Translation Services
Providers
It is important to understand the four main categories of translation
services providers. They are as follows:
Language Schools
Language schools provide training in foreign languages. Alongside
language teaching, most language schools also provide translation
services. The translations are done by native speakers of the target
language, who are hired by the schools to teach their courses and
translate, when the need arises. That is, here the school acts as a
broker and earn more profits from this extra service.
Universities
Most universities comprises faculty members, and even students, who
together with teaching and learning "do translations on the side".
However such translators are not recommended for large projects because
their technical knowledge is normally very low. The language they use in
their writing is often out of touch with current technical and business
usage. They also lack the professional knowledge to manage a major
translation project, dealing with various aspects like scheduling,
production coordination, deadlines, etc. The most important of all is
that translators (basically professors and students) from universities
simply lack the practical knowledge of world corporate issues,
international business trends, and total quality management, which are
otherwise very important for an effective translator.
Freelancers
This group covers a wide categories of people, some of which are
top-notch professionals, while some are students, some housewives, some
part time job seekers and some, who call themselves translators, but may
be unemployed . Selection of such a translator must be done with great
care. Getting references, work samples, credentials, etc. help in
choosing the right free lancer. Even more important, in such cases, the
free lance translator, understands your corporate culture, your
technology, and your clients.
Translation Companies
Translation companies specialize in language translation,
interpretation and other business services, helping companies worldwide
to communicate in different languages. Most translation companies have
fully employed staff, mostly native speakers. Translation companies are
only as good as their owner. The same criteria should be applied to
judge them as for freelancers. Besides the above, a translation company
must be able to provide total project management. This means that the
translation company undertakes the entire task of translation, right
from defining the project requirements, monitoring the translation
process, and delivering the final product on time, within necessary
budget and in accordance to requirements. Translation companies are
suitable for large or complex projects.
Choosing an Appropriate Translator
Choose a translation company if you have:
- Large projects
- Tight deadlines
- Requirement of top quality
- Translation required for various forms of documents or
- Want to establish a long-term relationship
Choose a freelancer if you have:
- Small projects
- Low budgets
- Requirement of not so high quality or
- One-time translation needs.
Questions to ask the Translation Company
Besides the cost of your translation, it is better to ask the
translation company the following questions:
- What is the charge per 1000 words?
- Do the company charge per source or target word?
- Is the quote fixed? (i.e. The company can't change it once the
project starts)
- What are the qualifications of the translators?
- What are the experiences of the translators?
- Do the company allows translators to work into their native
languages?
- What is the compensation if the company misses your deadline ?
- Does the company provide proof-reading or only the translation?
- Is payment required beforehand or afterwards?
- What format do the company propose to return your translation?
etc.
