Quality? Price? Value? Experience? Service? Talk about an information overload! If you are a first-time buyer of translation services, it can be overwhelming the first time you go looking for a translator to translate your documents. You might not know what to believe or who to turn to for help. To give you a better sense of direction, we have flushed out the three biggest translation myths you should avoid so you don’t spend more than you bargained for.
Myth #1 Anyone with a bilingual dictionary and some knowledge of a second language can produce a good-quality translation.
Some people think that a translator is a person who just looks up words in one language and then writes them in another. This is probably the farthest thing from the truth! Translators are uniquely qualified and do much more than just transcribe words into another language (for more on the unique qualifications of translators, check out our previous posts on Traits of Successful Translators and 10 Tasks of Translators). The additional tasks that translators perform are key to producing quality translations of your documents, presentations or reports for your target market.
If you want to hire just anybody and don’t really care about the result, you might as well use an online or machine translator. It is both the cheapest option and the most expensive. It doesn’t cost you anything to use, but you may end up spending much, much more repairing the damage it has done to your reputation. We only have to recall some of these translation mistakes for proof of how poor translations can damage a business.
Myth #2 Translation services are overpriced.
Like any service business, the cost of high-quality translations may initially surprise first-time buyers of translation services. However, when you stop to consider how much training, experience, skills and continuous development the translation profession requires, you quickly realize that translation services are a bargain compared to other writing and copywriting services in other languages.
When you care about your message, you should also care whether it is being accurately and properly communicated to your audience. You want a translator who will keep your original thoughts and intentions intact so you need to hire someone with the skills and experience to do an exceptional job.
Myth #3 The most expensive translator will produce the best translation.
When you are contacting translation companies and freelance translators for quotes on your translation project, it quickly becomes clear that the most expensive quote is not necessarily from the translator who will produce the best translation.
There are a number of reasons for this, namely:
- Many large or multinational translation agencies have substantial overhead, which is incorporated into the fees they charge customers.
- Some translation firms or companies may charge minimum fees or hidden charges, which don’t appear in their initial quote.
- Some translation firms or companies may assign a less experienced translator—while continuing to charge you full price—so they can reap a higher profit.
- In the case of individual freelance translators and large projects, the freelance translator may charge you a higher rate because he or she will have to hire outside help to get the work done by your deadline.
The best advice is to look at it from a value perspective:
- What are you getting in return for your money?
- Does the company offer any special promotions, incentives or add-ons (like our free terminology lists)?
- How do you feel about the company’s website or marketing materials? Are they well-written, believable and could you trust them to deliver on the company’s promises?
- What’s your first impression of the translation company or freelance translator when you contact them? Are they friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and do they respond to your requests for information quickly and efficiently?
These are just a few things to think about the first time (and anytime!) you hire a translation company or translator. The translation world can become a dark, scary place if you don’t know where you’re going, so hopefully our clarifications about these three translation myths will help you find your way safely… with your wallet unharmed.
[...] tips and advice, like how to buy translation services effectively. We deconstruct some of the common myths about buying translations. We also give you some expert advice about what you should look for, and even demand, from your [...]