How to Save Money on Translation Services
Investing in translation can be a daunting task for many companies, particularly when budgets are small. However, the return-on-investment for translation efforts has massive potential, especially for business expansion! We at TransGlobe International understand that although you may have your doubts, translation is affordable for all businesses. We’ve compiled our top tips on how to save money on translation services.
Evaluate Your Content
Within the translation industry, it’s standard to be charged by the word, rather than the project as a whole. This is why it’s essential to evaluate your content before sending it to your language service provider. Thus you can ensure you’re translating only essential text, keeping your costs down for the project at hand. There are a number of ways to do this. For example, target personas are one way to help keep text targeted and to the point. By defining your target personas, you can focus on their goals and eliminate any unnecessary data.
Determine Your Terminology
Though it is more time-consuming, it’s important to establish your required terminology early on in the translation process. This allows you to reduce costs due to less required revisions and improves the quality of the translation! You also benefit from a reduced price as these words are classified as repeatable, as opposed to new words.
Invest in Translation Memory
Once your terminology is established, you may also want to consider investing in Translation Memory (TM). It’s a widely used translation technology that allows translators to store translated text as segments. They can be drawn upon in the future to speed up translations, whilst ensuring the quality of the translated project. If you know you will be consistently availing of translation services, this is a worthwhile investment for your company. With that, every time you translate something, it is added to the TM to be used again in the future.
Turnaround Time
When deciding to translate, it’s a good idea to leave plenty of time for translation. This is particularly true if your budget is on the smaller side. When given a tighter deadline, language service providers often charge a premium rate due to the extra resources and manpower required to complete a project in less than the average project completion time. By not allowing enough time for translation, the quality and consistency of your translation may suffer. Also, it may lead to an overall negative effect on the reputation and appearance of your company – counteracting your translation efforts entirely!
Centralize Your Translation Requirements
If you find an LSP that you trust with your projects, you can often make great savings! Not only does that mean you are assured that your translation projects are in good hands, but you are also benefitting from less internal management as you are consistently working with the same organisations.
There are many options available to companies who feel they may not have enough money to invest in translation and localize their content. At TransGlobe International, we are proud to offer our clients high-quality translations at an excellent price. To find our more, request your free quote or email us at hello@transglobeinternational.com.
