Going global is one of the ways of scaling your business internationally. This step can expose your business to foreign customers speaking a different language. If your marketing efforts are not translated accurately, they can convey the wrong message to the target audience. So, properly translated marketing campaigns are mandatory for international success.
Similarly, if you have a local business that deals with immigrants and people whose first language isn’t English, you might need translation services to serve them. If you have a legal business, you might need the help of translation services more often. Hiring an in-house translator is also a viable option. But it sometimes ends up incurring more loss than profit. Below we’ve listed six reasons why your business needs a translation service.
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Access to Translation Experts
Translation service agencies have multiple experts in their team with years of experience. They work with various languages and have the expertise to work with different content. Whether you need to translate an ad for a specific market or translate some surveys in Spanish for research, you can get it done effortlessly.
Having an in-house translator might limit your access to the global market as they will know a handful of languages. If you need to translate your message into a language they don’t know, you must work with another translator or go for an agency. So, it’s better to be in touch with a professional translation service right from the beginning.
Consistent Service and Transparency
Consistency is key to success. When you work with an in-house translator or depend on a bilingual employee, you have little idea about the service quality. However, as translation services have many translators, they can ensure consistent service standards no matter which language you need your content translated into.
An in-house translator can be proficient in one language and know the basics of another. When you work with a team of experts, they can match the expertise with your required languages accordingly, and ensure consistent service throughout the years. These agencies are transparent and will inform you about the translator working on your project so that you can easily convey feedback or work with them closely. If the translator is not providing the desired outcome, they can hitch you with another professional.
Structured Approach
Unlike in-house employees, translation agencies usually have a structured approach while dealing with clients. First, they collect your list of requirements and the brief. Next, they match the right talent with your project and introduce you two. Then they perform the translation and check for accuracy, after which the final product is handed over to you.
Working with an in-house translator might not have such a structured approach. If the responsible person is a bilingual employee and not a translator, it might take them longer to complete the project as the process won’t be structured.
Saving Time and Money
When working with an in-house translator, the turnaround time will be longer depending on how many languages you need the content translated into or who is working on the project. It’ll take much longer if a bilingual employee works on it, as they might have other responsibilities to tend to. If they’re not skilled in the desired language, you have to hire a new translator, which can cost you a lot of time and money.
On the other hand, working with a translation service will save you time and money. Because they have many translators working for them, they can complete multiple projects simultaneously. If you need the content translated into more than one language, they can work on them at the same time and turn it in on the promised delivery date.
Accuracy of Service
As the agency works with expert translators, their services will be more accurate than a bilingual employee of your company. If your in-house translator hasn’t mastered a particular language, you can’t ensure the accuracy of their translation. Because you don’t know the language yourself, you have no means of evaluating their work. In contrast, working with a large pool of experts in an agency instills trust in the customers as they have years of experience under their belt.
Industry-specific Support
Working with a professional translation service will ensure that you’re getting industry-specific support. The agency works with multiple translators, and finding one who’s an expert in your niche won’t be difficult. An expert in a particular industry or niche will translate your content better than a bilingual employee at your company, so it’s wiser to work with a translation service.
Hiring a translation service might require a few trial-and-error attempts before picking the right one for your business type. Make sure you’ve figured out your requirements and know what you’re looking for in your ideal agency. Check the local listings, contact them for their portfolios and testimonials, and you can easily find out your best fit.