Let’s say you’re a marketing manager at a large Swiss industrial company. The upper management has asked you to list six reasons why they should look for and hire an international translation company instead of a local one. You have used one for several years, there have been some complaints, but none that significant. However, the decision-makers have agreed to shake things up and start with the company’s translation provider. And this time they don’t want to look close to home, but somewhere more “exotic”. But management still needs a little convincing. So, you gather your thoughts; you make a presentation using a white-on-black slide design and list the benefits of an international translation company.
Definition: International Translation Company is an export-based translation and localization business with no in-house translators, but with an efficiently managed linguist database that can cover as many language combinations and fields of expertise as possible.
Your Target Market is Closer with an International Translation Company
First, if you want to be closer to your target market, you need a translation company that can localize your content and is relatively close to your desired market. For the sake of the argument, you want your content localized into all the Scandinavian languages.
You may look for a translation company in one of the three Scandinavian countries, and you may even compare the prices with your previously listed translation company. Chances are, the prices you are quoted will be very high, either because of the high living standards in the countries of native Scandinavian linguists or due to the business operating costs in these countries. An international translation company could be a solution, especially one that operates near your desired market. And it will most probably have linguists in a more affordable (or money-saving) price range.
The Linguistic Reach of an International Translation Company is Broader
Secondly, your upper management likes to be prepared for the unexpected. So, you have to imagine that you have just been asked not only for the aforementioned Scandinavian languages, but also Maltese, Irish, Polish, and Hebrew.
Chances are that the same company that covered your Scandinavian languages is also going to be able to cover these as well. International translation companies must have a vast linguistic pool in order to compete with other international translation companies. But also for this very reason, some companies tend to change their mind or decide that other markets may additionally be appealing to them, and request the localization of their content. It is best when your existing translation company takes care of this since it is already aware of your quality and technical requirements.
Technically advanced is synonymous with International Translation Companies
Thirdly, international translation companies need to be tech-savvy like humans need to breathe. Let’s say that your Scandinavian language translations were simple Word documents, but your newly requested Irish language files are HTML webpages, XML databases, and other files that you are not familiar with. A company, for example, a single language vendor who is used to translating simple documents will most likely not know how to deal with your situation.
Also, you are probably going to need those new language translations as soon as possible, which may pose serious difficulties for the vendor. This in turn will cause you delays and you will have to go through another cycle for a proposal request. In contrast, an international translation company is used to dealing with almost every file format imaginable and in any given timeframe.
Chances are that they have a dedicated specialist for these tasks called something like a localization engineer. And this wizard is going to make your life easier and will make you look good in your management’s eyes by delivering the project by your required deadline. Trust me, I used to be one.
Let an International Translation Company Handle Your Micro Assignments
Fourth, the needs of the client are the needs of the company. If your company has issued a statement or a marketing slogan that has to be translated into the aforementioned languages, an international translation company has your back.
No matter how many words are requested, an international translation company will quote you the same and do its absolute best to exceed your expectations. Sure, the pay might be low and a sole freelancer might charge an excessive minimum fee, but an agreement with a company to cover a bulk of such assignments for a fixed sum or for a reasonable minimum fee that is invoiced at the end of each month will get it done with no questions asked, unless of course there are some issues with your files.
You Won’t Overpay With An International Translation Company
Fifth, not to sound cliché, but you will get the best bang for your buck with an international company. Most international translation companies are ISO-certified; which means that their linguists are thoroughly tested before being used “in the field”.
A dedicated vendor manager examines their CV’s, they are tested in their field of expertise, the company’s best editors evaluate their tests, and their rates are negotiated so it benefits not only the company and the linguist but also the client. International translation companies have to stay competitive. And one of the ways to do that is by having “cost-friendly” resources.
They manage to find gems (read – linguists) where others can’t for the best-negotiated prices possible. Also, they invest their time to educate their linguists on the use of various CAT tools, thus increasing their worth maintaining their initial rates, therefore ensuring that the client’s content is handled by the best and most suitable linguists for the best possible price.
Growth is more likely with an International Translation Company
Sixth, you’ve probably already noticed this, but content localization matters. And it can seriously affect your business. Let’s say that your company has already localized its content into all official Swiss languages, namely, German, French, Italian and Romansh.
A rough speaker estimate is 219.303 million people when you combine the neighboring populations of France, Germany, and Italy. By translating your content into the Scandinavian languages and the aforementioned Irish, Maltese, Polish and Hebrew, you get a combined speaker estimate of 276.52 million people.
If you choose to employ an international translation company with its cost-effective resources and the technical know-how, your “Swiss-made” product will reach places where people had only heard about it before. Let them touch and experience it as well.
Kind regards,
Olaaf
The origin story of these "Archive" edition articles. A couple of years ago my previous employer asked whether I could start writing blogs for the company's website. I agreed since I have had previous experience writing. Initially the employer wanted statistics heavy articles, even though their topics had no usable statistics available. I ended up writing in total five articles each about a different topic related to the translation industry. Since I am the author of these articles I have decided to re-publish them on OLAAF.eu. Also I would like to give thanks to those colleagues who made their edits - some legitimate, some not so much. Thank you to you all.
