Strategy

5 professional hints on translating your business document

If you are looking for a translation agency offering business translation services for your documents, you will surely find out that there are quite a few of them. But which translation agency is excellent?

 Who can you entrust your translation assignment to? So let’s take a look at a few certain differences between translation agencies. Particularly, in the business sector, it can have unpleasant consequences to have relied on the wrong translation agency for help translating business documents. And now I’m not only thinking of the many mistakes that can happen in legal translations.

translating business documents document pile

So, I’ll be analyzing, and at the same time; dishing out hints for translating business documents. Please read between the lines.

First Hint: Make sure that the translation agency of your choice is qualified for your Specialized area. A translator who makes use of Google, Wikipedia, etc will certainly not be able to deliver professional medical translations without errors. To give just one example.

How seriously does your translation agency take deadlines?

Deadlines are another critical factor in business life. It is not uncommon for careers to depend on tasks being completed on time. A translation agency that cannot work within the given time frame is surely not the best hand for your project. 

Second Hint: For time-critical translations, a good translation agency should be able to offer appropriate services for urgent professional translations. For example, with an express service or an overnight delivery. In addition, the entire organization should be geared towards smooth processes and punctual delivery of professional translations.

Unfortunately, you can hardly know that in advance. One indicator, however, is the age of a translation agency. A translation agency that has worked for business customers for decades and offers express translations shouldn’t have any problem with making translations delivered on time.

How does your translation agency react to unforeseen circumstances?

In the hectic pace of business life, something always comes up. This can also affect the details of a translation job. The decisive factor then is how confidently your translation agency can handle such changes.

Third Hint: It pays off if your translation agency only has native speakers who live in the target country. Only then will the cultural context and choice of words fit into the time and the information representation required. common careless mistakes, which can happen from time to time can be reliably eliminated by the use of the four-eyes principle: in which a second translation professional proofreads a translation again. Make sure that this step is not left out, it is crucial for the quality of a translation.

Fourth Hint: A translation agency that offers you personal support and telephone contact makes things much easier. Anyone who has ever tried to subsequently change the details of a translation on an automatic order platform knows that. This is much easier to communicate with a quick phone call. Especially if the translation agency already knows you and the basic requirements of your company.

Can your translation agency ensure quality?

After all said and done, only one thing that counts when it comes to professional translations is quality. The decisive factor here is which translator the translation agency employs.

Fifth Hint: minimize your risk when hiring an agency offering business translation services. One factor you should consider is: Has the translation agency been successful in the market for decades? Do authorities and well-known companies belong to your long-term customer base? Are real customers (with real names) used as a reference for the quality of your translation agency?

Inclusively, pay attention to your gut instinct: How friendly does the respective translation agency seem to you? Is the chemistry right? And finally: Your risk is low if you only have a single document translated for the first job.

On the other hand, there is a much greater chance that this approach will help you find a good translation agency that will convince you all around. Especially if you are no longer really satisfied with your current translation agency.