If you can think of the name of a company or business, you are probably thinking of one that works with translators. Translation is a big part of today’s everyday operations for many companies, in no small part because of the increasing globalization of the modern marketplace. With so many businesses operating in multiple countries and with teams spread across the globe, keeping communication smooth is of the highest priority.
Many large companies feel like the smartest business move concerning translation is to partner with an equally large language services agency. However, there are a lot of advantages to partnering with freelance or independent translators. Many business owners and managers don’t understand these benefits and end up losing out on potential savings of cost and stress, while also getting lower-quality finished products from the big companies they work with.
Check out just a few of these lesser-known reasons for partnering with a pro who works on a freelance basis:
Freelance Translators Aren’t Expecting a Consistent Workload
When you work with a big company, they will typically have you sign a contract. This may be a one-time thing, or it may involve a consistent promise of work over a longer period. The problem is, when you’re an individual or business who doesn’t have work to consistently commission their services for, you may pay more for on-demand service. Inconsistency in the workload is seen as a waste of a big company’s time and will cost you more in the long run as a result.
You won’t run into this problem with freelance translators. If you’re a media company, for example, and you only need translation services during the seasons when Japanese animation studios release new projects, you won’t have to pay Japanese translators all year long while you wait for those releases. You can pay for their services as needed, as often or as seldom as the need arises.
Hiring a Freelancer Means Only Paying for What You Need
As mentioned previously, working with a major translation company typically means being locked into a contract. Even if that’s just short term, there may be contract fees and additional costs associated with their services that do nothing to benefit you. If the company has numerous offices and many employees to manage, you may end up paying into the cost of their overhead expenses without ever knowing it, as this cost will be quietly rolled into the fees you’re being charged.
This doesn’t happen with freelancers. You pay for what you get—nothing more, nothing less. You can expect high-quality, professional service from your translation expert, but you can also expect not to pay above and beyond the price of the service you’re receiving. With no major overhead expenses to cover and nothing to charge for but the work itself, they won’t gouge you – and you can rest assured that every penny you spend it yielding results.
You Are More Likely to Find Specialty Skills with Freelancers
Typically, large translation companies offer straightforward translation services. This may include translation, editing, and proofreading, but are typically limited to these. If you want a specialty text translated – such as a medical or legal text – you might be out of luck!
When working with freelance translators, you can be sure that you will know upfront what kind of translation they offer and whether they can handle the job you have in mind. Many freelance translators advertise this as part of their listings, so you can choose who you work with based on the services they offer. If you go through one of several website platforms designed to match corporate clients with skilled translators based on these factors, it’s even easier to find what you need.
You Can Only Get Personalized Service with Personal Interaction
It may sound obvious, but big companies can’t offer one-on-one, personalized service the same way a freelancer can. Why does that matter? Because when you work with freelance Japanese translators, you get a range of personalized services that you can’t get if you’re handing your translation task over to a corporate talent pool.
First, you have direct access to the person who is working on your project. You can address concerns and ask questions, all while knowing that these will directly impact the finished product.
Second, you can offer feedback and see it taken and applied in real-time. This is rarely possible in large companies, since the person you speak to may not even know who the person translating your task even was, let alone how to get in touch with them.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, you have complete control over the process. When you have direct input on what’s happening during the entire translation task, you have more control. This yields greater accuracy, more cultural consideration and sensitivity, and a superior finished product that you simply can’t get any other way.
