Different business entities have different translation needs. Language services are essential for expansion into a foreign market, cooperation with an international client or partner, or even just making purchases from a foreign supplier. There are countless situations, complex and simple, when language barriers can bring progress to a halt, and usually what is needed is expertise beyond your language skills or those of your staff. At that point it’s time to consider the help of professionals. But where should you turn? To a translation agency or an individual freelancer?
More resources, more flexibility
There are many talented freelance translators. A translation agency, or language service provider (LSP), specializes in any translation a freelancer might, but in addition the LSP guarantees language services that are fulfilled by the personnel, technology, and other resources of an entire team that is tested, with quality assured. The best agencies collaborate with a wide range of translators with different specializations and language combinations. These members of the agency’s team are often trained linguists, native speakers, or subject matter experts with many years of experience in the relevant field and knowledge of the most obscure details. Because individual translators cannot understand all texts, they always choose areas of expertise, whether medicine, economics, IT, law, or the humanities. One of the strengths of the translation agency over the freelancer is the ability to coordinate the talents of multiple translators specializing in various fields and languages. With an entire translation agency team working on your project, the range of expertise, quality, and completion deadlines are all easier to guarantee.
Quality is the top priority
Who knows for sure what any translator’s skill level is before hiring them? In the case of individuals working for an agency, the responsibility for proficiency lies with that agency. Therefore, translators undergo extensive testing before they are assigned to any projects. “At the Skřivánek language agency, we carefully select translators,” says Petra Senlerova, a methodologist for translation and interpreting at Skrivanek. “Before starting our cooperation, every translator must prepare a trial translation for us in the given field which will be assessed by an experienced and proven expert. We will then work only with those who receive an excellent evaluation, and we will continue to monitor the quality of their translations.” Agencies can provide more comprehensive solutions for demanding large-scale projects as well, with technical resources that compliment the variety of human skills employed. In addition, quality assurance procedures that are nearly impossible for a freelance translator to duplicate are highly refined at the best Language Service Providers.
Data security guarantee
In the age of artificial intelligence, it is even more necessary than ever to pay attention to issues of security for translated data. Professional Language Service Providers have been adapting mechanisms to ensure security for years, guided by international standards. Again, the resources available to professional translation agencies has made this easier than it is for freelancers.
During the process of fulfilling your translation needs, your primary considerations have to be quality and security. Choosing a translation agency over a freelancer satisfies both of these most basic needs. It just so happens that this choice also makes life easier, and project completion smoother and faster, because you have the talents of a whole team at your service.
J. V. McShulskis
Source: lidovky.cz
