Your business is growing, you are producing more and more content, and you need to have much of it translated in order to reach your various markets and communicate with your staff.
Until now, you have been dealing with various freelance translators. But you wonder if perhaps you should start using the services of a well-respected language service provider, or LSP.
Here are some tips to help you make an informed decision.
The language service provider: a multifaceted solution
Unlike an individual freelance translator, a language service provider (LSP) brings together an entire range of language professionals and other specialists needed to produce content in other languages. In this era of virtual reality and collaboration, you may be asking yourself: what are the benefits of having translators, editors, terminologists, IT and CAT tools specialists, graphic designers and project managers all together in one place? The benefit is, first and foremost, for you, the client. All you have to do is to submit your project, and the management team swings into action: it takes charge of all the various aspects of your translation and, in the end, gives you a finished product that meets all of your requirements. Headache-free.
You’re probably thinking that this kind of management doesn’t come cheap. In fact, if you calculate the valuable time saved by not having to take care of – or worry about – task coordination, risk management, quality control and so on, you quickly realize that you are getting a big return on every dollar spent!
LSPs have the right tools and staff to handle large volumes of work, ensure consistency between documents, provide access to different specialists and meet even the tightest deadlines. As well, LSPs use the latest technologies to increase efficiency and reduce your translation spend, year after year. And if you have any emergency, an LSP will have dedicated staff to help you out—during evenings, weekends and holidays.
How can you evaluate an LSP?
If you’ve decided to use the services of a given LSP, here is a short checklist to help you choose the company that is right for you:
- Stability: Has the LSP been operating for a number of years? Does it have a diversified client base? Can you check its references? Remember that an LSP whose revenue comes from only a handful of clients is a more risky proposition.
- Qualified personnel: Are the LSP’s language professionals certified members of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (or equivalent body)? Do they understand the context in which your business operates? Beware of online agencies that may send your texts to translators with little or no knowledge of the Canadian or the Quebec culture.
- Process reliability: Can the LSP provide proof that it takes quality control and project management seriously? Is it certified (e. g. ISO, CGSB)?
- Flexibility: Will it adapt to your needs? Will it be creative in finding solutions that are right for you, or will it impose its own business model? Does it use technology wisely, for increased efficiency and savings without impacting quality, or it does rely on it blindly?
- Safety: Has it implemented measures to protect and ensure the privacy of your content? Does it have a viable business continuity plan?
- Realistic offer: Has it offered you the moon and the stars – at a discounted rate? Be careful: quality and reliability should never be compromised.
- Positive synergy: Are the professionals the agency counts on an in-house or a virtual team? Having the human, material and technological resources under a single roof promotes communication, cooperation and continuity. Combined, these guarantee quality and efficiency, which ultimately benefit you, the client.
Thanks to our personalized approach, multidisciplinary in-house team, highest-quality processes and secure IT infrastructure, TRSB is able to offer translation services that are tailored to your projects.
In business for nearly 30 years, we guarantee that entrusting us with your translation needs will deliver clear and measurable benefits, from day one of our partnership with you.
For more information about our services, get in touch with us today!