The True Cost of a Free Translation

The True Cost of a Free Translation

What you will find lacking when your distributor translates your information.

     1.       Accuracy

     2.       Consistency

     3.       Ownership

     4.       Trust in expertise

     5.       Reliable turnaround

     6.       Realizable Goals in information

This is an exciting time for your company. You have found a market in a new region and the possibilities of building business there and beyond are not only exciting but scary as well. A distributor has offered to translate your information at little or no cost. Seems like an easy fix and fast start to entering a new region/culture/language right? Not necessarily, let’s look at some of the reasons you may not want to give up control to your distributor for translations. This information was compiled based on experiences that my clients have had with distributor translations.

The C.O.S.T of a distributor translating and controlling your content.

C-   Consistent message. Will your Brand be translated to best communicate your values, your company mission and product information. If you are working with your distributor, it is highly unlikely their primary mission is to translate professionally and accurately. In most cases, they are asking one of their employees to fit it into their already busy and chaotic schedule or farming it out to an poor quality resource.

O-  Ownership. If your distributor controls your translations, you have no ownership over the translated content. It is not your asset. Moving forward, as you grow and add materials, products, information you will not retain any of the translation memory. Every project is considered new. The consistency and accuracy is diminished and the costs will be increasing.

S-  Safety. Your distributor knows how to sell your product, but do they really know how it works? Do they understand how it operates, its potential risks and the safety features? If your distributor incorrectly translates your product information creating a problem and causing an accident, you are liable. Someone has been hurt, your company reputation is damaged, the   costs associated with this – product recall, lawsuits, fines, etc. could be huge. Having your distributor translate for you is like having your insurance agent fix your car.

T-   Trust in Expertise – your information needs a certain level of expertise in translation, linguistics, and specific industry knowledge. Your distributor does not have that level of expertise in the language. They are good at making connections and selling in that region. Will they have a 2^nd party proofread? Do they have a quality assurance process?

Reasons why you should always use a reliable Language Service Provider

 Happy Customers! 

Contracting a reliable Language Service Provider will ensure your information is accurate and consistent across product lines. Your language service provider will work as a team extension. They will provide A.C.T. advantages:

A-   Assurance – in accurate and consistent content. Assurance that your customers understand and are safe when using your products. Assurance in meeting your timeframe and deadlines.

     C-    Cost Savings – in the short-term there are more upfront costs to contracting a LSP. But, in the long-run you will see savings that can be very significant. All of your translated content is stored and reused so in future translations, you can benefit with saving the cost of what is already translated. The translations are your proprietary assets. What are they worth?

     T-    Time Savings – how much is your time worth? Often when a distributor translates for you, it takes 2-3 times longer. Is your distributor fitting in your translation and not working to build your business? Does this delay your entrance into the market? Are clients waiting for the safety manuals, operating manuals, product descriptions? You can eliminate this delay by working with a professional language service provider (LSP).

When someone offers to save you money and time it is very enticing. Looking at the short term and long term benefits can help you decide what is truly best for your company and brand. Before using a distributor for translations you need to ask who is translating your information, will that person always be the translator and do they really understand how the product works? What is their expertise in linguistics, translation, fluency in both languages? While cost is always a concern in a business, your reputation is hard to win back with poor translations. Starting out as a good solution in any language will make you a hero to all.

About the Author:

Linda Richardson is the President and owner of All Clear Translations, LLC. Using translations and localization they transform websites, software, technical manuals and marketing materials into all languages to help increase sales. Their unique process can include Plain English to help companies increase understanding and comprehension while reducing translation and production costs of manuals. Their audio voice-over technologies enable spoken and written communication in many languages. Email Linda at linda@allcleartranslations and visit their website http://www.allcleartranslations.com.