How we select our translators
You want to work with an agency that has a pool of well-educated, highly accurate, committed professional translators with a passion for communicating, with force and precision, in their area of expertise. All our translators meet the following criteria:
Native speakers
The people translating your business documentation should be native speakers of the language they are translating into. This ensures that the translation will read naturally. (Of course, there is a risk that parts of the original might not be properly understood, but that’s why we research.) Ideally, the translator will understand the original like a native speaker and write the translation like a native speaker. In the real world, however, fully bilingual people are hard to find.
Experienced, qualified and full time
We work with professional translators with academic qualifications, a linguistic-related degree, the appropriate industry certifications, etc., and all have been translating professionally for some time (ie. not just an evening job from home).
Industry expertise
We apply strict measures to guarantee that our translators are subject-specialists working with technical accuracy and precision in their field. It is a common misconception that if a person can speak a given language they can translate into that language. Consider, can any native English speaker write a business plan, marketing copy, or a technical manual? A translator must not only be a native speaker but must also be an expert in their field, as well as being a qualified linguist and a skilled writer.
How do we ensure a flawless translation?
Furthermore, no matter how good a translation is, the review stages are essential for ensuring excellent results.
- We consider where our translators are located. All languages are constantly evolving — new words enter the lexicon all the time — and translators who live in the target market usually deliver much better results.
- We work with editors and reviewers who are well-educated, professional linguists, aware of regional variants, cultural nuances and standard industry terminology.
- We have various checks and balances (our Quality Assurance process) in place to validate the translators’ work.
- Good translation agencies will have tight quality standards in place to isolate and stop using inadequate translators. Look out for ISO9001 certification as a guarantee of quality assurance and compliance with internal processes.
