Translation Services: Should you hire Professional Translators or Leverage Your Multilingual Employees?
International trade has expanded significantly in recent years, with current export levels more than 40 times larger than in the last century. That is simply one of many data points that emphasise the level of globalisation and international business in today’s economy.
With heightened globalisation comes a growing need for accurate communication across all languages. That is why accurate linguistic solutions are absolutely key. When it comes to making your operations accessible with translation services, businesses can generally choose between two main options: working directly with professional certified translation agencies or leveraging multilingual employees.
Since both options have compelling pros and cons, it can be difficult to choose. To help you with the translation process, this guide will tell you everything you need to know to make an informed decision.
Multilingual Employees as a Language Solution For Your Business
Most businesses prefer hiring multilingual employees because it seems like an easy solution for translation needs. They can be of value when it comes to quick and simple translations. However, you need to consider a few more factors before assigning the translation duty to one person. Here are the pros and cons of hiring multilingual employees as a language solution:
Pros
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Cost-Effectiveness
One of the assumed benefits of using multilingual employees for translations is cost-effectiveness. You will not need to hire external translators or pay for translation services.
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Accessibility
Multilingual employees are always available within the company. This can be very useful for time-sensitive tasks. You will not need to look for an external translator, and the employee can start work on translations right away.
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Familiarity with Company Culture
Multilingual employees already understand your company’s internal structure, which is a huge advantage. They understand the style, tone, and company jargon and have inside knowledge, which is useful.
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Subject Matter Expertise
In some cases, multilingual employees might have specific knowledge relevant to the content being translated. For example, an employee in the legal department who might able to bridge the gap based on their internal knowledge, but still this will be limited as opposed to an expert.
Cons
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Time Constraints
Multilingual employees often struggle to balance their regular job duties with translation tasks, which can cause delays.
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Lack of Translation Expertise
Without any formal training, their translations may lack accuracy or fail to capture subtle details in the original document.
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Potential for Cultural Insensitivity
Non-certified translators may be unaware of the target language’s cultural context. Their translations could even cause misunderstandings or harm the company’s reputation.
EXPERT’S TIP: What’s the difference between a translation memory and a translation glossary? Find out in our latest post here!
Professional Translators as a Language Solution For Your Business
On the other hand, you can work directly with a professional translation services agency for the most accurate, reliable and efficient results. They are trained experts with several skills up their sleeves. They are worth the investment when you need maximum accuracy or cultural fluency.
Here are the pros and cons of hiring professional translators:
Pros
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Expertise in Translation
Professional translators undergo extensive training to convey meaning accurately across languages. They are experts at translating complex ideas while preserving the nuances and meaning of the original content.
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Translation Specialisation
Many professional translators are experts and specialise in specific fields, like legal translations, medical translations or marketing and PR translations. That means they know all the correct terminology and thoroughly understand the subject details. For industries with specialised language, this can be a game-changer.
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Cultural Nuance and Fluency
One of the greatest strengths of professional translators is their ability to adapt content for different cultures. They understand the cultural details and sensitivities that non-certified translators tend to miss. If you want your translations to truly connect with your audience, these translators will make sure it feels natural and authentic.
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Quality and Consistency
Professional translators deliver high-quality translations with consistent style and terminology. If your business needs ongoing translation work, it’s best not to compromise on quality and hire a certified professional.
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Efficiency and Timeliness
Professional translators are used to working with strict deadlines and large volumes of content. That’s what they have been training for! Their experience allows them to work quickly while still delivering top-notch quality – perfect for time-sensitive projects.
Cons
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Cost
Hiring a professional translator or agency can be more expensive than using an internal employee. However, in any case, it is worth the investment.
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Need Time Getting Familiar with Glossary and Company Tone or Style
Professional translators may not know your company’s internal culture or branding in-depth. This means they may have some questions at the start of a project to ensure they become familiar with specific jargon, glossary and style of writing. Nonetheless, they have been trained to research and become familiar.
EXPERT’S TIP: Are you looking for an established translation company to work with? Take a look at our expert’s latest article about the 5 main factors to consider when choosing a new translation provider.
Choosing the Right Language Solution: A Comparative Analysis
When deciding between multilingual employees and professional translators, you must consider a few factors. Here’s a complete comparative analysis to help you make a better choice.
Translation Project Requirements
If you are dealing with any work, whether it’s legal documents, medical terms, or technical documents, a certified translation agency is the best option. You may think that a multilingual employee is better for more straightforward tasks, like emails or simple conversations. Still, it is best to leave it to qualified translators to help avoid issues in the future.
Budget
Professional translation services are moderately priced but can increase due to several factors. Generally, a translation agency will charge anywhere between £0.09 and £0.16 per word for translating a document, depending on the language. However, remember that translations are a lifelong investment, such as a website translation, where you order it once but most likely will use it for a long time. It is also worth noting that should you translate internally, and it goes wrong, there will be more costs involved.
Subject Matter Expertise
If your content requires industry-specific knowledge, you need a professional translation service. An expert translator who knows the correct terminology of that industry will be better suited than a multilingual employee.
Collaborative Language Solutions
In some but very few cases, a collaborative approach may offer the best of both worlds. Your multilingual employees can handle simpler translations or quick edits. Meanwhile, you can hire professional translators for more complex tasks. This hybrid solution can be both cost-effective and efficient.
About TS24 Translation Agency
Translation Services 24 (TS24) is the UK’s leading translation agency based in London with professional translators working in over 200 languages. We provide services to clients in all corporate and public industries and specialise in sector-specific linguistic solutions. With over a decade of experience in the industry, 15+ million words converted every year and 100,000+ projects completed, TS24 is a leading provider of expert translations and interpretation services and an officially certified member of the ATC. Contact TS24 here. You can also read all of our recent articles here.
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