If you manage a business and require translations There are three primary options: you could hire a full-time translation expert, work in a translation service or with a freelance translator. These options have their respective pros and cons that’s what we’re going to look at in this post.

While in essence, an in-house translator and translation agency accomplish the same things, they offer solutions for various needs and conditions. Many large companies make use of both. Companies can also ask freelance translators to help, but the downsides are the same as those of running an in-house translation department. Also, it will not always be possible to verify the quality absent an internal team member that can do so.

When should you choose an agency for translation?

There are at minimum four situations where an agency for translation is likely to be the best option. Let’s take a look at each separately:

It is necessary to translate and localise your website.

In general, a full-time translation specialist does not have the knowledge and experience to offer both services. As you’ve seen from our previous blog post, localisation is a more extensive process of translating that takes into account all non-textual and cultural elements of the text in addition to other linguistic issues. To properly localize the text you’ll need an experienced native speaker, and most importantly, one that lives in the target country. Given all that, if you’re looking to purchase marketing or website translation that require localisation the agency will usually be the best option.

You will require at least one additional language

A translator typically works with only two languages – your native (source) language and another, foreign, (target) one. In many cases, businesses need to translate the same text into a variety of different languages. This is particularly the case for marketing materials, such as information sheets for products, for instance. If you require product information sheets in more than three languages, it would be advised to work with an agency. Translation agencies operate in a variety of language pairs, so such an assignment will pose no issue for them.

You’d like to only pay for the work that’s been done

The translation service is a more affordable alternative. The cost is only for the translation, and the rest of the costs. You can end and begin your collaboration at any time , and you don’t need to cover insurance or other expenses that aren’t wage-related. It’s not so with an in-house translation service, however. If you’re looking to save money on translations, opt for a translation agency.

You have a lot of documents that must be translated in a short time

A single translator has two hands, one head and approximately 8 hours of working time. In the end, the amount of work they can complete each day is very limited. With a translation agency they are not bound by these limitations. Agencies work with many translators, so they can translate huge volumes of text in a short space of time, without affecting the quality.

When should you employ one who is full time?

Some companies decide to employ full-time translators. Why? Again, there are 3 different reasons:

You want to offer customers services in another language

If, for instance, you run an e-commerce business and wish to provide services to customers from different countries, you should offer them the opportunity to be in a position to communicate with them in their native language. In this case it is possible to engage a native-speaker of the language you wish to use and then train them for the customer support role. Alternately, you can hire an all-time translator and request them, as well as providing customer service support, but this isn’t a common solution.

You’re able to perform a steady amount of work per month

If your business requires the same number of translations per month, hiring a full-time professional translator may be a necessity. In such a scenario having a pay check every month could be cheaper than hiring a translation company. On the other hand, you have to consider the additional overhead expenses, for example, insurance and providing the translator with a fully equipped workstation.

It is essential to find a translator who is specialized in your field

In addition, translation companies typically have a wide range of niches and industries, and you will probably be able find one that’s specifically focused on your sector. But if you want to be absolutely certain that the person working with is knowledgeable about your field (and your company) inside out, it’s probably best to choose a full-time specialist that can dedicate all their time to the company they work for.