A lot of companies employ in-house bilingual employees to create multilingual versions for their products. This is often done on a casual basis, with the employees being taken away from their regular duties to complete the work. While the usual motivation for taking this approach is to cut cost, the process is clearly flawed. Some of the more obvious issues are:
Being bilingual doesn’t qualify an employee as translator. Would you choose to have an employee review your critical marketing content solely on the basis that English is their mother tongue? You would be far more likely to hire an employee who’s proficient with the process of writing marketing material in English The same is true to creating copy in other languages.
Is it really more efficient to outsource a job that isn’t yours to an employee with different priorities, than it is to outsource the task? You can be sure that your employee is better off working within their own area of expertise. You might save on the expense of outsourcing, but have you calculated the hidden cost?
But there are bigger issues in addition to these. Languages are constantly evolving and changing rapidly. It’s not long before people who aren’t natives to be unable to grasp the latest vocabulary and style. New words appear, trend and become fashionable; new phrases develop new colloquialisms appear and fade away; words and phrases take on new meanings, or are discarded. It is easy to become out of touch with what is happening with your own language, especially in the event that you spend a majority of your time speaking or writing in a different.
The seven benefits of using in-country translators
All of these issues can be solved by hiring a professional to translate your content by a translation service that employs in-country translators. Such professional translation services will bring value and quality to your content, will help you cut down on time and costs on inefficient use of your internal resources; and help improve your profitability. Here are the seven major benefits of hiring translators in the country:
Good customer experience. Good customer experience is assured by providing the customer with content localised that is appropriate to the region. It’s not the situation if they are delivered with material that’s flawed and hard to comprehend. Only a translator from the country with experience relevant to the subject can offer the latter; anything else risks damaging your reputation.
A better employee experience. Better employee experience results when they are trusted to complete the tasks in which they were appointed. We’ve discussed before the disadvantages of employing an employee who is bilingual to translate the contents into their native language However, there are significant motivational dangers. It is likely that the job would fall far behind your employee’ s priorities and the added workload is likely to cause resentment.
Elimination of the attrition of language. First the phenomenon of language attrition is well-known issue among people who write and speak in their non-native language. In the end, the person is gradually unable to remember the language they used to speak. Like we said, languages change quickly and are fluid however, the individual is changing too. The knowledge of one language is influenced by the other and the two languages are essentially mixed. This is prevented completely by using an in-country translator.
Rapid and reliable delivery. The speedy and consistent delivery is guaranteed when you give your translation to professionals. This won’t happen if you attempt to do the work internally, and even if you do, the quality is likely to be at risk.
Expertise and professionalism. When you hire a professional translator in the country, not only will you get the assistance of a highly skilled professional adept at translation Your translator will also be an expert in the field who is knowledgeable of the field in which the translation work is directed. This includes being up-to-date with the terminology, the latest trends, and product features.
A well-organized workflow and documented quality control. Professional quality translations are a complex process that requires proper management along with quality monitoring. The workflow involves the editing, translation, and proofreading. Rigorous standards are required, for instance the translator must be native to the target language and be experienced in the particular field. Documented quality control must be maintained throughout the process Also, ensure that the agency is ISO9001 registered.
A highly efficient team you can count on. Efficient professional translation relies on teamwork, with each member of the team being qualified and experienced in their own field. Each project has a dedicated project manager who ensures that each aspect of the task is completed in time, on budget, and in accordance with the expectations of the client Communication with clients is essential in the process. The presence of a team of experts available will guarantee the success of your project.
A consistent message
If your translation is important to your company, relying on your in-house bilingual employees is an extremely risky gamble. Making a professional translation is a challenging job that requires a lot of resources. If you are translating into several languages, the issues are made more difficult and the chances of getting a consistent message are significantly diminished. The only way to solve this problem is to employ an experienced and professional translation company that has in-country translators, which is the reason that many large brands use this approach.
