4 reasons you should hire a translation agency

This is the age of empowered users. From publishing to music, from accommodations to rental cars, the Internet has made it possible to cut out the middle men and give rise to a new so-called “sharing economy” where companies like Uber, Fiverr, AirBnB and Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing program make it possible for anyone to find just about any service under the sun directly. This empowers users to do things on their own that used to require professionals. After all, when was the last time you used a travel agent?

It might seem that business translation and localization fall into this category as well: if you spend a little time on Google, you can find platforms offering cheap translations to anyone. Cost-conscious entrepreneurs might start to wonder: why would anyone hire a translation agency and pay professionals if much cheaper alternatives are just a few clicks away? What value can traditional language service providers (LSPs) possibly add at this point in the game? Why should you hire a translation agency?

There are at least four good answers to this question:

Finding and Managing Qualified Translators

There’s one obvious advantage an LSP has over the home-brew method of trying to find suitable translators for your project yourself: every reputable agency works with a pool of seasoned translators, often located in-country to stay up-to-date with the latest cultural and linguistic developments. Instead of starting over with new, untested collaborators, an agency’s biggest asset is their roster of trusted professionals.

Managing these translators is not a trivial task, especially if you take into account that many business projects involve more than two languages. Instead of a single language pair, you might find yourself working with several languages and an entire team of translators localizing for several markets simultaneously. Coordinating and communicating with them about your project specifications and scope changes, confirming availability and deadlines, monitoring their progress, requesting updates, and keeping them abreast of the latest instructions requires vigilance and routine. Why not use an agency which already has the necessary procedures in place…

Read more | betranslated.com/blog

Photo credit | Business handshake by NetMinder IG on Flickr