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At What Point Should You Hire a Translator?

 

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Many companies assume they don’t need a professional translation service. Often, it’s because they think that a machine translation service like Google Translate can deliver results of equal quality. In others, they may believe that a bilingual team member has the knowledge to handle the work, even if they aren’t formally trained in translation.

However, the reality can be very different. As a result, it’s wise to know when it’s time to move forward and hire a translator for your translation needs. If you aren’t sure when those moments are, here’s what you need to know.

 

When Should You Hire a Translator?

You Need a Certified Translation

In some cases, providing a translation isn’t enough. Instead, that translation must be certified to meet specific legal or compliance standards. Otherwise, the document isn’t accepted.

In these cases, using a professional translation service is essential. By doing so, you’ll get the proper supporting documentation to certify that the translation is accurate. As a result, it’ll be accepted by the agency or authority requesting the documents, ensuring you’re in alignment with laws and meeting any compliance standards. 

 

No One on Your Team Is Fluent in Both Languages

If you don’t have a bilingual employee, using anything but a professional translator to handle translations is unwise. Essentially, you don’t have anyone available in-house who can review a translation for accuracy.

As a result, relying on alternatives like machine translations is unwise. Overall, options like Google Translate aren’t completely accurate. For example, when medical discharge instructions were examined, Google Translate only had an accuracy rate of about 90 percent for Spanish. For Armenian, it was just 55 percent accurate.

Without a bilingual team member, you won’t be able to identify potential mistakes, causing you to move forward with translations that aren’t actually accurate. Depending on the kind of document involved, that could lead to significant issues and, for medical relating instruction, the results could be fatal.

By going with a translator instead, you can ensure accuracy even if no one on your staff can review the information.

 

You’ve Discovered an Error in a Previous Translation

Learning about a translation error after the fact isn’t ideal, but it isn’t uncommon either. If you rely on services like Google Translate or a bilingual employee and aren’t personally fluent in both languages, you may assume that the resulting translation is correct. However, once you start providing the materials to others, you may find out from someone who is fluent that there are mistakes in the translation.

If you use other mechanisms to translate documents and you discover an error, it’s time to hire a professional translator. While a mistake could be a one-off, it’s also possible that other translated materials also contain inaccuracies. As a result, it’s best to have all of the materials reviewed by a trained and experienced translator, ensuring errors are corrected swiftly.

 

You’re Translating a Large Number of Documents

If you have a large number of documents that need translating, working with a professional is the efficient, cost-effective approach. You’ll get consistent results across the entire project, something that may be vital if all of the material is part of a single resource.

Additionally, you won’t have to dedicate internal employees to the project, allowing them to focus on other functional areas instead. As a result, overall productivity will be higher.

Finally, you’ll often spend less by working with a professional in comparison to what you’d pay out in employee salaries. That means the work will get done correctly, and you’ll capture a cost-savings, making it a win-win.

 

Are You Ready to Find a Reliable, Professional Translator?

Hiring a translator is a big decision, so it’s understandable that you want to choose a language services provider you can trust. If you’ve decided that now is the right time to move forward, Acutrans can help.

The Acutrans team provides top-notch certified document translations quickly. Along with general translations, Acutrans offers specialty services in areas like medical, legal, and technical, ensuring your translator has the right expertise for your specific niche.

Acutrans also provides post-editing machine translation services, allowing you to ensure the accuracy of machine translations. Plus, localization services are available, allowing you to target the content to a specific locale or unique audience.

If you’re looking for an experienced, reliable interpreter, Acutrans has you covered here, as well. Acutrans offers on-site, video remote, and over-the-phone interpretation services in 200 languages, allowing our team to cover any possible need.

For a language services provider that you can count on, Acutrans is here. Contact us for a free quote today.