Whether you’re looking to have a book or document translated, choosing the right language service provider is key. Many clients such as authors, publishers, and corporations believe that larger translation agencies will generally provide better translations than smaller firms. But is that really the case? Brian McConnell, a writer for the Globalization & Localization Association, wrote an impressive article in which he highlights the following:
“I generally recommend that customers avoid the big three companies unless they are going to generate six to seven figure annual budgets. The reason isn’t that the big translation companies are bad, it’s just that their incentive is to focus on large accounts or accounts that might grow quickly. You’ll get more attention and better service from small and mid-sized companies, and as noted above, new tools make it straightforward to manage multiple providers, and to do much of the project management yourself.” At Textcase, we welcome Mr. McConnell’s conclusion and would like to illustrate the advantages of choosing a small translation agency. There are four elements that we would like to highlight here, elements that we believe benefit both private clients and companies.
1. Customer service/more attention and higher service level
The main advantage of choosing smaller translation agencies is the superior level of customer service they provide. In today’s market, clients place value not only the products and services they receive, but also look for more personal contact in terms of rapport, accommodating their needs, and offering solutions to any potential problems. Consequently, communication and interaction with our clients is a vital part of being a project manager at Textcase. Each client is appointed a dedicated project manager, whose profound knowledge of the client allows him or her to select the right translator or editor for every individual assignment. Our project mangers always aim to select those translators who are not only familiar with, but also interested in the topic and enjoy doing the translation.
2. Competitive rates
The second advantage of using a smaller translation agency is that they usually charge lower, competitive rates. Small agencies can do this due to their lower employee overhead. The smaller translation agencies employ fewer account managers, project managers, and sales representatives, as well as less, if any, backoffice staff. In turn, they have substantially lower expenses to cover while larger translation must cover their costs and as a result, generally increase their rates.
3. High quality
Some people believe that larger translation agencies provide better translations. This is an absolutely false preconception. As stated in the previous section, larger translation agencies invest more in maintaining extensive staff such as project managers and sales representatives. Consequently, a larger portion of the clients’ money goes to paying the agency’s staff than is does to the actual translator. At Textcase, our approach is completely different and we employ a unique method to ensure quick and proper translation. We monitor the quality level of our translations by maintaining close contact with our translators who live abroad, in the countries for which the translations are meant. In fact, our commitment to creating high quality texts that encourage international communication means that every Textcase translation incorporates a sense of culture, location, sensitivity, and nuance. We understand the importance of providing modern, intelligent, and clear translations and therefore we develop and apply our talents to meet the higher standards required of the texts.
A high or low quality translation is not determined by the size of the translation agency, but instead by the process and the translator. The translator’s qualifications and experience, background and even interest in the subject matter are key factors to the quality of a translation. No matter what the text is, Textcase has the expertise and insight to choose the best translator for you and your assignment. Our team will take the utmost care to consider the best method of translation to yield the best results.