Before you hire a translation provider, determine the level of service your project requires. You might find machine translation works best for your needs. When your context is more complex, human translation may be your best option. For some companies, a combination of the two, post-edited machine translation, best meets their needs.
The best method for your company can depend on the size of your project, your desired turnaround time, your budget, and how similar your source language is to your target language.
Once you’ve determined your requirements, contact a translation provider and ask a few questions to get the dialogue rolling. Ready to start? Contact our team for more information and to ask about your specific translation concerns.
1. How do you measure the quality of your translation work?
Quality control is vital to any business, and translation providers are no different. Make sure you and your provider have the same high standards for your intended project.
2. What is your fee structure?
This will vary depending on the level of translation service you need. Start by learning the company’s minimum fees and whether there are additional costs for services like project management, file saving, or technology integration.
3. Can I see samples of your work?
Just as job seekers take pride in their portfolios, a translation agency will be happy to show you their best work. But to properly assess their real work, you’ll want to see unfiltered examples to ensure the quality of their work is consistent across clients and projects.
4. Do you have a maximum capacity for translations?
This may not have much impact on machine translation projects, but it certainly could with jobs that require a human editor. Make sure the company is up-front about the timeline for large projects. No matter if your project is large or small, you still have deadlines to meet.
5. What is the experience level of your editors doing post-edited machine translation?
This question matters especially if your content is specialized. You want editors who can pick up on the subtle nuances and references that are specific to your industry.
Your best translation begins with TranslationServices.com
We offer these guidelines because we follow them with every client and every project, from consultation to completion. Our experienced professionals are dedicated to ensuring your translation project gets the results you desire—and then some. For more information and a translation quote, contact us today.