The reason I ask these two questions is because I put the exact same questions to a number of companies that use translation companies, and I was surprised with the amount of feedback it produced.
I believe the reason for the feedback was because we all know that obtaining comparative quotations help leverage best price, but we just don’t obtain them regularly enough; unless there is a motivating factor.
When was the last time you obtained a comparative translation quotation, if not to leverage cost, but to check you are still getting best value and quality?
If the honest answer is, “too long ago” then perhaps its time you did?
One of the advantages of using a document translation agency rather than employing an in-house translator is to keep a cost center that is outside of your core business as flexible as possible.
So it may be prudent to have a conversation with your translation agency about what additional cost savings are on offer, such as whether they are passing on the savings of using CAT tools (Computer Aided Translation) with each translation.
CAT enhances the human translation process by reducing the amount of sentences needing to be translated by eliminating the necessity for repeated sentences to be translated. Not just for the translation in-hand, but for all subsequent translations. As your translation agency works with you, they should be building a database of terms for use specifically for your publications, so the more they translate, the more you should save.
Not only is the translation agency saving on translation, it also makes short work of previously heavily hands-on Desktop Publishing, saving around 70% on DTP time too.
In addition to the cost savings a CAT tool also reduces turnaround times and improves consistency.
Is your translation agency guilty of perhaps not passing on the cost savings to you?
Another important question to ask is whether your translation agency keeps your translation memory as their ‘intellectual property’. If they do, then ask why?
As rule, we deliver this translation memory database at no extra cost to our clients as part of our service. Most translation agencies keep the memory as their ‘intellectual property’, but this is really done to tie clients in. We have been making this practice of delivering translation memory databases to clients for many years now. We keep our clients because of good communication, fair pricing and being trustworthy.
Regularly challenging your translation agency over price and quality will help stop complacency. Asking the right questions will give you the power to make an informed decision that could save you money and improve the quality of your translations.
If you feel it is time to check that you are getting best value, then please contact me for a free no obligation comparative quotation. Contact me on +44 (0) 1785 255067 or email translations@fls-ltd.com.
Using Foreign Language Services will ensure you receive:
• 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
