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Thanks to the globalization of businesses, more and more companies realise the need for translation services. However, with so many translation agencies present at the Bulgarian market, it might be difficult to figure out how to choose the right one.
Here are 11 key questions that a good translation agency should ask you.
What do you consider most important about this translation project?
A good translation agency should be sincere with you and let you know that a translation that is simultaneously expressly done, with high quality and cheap is not realistic.
This is why it should ask you what you find most important or what your priorities are - to meet a deadline, to have a translation that is 100 % accurate and carefully done from a stylistic point of view, or the budget?
If an agency promises you an express translation of very high quality and at a cheap price, you should be cautious in your assessment.
Would you like us to sign an agreement on information security?
At agencies that follow the relevant GDPR procedures, all project managers, translators and revisers must have signed declarations of confidentiality.
The agency itself should also be willing to sign a specific confidentiality agreement regarding the information and documents of your company.
What is your business, in which field do you work, what are your products or services?
This question helps the translation agency to better understand your needs, the terminology prevalent in the texts, etc. This will help find the right translator for your project, especially if it concerns the translation of a corporate website, company presentations, advertising materials, etc.
For example, if you are a lawyer, you probably need a precise translation adhering to the correct legal terminology, formal register and business-like tone. If your business is a hotel, you might need translations that reflect the hospitality and the friendly tone of the industry.
Could you tell us more about the target audience?
Your target audience is the group of people who will use the translated text. This is why when choosing a translation agency, it is important to think about who is going to read the finished translation.
The tone, style, even the formatting of the text depend on whether the translation will be published on your corporate page, used in advertising messages or is intended for internal company materials.
For example, if you sell teenager clothes in Italy, the register, cultural references and style will be very different compared to those used to sell shares to German businessmen.
A good translation agency will be aware of these differences, and this information will help choose the most suitable translator for the project.
How many translations can work on this project?
The agency should let you know if it believes that the translation of your project will need a team of translators. This might be necessary, for example, when you need a large volume of text translated in a short period of time.
It is a good practice in these cases to include a reviser who will check the text in its entirety. In this way, despite having multiple translators working on the text, the reviser can ensure that the text will be consistent and that the right terminology is followed throughout.
Would you like to have the translation checked by a native translator (so-called proofreading)?
Proofreading is an additional service which can be included in the translation. It consists of re-reading the finished material by a native linguist who is an expert in the relevant field.
This ensures that the meaning of the original text has been accurately rendered in the target language and has beencorrectly adapted to your target audience.
Do you have previous translation projects that you may provide to us for reference and terminologyconsistency?
This is a very important question in case of a series of translations for a big and long-lasting project. In order to ensure a high level of accuracy and consistency of texts, good translation agencies would be interested in consulting previous translations used by you.
This will help ensure that the translation team uses terminology that is up-to-date for your business and ensure a consistent translation.
Do you have a company thesaurus, style guide, preferred terms? Are there terms that should not beused or terms that should be left as they stand and not be translated?
Every business has its own "specific language" which it uses on its website, in presentations and materials. It is important that the translation agency become familiar with the company-specific terms that should be used. This ensures that the translation is accurate, consistent and compatible with other materials you may have.
Ideally, you can provide your "brand book" or style and terminology guide, so that translators can be instructedabout your preferences. If there are specific terms that must be avoided, don't forget to let them know.
Do you need any additional services besides translation - for example pre-press processing, localization, subtitle timing, etc.?
If your translation project concerns the translation of video materials, websites, software, presentations, guides and other materials containing figures and graphic elements, the agency should ask if you need additional services to make things easier for you.
For example, the translation of texts in your company presentation can be embedded directly into the slides. This is called pre-press processing and will save you time and effort.
An additional bonus is that the translators can fit the text and underline key words in the same way as in the original. In this way you can be sure that your messages are visually presented to the audience in the best possible manner.
What is your preferred file format? Would you like to receive the files in the same format in which you sent them?
Perhaps it is important to have the translation done directly in the same Excel file or you might prefer the translation in a new Word file. Perhaps you need the subtitles with the timing already done in a finished .srt file or perhaps you will embed them yourself and a .txt file is enough.
These are important details and specifying them at the beginning will make the process easier and save time.
What did you like or dislike in your interaction with other translation agencies?
Perhaps they did not comply with the deadline or did not adhere to your terminoogy and you were not happy about that but you liked that they work with native translators?
Good translation agencies will always want to know about your previous experience with translations - both in order tomaintain their own good practices and to avoid others' mistakes.
Conclusion
It does not matter whether you are expanding into new markets in search of new clients or creating business partnerswith foreign companies. In both cases you will need to find a reliable translation agency which can help you communicate effectively with your global audience.These eleven key questions will help you choose a partner for translation services, so that you can be sure you willreceive a high quality translation that corresponds to your expectations.
