You can start a translation agency or work in-house, but which is better? There are pros and cons to both methods. There are two approaches to business development – the first requires scale and is successful for large companies. The second requires new comers to find a way to differentiate themselves from competitors. This process requires a lot of trial and error and can be a challenge, but it is well worth the effort. In either case, you need to make sure you’re focused on the right things and have the right resources in place.
Working in-house at a translation agency
While working in-house at a translation agency may be the most convenient way to meet the needs of your clients, there are other benefits of outsourcing your project to an external provider. For one thing, you will not have to worry about the scheduling of your project – you can start collaboration with your translation agency as soon as you need the translation. Another advantage is that you won’t have to worry about additional expenses, such as pension plans or health insurance, when you choose an agency.
A translation agency can also cover a larger volume of work and have more linguists to meet deadlines. It is also possible to delegate a project to more than one linguist if you are running a deadline-sensitive campaign. When selecting a translation agency, consider the subject matter of the documents. Are they brochures, user manuals, contracts, or instruction manuals?
Networking with other translators
While you may think that networking with other translators at a translation agency is a waste of time, the truth is that you can gain a lot from the experience. You can find job opportunities at translation agencies, as well as advice from people who have been in the business for a while.
Here are some tips for networking at a translation agency:
Quality assurance
The quality of translations depends on several factors. A certified translation agency will provide its clients with top-quality translations from highly qualified professionals. Its processes ensure that client information is kept confidential, work is completed on time, and the quality is traceable. Among these criteria are the qualifications of translators and proofreaders, the level of professionalism of the translation team, and its ability to meet deadlines. However, if all of these factors are not met, then quality assurance may not be a good idea.
Some translation agencies develop additional QA tools. While some of these tools have become industry standards, most were originally developed by individual translation agencies and released for internal use. While these tools can help ensure the quality of translations, they do not replace professional reviewers. As such, a good translation provider will use both types of tools to ensure that their translations are up to the mark. However, no QA tool can replace the human reviewers.
Language pair
If you’re a business owner who’s looking to expand into a new market, you likely have multiple translation needs. These may include everything from market research to legal documents to voiceover for corporate training videos. Before you choose a translation agency, you’ll want to determine exactly what you’ll need before you choose one. A translation agency will help you determine exactly which languages are most valuable to your target audience, as well as how to achieve the highest quality while staying within your budget.
When evaluating a translation agency, you’ll want to consider the number of languages they specialize in. A single company can’t provide expertise in every language pair, but you can find one that offers a large variety. One such translation company offers translation services in over 36,000 language pairs. While machine translations are adequate for basic documents, you should never rely on them to produce the highest quality translations. For accurate translation, you’ll want someone with expertise in both the source and target languages. A native speaker should be assigned to each translation project to ensure that the end product is understood by the intended audience.
Securing a long-term partnership
When securing a long-term partnership with a translation agency, look for several qualities. Financial stability is key. The translation agency should be profitable, growing, and have a good track record for paying staff on time. Checking the company’s audited accounts for the last three to five years will give you an indication of how reliable they are. If you’re not convinced, try online research.
Experience and expertise in the field of translation are also important factors in finding a good translation agency. Look for long-term partners with excellent reputations, good communication, and an extensive portfolio of client work. Securing a long-term partnership with a translation agency will be worth the investment, as you’ll have a more reliable partner for your translation needs. Also, it’s important to consider your budget. Many translation agencies price their services based on the number of words on the source files.