Categories
Pricing
Translation services rates vary, based upon documents, types of translation services, deadlines, and languages. As well, agencies may charge by the word or by the hour. This is a complex category because it is difficult to judge reasonableness. As we worked on ratings in this category, we compared similar documents among services and the prices that customers paid. We also ordered the same document, with the same deadline, from each of the services we reviewed and compared the pricing. While this was the most difficult category to assess, we believe that customer opinions and our own experiences present a very fair picture.
It is our goal to be known for providing trusted translations reviews. And we are trusted because we have defined our criteria and ranking procedures, so as to stay consistent across all assessments. When we designate an agency as the best translation site, we know that a fully objective review process has resulted in that designation.
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Human Translation
Speed is relative. What one client considers urgent, another may not. What is considered to be fast translation services varies by clients. The key to our ratings in this category relates to clients receiving their ordered services according to their deadlines. Agencies that can take very urgent requests and fulfill them consistently rank well in this category. We placed urgent deadlines on our ordered work and added our experience to the rankings of other customers.
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Certified Translation
Some countries have certification requirements for translators; however, most don’t. There are a number of associations, though, that do certify translators based upon completion of their training programs. As well, many documents must be notarized. Translation services that are mindful of such things as the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) and that hold their translators to those standards rank well with us. Membership in other organizations, such as the ATA (American Translators Association) is also a plus. And, of course, proper notarization within the requirements of each target language country speak to professionalism. In the end, certified translation professional reviews come down to quality and compliance with what the industry considers appropriate.
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Translation Accuracy
Accurate language translation is a key component in evaluating the value of any translation agency. Especially with legal documents, contracts, and even with localization translations, there cannot be mistakes that lead to misunderstanding ambiguous interpretations, or cultural issues. Customers have the right to expect accurate translations, whether human, a mix of human and machine, or only machine. We relied on customer reviews and the accuracy of the translation order we placed with each of the agencies we reviewed. We had our completed orders reviewed by a target language expert of our own, to determine the level of accuracy.
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Customer Satisfaction
This can be subjective, of course, based upon each individual experience with a translation agency. On the other hand, the cumulative nature of customer comments and feedback do paint a general picture of the quality of an agency’s work. A rare disgruntled customer is rather normal for any enterprise that offers products and services to consumers. No matter how good they may be. But if a series of complaints and issues is found on review sites and social media, this is cause for concern. Another factor that figured into this rating was the responsiveness of the agency when there was a complaint or an issue. When customers indicated that the agency responded quickly and resolved the issue, we added that to the “positive column” of an agency.
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