should be accessible to the client. In most cases the qualifications of the linguists will be on the company’s website. This will give the client some idea whether the agency and the client are a good fit.
Time should be in the discussion process from the start. It is necessary for the client to understand how long the process will take from the start. Most companies have an option where a client can pay a certain amount extra to speed the process up. More than one linguist might be required and it will complicate the editing process slightly. At Interlanguage, however, we do not apply any extra charges for the urgency of your project.
TEP and QA
TEP stands for Translating, Editing, and Proofreading. In the translation world certain steps need to be followed. They ensure the most effective and best quality of work. The process of translation might differ from client to client but these 3 steps are set in stone.
The first step in the process will take the longest and this is where the translation takes place. The translation process also has certain sub-steps:
- Converting the source document. This is the document that the client sent before translating can take place. Depending on the quality of the source document this process can be fast or slow. We will convert the source document into a format that the linguist can work on.
- The second step is translating the document. During this step the Linguist will focus on the accurate transferal of the content. Getting the message across, grammar and punctuation, layout and presentation is also important. During this step they may contact the client with any questions regarding the text, such as context or clarification.
- The Second step, or the editing process, is a very important step in the TEP workflow. In this step the editor will go through the translated document with a fine-tooth comb. They will first read through the text and make sure the text is specific to the translated language. The editor will make sure the message is relayed and that the terminology is correct.
- Proofreading is the final step before the QA process and. This process will oversee that no spelling, grammar and punctuation errors occur.
There can be no jump from translation to proofreading without editing. The editing process focuses more on the context of the text as it relates to the original text. The proofreading process ensures that the text is without linguistic error.
QA is an abbreviation that refers to quality assurance. This step is the final step before the client receives the product. In this process we focus on things like: the layout of the document, the correct formatting, correct file format, and correct numerology. This process will once again check the accuracy, terminology and language quality.
When choosing a translation agency, it is important to remember that these processes take time and are often a lot of work. The agencies that follow this process will most likely be a bit more expensive. They will also ensure that the quality is of the highest standards.
Capacity
The volume of the material will influence the time it takes to translate the text and the cost of the text. The volume does not only refer to the number of words that the text has. It also refers to the other aspects of the texts like graphs which might complicate the process.
The time it will take to complete the process will be determined when the agency’s project manager sees the text that needs translating. If the client needs the work done before the determined time there are ways to achieve this although it may come at extra costs to the client.
Cost will often depend on the time needed and the amount of linguists required for the project. It is also important to mention that cheaper is not always the best choice when it comes to quality. Taking into account the amount of people that go into the TEP and QA process, it is easy to see why the cost will be more. It is also easy to see that if this process is not put into practice the work delivered will not have the same quality.
Conclusion
When choosing a translation provider, it is vital to make sure that the provider will be able to salsify your needs. The time it will take and the cost of the translation process will go hand-in-hand with the capacity of the material and the quality of the delivered product.
We take pride in saying that our services are of the best quality and that our standards are among the best in our field. We deliver products that are client specific and that will allow you to get the most out of the product. We will take into consideration all your needs and we will deliver what you asked for.
Choosing the right translation agency is hard. When searching for one, make sure it is able to provide documents that are marked by quality and originality. When you are looking for a translation company, ask yourself: Will this agency understand my needs? Will they be transparent in their dealings? Is it possible to get information about the person who will handle my project? Does the agency have extensive experience with similar projects? Are there positive feedbacks and reviews on the agency’s website, LinkedIn or other social media platforms?
Our company has a big capacity and will therefore not have any additional charges for the urgency of projects as no extra costs will be needed for additional specialists. Our specialists are of the best in the industry as we strive for excellence.
