Hiring A Translation Agency

Hiring a translation agency is an important decision for a business. A goof-up can cause financial losses and even lead to legal hassles. Read on to know how it can ensure the agency hired to provide the services deserves to be on board.

When it comes to translation, businesses often face a dilemma. They have to decide whether to hire full time in-house translators or outsource the job to a translation agency. Keeping translators on payroll brings forth ancillary troubles as well such as work space, monitoring, quality check etc. Businesses have recognised that outsourcing the job saves them from plenty of trouble, and more and more enterprises are now outsourcing the job.

However, just hiring anyone is not enough. A selection goof-up can cause unpredictable financial implications. It could even lead to legal hassles. A business needs to make sure they tick a few 'musts' before contracting an agency.

Approval Ratings – Get on board an agency with high approval ratings. Ask them to provide with at least five references of their past work. Check with them to get their views regarding the job done. It will give you a fair idea about the quality of their work.

Native Language is Target Language – Co-ordinate with your agency to make sure that the end translator is someone whose native language is the target language. The person will take into account the cultural nuances making sure that the documents are translated accurately.

Formal Education – Check about the formal education of the translators. Although there are people sans formal education who can translate accurately, you cannot be sure of their credentials when you haven't worked with them previously. If the translators have some type of linguistic training, you can have an inkling of their capabilities. When translating text with complex terminology, such training is often helpful.

Experience – Look at the experience of the translators on their pool. Work with them to choose someone who has at least three years of experience. Translation is a skill which gets honed with experience. More time the person has spent translating documents, the more skills he will have to tackle the complex tasks.

Software Used – Ask your agency about the software they use. Although software translators are never reliable, there are pieces of programme that do help. There are programmes that memorise the expressions in the source language and its previously translated terms. It helps translators on the job.

Privacy Policy – Before engaging an agency, make sure you check their privacy policy. They must provide an assurance regarding the confidentiality of the shared documents and implications in case of violation.

Punctuality – Punctuality is an attribute which makes a group of qualified people. Enquire with a translation agency the importance they give to timely delivery of projects.

Subject Matter Experts – For translations that require sound industry-specific information, services of subject matter experts are required to ensure the correct usage of industry terminology. These professionals are well versed with industry specific terminology and glossary.

Performance Evaluation – The agency must ensure constant monitoring of the performance of the translators. They must have an internal system in place to conduct an appraisal of the translators' performance after every project.

Language notwithstanding, these are essential features of any quality translation project. Hence, whether you require German to English, English to Russian, or English to French translators, make sure that your agency ticks on all these points. You will assure yourselves a satisfactory job.

The author of this article is associated with Translink Translation Services, a reputable Switzerland based translation agency. From English to French translation to English-Russian or German-English, they provide professional services.