A translation agency or a freelance translator?

[exciteseo]

When seeking for translation services, would you rather hire a translation agency or a freelance translator?

 

[Newchodge]

Agency. Why are you advertising an illegal service?

 

[exciteseo]

This isn't advertising. I asked for advice.
I heard many different things. I'm curious about the experience of others.

 

[Newchodge]

The sentence below the line is advertising. And I, personally, find it offensive.

 

[exciteseo]

I didn't have this in mind.
Can someone advise the agency?
I need a translation from English to French and from English to Spanish.

 

[TotalWebSolutions]

One of our clients does translation - Biznet Services. Use a professional company to do the translation for accuracy and guarantee if you want a professional translation.

 

[CurtisSweeney]

Be careful with your choice.
Here are some factors to consider when choosing an agency:

• A Low-Quality Website
• Bad Grammar/Composition
• Generic Testimonials/Feedback
• Pricing That Is Outside Normal Boundaries
• Poor or No Reviews

 

[Rafael Mediator]

Try dictate2us https://www.dictate2us.com/

 

[webgeek]

Global Voices in Stirling - they have translators for everything under the sun.

 

[Sorodo]

Yes, Global Services are good. They have a sound reputation and produce work for the UK government amongst lots of corporate and smaller clients...could be worth asking them.

 

[TomJ83]

If I was looking for professional translation services I would prefer a translation agency over a freelance translator. I would also look if they have the necessary credentials. They should be qualified translators. Otherwise I cannot be sure about the accuracy of the translation.

 

[webgeek]

Funny, most translation agencies are a collection of freelance translators

 

[Newchodge]

Funny, most translation agencies are a collection of freelance translators

True, but the agency takes responsibility for their work. That is the main and most important difference. A professional agency will require that its translators are also professional.

 

[webgeek]

Good point - very true that!

 

[CurtisSweeney]

True, but the agency takes responsibility for their work. That is the main and most important difference. A professional agency will require that its translators are also professional.

Point well taken!

 

[Ashley_Price]

I would suggest Vandu Language Services. I have known the owner for years and they are often used for translation and interpreting by the courts, legal firms, police, etc.

 

[serendipitybusiness]

I prefer to go with a freelancer directly, you have to be more flexible but I like to get a feel for who I am hiring and test them to see how good they are. Once tested you know you have consistency. I am wary of agencies as you never know who is at the end actually doing the translation and localisation. I may be wrong but I worry that you could have a good translator for one piece and then a bad translator for the next.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

I spoke to someone who was a translation agent a couple of months back. He said that his first job was to translate the English text into readable English.

 

[effie9]

I think translation agency is a better choice. Usually, they are more reliable but I would try to find the freelancer among the network. Maybe check with your network of friends regarding the freelancers.

 

[Ashley_Price]

If you want to use a freelancer, make sure their native language is the one you want the document translated into.

No matter how experienced people are with a second language there are likely to still be nuances that they don't understand. I have a German friend who lived for many years in America, her command of English is "excellent" (in fact, when she speaks English in Germany, her accent is such that fellow Germans believes she is American)... but there are still terms or words she doesn't understand. I told her I used to do juggling in Covent Garden when I was in my teens - she didn't know what juggling was.

 

[johndaniels1824]

When seeking for translation services, would you rather hire a translation agency or a freelance translator?

Hi exciteseo! I think you should seek translation services from a translation agency rather than a freelance translator because agencies have their strict quality guidelines to follow. One agency that I think can help you is Lexcode.

 

[The Byre]

If you want to use a freelancer, make sure their native language is the one you want the document translated into.

This!

I am possibly the only truly bilingual person here and in the distant past, I translated technical stuff in the fields of electrical and IT engineering and I can go in both directions (or dyslexic in both languages!) If you go to an good agency, they will farm your stuff out to a suitable freelancer who may or may not have a formal qualification as a translator, but the copy will be checked over by someone who does and is a native speaker of that language.

As for not knowing the word 'juggling' - the German word comes from the circus and is the same (almost) as the French word and gives us the German word Jonglieren.

 

[Martins-Adwords-Solutions]

It depends on what you'd like to translate. Freelancers might be cheaper and it is easier to work with when tasks are smaller and more fragmented.

Also it is a good idea when looking for a better price to make a translation of your own (if one knows the language) and hire a native lecturer.