6 tips for choosing the perfect translation company (and a bonus tip)

Finding the perfect translation company is mission impossible.

It is, however, possible to find the right translation company for your business. It should go beyond mere linguistic translation exactitude, it should also consider experience in specific areas, or commitment to technological innovation, as well as flexibility, speed and reliability in responding to customer needs, among other factors. Below is a short six-point guide to help you find the right translation company to be your business partner.

1 – Check credentials and certifications:

Ensure that the company has the relevant accreditations, such as the ISO 17100 standard, which specifies and establishes requirements for translation processes, translator qualifications and other relevant aspects. Choosing a company that has this certification offers an additional guarantee of professionalism and quality.

A translation company, such as M21Global, certified by Bureau Veritas according to the ISO 17100 standard, guarantees not only the quality of the translations, but also the competence and adequate management of the entire translation process.

2 – Experience in your field of activity:

Choose a technical translation company with proven experience in the sector in which your business operates. Each industry has its own language, terminologies and nuances that need to be known, understood and applied correctly, ensuring the accuracy and relevance of technical translations. It is particularly important in areas such as medicine, law, engineering and computing, where the correct use of technical terminology can have significant implications.

A technical translation company, such as M21Global, has proven experience and knowledge in the technical areas in which it operates, guaranteeing translations that are not only linguistically accurate, but also reflect the technical and terminological rigour required.

3 – Implemented Review and Quality Control Process:

Look for a translation company that has implemented rigorous translation verification and review steps, using the “four-eyes” principle, in which a second translator reviews the work, ensuring the accuracy and suitability of the translations to the client’s needs. Cross-checking by a second translator helps identify and correct potential errors, ambiguities or linguistic inaccuracies, ensuring that the final translation is as correct as possible.

At M21Global we go one step further and add an additional pair of eyes: the post-review Quality Control stage, in which a third translator makes a final assessment, ensuring that the translation is faithful not only to the original content and context, but also to the client’s purposes.

4 – Use of translation assistance technology:

Check whether the translation company uses translation assistance tools, which allows it to maintain translation consistency and efficiency, reducing deadlines and costs.

These tools (CAT Tools – Computer-Assisted Translation Tools), store previously translated text segments and reuse glossary terms, allowing them to be utilised again in future projects. They also avoid the continuous retranslation of repeated sections of text, among other aspects, thereby ensuring terminological consistency and reducing the time and cost of subsequent translations.

At M21Global, we follow and lead in the highest industry standards. We use translation memories, specialised glossaries and translation assistance tools, supported by artificial intelligence. This integration of cutting-edge technology into our services allows us to maximize the efficiency and scale of our services, the benefits of which we pass on to our clients, in terms of the necessary investment and translation times.

5 – Customer service:

Good customer support, with a quick response to requests, is a sign of professionalism and commitment toward customer satisfaction, quickly responding to any queries, the need for adjustments or any urgent issues that may arise. Agile and efficient customer service reflects the company’s ability to proactively manage its resources, and ensure that the result is in line with the needs of its customers.

At M21Global, we strive to respond to all requests in less than 3 hours, ensuring that our clients’ needs are quickly answered and resolved within this timeframe, in order to guarantee their total satisfaction.

6 – Security and confidentiality:

Ensure that the translation company adopts strict policies to protect the confidentiality and security of your data, through the adoption of policies that use encryption and backup technologies for your data, secure data transfer protocols and the implementation of confidentiality agreements with your clients and collaborators (NDAs).

Na M21Global, adotamos uma abordagem rigorosa na proteção dos dados dos nossos clientes, realizando backups contínuos, tanto on-site como off-site, encriptados com o padrão AES-256, asseguramos a segurança na transmissão de dados com ligações SSL/TLS encriptadas de ponto a ponto, garantindo a máxima proteção durante o processo de transferência de informações e comprometemo-nos com a mais estrita confidencialidade, reforçada por NDAs assinados por todos os colaboradores e disponíveis para os nossos clientes.

Bonus Tip – Reviews, references and tests:

The bonus tip is sometimes overlooked, but it is essential in the process of choosing a translation company.

Exploring online reviews and asking for references are essential to getting a clear picture of a translation company’s reputation and customer satisfaction. Also don’t hesitate to request translation tests. It is crucial to check the company’s translation skills before trusting them with your projects.

At M21Global, we are proud to display our clients’ comments and the results of our ongoing evaluations on our website. We also offer free tests of up to 500 words. Choose the text and language pair you want, and we’ll be happy to demonstrate the quality of our services.

The careful selection of a translation company not only guarantees the quality of the translated work, but also ensures that the message is transmitted effectively and that it is technically correct, according to your area of activity and target audience, fundamental aspects in a globalised world.