The choice of a reliable and high quality translation agency to help you market your products, brand and foreign operations is crucial. High quality and native translation means more srpead of your website, products, etc.

The correct translation of legal documents, attractively written website or easily understandable manuals are all important to the success of your business.

If you need an adequate translation of your documents, you will most likely consult a search engine first. It will return hundreds or even thousands of results. But how do you find the proverbial needle in the haystack? It’s not easy! Here are some tips to help you find a reliable translation agency!

A reliable official website

Once you start opening the links, spend some time on the company’s website. Does it look trustworthy? Does it offer enough information? It may sound trivial but people are often interested only in the price, and do not investigate further. A good official website means more strengh in translation and localization industry.

There is a number of basic factors that may give you an idea of whether the company is a serious one:

  • Does the company provide contact information including the address of its offices, or some background information?
  • Does it provide an adequate and clear description of its services?
  • What is its website like? Did you notice any typos or grammar errors? If the overall appearance is poor, it is most likely that it will approach your texts in the same way.
  • Can you find any other mention of the company online other than its own website?
  • Is it a member of international associations or translation unions?
  • Is it active on social networks, writes blog posts, articles and shares useful information?

References

Find out what other clients did the company work for. The information can usually be found directly on the website but you can also ask the company for references. Don’t forget to check authentic customer reviews at Google or on social networks. It’s also useful to ask your friends or acquaintances for recommendations. LinkedIn is a good platform to know more about the translation agency. Use it!

Certification

Of course, certificates are not always guaranteed proof of quality and a professional approach, but they will certainly tell you a bit more about the company. Certificate is not 100% guarantee of translation quality, but it reflects part of their strengh.

Usually, we see two types of certification when working with translation companies. The first one is the ISO 9001 quality management system certification. Its focus is systematic quality assurance of the received translations, regular assessment of the work of translators, and the collection of feedback from customers.

Another type of certification is ISO 17100. This standard defines strict qualification requirements for translators, project managers, technical equipment and information security that the company must follow.

The range of services

Would you like to fully focus on your business and entrust the whole translation process, including the minute details, into capable hands? Is your aim to receive a final document that can be used without the need for further edits?

A professional translation company offers comprehensive services — translation from and to any global language, software localization, complete DTP, transcreation, subtitling, interpreting etc.

The choice of translators

Most translation companies collaborate with external translators. A professional translation company puts strong emphasis on its choice of translators. The selection process itself may have several rounds: testing of language skills, knowledge of specialized terminology, technical skills and experience of the translators.

After you have whittled down your choice of translation companies to a handful, it’s the right time to request quotes. What else can you learn about the company?

Communication

How quickly did you get a response to your request? Was it within an hour, or was it the next day? Did the company explain its services thoroughly enough? Did it offer several options? Did it ask about the output format?

Some questions asked by the company may seem unnecessary, but to get a translation of really high quality, it’s necessary to make your expectations clear.

If the company asks about things like the purpose of the translation, its target group or required terminology, it suggests that it genuinely wants to provide a translation that you will be satisfied with.