When you’re looking for a language service provider to translate your content into a language you’re not familiar with, it can be hard to gauge translation vendor quality.
After all, if you’re not a trained linguist who’s literate in the target language, you won’t be able to analyze the final product for linguistic or style errors. And you’ll probably have an even harder time comparing the final translation of one vendor with that of another vendor.
Clients seek out language service providers to do what they can’t: translate content from the language they speak into a language they don’t speak. But even if you can’t speak the target language, there are still ways to check the quality of your final product—you don’t have to blindly assume that one vendor is the best one for your project simply because they’re more familiar with the target language than you are.
Though it may be difficult—especially if you’re new to purchasing language services—you can indeed evaluate translation vendor quality using means other than language knowledge. Here, we’ve identified seven ways that clients can evaluate the quality of translations you’ve commissioned from a language service provider.
1. Know How the Translation Process Works
If you’ve identified a handful of different translation vendors that you could potentially work with, one way to sort out high quality vendors is to ask about the steps of their translation process.
Each provider has their own way of doing things. Typically, they’ll start with a basic translation—either conducted by a human translator, a machine translation tool or both. Many providers will follow this with an editing step, and even a proofreading step (this process is typically referred to as TEP, short for “translation, editing, and proofreading”).
To make sure that you’re avoiding any misspellings and stylistic or cultural errors, these last two steps are especially important ways to assure a high-quality translation. Be sure to ask what steps are included in the agency’s standard pricing and what are add-ons. There may be additional steps offered at a slightly higher price point, so keep these things in mind as you compare vendors.
Did you know: At Avantpage, we use the traditional TEP process, but have added two additional quality check steps at no added cost.
2. Look for Quality Certifications
Like many other industries, the language services industry has several certifying bodies that evaluate a company’s overall quality. When researching language service providers, check if they advertise their certifications on their website. The American Translators’ Association is well-recognized for their certifications of individual translators and linguists, while the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has several certifications relevant to the language industry, such as ISO 17100 Translation Services and ISO 9001 Quality Systems Management.
Did you know: Avantpage is certified in both the ISO 17100 Translation Services and ISO 9001 Quality Systems Management.
3. Ask About Internal Quality Assurance Processes
You’ll also want to ask your vendor about their internal quality assurance processes. By doing so, you’ll be able to ensure they have some set of systems in place to maintain translation quality. To start this conversation, you can ask the provider if they have an internally dedicated QA team. If they do, ask them how big the team is and what each person does.
A well-structured QA department indicates that the vendor has a robust system of checks and balances, reducing the likelihood of errors in your translations. Additionally, vendors with internal QA teams, especially those with in-house language experts, may offer cost savings compared to those relying on external freelancers. This level of detail reflects the vendor’s commitment to consistent, high-quality work.
Did you know: Avantpage has a dedicated QA department, with on-staff linguistic reviewers to manage quality control and pass savings on to you.
4. Read Reviews from Other Clients
Reviews from other clients can provide valuable insights into a vendor’s quality and reliability. Look for feedback on key factors like translation accuracy, adherence to deadlines, communication, and overall satisfaction.
Pay extra close attention to reviews or quotes from clients in similar industries to yours, especially if they have similar project types, as their experiences will be more relevant to your needs. If possible, reach out to past clients directly for more detailed feedback. Consistent positive reviews and high client retention rates are strong indicators that a vendor delivers dependable, high-quality work across projects.
Did you know: Avantpage shares regular client quotes on our LinkedIn page and on our client website page to help you see what our clients say about us.
5. Ask About Audit Compliance
Language service providers that work in highly regulated industries such as government, life sciences, and healthcare, often have to complete audits for their clients. In doing this work, language service providers are able to document the quality of their work for clients that must comply with the strict regulations of their industry.
By asking about their history of audit compliance, you can get a better feel for the provider’s commitment to quality—strong compliance with audits may be indicative of a higher-than-average level of quality.
Did you know: Avantpage works annually with many clients to conduct compliance audits so they can adequately meet and report to overseeing organizations.
6. Check Your Provider’s Work History
Look into how long your potential providers have been working in the language service industry. The longer a company’s been around, the more likely they are to have established themselves as a high-quality provider.
Additionally, look at the different lineup of clients they’ve worked with—if they’ve worked with high-profile clients in your industry (and maintained a long working relationship with them), they’re likely to be a good fit for your needs. Many agencies will provide case studies on their website or on request—these can provide you with valuable information about their clients and their professional relationships. If one case study strikes you as particularly interesting, you can also ask the vendor for more information about it to learn a bit more.
You may also like: our Avantpage Case Studies page showcases the work our partners do to meet language access.
7. Ask About Internal Checks and Balances
Lastly, you’ll want to ask what additional checks and balances the vendor uses to maintain their translation quality. Ask them if they conduct regular quality tests on translations, as well as design and formatting if they’re relevant to your project. If they do, be sure to ask how often they conduct these checks, as well as how thorough these tests are. These tests can come in many different forms: internal assessments, surveys of project-level satisfaction, annual customer surveys, and more.
Language service providers with structured processes for internal quality review and testing are more likely to demonstrate a commitment to accountability and continuous improvement. When you work with a vendor that employs a thorough set of checks and balances, you can rest easy knowing that quality is a top priority for them, as these measures help ensure that translations meet a consistent standard of quality, regardless of the project size or complexity.
Did you know: Avantpage conducts regular surveys to get feedback from clients, and we have rigorous quality testing thresholds to hold ourselves accountable.
Summary
When you’re looking for language service providers to help you out with your next translation project, be sure to ask questions and do your research to make sure you’re getting the best quality possible. Though it can be a daunting task to evaluate a provider’s quality—especially if you’re not familiar with the target language—there are several steps a layperson can follow to assess a translation agency’s quality.
Here are seven that we’ve identified to help you out on your search:
- Know how the agency’s translation process works and what steps are included as add-ons or as part of their standard pricing module.
- Look for any certifications they or their linguists might have.
- Ask them about their internal quality assurance practices.
- Look for reviews from previous clients, especially clients that work in your industry and have commissioned similar projects to you.
- If you’re in a highly regulated industry like government or medicine, ask your provider about their history of audit compliance for other clients.
- Check your provider’s work history to make sure that they’ve established long-lasting professional relationships with clients who have similar needs to you.
- Ask them about the quality assurance testing that they conduct.
If you’re looking for a high-quality language service provider to help you out with your next translation project, Avantpage has you covered. We’ve got more than two decades of experience providing translations to clients across a wide range of regulated industries—contact us today at [email protected] or (530) 750-2040 to learn more.
