"You get what you pay for"

by: The Language123 Staff

"How to find the right balance between price and value when looking for a translator."

Low-cost and high-quality often seem to be excluding concepts, especially when it comes to translation services. “You get what you pay for”, some may say not far from the truth. Considering that many professional translators have spent quite some time and resources to gain in-depth knowledge of a language and the nuances in its use, quality translation services could be quite expensive, especially if you don’t know how to choose the right translator.

The following suggestions will help you make an educated choice when looking for translation services:

• Set your budget: translators will give you a price quote, free of charge, based on your description of the project, if you have a price range you can narrow your search accordingly.

• Do you need a native speaker? If your project is so sensitive that it is imperative that a native speaker of the target language does the job, make sure you clearly state this requirement in the description of your project.

• Check his/her educational and professional background: while it is important that the translator has studied the language, you can also take the number of completed projects and their relevance as acceptable criteria for choosing a translator.

• Does the translator need any special knowledge or skills for translating your project? Some translators specialize in technical, medical o literary translation and their experience and training in specific areas may be an asset for the successful completion of your project.

• Ask for information: If you would like to know more about a prospective translation services provider, ask for references, samples and any other relevant information that will help you assess his/her qualifications.

A translator doesn’t just convert words from one language to another; translators take your message and reproduce it anew for an audience whose language, social and cultural background may be quite different from your own. So the mere ability to read and write a second language doesn’t make anybody a translator; the challenge for you is to find best value for your money.

Communication channels are open and you have the tools to choose the best candidate. To learn more about letting translators compete for your project, please visit us at http://language123.com/web/user/lead.cgi?

August 02, 2005 - Comments:0

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