When the time is at premium and the budget is best described as a shoe-string budget, one can be tempted to overlook the finer and smaller details of a contract in favor of finishing the project early. This strategy especially in the language translation services industry, unfortunately, often results in poor or inaccurate translations by firms that cut corners and simply ignore industry standards. One can visualizes what follows next– extra money, effort and time that one has to spend to have the work redone, in addition to loss of reputation and finally business and client.

So, in order to ensure that the translation services firm that one hires is the right one, one must understand the standard practices of the industry.  One must be ready to speak the language of the translation firm before one signs the dotted line on the contract.

We present some of the best recognized practices of leading language translation services in India:

1. No shortcuts. When it comes to translating from one native language to another one, there are numerous factors that can influence the outcome of the translation which include demographics, sociographic, and dialects. Professional firms conduct studies or form focus groups within certain regions and populations in order to understand these factors. If the translation services firm is not discussing about these factors in relation to the work, then they may be taking shortcuts.
2. It is a must to have Linguists. The fundamental differentiator between professional translation firms and the other run of the mill agencies are whether they employ bilingual translators or linguists or not. If one want ensure the best results, then one must hire a firm which uses linguists. These individuals must have studied foreign languages at certified institutions and have accreditations in linguistics.
3. It is a must to have a third pair of eyes. Although most leading translation services firms have two linguists working on one’s project, they should also have a third linguist working as a proofreader to ensure accuracy.
4. Excellence takes time. If one is going to pay someone to do your translation work, then one may as well only do it once. This level of quality takes time where the standard turnaround time can vary from two weeks to several months. When a firm tells that they can complete the project in an unrealistic time frame, it could mean they are cutting corners and quality is being compromised.

Even if one’s project has a tight deadline and strict budget, one can still get the professional results that the project deserves. By recognizing the standard practices of the language translation services industry, one can more easily filter out the firms that seem too good to be true.