In business, going global requires more than just creating a budget projection for the first three years of operation. One of the most basic requirements is investing on a quality translation agency who will be in-charge of translating your company’s marketing content to the local languages of your target places of expansion.
From website articles and landing pages to graphics and videos, accurate translation is a must to convey the same branding all throughout your branches. The great thing is, there are already several services on the web that can cater your request. The bigger challenge is to filter them and find out who is the most cost-efficient option.
If you’re a startup business, the cost is a major determining factor on what agency makes it to the cut. However, you can reduce the total expense even from your end by doing the following:
Create an excellent copy. Cut words if you have to.
In translation, the rule is simple. The more words you want to translate, the bigger the cost. This is still excluding the extra time spent on doing side processes like file extraction. A wise way to approach this is to simplify your copy based on your target market on the country you’re eyeing to expand.
A press release copy made for American audience may not work as effectively when used for a Japanese audience. Study the profiles of your market first, know their language and create a concise, spot-on copy.
Send out simple file formats.
File extraction takes time, and in business, time always converts to money. Before sending out the video, images, and other media files, it is best to convert them to the simplest format available from your end. This way, translation agencies wouldn’t have to charge you for the time spent in doing it themselves.
Word, Excel, and plain text formats are the most common and least costly ones.
Know your translation options.
Hiring a translation agency is appropriate for bulk tasks that require urgency or a specific timeline. While hiring independent translators is an open option, they may be a disadvantage considering the lack of a more streamlined quality check for their output.
Hiring a translation agency gives you the confidence of getting accurate translation reviewed by skilled QA team to guarantee excellent grammar.
Complete all content edits ahead of time.
Again, time is money. Edit ahead and change any content you think is no longer necessary or needs some upgrade. Only send output to the translation service once you have finalized everything you want to get translated.
Translation is just a single fragment in your overall business plan. Avoid overspending and strive to find the best option that your budget allows!
