What to Look Out for When Engaging Translation Services for the First Time

(This is Part One of a series of mini articles for the New Translation Client – someone or a company who’d never engaged translation services before and now needs to for various reasons. You can access the rest of the articles here.)

Whether you are a new translation client looking around for translation services so that you can communicate with a new group of customers, expand your business to new territories, or for legal or regulatory purposes, here are some of the things you can consider when engaging professional translation services:

1. Language and Subject Expertise

• How many years of translation experience do they have?

• Are the translators working into their dominant language?

• How familiar are they with the subject matter, for e.g. legal or finance?

If your text is meant to be translated for sales and marketing purposes, it wouldn't make sense working with a technical translator. For advertising and marketing materials, you will need to work with transcreators who translate with the intention of selling, educating, persuading and inspiring.

2. Process and Delivery

• Is there a quality control process in place?

• What file formats do they work with and how is work delivered?

Make sure that the file formats delivered by your translation partner can be opened on whatever platform you or your other vendors use. This is especially important for companies with their own technical processes and specifications to comply with. Make sure you have this conversation with your translation service provider before proceeding with the project.

3. Ethics and Confidentiality

• What is their confidential policy?

• Can you trust them with sensitive information?

Most translation agencies will have their own set of policies regarding the treatment of sensitive information. Check with your agency to make sure you are aligned in your best interests before deciding on who to work with.

“Knowing what you need simplifies your search and saves you time”

Check our list of translation services to see if Wei.Trans.Create is able to help you with your type of content!