Key factors when choosing a translation service

Hiring a translation service agency when looking to broaden your customer base is always a great decision. Whether you’re a small business or an industry giant, translation services have the potential to boost your visibility and sales by up to 90%.

However, you’ll need the right agency to achieve such results. Here are a few factors you should consider when making the choice.

• Quality assurance

In translation, quality and accuracy is always the top priority. Any small errors in translation could mean a totally different thing in the audience’s native language, and this could greatly hurt your brand.

This is why translation services by CPSL and other trustworthy companies come with high recommendations. They put all their resources into ensuring accurate translations and interpretations.

You, therefore, want to check the reputation of every company before you hire. Read and ask for reviews about the company and opt for those that guarantee you of high-quality work. 

• Industry and cultural specialization

You need a translation service that specializes in your field and has experience with the culture of the audience you’re targeting. 

Specialization in your field means that the translators understand the terminologies and nuances in your field. 

So, even when dealing with very complex information, they’ll avoid most mistakes caused by misinterpretation. 

Understanding the customer’s culture and habits also makes it easier to use words closer to home – which most online customers prefer. 

• Translator qualification

Besides reading reviews, you should also ask about the qualifications of the company’s translators. After all, you can’t achieve quality translation without a qualified staff. 

Does the company vet their translators? Do they hire native speakers? What trainings do they provide to their team? Which industries do their translators work in?

Asking such questions is the fastest way to know whether the company has the best team for your business.

• Technical expertise

The translation company you choose should also demonstrate a high level of technical expertise by leveraging on modern technology to improve their services. 

With AI and machine learning now integral parts of the linguistics field, leveraging on them is bound to improve your results. 

Technology can help improve the company’s delivery time, efficiency, and capacity on how much work they can handle. 

• Long-term needs

Finally, you want to know that the company you choose will be available for a long-term partnership. 

Being a young, growing industry, many translation service companies, like most startups, only survive for two years before going under. 

To avoid such companies, look at the experience and financial security of the company. 

A tell-tale sign of a strong company is profitability, good growth figures, and timely payment of staff salaries. You can access this information by requesting for the company’s audited accounts. 

Final thoughts

Other factors you can consider before making your final choice include transparent pricing, good client care, and additionalservices offered. 

If a company checks all these requirements, you’ve likely met your best translation partner. Just ensure to ask for a sample before the work begins, to know exactly what you’ll be getting.