Is there any way you can check the quality of a translator’s work?

The danger of errors not being discovered can harm your customers and even end up in product recalls. Your brand’s reputation could be ruined. Therefore, do your research and check the translation process prior to hiring a translator. Don’t hesitate to ask for references; you should also ask about their services and what is and isn’t included in the process. What guarantee will you receive that the translation will be high quality and accurate?

You Should Be Looking for Experience and Expertise

Just for a moment let’s forget about translator’s rates, and consider quality. Is there any way you can check the quality of a translator’s work? The best way is through the translator’s current clients, which means that your translator should be able to provide references and give you examples of their work in order to help you make the right decision. Plus, the translator you’re considering hiring should have recommendations on their LinkedIn profile or a feedback page on their website. What is the translator being praised for? Do they appear to have the quality you’re looking for? The next question to ask is whether the agency or translator concerned has subject-matter knowledge, expertise in your industry and experience. Asking these questions will either remove any uncertainties, or bring to light any red flags, and thus help you make a final decision.

Quality Is Not Necessarily Reflected in Samples

If you do ask for a translation sample, you shouldn’t put too much importance on it. A sample can certainly give you a fair indication of a particular translator’s skills, but their full capabilities will rarely show up in a sample. Providing quality translations is not a one-time event – it’s a process. Generally, samples are created without style guides, company glossaries, and other resources which assist translators in understanding a client's translation preferences around brand identity, messaging, and more.

Provide Your Translator with a Detailed Brief

In order to deliver a high-quality translation, your translator must be aware of the demographics of your target audience. They need to know who the translation will be addressing and what you expect from the translation. You should clearly outline your target audience/s, constraints in terms of space or layout, and distribution outlets.

Give Your Translator a Designated Contact Person

Designate a contact person for your translator: if there are any clarifications or questions the translator needs access to your contact person as soon as possible. This person must be available to answer questions, and they should be able to respond to emails and phone calls as quickly as possible. The translation process could well come to a standstill if either you or the designated contact person is not contactable, which could then lead to a substandard translation if the translator is required to guess the answers to their questions.

Allow for Expansion

Typically, translations require more words to communicate the same detail than the original document. This is known as the expansion factor, and it means that your original 300-word brochure could well turn into a 450-word brochure after translation. Apparently, when English is translated into Russian there’s roughly a 30%-word count increase, but on the other hand, some Asian languages use scripts that use less space than English.

Note Important Cultural, Religious and Legal Differences

Clearly show any religious, cultural or legal differences in your source document: it’s these important differences that your translator needs to be aware of to ensure they don’t accidentally produce offensive or illegal texts. An example of this is that the words ‘the best’ and ‘the highest level’ are prohibited in Chinese advertising.