Friday 21 September 2012

Should you outsource your translation?


If you are looking to expand into new foreign markets, you will undoubtedly need to have a number of different documents translated at some point.  The obvious documents can include brochures, instructions, maintenance manuals and contracts.

So the question is, are you best using an in-house translator or an outsourced translator?  Both have their advantages and disadvantages and so it is important to make an informed choice to ensure you make the best decision for your business.

Points to consider when employing an in-house translator

Employing an in-house translator to work in the same premises as you makes it easy to get documents translated quickly.  You will need to have sufficient office space and be confident that you will have enough regular work to justify a monthly salary as opposed to paying a per word fee.

There could be benefits of being able to have a translator collaborate with other employees and departments, especially if you have other in-house departments such as marketing and design.

Managing translation internally is sometimes difficult to scale as the business grows, which could lead to deadlines being missed and quality suffering. It is important to consider that testing products and services in new markets with new languages may not be possible without using an outsourced translator.

An in-house translator could be most cost effective when there are large amounts of translation work in one or a few languages and where close collaboration with other employees would add value.

Points to consider when using an outsourced translator

Using a professional translation agency is less risky, requires less upfront investment and is much more flexible. Using professional mother tongue translators guarantees the highest translation quality and a faster output with the flexibility to be able to have a document translated in any language.

Good translation agencies guarantee their work and use cutting-edge technology to improve consistency with language standardisation control whilst driving down costs using translation memories.

Using an outsourced translator will mean paying a higher rate, but if your translation needs are on an ad-hoc basis you will find that you save money by only paying for the services you require, when you require them.  

Outsourcing your translation work will ultimately ensure that you have access to the right mother tongue translator with relevant industry experience. It will also ensure that a translator is available when you need them. You’ll never have to wait for your translator to come back from annual leave or worry that they don’t have enough work to be cost effective.

Conclusion

In-house provides maximum control while outsourced offers maximum flexibility. Both solutions can provide high value and high quality.  With enough volume, stable demand and a long-term commitment an in-house translator might be the right approach. Low or variable needs are best addressed with an outsourced model.  However, in my experience even companies with high volume and long-term commitments use outsource translation services to some degree to keep a cost center that is outside of their core business as a flexible on-demand service.

About Foreign Language Services

We translate anything and everything from large operating and maintenance manuals to letters and business cards.

Our clients say they choose us over others because we use the very best mother tongue and industry specialist translators in conjunction with cutting-edge technology to achieve:
  
> A highly cost effective service
> Fast and guaranteed turnaround times
> A high consistency of terms
> A localised translation to take into account cultural differences
> 100% accuracy in any language combination
> The peace of mind you require

Contact us for a free quotation

To ensure your international trading isn’t getting lost in translation, contact us on +44 (0) 1785 255067 or email translations@fls-ltd.com for a free no obligation consultation or itemised quotation.