Why it's a good idea to hire a Translation Agency as a Long-term Provider
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.
Creating a consistent voice across environments
In addition, working with an LSP provides you with significant long-term value, starting with your relationship with the LSP over months, years or decades.
The best time to start working with a language service provider is when there is an urgent language need.
If your organization operates in a purely monolingual environment, it is difficult to imagine that the need for translation, interpretation or localization will arise suddenly. However, the value of international contacts is well established and you will never miss a business opportunity because you cannot meet a potential client or partner.
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
Number and complexity of Language Services
Continuity becomes exponentially more difficult over time when the sheer volume of content available in different languages seems unmanageable. All new content must relate to all the others so that your voice is consistent.
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.
Avoid Growing and Adaptation Pains
In addition to providing positive value, a long-term partnership with an LSP can alleviate or prevent a number of pain points directly or indirectly related to translation and other language needs.
On a logistical level, partnering with LSP turns all language problems into one relationship. Once you've built a strong partnership, you don't have to worry about recruiting, hiring and retaining internal staff or outsourcing language skills.
Sometimes organizations need multilingual employees for translation, even if those tasks are not part of their job description. It's not just ineffective; but the consequences can be catastrophic.
Speaking a language, even fluently, is not the same as being a competent translator
Untrained translators can make mistakes without supervision
Translators must take primary responsibility.
In other words, this temporary dependency is a Band-Aid or a quick fix, not a real solution.
However, working with language service providers can help resolve and improve language issues through professional maintenance and industry best practices. In short, problem solved.
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:
specific resource requirements, such as minimum experience requirements for individual workers
phased requirements for translation and proofreading of translated materials
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.
Request an offer for language services!
As you can see, working with an LSP as a long-term partner brings added value to your business, providing unparalleled reliability in all language services and optimizing operations.
Looking for a partner for your translation, translation and localization needs? Idiomatic Translations is happy to help. With our ISO certification, 25 years of experience and thousands of satisfied customers, we are here for you.
