Lesson 5: Selecting a Translation Agency
Learning Objectives
- Understand the key questions to ask when evaluating a translation agency or language service company
- Assess how agencies select and manage their translator subcontractors to ensure quality deliverables
Working with a Language Service Company
Rather than building your own team of translators, you may elect to work with a language service company (LSC) that provides a suite of services including translation, desktop publishing, engineering, and project management. This approach offers advantages like scalability, capacity across multiple languages, and consolidated vendor management.
However, it's important to understand that most LSCs subcontract translation work to external independent contractors. This means your critical questions shift from evaluating individual translators to evaluating how the company selects and manages the translators who will actually produce your content.
Essential Questions for Agency Selection
When evaluating a language service company, ask these critical questions:
Translator Selection and Qualifications
- How does the company determine that the translators they work with have the proficiencies outlined in our previous lessons (language expertise, subject matter specialization, audience appropriateness, technology skills, etc.)?
- What vendor management capabilities does the company have in place to verify translator qualifications?
- Can the company provide documentation that verifies their claims about translator qualifications and selection processes?
Team Dedication and Consistency
- Does the company plan to work with a dedicated team of translators to produce your content? Or does the company assign work to whichever translators happen to be available at the lowest rates?
- Will you be introduced to the team of translators producing your content?
- How will the company keep you informed about questions and recommendations made by your translators?
Brand Voice and Quality Assurance
- If the translators assigned to your work also handle other clients' content, how does the company ensure you'll have a unique brand voice?
- Do they incorporate the use of glossaries and style guides specific to your organization?
- Will your content be kept separate from content produced for other clients, or will it be processed in bulk in ways that might compromise your distinctive voice?
Translation Approach Transparency
- Does the company assign your work to professional translators, or will they simply process your content using automatic translation with no professional post-editing, delivering UVT?
- What quality assurance processes are in place beyond the initial translation?
- How does the company handle quality issues or revisions?
⚠️ Verify Claims with Documentation
When asking these questions, look for answers that are specific rather than generic. Ask the company to share documentation through which you can verify their claims. This applies whether you're evaluating an agency or individual translators. Reputable providers will have established processes and be willing to demonstrate them.
Evaluating Agency-Translator Relationships
Understanding how an agency manages its relationships with translators is crucial because translation quality is directly affected by working conditions, communication practices, and professional support structures. An agency that treats its translators well, provides clear specifications, maintains consistent teams, and follows industry best practices is far more likely to deliver quality translations.
In the next lesson, we'll introduce the Localization Vendor Management Scorecard, a comprehensive framework we developed over five years for translation agencies to assess themselves for auditing purposes. While originally designed for agency self-evaluation, buyers can easily apply this scorecard to understand the health of the relationship between an agency and its translators.
📖 Heads Up: Extended Reading Ahead
The Vendor Management Scorecard lesson includes substantial reading, including an instructional article published in 2023 that explains the scorecard methodology in detail. We recommend setting aside dedicated time to work through this material thoughtfully.