Signs of a Good Translation Agency

Every company or business that wants to grow and open its borders internationally, finds it necessary to work with a reputed and credible translation and interpretation agency. The reasons for requesting these services can be varied: you need to translate your website, your clients speak another language and you must communicate in their native language, you have to make some kind of a commercial agreement with a company from another country, or you need to process a contract in another language...

A professional translation company can help you move through all the above scenarios smoothly and steer the business in the right direction. A good translation agency must become your ally and have your needs at heart. Reaching out to a translation agency to entrust your business could be a daunting task, especially when you have so many options to choose from. So how should a company go about choosing the best translation agency that can meet its quality standards and also provide great service?

1. Specialization

Depending on the type of translation service you need, you should consider the agency to hire. If you're thinking of hiring a freelance translator, think about it, maybe he can't do all the translations you need. An agency dedicated exclusively to translation and interpretation will surely have different types of services you may need:

• Sworn translation: It is usually necessary for the signing and drafting of contracts. It is also used to translate academic records, reports, certificates, court records, or wills.
• Technical translation: Associated with specific types of documents written by technical writers that requires translation. In this type of translation, you work with user manuals, tenders, engineering projects, instruction manuals for use... all documentation that requires industry-specific terminology.
• Legal translation: A legal translation requires the hired translator to be specialized in the legal field. The translator must have sound language skills along with the knowledge about the laws, the legislation - both of the source language and the destination language of the document.
• Web translation and apps: Any company that wants to expand its portfolio of clients operating abroad needs a web page or app in several languages. The hired translator must not only have knowledge of the language but also how new technologies work.
• Medical translation: Scientific-technical translation is essential if your company is engaged in the pharma or health sector. Prospects, patents, patient support, surgery reports... The translation and interpretation services required by these types of companies are enormous. Empathy and extensive knowledge about terminologies are the most important factors in this type of work. Given the nature of the documents, this kind of translation job should be entrusted only to those professionals who come with a very specific training.
• Marketing and business translation: It is one of the most common translation services. Any company that operates in multiple countries generates marketing and communication materials, such as presentations, press releases, catalogs, brochures. These documents must be translated into the language of the place where the company has its customers, partners or suppliers.

2. Experience

It is imperative to do a background check of the translation agency that a business is planning to hire. It is always a good idea to work with an agency that has the best translators at its disposal, can react on time, can anticipate unforeseen events and has the ability to handle projects with ease. It is also a good idea to ask around in your network about a translation agency they would recommend. Asking the agency for past client references can also give a fair indication about the agency’s quality of work and reliability of services.

3. Use of technology and tools

A translation agency that has taken the effort to invest in the right kind of technology like TMS and CAT tools definitely has an upper hand in terms of service quality and cost over the agencies who are yet to invest in the latest technologies and tools. Use of these tools enhances productivity, while also bringing in improvements in terms of consistency and quality.

4. Well defined policies and processes

It is important to be acquainted with the processes and procedures a translation agency has in place. For instance, do they subcontract projects to other LSPs? This is something that you, as a prospective client may or may not be comfortable with. It is also important to have clarity regarding communication channels, control over workflows, resources and the ability to meet deadlines. Policies and processes that are based on solid foundations can go a long way in deciding the success or failure of projects.

Having certifications like ISO 17100 and ISO 18587 can ensure that the translation agency has well defined processes and they know how to keep their client’s best interest in mind.

Following these tips in your search for the best translation partner will definitely set you off to a great start. Finding the right partner can ensure efficient execution of translation projects and a long term, mutually-beneficial relationship.