There’s a huge influx of companies eyeing to expand their business worldwide. Decades ago, this seemed like a total bark at the moon considering the cost in widening service or product distribution as well as communication.
In this digital age, it’s no longer impossible. Any venture who wishes to make some name in a foreign country is now free to hire a translation agency to take charge of transforming their company message to the particular local language of a nation.
If you’re looking one for your firm, it’s vital that you choose someone whom you can rely on for actual work. To do that, you should avoid falling into the following notorious mistakes a lot of companies commit.
Incomplete request detail
It spells out great trouble when you don’t know the specifics of what you need. Sadly, many startup entrepreneurs do not put into detail the copies they need to be translated beforehand. This result to more time spent with the agency, which of course converts to bigger price.
How to avoid: Put the details of your needs into writing. Identify the copies, articles, and all other documents you wish to translate before hiring someone.
Inability to factor the added cost (like desktop publishing and image editing)
Translating documents is the primary service, but it’s not everything. For instance, if you have some media materials like videos, mp3s, and images, the agency would have to spend some added time editing them all to fit the message you want to send out. Inability to determine the added cost may result to some serious budget issues along the process.
How to avoid: Coordinate with your chosen agency and inquire about the necessary procedures for the translation. What are the added services required? How long will they take? How much is its cost?
Not asking for a written contract
A written agreement, by its very nature, is your protection against fraud and damages in any service you hire. A verbal promise or assurance is never just enough in business. Unfortunately, there are beginning companies who fail to consider the importance of this document and end up not getting the satisfaction they expect from the agency they hire.
How to avoid: Ask for a written contract. Otherwise, don’t continue the agreement.
Failure to verify the depth of experience of an agency
A responsible entrepreneur should never just take for granted the recommendations, recognitions and overall portfolio of a translation agency. It tells you how credible they are in their job. Those with shady experience details are likely to be new on the field.
How to avoid: Ask recommendations from trusted colleague who works in the same industry. Read testimonials and call the references that the agency gives.
Failure to justify the pricing with specific service details
We’ve heard this mantra in the past, “You get what you pay for.” Taking this into a business perspective, one can assume that a too-good-to-be-true offer with the lowest price guarantee isn’t always the best choice. There is a reason why a product or service is priced lower compared to its competition – something which a lot of entrepreneurs fail to consider.
How to avoid: Ask for a sample quote. Canvass from several agencies and compare the details of their pricing. Learn to assess which of them offers the service you need at the best price and quality based on viewers’ satisfaction.
Make the best out of your translation budget by choosing a reliable service. Don’t fall on the mistakes we have on this list and hire the best men on board!
