Looking for reliable, cost-effective translation services? Here are 7 industry insider factors to consider when choosing a quality translation company.
- Translators whose first language is your target language
- Certified and highly experienced linguists
- Proven quality assurance and processes
- Excellent customer service
- Professional communication
- ISO certification / National Standards, CAN CGSB 131.10-2017
- Local talent that understands your culture and needs
Get the Inside Scoop
You want the world to hear your message, loud and clear, and that means you need translation services. But how do you know that your translation company has done a good job of communicating the essential content of your source material to new and different audiences?
Translation services are about more than just a good price. You need to find a company that can deliver on the most important components of a translation project, including:
- Reliability;
- Punctuality;
- Cultural sensitivity; and
- Certified quality.
There are many signs of quality in a translation company that only those in the industry know. Learn what to look for in a company that will provide a complete, easy, and professional process for translation work that you know is getting your message across to the right audience in the right way using the right words.
Here are our top 7 secret signs that will tell you what to look for in a high-level translation company.
Sign #1: Translators whose first language is your target language
Translation companies sometimes rush to offer services in a language where they do not have first-hand experience. For a cheap rate, they can hire inexperienced workers from third-party countries to convert documents from one foreign language to another, often using mediocre, automated tools like Google Translate. Many of these workers are located in developing countries where the company can find cheap labour and pay contractors unfair rates, in order to offer cheap translation services.
A good translation company hires professional translators who have experience in the industry, work exclusively on language-related projects, and that translate only into their mother language.
World Communications only hires certified translators and experienced and professional linguists who only translate into their native language. The content they create is in the language of their highest fluency, so your content will always be treated with care and nuances of your message will be properly captured and communicated.
Translation is about more than feeding words through a program. Make sure your translators are always working with a language in which they are completely fluent.
Sign #2: Certified and highly experienced linguists
Does your translation company claim to use certified translators? Translation industry insiders know that “certified” has a wide range of meanings.
There are several organizations that offer courses to certify translators, but there is a big difference in quality between them. Some educational organizations are most interested in their bottom line, and try to make a profit from translators by creating certifications that are easy to achieve in order to draw in a large number of students.
For a consumer, it is not easy to identify what types of certification actually signify quality translation, or which ones are valid for organizations and government institutions that require legally valid certifications.
Not all certifications carry the same weight; always look for companies that have translators with government-recognized certifications. Some of the best include ATA, OTTIAQ, and ATIO for North America, or those with certifications or diplomas from recognized universities around the world that will be accepted by the correspondent authorities in the country where you need to use your translation work.
World Communications always chooses certified and experienced translators with degrees and credentials from the most recognized institutions in the world. Our team are verified for government, legal, and technical work that requires verified translations.
Sign #3: Proven quality assurance and processes
A qualified team is often surrounded by rigorous project management that makes sure the right tools, terminology logs, translation memory and software are implemented during the translation process.
A good process flow for a translation project includes:
- assignment of qualified, professional talent to the right project
- analysis of the industry, type of project, target language, technicalities and specific specs for each project
- deep research of the topics and industries related to the translation
- a question-and-answer process with the client
- revision by a second individual
- punctual delivery
- a quality control audit after the project has been delivered
A translation company should combine the best talent possible with an established procedure, including research, review, and secondary audits, to create a translation project of quality.
Having the best translators on your team is one of the top priorities to achieve high-quality projects. Without having the best talent in-house, even the most sophisticated quality processes would fail. That’s why we combine great talent with our point-by-point procedure to make sure that every project is handled with the top level of professionalism.
Sign #4: ISO Certification and National Standard of Canada for translation services
Did you know that there are written guidelines for translation services in Canada?
Following the National Standard of Canada for quality in translation services means a translation company can certify that our translations meet the country’s strictest guidelines for quality.
World Communications is proud to have one of the most sophisticated quality control teams and follows The National Standard of Canada, CAN CGSB 131.10-2017, which establishes and defines the requirements for the provision of translation services by translation service providers.
Sign #5: Excellent customer service
Outstanding customer service means not only making your best effort to satisfy your customers, but going beyond their expectations to accomplish something exceptional.
Every project should be treated as the most important one in your professional life, and each job should not only be finished in a timely manner but be an opportunity to provide outstanding service.
At World Communications, going beyond expectations on every project is one of our core values – and it shows. We are proud to have received an average five-star rating from hundreds of customers through the years.
Sign #6: Professional communication
When it comes to translation projects, it’s not uncommon for customers to be unfamiliar with the process used, standard best practices for translation, or all of the technical aspects involved. Nuances of language and local community values, as well as the requirements of official or legal documents, can mean many details need to be discussed and arranged.
Professional communication is an essential skill for any translation team to achieve best outcomes.
At World Communication, our specialty is …well, communication! We will always answer your questions with careful thought and patience. Whether you are dealing with our project management team or directly with translators, we will always respond to your inquiries in a timely manner and get you the answers you need.
Sign #7: Local talent that understands your culture and needs
Translation projects are all about reaching wider audiences, and bringing different countries and cultures together to share one central idea or message.
We believe that quality translation services companies embrace the idea of global communications at their core, and that means supporting local translators whenever possible.
World Communications encourages the use of local talent for each market or region, hiring only local translators and native speakers of the target language, as well as highly qualified people for each project. Hire a company that supports fair-trade and fair payments for qualified professionals, as well as a company that does not outsource projects to countries that can’t ensure human rights, fair treatment of people, and quality control.
