How to Get Cheap Translation Services?
As human beings, we fundamentally find joy in free things. We love what is cheap, no matter how bad it feels or tastes. However, not everything cheap is good. Consider an employee for the sake of example. An intern worth a few dollars (or even free) cannot gulp water from the fire hose. He or she cannot perform the tasks that people with 4 or 5 years of experience are able to achieve within a few hours. Similarly, professional firms providing cheap translation services cannot sustain and hence deliver substandard services in the long run.
Today we discuss why cheap certified translation services are a wrong move for companies (irrespective of the size) and how to find affordable yet high-quality work in the domain.
So what makes certified translation expensive?
Most people are unaware of the translation industry. What time does it take to translate a document? What tools do they use? And on. This is pretty normal, and there is nothing wrong with it. However, there are certain parameters that go well in the industry, thus, making cheap document translation services expensive. Here are a few points that make certified translation services an expensive affair.
1: The Translators Own The Job And Not The Company
The very natural tendency that most users think that the companies hold the key to their work and are responsible for all work delivered by them. However, when it comes to translation and the transcription industry, the translators are responsible for their work, and hence any mistake in important documents like a legal paper or a business papers are owned by the translator. This makes translation an expensive affair as they have to devote ample time to get the best out of them.
2: Understanding of Both the Cultures Along With the Languages
Most often, people understand that the documents are translated word-by-word. However, the notion is completely flawed. A language uses cultural references, differs with fundamental dialects, and a ton of other things. Doing word-by-word translation ruins things and hence should be avoided at all costs. Strong command over both the languages and knowing cultural and regional references is what is needed to be a good translator and, therefore, should not be ignored.
3: Use of Software
Leading translation industries invest quite a lot of money in software call CAT (Computer Assisted Translation). Do not mistake this software for freely available software. This software help translators understand the needs better and help them to provide services to their highest efficiency. These things, in the long run, increase the cost and make translation services costlier than expected.
So the question in the context is
How can I available the cheapest translation services?
The notion of the cheapest translation services here is wrong. Cheap and affordable are two different things. Do not hesitate to avail of affordable yet quality services. Some of the tips to help you reduce the cost are as follows.
1: Plan Ahead
Most people don’t think of translation services or even a translator until the eleventh hour. This is where things go wrong. Most employers need translations URGENTLY, and hence companies need to charge high due to the effort that goes into it. To make things better, plan ahead all the desired service and chalk out a timeline with your service provider for cheap translation services.
2: Be Clear With the Scope of Work
The next thing that most people fail to understand is that having all documents handy can help you with cheap document translation services. Let’s say you have a two-page document to be translated. However, you provide only one page initially, and then once the work is done, you offer the second one. This not only wastes time for both parties but also increases costs. Hence the experts suggest having all the desired documents be translated before closing the deal.
3: Provide Editable Files if Possible
Most leading companies work with software, and to assist the translators, these software work well with editable files. This could reduce much of the work and help you in negotiations.
Concluding Remarks
When it comes to the translation industries, mistakes are a strict no. Do not indulge in services that claim to provide the cheapest translation services. The chances of errors in these services are high, and hence one must look out for services that are affordable and provide top-notch value.