When paying for document translation, you want to ensure your translated materials are accurate and professional. Unfortunately, translation mistakes are common, especially with technical translations that use confusing terminology. The best translators can easily overcome these issues, ensuring you have an accurate and precise document translation.

But how do you know which translators are as good as they say they are? And how do professional translators ensure their work is always error-free? This article will clarify the critical considerations for guaranteed accuracy and help you evaluate your specific project needs.

1. Evaluating Translators’ Qualifications & Affiliations

The best translators for accurate document translation are always qualified. Reputable translation agencies comprehensively evaluate their professional translators before assigning them to clients. It is essential to ask about their recruitment process and the specific skills, experience, and subject matter expertise of the proposed translation team working on your project.

Here is a closer look at the factors to consider before hiring a translator for document translation services:

• Ensure your translator is a native speaker of the target language and fluent in the source language. They must also be familiar with cultural and dialect nuances.
• Confirm your translator’s years of professional translation experience by asking for references and asking to see previous translations they have performed.
• Enquire about your translator’s qualifications and knowledge of translation technology tools. Tools such as translation memories can significantly help improve accuracy.
• Make sure your translator is familiar enough with your subject field to fully understand the source language’s key messages, tone and communication objective.
• Enquire whether your translator has current memberships in professional translation associations. Although not necessary, the best translators tend to.

2. Confirming Credentials of Document Translation Agency

Asking the above questions can help ensure you’re working with the best translators in the industry. However, you also need to look at the credentials of the agency as a whole. Here are some suggestions for gaining a better insight into your document translation service provider:

1. The number of years an agency has been in business is often considered the sole qualification for vendors. However, looking at the combined experience levels of the company owners, project managers, and translation teams is more important. This gives you a better insight into the company in its entirety.
2. Like individual translators, the agency itself may be affiliated with international trade associations. Ask about the agency’s current memberships. As memberships are typically open to any business and are paid for annually, this may be a key evaluation criterion.
3. Relying on insurance policies to protect yourself from inaccurate translations is never a good idea. Ensuring that your language translation company offers professional indemnity insurance policy is thus a vital risk mitigation tactic. In case of errors, this policy protects your business so operations can continue as usual.
4. Reviewing a company’s project portfolio is an excellent method to evaluate the agency. Look both at the language combinations of past projects and the subject field. Your project’s requirements will determine the best fit – look for companies that have worked and succeeded on projects like yours before.
5. Reading testimonials and talking with former clients is a good way to evaluate the agency’s relevant qualifications for your project. Ask for references for other projects completed in the same language combination and subject matter.

3. Assessing Quality Control & Accuracy Processes

Once you have found the best translators and are confident that you are dealing with a reliable agency, question their quality control processes. There are measurable and proven processes in the translation industry to safeguard the accuracy of your document translation.

Typically, project managers oversee this process with the translation team, especially if the project requires more than one translator. They will usually find the best translator for your document translation project and ensure accuracy by going through the following steps:

• The translation agency starts by understanding your goals and objectives for the project, and setting up the project scope is the first step for all well-managed projects.
• Project managers will then choose the best team members (based on the subject area and languages) and brief them on their respective roles to meet your requirements.
• You then need to prepare the source material, so it is in the format that the translators and machine technology can work with efficiently.
• Your primary translator will then work on your document translation. The best firms have access to translation tools to help them form glossaries and ensure accuracy.
• A second translator – also with subject matter expertise and native fluency – will edit your document translation. This step ensures that cultural nuances are accounted for.
• A third translator fluent in your target language and subject area then proofreads the document, catching any last spelling or grammar mistakes.
• The project manager serves as the final quality assurance step to ensure the final copy matches the source document and meets your goals and objectives before delivery.

Professional Document Translation Services

At Renaissance Translations, we offer high-quality document translation. We only employ the best translators with 5+ years of experience and translation degrees. All translators must also pass our proficiency test before being accepted into our network.

With access to the latest translation technology and tried-and-tested methods for translation, we know your deliverables will be completely error-free. And if anything slips through the cracks, our professional indemnity insurance has you covered. Let’s discuss whether our services are a good match for your project requirements – contact us today!