7 Tips for Selecting the Right Translation Provider and Making It a Positive Experience

“It is the task of the translator to release in his own language, that pure language that is under the spell of another, to liberate the language imprisoned in a work in his recreation of that work”

 Are you taking your business worldwide? You are if you own a website on the internet. Technology has allowed for the adoption of international transactions, and it is important that your web content, and all customer oriented documents, such as brochures and user manuals, are accessible and readable in other languages so that your company can reach a wider audience. Conducting business internationally is within your reach, with the simple implementation of translation services.

Translation services are becoming extremely popular in today’s global market, as it helps in cutting across language barriers and interacting with people in other countries. As with any service, a thorough investigation and research prior to choosing a translation company will benefit you in many ways and ensure a positive and successful experience.

●     Set expectations with the translation company

It is important for them to understand who your target audience is, and what type of document you are having to translate. E.g. translating a brochure or website content for a niche market requires a different set of translation skills as opposed to translating an installation manual

●     Check the capabilities of the translation house

●     Quality Control

Ensure that the company houses a translator, and an editor (a qualified linguist) who proofreads to document for errors. Obtain a guarantee that multiple revisions are included in the service until satisfaction in the document is delivered

●     Conduct a test translation

Send a paragraph or two to several translators/translation companies for a mock translation prior to committing to a specific translation house. This “test” translation is a way to demonstrate the quality of their work. The review of the work should be conducted by one who is fluent in the foreign language, fully understands the industry terminology, and knows the target audience.

●     Verify prices and deadlines

Most companies charge per source word. Obtain a few quotes before making your selection. Verify that the company you choose can meet your deadlines, including formatting the final document and translating the image descriptions.

●     Check the availability of the translator

Once you have chosen the specific translator house, ensure that your documents will be worked on by the specific translator who conducted the trial testing.

●     Create a glossary of industry related key terms

This offers guidelines and saves all parties time when translating and proofreading. When receiving the translated document, review it to ensure that industry related terminology, style, document layout, look and feel are identical to the original text.

Finding the right translation provider that can reliably deliver high-quality translations can be a daunting task. Take the time to check them out as this will save you time, money and headaches.  If you are unable to do the translation work yourself, think twice before outsourcing the work as it can be more harmful for your business than beneficial if not done correctly. Most importantly, you will want to insure that you are working with a full-service company that offers quality work, multiple language translations, and offers superb customer-client relationships. Ultimately, those are key!

* Quote by Walter Benjamin

3 MUST-DO Tips for Marketing & Sales Professionals

From experience I can tell that companies not always understand, or do not wish to understand, the cohesive bond and close relationship marketing and sales departments have (or need to have) in order to conduct a profitable business!
Company size doesn't matter, since the foundation and structure for selling products is always the same; the goal is to close a deal!
As marketing juggles its magic box of tricks, the horse is brought to the water; sales will then convince the horse that it is in its best interest to drink.

Image courtesy of: Bob Moran

So, how is this done?
Though there are many more guidelines than the ones listed below, the most important ones are:

1. Set periodic cross department meetings between marketing and sales.
Determine through market research the sales goals and recognize the target audience.
   • Schedule follow-up meetings in order to examine the outcome of the completed actions.
   • Take the time to evaluate what has been done, its effectiveness, and if it reached the target audience.

2. Initiate and evaluate customer surveys (in many companies this is even standard practice as part of their ISO standards and Quality Assurance policy). This is a respectable way for  customers to express feedback on the service received.
In general, companies feel somewhat offensive when negative feedback is received, but it should be embraced!
   • Only customers who care for your company/product will take the time to fill in the survey and submit negative feedback. They are your best customers!
   • Negative feedback should be seen as a challenge to improve your service.
   • Last but not least: this is your opportunity to "WOW" your customers. Take immediate action and amaze your customers by not only making up for the bad service they reported upon, but also to give them something unexpected, something remarkable!
A must: Always thank the customer who took the time to fill in the survey and reassure him/her that the remarks are evaluated and will be considered in changing the company's policy.

3.Schedule meetings with customers. Listen to their needs, let them do the talking. Ask their opinion about a campaign carried out by you, what attracted their attention, their expectations from you, and so on.
Make sure to afterwards recap all accumulated information and share it during your internal cross-departmental meetings.

Good luck!

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