Do you really know how to choose a document translation provider?

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This seems like a simple task, isn’t that so? But, with so many service options available on the market, you can’t be too careful when it’s time to choose a document translation provider to be the official partner of the company you work for.

After all, if the document translation provider chosen makes a small linguistic mistake when translating your material, thus, modifying its meaning, consequences may be severe. Such errors could, for example, jeopardize the success of a negotiation, or even lead to unforeseen costs for your company.

That’s why, no matter the type of document to be translated – contracts, commercial proposals, reports, power-of-attorney documents, among others – it is fundamental for you to research what are the actual benefits that the hired vendor may offer to your business.

If you still don’t know what variables to consider when choosing a document translation provider that offers a premium service, we can help! On today’s article, you will learn how this work is made and what the advantages of hiring a professional company are. Take a look!

The step-by-step process followed by a good document translation provider

Did you know that a high-quality translation is constituted by different stages and by the use of top-notch technologies? See below!

1. File analysis

As soon as the material reaches the document translation provider, it will be forwarded to a team of Translation Tools experts, which will run the detailed analysis of amount of words to be translated, considering new and repeated words. This makes it possible to draft a transparent and precise commercial proposal, with predefined a price and timeframe.

2. Preparing document translation instructions:

After you approve the commercial proposal, a Project Manager will collect information about terminology preferences and linguistic style used by your company. This information will be shared with everyone involved in the document translation, to be followed from the beginning of the project to the end.

3. Document translation, editing and quality control:

Translation itself will only begin after internal alignment. In this stage, the professional company will contact a native translator who is specialized in your market segment.

If you choose this convenience, the content may also be perused by the vigilant eyes of a native editor and an internal editor from the Quality Assurance team, thus, reducing the hours you would spend editing the material internally. All of these precautions ensure the delivery of a premium document translation, sparing you from any rework, stress or inefficiency.

4. Design and delivery:

In many cases, you will need the translated content to return in the same format and layout as the original file. The good news is that the best document translation providers on the market count on a team of Designers that may do this job for you!

The professionals from this area will be responsible for the typesetting and layout of the material so that it faithfully represents the original file, that is, the project will be delivered 100% ready for use, optimizing your time even more.

5. Delivery on the agreed deadline:

Oversight by the Project Manager and the use of the main translation industry technologies during the translation of documents will ensure that the activities are performed in a predictable, organized and on-time manner.

6. Record of client preferences for document translation:

If you choose to hire the Translation Memory management services and the elaboration of Glossaries, your preferences will be recorded and may be used on future projects.

This makes the relationship between your company and the hired agency increasingly secure and advantageous. For example, by using Translation Memories, segments that have been translated previously can be partially or fully reused, which results in lower price and quicker turnaround.

What you should evaluate when hiring a document translation company?

Contrary to what many think, choosing a good translator is not the single factor that will contribute to the success of a translated document. Quite on the opposite: a premium-quality translation will depend on several aspects.

That’s why when searching for a document translation provider, it is fundamental to evaluate the procedures used to assure the integrity of your material.

For example: legal document translations usually demand a high standard of information confidentiality. Knowing this, professional translation agencies use a Nondisclosure Agreement, which should be signed by everyone involved in the project. Thus, the client is assured that the information given to the translation partner will not be disclosed under any circumstances.

Below, we will list other measures to be evaluated when hiring a document translation provider:

Selecting the market’s best document translators: through a contact, screening and selection system, the main agencies rely on a database of resources with the best linguists on the market, categorized by nationality, language and area of specialization.

The main stages in this hiring system usually involve: selection and résumé analysis of translators; a test to evaluate the professional’s ability in the translation source and target languages; analysis of consistency in following instructions and meeting deadlines; and finally, periodic evaluation to verify performance, consistency and adequacy in relation to the quality standards required by the agency.

Dealing with the most varied file types: a good document translation provider will have no problem dealing with files in different formats, because it will undoubtedly have a DTP team available. Hence, no matter the format of your document (PDF, JPG, PNG, DOC, XLS, PPT, etc.), it can be delivered 100% translated and formatted, with layout faithful to the original file and ready for use.

Skill with technologies and preparation structure: agencies combine more comprehensive versions of translation tools (CAT Tools) with a preparation structure that ensures proper and secure handling of files by analyzing and fixing any problem that could impair translation in software.

This will benefit your company in many ways, ensuring file integrity and leading to time and money savings, as well as gains in terminological consistency provided by facilitated look-up in the glossaries and translation memories saved in such tools.

Editing stage at no additional cost: market-leading professional translation agencies are equipped to offer a stage of fixing possible mistakes and implementing preferences as indicated by the client after return of the translated material, at no additional cost. This is the result of a process focused on thoroughly understanding the specific details of each project, ensuring a high rate of approval for future translated content.

Backup and storage of the client’s history: document translation agencies use robust servers that, when synchronized with translation tools (CAT Tools), run real-time backups of the work, thus eliminating the risk of losing any information in the event of mishap.

Additionally, after the translation is completed and delivered, the files are stored in a secure environment, facilitating traceability of documents.

Hiring a document translation provider is not as simple as it looks, right? But now, you will certainly have the necessary information to make the best choice for your business!

In addition to the factors listed above, there are some companies that offer optional services that may leverage even more the translation of your corporate materials. To learn more about the subject, click here and get to know the complementary services a translation provider may offer. Enjoy your reading!

About Netwire

Founded in 2000, Netwire is a multilingual solution enterprise that provides translation and localization into any language in the world. Headquartered in Brazil, the company has an office in Argentina and a presence in North America and Europe. With robust infrastructure involving state-of-the-art technologies and the best professionals in the field, Netwire ensures high volume processing at high quality standards with quick turnover, precise control and project management, rigorous selection of native translators in every corner of the world, rapid learning of client preferences, secure and real-time data storage, information traceability and on-time delivery of the final material.

This solid foundation underlying Netwire’s services ensures a superior level of quality over other translation agencies in the market. In the past five years alone, the company processed over 110 million words, delivering an average of 400 projects per month. This experience has increasingly sparked the interest of global brands that make up its client portfolio, positioning Netwire as the right company to handle any translation demand.Request an estimate via website or by telephone and guarantee the best solution for your business!