Spanish Translation Blog

4 Things Every Client Should Know (Part 2)

In my last blog I began explaining about the four most important factors a client should consider before beginning a translations project. I covered the importance of knowing the specific dialect of your target language, and how important it is to know when your deadline is for the completion of the project. Today I will focus on quality and pricing. After reviewing and understanding these four tips, you are guaranteed to have a successful project.

3. Quality: Many clients do not realize how many different levels of translation services companies can actually provide when it comes to quality. A client will sometimes send a document to 2 or 3 companies, ask for a quote, and then just go with the cheapest offer, not knowing which service they are buying. It is the Account Managers’ job to educate a client on what services they are offering to the client and at which prices these services are sold. The best possible service for a translations project is Translation+ Editing + Proofreading (TEP). All 3 of these steps should be performed by separate, certified translators, who are familiar with the subject matter they are translating. This 3- step process will ensure a top quality and consistent translation. Other services will include just 2 or even 1- step processes. Whenever a client decides to eliminate a translation step, there is a higher chance of having errors in the translation. So far, I have been going over different work flows performed by human beings. However, the worst thing a client can ever do if they want quality is use a machine translation with no further editing. A machine will never be able to add personality to a translation and will translate everything word for word, without taking into consideration the target audiences needs.

4. Prices: Let’s face it, Times are rough right now. Everyone is on a budget, and is looking to get the most out of their money. Before thinking about buying a translations project you should always know your budget. You should always use a little common sense and realize that an exotic language translation is going to be more expensive than the more common languages. Always be skeptical of companies who charge “by the page” and not “by the word”. To me this says one thing “This Company is using machine translations”. It makes no sense to charge by the page…think about it, some pages could have 500 words, and some could have 200. Why would anyone charge the same amount for 500 words as they would for 200 words? It is also smart to let the Account Manager know your budget right off the bat. This way, he or she can negotiate with you and provide the best possible service to fit your budget!