For many business owners, budgeting is top of mind at all times. No business can afford to spend more than it brings in, after all, and doing so can sometimes mean folding. There are a number of ways to cut costs on a daily basis — ordering fewer supplies and moving away from print/radio advertising (which can be costly) come to mind. One corner that should never be cut when trying to save a few dollars, however, is that of language translation.

Cheap translation services may seem appealing given the amount of money you’ll supposedly save by embracing them, but they’re often nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen. Here are a few reasons to avoid cheap translations, regardless of what your budget may be.

1. Poor Accuracy

If you’re looking to have business documents translated from one language to another, you need to do everything possible to ensure that things go smoothly. Accuracy is essential in this regard, and cheap translation services don’t always hit the nail on the head. Poor accuracy can result in translations that are not only useless but may even be offensive or dangerous in certain situations. Once they hit the public eye, recovery can be very difficult. This is why Language Translation, Inc has a 3-Step Quality Assurance process to ensure all documents undergo rigorous editing and reviewing before submission of the final product.

2. Lack of Customer Service

It’s often said that “you get what you pay for,” and this is quite often true of language translation agencies. When you hire an agency that offers its services for next to nothing, you can’t truly expect to end up with the best in customer service. Many of these agencies pay little attention to their clients and simply push out translations without any thought whatsoever, which can be extremely frustrating for the client. If you want great customer service, you’ll be much better off going with an agency that has a strong reputation.

3. No Consistency 

Consistency is key in any situation where translations will be needed on an ongoing basis. Many cheaper agencies employ inexperienced translators of varying capabilities, however, which means you’ll sometimes end up with errors and unprofessional language in your translated documents. When you put all the reasons together, you’re left with an outcome that won’t do your business any favors.