Freelancer translators vs. translation agencies
While I am my company’s in-house translator, I am also our “in-house agency” for European languages. I am exclusively working with freelance translators. I am always wondering, if I just got extremely lucky with my translators or if that’s just the way it is.
My pros:
- I like to know I get the same translator every time
I guess that is one of the most important points and something you know if you are a translator and probably learned if you are working in the business long enough. I have worked with agencies before, and I have received varying quality even in the same field, which is unacceptable - I get better quality
It’s somewhat implied by the above bullet. IMHO, it’s a simple fact that repeat business increases the quality. Our translations are kinda sorta the same - about colors. I am sure a lot of things have to be looked up, but if everything goes to the same person - as they learn about our business, the value of their translation for us increases. - I get fast response and turn-around times
It is just nice to know that I can count on fast replies and that I can get small translations back fast - usually within a day for < 100 words and those one sentence translations are returned almost instantly. If not, I almost know they are not at their desk and will reply when they are back. Honestly, email is generally a very fast and reliable medium. Please don’t ask me to confirm every email - and that works both ways. I believe it is safe to assume that you receive my emails and I have received your emails - It is less formal
Usually, I can send out translations with just a couple of sentence. We need no purchase orders, I never need to specify dates (unless it is super urgent), formats, payment mode etc. I send an email with the file and the word count and if I know/care about, the desired return date. I don’t expect a reply unless it can’t be done within a reasonable amount of time (and “reasonable” depends on the size of the project) - I get bilingual files
Bilingual files allow me to have a TM which saves me money on translation work. I don’t think it is a problem since I always work with the same people, so I don’t have a TM created by dozens of different translators - It is cheaper
Of course it is, we are cutting out the middle man. I know that agencies offer services, but usually I don’t need those services - so why pay for them?
Interestingly, I believe that many of the things that are advantageous for me, are also advantageous to them:
- They deal with the same “PM” every time
They learn my style and they know what I expect and it saves them the time to set guidelines every time - They get fast response
Just as much as I appreciate a fast reply, they probably appreciate fast responses to their questions and inquiries the same - It is less formal
I am pretty sure this goes both ways - just as I hate to waste time, you can spend your time on better things that replying with the “Thank you for your inquiry. I appreciate your business and ….” - They don’t have to format files
When working with Trados and Word, Trados can do a horrible number on your files and the formatting. I often find I am spending hours on formatting files, so I believe I save money on “words”, and the translators can spend their time translating instead of fixing bad MS Word format. Since I just want the bilingual file back, that part is all taken care of on my end - It is faster (as in more words/hour)
Just as I get better and more consistent translation, it becomes easier to do translation in topics you know in-depth. Not having to research brandnew topics saves a lot of time. Yeah, it is interesting to learn new things but it is also nice to have a “safe haven”
What is your experience with in-house translators? Do you prefer working with agencies or in-house clients? Why? What are your expectations when working with a direct client vs. working with an agency?