How to Select a Translation Company?

If you’re looking for a translation company, you probably have some understanding of the necessity and complexity of reputable translation service. However, with so many options out there, how do you know if you have found the right company for your translation needs?

There are a few factors to take into consideration. Most importantly, the translation business that you select should only utilize highly skilled translators. Do a little research and find out how they assess or certify their language professionals. For legal or medical translations, the language experts performing the document conversion should a thorough understanding the subject matter, its terminology and other complexities related to the respective industry.

Ease of use is another aspect to consider when researching translation providers. How do you submit the document? What file formats do you accept? What is the expected turnaround time for the translation? These are all questions to have in mind while doing your research.

Another element to consider is the reputation of the company itself. Select an organization that has a proven track record in the language service industry to ensure that you can trust the quality of work that they will provide. 

The Translation Business and Joey Tribbiani

When I need a translation of a word or short phrase, like most people, I’ll grab my laptop and use an online translation service or a search engine. However, when it comes to official documents or written content that is comprised of more than just a simple word or phrase, translation companies are the only way to go. Experienced translators know how to ensure that content, syntax, and meaning are properly conveyed into the target language, a concept that online translation tools have yet to perfect. An example that I like to use is a particular scene from the TV show, Friends. While writing a letter, Joey discovers the thesaurus feature on his computer...which yields some interesting results.

By using inaccurate synonyms throughout his letter, the phrase "warm, nice people with big hearts" becomes "humid, pre-possessing homo sapiens with full-sized aortic pumps.” While this is an obviously comical exaggeration, it illustrates the point that translations require more than an automated word-for-word conversion- especially when specific terms have nuanced meanings. A translation company will ensure that all written documents are accurately translated by maintaining overall intent and meaning, as well as syntax and tone.