Why it's a good idea to hire a translation agency as a long-term service provider. When companies are looking for translation, interpreting, localization and other language services, there are many options to meet their needs. In some cases, short-term solutions such as relying on your own staff or hiring a temporary supplier may be attractive. 

But at Idiomatic Translations, we lean somewhat  towards a full-service language service provider (LSP) model; We have seen it work perfectly based on our experience of over 1 million translations over 25 years. More than 99% of the world's languages ​​cannot be covered in any other way. 

However, don't take our word for it (whatever we say). 

Below, we look at the long-term benefits of working with a language service provider in two categories:  added value  over time and key things you want to avoid. 

Some of the most important  international business languages ​​are: 

• Mandarin spoken by over 1 billion people worldwide 

• Hindi spoken by over 600 million people worldwide 

• Spanish spoken by over 500 million people worldwide 

• Arabic spoken by over 300 million people worldwide 

In addition, to make your website available in one (or another) language, you must ensure that the content is consistent across your pages and languages. 

Working with a trusted LSP partner is the best way to ensure this at scale

Flexibility across cultures and use cases 

Premium LSPs  provide security in addition to basic translations. 

 Intercultural communication requires more than transliterating or replacing individual words or sentences with their (obvious) equivalents in other languages. 

 You must also translate the translations so that they are authentic for readers and listeners who have a deep understanding of dictionary definitions and textbooks. Although individual translators may offer this sensitivity to one or two cultures, they are unlikely to be familiar with many cultures. To do this, you need to work with an LSP. 

 In collaboration with LSP, you get access to experts who know the details of a certain subject in one or more cultural and linguistic contexts. For example: 

•  Specific assumptions that can be critical for accurate legal and medical translation 

•  Cultural associations and connotations that can make or break tourism/travel content 

•  Common wording and expressions that can cause marketing confusion if ignored 

 Individual translators or more small companies are less likely to offer the same depth of experience across all industries and prefer broad application in a more general approach.  Working with 

 LSPs allows  unparalleled flexibility across all languages ​​and use cases. 

Quality assurance through certification 

Ultimately, the biggest indicator that an LSP will be a successful long-term partner – and the most effective way to meet your language needs – is their certification. 

One of the biggest differences between LSPs and other solutions such as individual translators or automated solutions is that you can ensure primary quality with an international standard. 

ISO 9001:2015 lists requirements for translation services, including but not limited to: 

1. specific resource requirements, such as minimum experience requirements for individual workers 

2. phased requirements for translation and proofreading of translated materials 

3. Additional procedural requirements for pre-production and post -production.

LSPs undergo a rigorous compliance evaluation by third parties that also require certification. 

In short, the process ensures that the LSP you are a long-term partner with dot their i's and t's - that the diacritics are  in place - so you can focus on what you do best.