How and when to outsource your translation requirements
8th January 2016
Whether or not to outsource your translation requirements is a decision many businesses face in today’s global market. As previously discussed, in-house translation can work at the outset, while the company is in the initial growth stages, but as business starts to increase, internal resources are better utilised in sustaining that growth in business rather than burdening them with the day to day administrative roles.
Translation is a specialised skill, and one that needs to be undertaken by a professional linguist to complement, as well as reflect, the professional image your company aims to project. Poor translation will not only cost your company its reputation, but it will also hit the business bottom line, as Clients and customers lose confidence in your company’s professionalism.
Outsourcing your translation needs may seem like an unnecessary cost, initially. However, if done correctly, and at the right time, the outsourcing process allows your company to concentrate on the tasks it does best.
When to Outsource
As mentioned above, the right time to outsource is different for each company. Some businesses have in-house staff that can translate one language perfectly well but may need outside help when undertaking new projects that have a requirement for other languages. The growth and talent management of your business should be your priority – staff will be more productive in your core areas, rather than taking on a role that could be outsourced to Foreign Tongues for translation.
Let’s look at the pros and cons of outsourcing your translation.
Pros
Specialised Knowledge and Expertise
A huge benefit of the outsourcing of your translation requirements to Foreign Tongues is the knowledge and advice we will provide. Foreign Tongues help and advise Clients on the methodology required for specialist projects that would otherwise cost the Client both time and money through having to find their own ‘new’ solutions and the possibility of making mistakes through inexperience. Foreign Tongues provides the most efficient service that, not only, gets your translations back to you when you need them, but saves money in both the short and long term, by helping define the scope of the project and streamlining the process for both you and your Client.
Costs vs. Risks
“You get what you pay for” is certainly true when it comes to translation. While so called ‘low cost’ translation services exist, many are based overseas and are therefore inexperienced and naïve when it comes to UK business culture and English language usage. Placing ‘low cost’ above value is a mistake many companies make initially, in the belief that all translation is the same, regardless of who undertakes it. It is only after the event, when project managers / end-users receive poor quality work, often way past the agreed deadline, that the risks involved with outsourcing to cheap suppliers have evidently not paid off. Foreign Tongues only provide professional, mother tongue, qualified linguists – so you can be sure of quality translations, delivered on time, every time!
A Complete service
Foreign Tongues provide a complete service, offering a comprehensive range of foreign languages, specialisations, and translation formats to choose from.
Quality
Being a native speaker doesn’t make you a translator. Translation is a profession that requires expertise and training. Working with a professional language provider gives you access to an entire team of professionals, who know how to produce consistent and high-quality translations. These include translators, proofreaders, and subject-matter specialists to examine terminology and confirm that a text is factually accurate.
Convenience
Another benefit is convenience. Of course, you can handle translation in-house, but managing it yourself can be time consuming and not as cost effective as you might suppose. Could your time be better spent elsewhere / could their time be better spent on work they were actually employed for!?!
Cost saving
There is no need to employ anyone in-house, which, as we know, can be costly. Hiring someone is just one part of the puzzle. They will require tools and access to other skills in-house, such as developers or designers to deliver the work required of them. All of this has additional cost implications. By outsourcing the translation of online content, marketing or project documentation to Foreign Tongues, your company is not burdened with on-going wage bills. Similar to graphic design or IT support, translation services can very well be outsourced on an ad-hoc, project by project basis.
Timely
Working to tight deadlines? No problem! Here at Foreign Tongues, we aim to deliver all translation within a 48-hour turnaround period (unless a shorter turnaround is agreed with the Client.)
Flexible
Flexibility is key to growth. A language translation provider can scale up and scale down resources as your business grows and demand changes.
Cons
Data privacy
Data sharing and sensitivity, can you allow some of your materials to leave the company for the translation to take place? To mitigate this risk confidentiality agreement can be signed with Foreign Tongues, covering the documents provided for translation.
Delivery time
We are flexible and strive to meet Clients’ expectations. At the end of the day, we are still part of the same team working towards the same goal.
Costly
The cost of translation can change depending on the expertise and service required – does the content need to be just translated or translated and localised for example.
Out of comfort zone
Outsourcing your translation may sound like a big step outside your comfort zone, but businesses should really consider the potential reputational damage that can occur when entering a new market using substandard translation.
Using Foreign Tongues doesn’t mean you are contracted for life, there is no commitment to your business.
As a business owner, you should make the best decision to support your international growth. A higher initial cost may pay massive dividends in future.
Tempted? Foreign Tongues offer a free no obligation quotation. All you need to do is to complete this form. Leave the rest to us!
