Translation is a booming and often misunderstood service in today’s world. Many view it as a location-bound service, and often search for it as such. However, while there are times that it is important to find a translation agency near you, there are also measures agencies take to ensure that you can receive translation anywhere – alleviating the common worry of ” I need to find translation services near me “. Here we outline 4 of them…
How Translation Agencies Take Care of Local Translation Concerns, And Make Global, Local
Although the world is getting more and more global every day, and the need for professional translation continues to grow, it remains a service that isn’t fully understood. This is especially true if someone is looking into translation services for the first time. There are a few common questions when someone first encounters the need for translation, such as:
“Spanish translation…our employee in accounting speaks Spanish, can she can help us out?”
“There’s no need for professional translation, can’t I just put it through one of the free online translators that are available?”
“I need help translating these company documents for our Boston office, should I be looking for translation services near me, or does that matter?
In other words, there are a lot of questions…
While all of these are valid reactions, and each have certain pros and cons, the focus of this article will be on the common “ should I only be looking for translation services near me ” concern that we often address with clients. There are a few instances where say, local Boston translation services may matter (or that of any city); however, generally the consensus is that if you are working with a professional translation agency, you need not spend too much time thinking “I need to find translation services near me” as your translation agency has already taken care of that for you – here’s how:
4 Ways Your Translation Agency Has Already Alleviated the Concern of “ Finding Translation Services Near Me ”
1. A professional translation agency will have a network of translators and interpreters that extends nationally, and internationally.
Part of the job of a professional translation agency is to build up a base of language vendors locally, nationally and internationally. This is because the specific needs of every translation project vary – one day you may be helping a local client, the next you may be helping someone in Venezuela. As such, a good translation agency will make sure they have contacts in as many places as they can, in order to provide their clients with the best translation services possible.
2. Thanks to integrated translation management systems, translation agencies can connect quickly with translators anywhere.
Technology has improved how people communicate across many different sectors – and the translation industry is no different. While a translation agency may not be located in a client’s state, they can still couple their expansive network with high-tech translation management systems that allow them to easily find and connect with the right translator for your project who may be in your state.
This same technology enables client’s with rare target languages to still get the services they need. While a local translator might seem like a good idea, sometimes it just isn’t possible to find a professional near you if the language you are looking for doesn’t have a large base in your town, city or even state. However, translation management systems allow translation agencies to quickly locate a professional somewhere else who is a good fit for your project.
3. Integrated translation management systems also make the need to come to a physical location to get translation services obsolete.
Along with making communication easier, technology is able to make many processes that used to be time consuming convenient – such as going to a physical location to obtain translation services. These days all you have to do is upload your documents to a client portal provided by the translation agency, or even fax or email the documents to them. In the instances where documents contain sensitive or confidential information, client portals are secure, and non-disclosure agreements are commonly signed to ensure security.
4. Professional translation agencies are aware of when a native speaker of your target language, local to your market, is right for your project.
Local translators aren’t always necessary, as stated before; however, there are a few instances where the project details are so specific to the geographic market you’re in (or that you are targeting) that you need a translator who is local. This situation can be common to localization projects – for example: say you own a New York business that needs to translate and localize materials for Chinese clients. However you know that the Chinese culture in Brooklyn where you’re doing business varies slightly from that of the Chinese culture in say Boston or even Hong Kong. In this instance, in order to connect on a more personal level with your market base, you might want to opt for a Chinese translator who has lived in that area of New York, and who is familiar with the specific nuances of the Chinese population that lives there.
The same idea can be applied in the opposite sense for materials you may want to localize internationally – pretend instead you are looking to translate and localize your Chinese materials for a client base in Hong Kong. If you choose a native Chinese speaker who happened to move from Hong Kong to New York when they were young, and who has not returned recently (or at all), he or she may not be fully aware of the changes that have gone on culturally and linguistically in the time he or she has spent away.
Localization is a tricky project, and almost always requires the help of a translation agency in order to choose the translators who are best fit to handle your project’s specific needs. Sometimes it is difficult to decide whether or not a local translator is needed for your project – luckily translation agencies are adept at analyzing different situations – to come up with appropriate linguistic solutions, and to fully answer your question “ do I need translation services near me for this localization project? ”
So I Don’t Always Need To Look for Translation Services Near Me?
Simply put: no! One of the best parts about working in the international market, as translation agencies do, is that those companies by default are international as well – a professional translation agency will be able to provide business translation services regardless of location. Even if your project requires a local translator, you may not need a local translation agency in order to find one – there’s a good chance that even if the translation agency is located in a different state, they’ll still be able to provide you with a qualified translator for your needs!
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
2001 Beacon Street, Suite 105,
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: +1-617-731-3510
Email: service@languageconnections.com
