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How to Choose a Translation Company
We frequently get calls from prospective clients at a time when they’re just beginning to shop translation companies to find the right one for their project. Everyone has ideas about what’s important in selecting a vendor. As a translation company ourselves, we don’t mind honest competition (well, maybe we mind a little). Seriously, good companies in the translation and localization space help promote the profession overall.
So what sets one company apart from another? Well of course the quality must be there. It's essential that translations are accurate and culturally attuned. In reality though there are numerous companies that are capable of providing high quality translations. Here we list a few, perhaps subtle, sometimes overlooked considerations that perhaps less directly reflect on quality and serve to distinguish one company from another:
- The specialization area of the agency. Some agencies are multi-language, others specialize in specific languages, or have otherwise defined areas of focus. If your project is principally centered on a single language, a specialist agency might be a better fit than a generalist one. Specialization beyond just basic language considerations is also important. All individual translators have relative strengths and weaknesses according to source document subject matter and such. Ask whether the translation company has the ability to assign translators that have experience and specialize in your domain.
- How responsive is the company to your inquiries? What sense (or dare we say it 'feeling') do you get when you’re in contact with representatives of the company? Do they consume energy, or maybe actually help generate it? Hey life is short. Why spend time working with people that you don’t mesh with. We’re not saying spend twice as much money to work with a company just because you like the people. Other things being equal though, working with people you share an affinity with is better – hands down.
- Look for ‘professionals’, people who obviously care about doing good work. Even the humblest of tasks can be done well. Perhaps you can’t judge the quality of their translations since you don’t speak the target language. As importantly, what intangible things do you observe about the company and what do those things tell you? The company’s web site, their telephone greeting, their responsiveness, collectively these things communicate something. It’s worth noting.
- Do they belong to professional trade associations like the American Translators Association (or others)? Quality companies tend to care about the industry they’re in and will invest in joining organizations that support professional standards and work to better the level of service in general. Ask prospective translation companies about their affiliations.
- Do you get the sense that the company will go the extra mile for you? We all know organizations that do just enough to get by. Regrettably it’s the standard many businesses aspire to. Others are genuinely interested in meeting the needs of customers, love what they do, and strive to cultivate long-term relationships with customers. When’s the last time you noted performance above and beyond the call of duty from a vendor? Whenever it was, take note of it and perhaps seek that quality out in all the vendor relationships you have.
These are a few things to think about the next time you need to consider a language translation company. When that time comes we hope you’ll consider ours. We think we stack up well against the criteria listed here plus others. If you observe otherwise, please let us know.
Whether in Spanish or English, using the right words at the right time matters to us. If it matters to you, call us now at (800) 431-5361 or send us a note at info@affinityspanish.com.
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