How to choose
With so many translation services available online, picking the best can be a daunting task. Of course, you should limit your selection to services that we recommend. After all, we’ve done the leg work of investigating these services for you. This means we’ve weeded out the scams and rip off artists.
The truth is, even among reputable translation services, there are some that will be better for your specific tasks than others. Because of this, in addition to reading our trusted translations reviews, you should take the time to learn how to pick the best service to meet your needs.
Know Exactly What You Need
Take some time to make note of what you will need from your translation service. Will you need your documents certified? Are there criteria set by a government agency, for example, that the translator must need? How important is accuracy? Let’s say you are having some papers you found in your attic translated for a genealogy project. A slight irregularity in one or two words may not matter as long as the context is correct.
On the other hand, a translation mistake in any of the following could really be disastrous:
- Medication Instructions
- Engineering Specifications
- Legal Pleadings And Other Documents
- Contracts
- Safety Manuals And Instructions
In these cases, your focus should likely be on finding the most accurate translation website. In other instances, you may be able to focus more on price and speed. Keep in mind that the more you know, the better able you will be to instruct your translator when you do make a decision. Keep tabs on the number of documents, file formats, number of words, and other information. You will also receive a much more accurate quote.
Pricing is Important But Cheap Isn’t Always Better
We get that when purchasing any type of service, cost is always going to be a consideration. Nobody wants to pay more than they need to for anything. This includes translation and localization services. However, just like with anything else, paying the least amount of money possible rarely has good results.
Think about buying a mattress. There are stores that will sell you a mattress and box spring for less than a hundred dollars. Unfortunately, you’ll end up with a lumpy uncomfortable mess and back problems. There are cheap translation services as well, but when you get stuck in customs because your documents aren’t in order you won’t feel grateful that you saved a few bucks.
Ultimately the best site for translation will charge reasonable prices, but ask for enough money to attract educated and experienced translators. Do some price comparisons. If a translation firm is priced significantly below their competitors be very wary.
Speak to The Company Directly
Pick up the phone and dial the toll free number that’s likely on the translation service website. If talking on the phone isn’t your thing, send an email or open up a chat session. Sometimes interacting with a real person can give you a feel of whether or not a particular translation service is for you. Read reviews and do other research, but also trust your gut instinct.
Explore The Website
A good translation service website will be full of informative content. They should have clear policy pages that explain exactly how things work. In addition to this, it should be easy to place an order and easy to speak with a customer service rep. The best translation services we have found also publish blog posts and other noteworthy content. We think this adds up to a great website experience overall.
Count on Us!
If you haven’t read the reviews on our site, please take the time to do so. We have worked hard to provide accurate and detailed information so that you can make the best choice possible.
