How to Choose the Best Translation Agency – 5 Points to Consider
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With so many companies offering translation and localization services currently on the market, choosing the translation agency that matches your requirements is not an easy task – especially if you have a complex or time-sensitive project on your hands.
You’ve likely checked out countless of agency websites and read reviews upon reviews already. But you know you can’t afford to hand over your project to just anyone. So, to ensure that you’ll be making the right choice, you need to know what to look out for in the first place.
Apart from the obvious pointers, such as whether the agency can handle projects in the languages of your interest or meet your desired deadlines, there are a few key other elements you shouldn’t overlook when attempting to select the best translation agency for you and your company. Find them down below!
1. Ensure they do localization instead of regular translation
2. Check if their translators are industry and subject-matter experts
3. Make sure they have a strict evaluation process for translators
Professional translation companies have rigorous translator hiring processes in place to ensure they are working with professionals that can deliver work at the desired standard. The vetting process for hiring professional translators typically involves the following steps:
Every company employs different processes for vetting their translators, and certain companies might keep this process hidden from the public. As a potential client, you should inquire about the agency’s approach to the evaluation of their translators, as well as the translators’ credentials, before you ever choose to partner with them.
ISO certifications, such as ISO 9001 and 17100 certificates, are amazing indicators of how thorough the company’s candidate evaluation process is. ISO-certified translation agencies follow more stringent procedures for evaluating translators, which ultimately contributes to a higher-quality translation service.
4. Find out if they have solid revision processes in place
No matter how talented or skilled the company’s translators are, translation errors are always bound to occur in one way or another. At the end of the day, translation agencies that implement a quality assurance step in their translation processes will always deliver more exceptional results than those who don’t.
Apart from professional translators, these agencies also have professional editors in their team. Editors are responsible for checking everything from punctuation to terminology and grammar to guarantee the accuracy and cultural appropriateness of the translation against the source material.
If the company ticks all the boxes mentioned above, next up, you should confirm if they are indeed the experts that they claim to be. Have they worked with clients within your industry before? Are these client reviews solid? These are both some key questions to ask. It’s crucial to locate these reviews outside the company’s main website. Since companies would never feature critical reviews where everyone can see them, it’s recommended that you visit a third-party platform, like G2, to gain a more unbiased perspective of their work. And if you are feeling extra curious, you can always reach out to the company’s clients directly.
We hope your hunt for a translation service that fits your criteria gets easier from here. But it could end right here, right now, too – by choosing to partner up with Pangea Global, an ISO 9001 and 17100-certified agency. When you entrust your projects to a professional translation agency, like Pangea, you place your trust on the hands of native-speaking linguists and subject-matter experts. We speak over 75+ languages natively and specialize in a range of industries, including iGaming, finance, law, medicine, and more! Rest assured we can complete your project to the desired industry and local standard. But don’t just take our word for it. Check out our G2 ratings and reviews and see it for yourself!
For any other questions on how we can make that happen, you can contact us today.
5. Ensure that the translation company is reputable
Your search for the best translation agency could end right here!
