Karolina Sarul
By
October 07, 2022

3 Stages of Implementing Translation Services for Business

concept of implementing solution to business growth (1)As your company grows, the processes become more complex and you find yourself and your team having more and more work. Now, in the last quarter of 2022, it’s time to think about the plans and the budget for 2023. It’s also a great time to consider the implementation of translation and localization services for your business.

Adding internationalization to t pool of responsibilities probably seems overwhelming. There are ways to implement professional translation and localization services in a much easier way than it could seem at first.

 

Consideration Stage

At this stage you and your team will probably not wonder if you need translation and localization services, but what you want to translate.

Knowing which content should be translated will help you decide on the services you need to choose. When you know what you want to translate, you’ll know which service to use. You can choose between standard translation, transcreation or machine translation. Do you need your content translated in a standard way or localized, adapted to the cultural and linguistic requirements of the market you want to enter? Or do you need it to be completely transformed by the transcreation process so that it reflects your marketing strategy and your message and at the same time it’s fully adjusted and compliant with the regional laws, language and culture?

 

CHECK LANGUAGE SERVICES

 

The next thing to consider would be the number of locations and languages you want to start with. Find out the trending languages, locations and regions for your specific industry and where it’s best to invest.

If you don’t know which markets and languages to choose or which services your company should use, talk to a professional translation company. They know the trends and processes inside out and they will be able to advise you on where you should aim your business at.

 

Research Stage

When you are at the research stage, you check not only the trends and the services or what type of content resonates best in the markets you’re interested in. It’s not only the audiences you have to research, as you always do when you prepare your marketing strategy.

It’s the translation companies that you need to research. You have so many options to choose from and they are all good. Assuming, we are talking about professional, experienced localization agencies which are well-established in the language translation industry.

To make sure you choose the right translation partner for your company, there are specific questions you need to ask.

Are they specialized in the industry your company represents?

Each industry has its own terminology, so does each company. The knowledge of your industry is crucial for every language service that you decide to go for. The quality is at stake here of course and so is the relevance of the message you are planning to convey. Your products will sell and will be used to their full potential if the manuals and the website are understandable and user-friendly. If your content is poorly translated, you will lose your customers very quickly. This is common knowledge these days, but still gets forgotten sometimes.

Does the translation company provide you with not only the service but also guidance and advice from the start until after the project finishes?

This is an important matter, as you do not have to be a translation and localization expert. You know your company, its plans, its strategy and products. You know the people behind your company’s growth. You don’t have to take additional burden of knowing everything about translation. You should have a partner for that.

A partner that has the processes, the resources, the knowledge, the tools and also the ability to guide you every step of the way and ensuring your success without you having to spend above your budget. Having such a partner will also ensure you able to fully focus on your responsibilities instead of worrying about an additional one.

And there are more questions to ask, when looking for the ideal language translation partner.

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

 

Implementation Stage

After you have decided on which content to translate, which languages to choose and with which translation company to collaborate on your international expansion, it’s time for real action.

 

  1. What you do first

You know what you need, and the translation professionals know how to make it happen.

In the beginning, it is important to clearly communicate your needs and expectations. Your translation partner should be able to address them at the beginning of the cooperation and present you with advice and guidance to set up a clear collaboration plan.

Do you need specific deadlines? They need to know it. Do you have terminology requirements or your own style guide? They will be more than happy to adhere to them. Do you need a certain tool to be used on your files, or you have your own client review process? Communicate it all at the beginning of your collaboration, to avoid wasting time in the next stages.

Your translation agency is there to listen to your points and address them, with your best interest in mind.

 

  1. What you should do next

If you have planned the internationalization of your company for some time now, you probably know that you save time when your files are localization-friendly. Have your team make sure that any content that is sent to the translation company is properly prepared. This way you save time as there will be no sending the files back and forth. Depending on the type of content, the preparation stages can differ. If you want to translate your software or your marketing content, it’s useful to ask your translation company for tips on how to speed the process right at the beginning.

Do you have to do anything else? No.

You just relax and let your translation agency take over. You know they will come back to you with anything they might need clarifying. After all, you have a dedicated project manager working on your translation needs and making sure the process is running smoothly.

 

  1. What happens after

After you communicate your expectations, the rules of collaboration are established and the project starts, you can focus on your main responsibilities and goals.

In the meantime, you will be receiving updates from your dedicated project manager. They will also inform you about the possibility of providing your own quality review if you have a client review process in place.

In such case, check if your translation agency offers any tools that enable you not only to check the changes implemented in terms of quality, but that also allows you to compare the quality of all your translation projects that you have with this company. Constant development on both sides is also a guarantee of further international success.

If you don’t have your own quality review process, don’t lose your sleep over it. You can either ask your translation agency for guidance on how to properly set it up and make sure you use the process to the fullest of its potential, or you can decide whether you need your own internal client review process. In making that decision, a professional translation services provider should also be able to help. Each company’s situation is unique and there’s no one scenario that fits them all.

A translation company worth its salt is able to recognize your company’s individual requirements and adjust their actions and their advice accordingly.

Thanks to the tools, time and process management, and the project managers dedicated to your needs, you gain precious time to plan and execute your internationalization strategy, outrunning your competition in the given market. You can focus on your goals and business strategy, plan the next steps and new products. You can watch your company grow in new markets.

Does it still seem overwhelming?