Overcoming a language barrier when doing business in a foreign country can be a huge challenge. This is because communication doesn’t happen like it should due to miscommunication and misunderstanding between the involved parties. That’s why it’s important to hire a translator that can bridge the gap between two languages. Although there are many translators that are always ready to offer interpretation services, majority of them are not reliable.
They lack the necessary skills that can help them do the job without creating room for any flaws. In fact, most people imagine that a translator is anyone that knows a second language. The truth is that translation is a profession like any other. Hiring anyone that speaks the language you want translated for is like hiring anyone to become a chef. Below are tips that can guide you when looking for a translator to hire for your project.
1. Consider How Often You will Need Translation Services
Before you hire a translator, you should first think about how often you will require interpretation services. This will actually help you in deciding whether you should hire an individual or a company. If the project is small and doesn’t have a short deadline, you should consider an individual on freelance basis because it’s cheaper than hiring a full time employee. On the other hand, if the project is huge and needs to be completed within the shortest time possible, you should hire a company like Lighthouse Translations, Miami because they will split it into small sections and assign them to their in-house translators.
2. Professional Certification
It’s important you hire a translator that has a certificate from a recognized institution that offers training in interpretation. Such a professional will definitely perform much better than a random individual that knows a few words here and there of the language that you need to be translated. One of the most recognized certificates is issued by ATA (American Translators Association). For best results, you should pick a native speaker, because he is likely to know all the jargons of the language. Keep in mind that some words have more than one meaning and someone that’s not a native speaker may not be able to uncode such meanings.
3. Level of Experience
You can’t go wrong with a translator that has been offering interpretation services for many years. Such an interpreter obviously knows the ins and outs of the language than those who are new into the industry. An experienced will still deliver satisfactory work regardless of whether he uses translation software or he does the work manually. In fact, you should opt for a translator that doesn’t use softwares because they tend to be more accurate.
4. Samples and References
The worst mistake that you can make is to hire a translator without first looking at his previous projects. If a translator fails to provide samples of his services, there is a possibility that he has never handled such a project before. Sample projects can help you in determining whether a translator is the right fit for your project or not. Besides that, you should insist on getting references of his previous clients so that you can reach out to them and know whether they were satisfied by the quality of work they got.
5. Negotiate for a Fair Price
It’s important you discuss about the charges before the translator begins working on the project to avoid misunderstandings later. If you feel that the translator is charging a higher fee, you should keep looking until you find one that offers such services at an affordable rate. The rates actually vary from one service provider to the other. Some prefer to be paid on hourly basis while others charge based on number of words or pages.