A translator may wonder if there are more merits to working with direct clients than there are working with translation agencies.

The obvious answer to this question is that working for agencies is no better than working for direct clients, and working with direct clients is no better than working for an agency – they’re entirely different!

Perhaps it’s just a question of whether the grass is greener on the other side, and maybe it’s just common curiosity: a translator may wonder if there are more merits to working with direct clients than there are working with translation agencies.

Here’s our perception on this important subject.

The Advantages of Working with Translation Agencies

If the agency is well-managed and well-coordinated, your job as a translator is to simply translate. It’s not your job to explain the intricacies of translation to clients, such as why words are in a different order than they were in the original document, and so on. This can be a huge time-saver for the translator, but most importantly it will save you the stress of having to deal with the same questions and queries over and over. After fielding the same set of questions from each new private translation client you will soon come to realize what a time- and energy-saver it can be to already have your clients familiar with the process, allowing you to get straight to work.

If the agency is happy with your work, you’ll find that you’re kept pretty busy. You’ll probably never have to look for translation work because the work will continue arriving in your inbox. The freedom that comes from never having to compete for new clients will save you more time than you can possibly imagine. Once you're set up with a translation agency and work is arriving regularly, you’ll find that your working time is spent simply working, rather than looking for new clients, bidding on the work, and fielding their questions and concerns.

The agency will have an understanding of what you do, and know first-hand what the constraints of your job are. They’re never going to ask you whether you charge for the little words or if you could have 30,000 words translated three days from now! This will allow you to feel more professional and just get on with the task of translating, rather than defending yourself, your work and your profession against the same set of queries time and again.

The Disadvantages of Working for Translation Agencies

When working in the translation agency industry, a translator is only able to compete on quality up to a certain point. From the agency’s point of view, it’s in their interest to employ translators who are affordable and whose reliability and quality fit the agency’s standards.

To some extent, a translation agency may not be as loyal as a direct client. If you’re not available to handle a specific project within a reasonable amount of time, the agency will simply call the next translator on their list. On the other hand, a direct client will shuffle deadlines or even have their own staff work overtime in order to attract a translator whose work they really love. This can have its advantages, though, as the arrangements with an agency can leave you free to take time off without feeling that you're negatively impacting your client.

Some translation agencies are not transparent about their processes, and you may never know whether your work is being proofed by a speaker of the target language only, by another translator in your language pair, or not at all. It is simply a matter of speaking with your contact at the agency to make sure that you know what is expected and where your work will end up after you’ve submitted it.