In a relatively short period of time, the Internet has connected the world. Communication between
businesses in different countries is as common as talking to the person at the next desk.
This breaking down of barriers has suddenly made the world a much smaller place. And it has increased
the need for high-quality translation services.
But how good are these translation services? The truth is not all translation services are created equal.
For example, both Google and Bing offer free online translation services. While these may be good for
translating a word or phrase, if you need entire documents translated, the automated technology isn’t
quite at that point.
Here, then, are five tips for finding the best translation service for your business.
1. Conduct a Needs Inventory
Before you can tell another company what you need translating, it’s critical that you understand what
your needs are yourself.
Conduct a translation needs inventory by starting a list of every document, app, video, and any other
relevant thing your business could conceivably need translated in both the short- and long-term future.
Ask other people within your organization for their inputs as well.
Once you start putting the list of items you need translated down on paper, you may be surprised at
how big your translation service needs actually are.
2. Get Recommendations from Others within Your Industry
It’s important that you remember that you don’t need to do everything on your own. If you have been
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working within your industry for a while, you probably already have a network of people whose opinion
you can trust and who would be willing to help guide you to the best translation service for your
business’s specific needs.
People within your industry are most likely already familiar with the type of translations you will need.
They may even have been working with a high-quality translation company already and may be willing
to put you in touch with them.
Like anything else, networking can pay off when finding a new translation company. Call upon the
relationships you have established with your peers at other companies, vendors, and even clients to find
the perfect match with a translation company for your business.
3. Set a Budget and Stick to It
For many companies, hiring a translation company is a new expense. But it’s an expense that can easily
be offset by the amount of new business your organization can capture by expanding your products or
services to countries where other languages are spoken.
Conduct a realistic assessment of how much more business that your organization can attract through
international expansion, then calculate how much you can afford to spend to go after this new business
through hiring a top-quality translation service. This will then become your budget.
Like any type of new endeavor, investing in translation services requires some upfront capital before
you can start to reap the rewards. But the profit potential is enormous, making the budget you create
for translation services more than worth the investment.
4. Make Sure the Company You Hire Can Meet Your Needs
Translation is almost never as straight forward as people think. Every language has its own vocabulary,
its own structure, its own nuances, and even in some cases its own alphabet. Make sure the translation
services you are considering specialize in the specific languages you need.
While some companies will tell you they can translate between any languages, this may not be the
entire truth. Some companies rely too heavily on automated translation services that can cloud the true
meaning of your translations, while others will simply farm out translations of languages they don’t
usually work with to freelancers. In this instance, you are simply paying for a service could have done on
your own had you hired the freelance translators directly in the first place.
The smallest mistake can be devastating for your business. So it’s critical that you ensure the translation
services you hire are familiar and experienced with the languages you will be working with.
5. Clarify the Terms of Your Agreement in Advance
As with any other vendor, it’s important that you clarify how much you are going to be paying and what
specifically you will be getting for your money … in writing and in advance of any services rendered.
Will you be paying by the word, by the page, by the document, or by some other type of measure?
When is payment expected: Before or after the documents have been translated? Do you have the right
to ask for new translations for no additional cost if you aren’t satisfied with the first version? What kind
of add-on charges can you expect? Some companies will charge more for rush jobs or for translations
that contain specialized content, such as graphs or tables.
Knowing what you are getting ahead of time is always good business.
Author Bio – This guest post is written by Nick Hardy in support of EQHO, a leading Singapore-based
localization agency. If you’re on the lookout for a Korean translation services for your business
translation needs, do get in touch with EQHO today.
