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The million dollar question: an independent translator, or a translation agency?
If we are to be able to answer this question, we must first mention a few elementary points.
When looking for service providers who offer translation services – whether they are self-employed or working for an agency – people tend to go on making the same fundamental mistake.
Many clients suppose that translation is a service where one service
provider is just the same as another when it comes to quality.
So whenever they have a job that needs doing, they will contact a
number of translators or providers of linguistic services, and the one
that
offers the cheapest price gets the commission.
Because the translation is done by a different person in each case, the quality will fluctuate – and it is an appealing feature of the texts, too, that the terminology is inconsistent.
This state of affairs means that the client offers a tarnished image
to the outside world. As a result of the inconsistent terminology and
the varying styles of authorship, the overall picture presented lacks harmony.
The translation of texts, let it be said, is a very specialised and
individual
service.
So if you keep changing your translator or service provider, you can
hardly expect a constant level of quality.
This means that all prospective clients would be well advised to aim for a long-term relationship with the translator, or to foster the relationship they already have.
This way the translator has the opportunity of acquiring experience
in the course of the partnership, and this in turn results in better
quality texts.
Moreover, a long-term relationship gives the translator the opportunity
of acquiring a command of the terminology and a knowledge of the subject.
This simplifies all the working processes that are involved, and so
saves the client both time and money.
Important points when choosing a translator / translation agency
| - | The offer of translation services should be at a standard market price – when you come across what looks like a basement bargain, you may well be dubious about the quality. |
| - | Don't just look at the prices, aim to find real quality. Here a sample translation is useful – you can have it looked over by another translator, one the standard of whose work you can rely on. |
| - | You should go for a translator or translation office that is in the best position to meet your expectations. If you have a massive quantity of documents to translate or need a lot of fiddly backup services, a large agency is most likely to have the resources you require. |
| - | Try to cultivate a long-term relationship with good translators. Translators are individuals, and you should relate to them as individuals even when their services come to you through an agency. |
| - | Don't change your supplier more often than you can help, and when you have a lot of translation work to do, negotiate a long-term contract rather than working on a hand-to-mouth basis. |
Freelance translators
Acquiring the services of a freelance translator is without any doubt
the most direct approach.
The main problem here, though, is that freelancers are unlikely to
be qualified for more than one or two language combinations.
Clients would be advised to look at offers coming from freelancers
who claim qualifications in more than the standard one or two language pairs
with a sceptical eye. If a single translator may on occasion be found who
can handle jobs in several different languages, this is an extreme rarity.
Either he will be farming the texts out to others, or the quality you can
expect to receive will be inferior.
At all events the prospective client should ask the freelance translator
he is interested in for qualifications and/or references.
If in spite of the careful efforts of the translator his relationship
with the customer becomes fraught, it is to be hoped that he will have
a third-party liability insurance policy in place which can come up with
sufficient
cover, and foot the bill if he should be sued for damages.
In cases of doubt, depending on the order of magnitude of the job in
hand, it is worthwhile requesting to see evidence of the translator's
insurance.
If for example you want a report, a reference, a birth certificate
or the like translated, this can only be done on the basis of a 'certified
translation'.
This can only be done by someone who is entitled to call himself a
'qualified translator'.
Otherwise the translation will not be recognised as an official document.
If you need a certified translation, in case of doubt you should likewise
ask the translator to show his credentials.
On the whole, freelance translators are only an option for companies that have a manageable volume of documents to translate, or have an internal language services department. When working with a freelance translator you should make sure that he has a translation memory tool. The client should request the current memory data from the translator at all times, so that if he falls sick, the data can be passed on to another translator.
A final point that you need to take into consideration is the Künstlersozialkasse
[German Social Insurance Scheme for Artists].
When you employ freelance translators or a private limited company
(under the German legal forms of GbR or OHG for example) , the Künstlersozialkasse
comes knocking on the client's door – and it doesn't go away.
This is not the case with public limited companies (GmbH or AG) , which
make social security contributions directly and so do not impose any
additional burdens on the client's budget, apart from the cost of the
translation itself.
This is because translators are seen as artists by the Künstlersozialkasse,
and clients are therefore obliged to pay a certain percentage of the
value of the job to the artists' social security scheme.
In 2006 the percentage was 5.8% of the net cost. These contributions
also have to be paid to freelance translators who are not based in
Germany.
In such a case it is quite irrelevant where the freelancer is based – he
could be in Austria, Russia, Iran, Australia or Greenland.
Translation companies and agencies
Partnership with a translation company is particularly recommendable for companies that have copious texts to be translated into several different languages in a wide range of combinations.
Even major companies often lack an internal translation department, or do not have the resources that would enable them to cover all possible language combinations. In this case a translation company offers a useful alternative.
Translation companies generally appoint a project manager to look after the interests of the client. This person will manage the overall coordination of the project, including the commissioning of suitable internal or external translators.
He will also deal with the allocation of the backup work that needs to be done, in consultation with the client. This will generally include adaptation by the desktop publishing division, or working with the customer's advertising agency or printing company.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of working with a translation company
is that translations can be delivered in many different language combinations,
with a constant panel of translators available on call.
This saves the client
a lot of time that would otherwise need to be spent in looking for a qualified
service provider.
Moreover, as I suggested earlier, a translation company can offer more
than just translation – there is a whole range of additional services
they provide, ranging from project planning and consultancy to copywriting
and software localisation. They also offer desktop publishing, linguistic
scrutiny, the compilation of terminological listings, glossary services
and a whole lot more.
What is more, the client commissioning the translation will not face
additional costs in the form of social security contributions. In other
words, once the client has accepted the offer, the costs are perfectly
transparent.
When selecting a translation company, the client would be advised to
check – just as in the case of the freelance translator – that
the people who will be doing the work have the proper qualifications
and/or meaningful references in their favour.
You should also ask for written confirmation that a third-party liability
insurance policy has been taken out, with sufficient coverage for any
possibly resulting pecuniary damages.
When working with a translation company, clients should ensure – here
again – that a consistent terminology is observed.
And you would be well advised to insist to the company that the same
translators, as far as possible, shall be employed for the work.
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