1. Cost
This is usually the first consideration as budget does matter.
Freelancer – Cheaper because it is usually a 1-man show with no other overheads other than themselves.
Agency – Pricier but it is worth the additional fees for added advantages.
Do note that most translation quotes are based on per word rates of the source content. In rarer situations where you have a lengthy scanned document and it is too time consuming to manually do the word count, the quote could be based on word count of the output (translated content). You can read more about this in our post on 5 Points to Note Before a Translation Project.
2. Time
It all boils down to deadlines. Large projects that need to meet deadlines will need an agency that has the resources to do so. We are talking about a ready pool of talents, team head count, speed, contingency plans, etc.
An agency would have screened the credentials and quality of the right linguists and have this pool of talents to pick from, meaning a shorter wait time to get the project started. And in that pool of talents, they would have had continual training to stay current with new industry technology and knowledge as well.
Agencies offer multiple language support, so it will save you time in project management if you have multiple languages to deal with instead of communicating with a freelancer for each language.
To hunt for quality freelancers, there are platforms such as Fiverr where you search through different criteria and read the reviews of each linguist. Screening takes time. As you are dealing with the person who is doing the actual work, this can speed up the project. Good freelancers are often booked ahead of time so do check to see if your deadline and their schedules work.
3. Size of Project / Resources
1 freelancer – one language
1 agency – multiple languages
Agency – 1 point of contact (project manager) for multiple languages
Freelancer – 1 point of contact for 1 language
For agencies, there would be tried and tested processes where they can manage their resources well based on deadlines. In the event of a delay, they will have the resources to play catchup. Freelancers on the other hand would have to be self-reliant in similar situations. If they have unexpected pressing matters to attend to, or may be under the weather, the client risks a missed deadline. An experienced freelancer would know to schedule projects with a buffer.
A million-word project is best suited for an agency that have the tools and team to support the lengthy project. There are industry tools (see point 6) to make sure common terms are consistently used and similar phrases are repeated. An agency can assign a larger team to larger projects and consistency can still be met with the aid of industry tools paired with fine-tuned processes.
Most agencies assign a 3-person team for each project; a translator who first does the first round of translation, then a reviewer to polish up the piece, followed by a linguistic quality assurance (LQA) for the final check. You can check out Lexallo’s triple-check procedure to have a better idea. A freelancer is often a one man show. Do check with your agency/translator on their processes.
If you have a short/moderate length document, a freelancer works well. Dealing with the freelancer directly can be efficient in communicating your requirements.
4. Reputation
It is important to do your due diligence to check the reputation of an agency or a freelancer. Ask around your contacts for referrals, read online reviews, testimonials, etc. Have some form of assurance of the vendor’s reputation.
5. Subject Matter Experts / Industry Specialisation
If you have a niche subject project (e.g., biomedical research report), you will need subject matter experts to translate for you. Meaning these linguists would have been practitioners in those fields or have had substantial experience translating in those fields. They would also have to be certified and qualified translators in your choice of language too.
An agency can pick from their pool of talents and assign the best fit for your project. For freelancers, you will have the find the right linguist for the project.
A client may have the need for marketing, legal, or technical translation and an agency can easily pick the right teams for each project while maintaining 1 point of contact for the client.
Check out Lexallo’s specialisations here.
6. Technology / Industry Tools
The software mentioned here are industry aid tools. Do not mistake this for Google Translate or Machine Translation.
High-volume projects require translation software e.g. CAT (Computer Assisted Translation), TMS (Translation Management System) or TM (Translation Memory) to help with quality assurance and speed. Some clients do use these tools themselves if they have large amount of translation to churn out. These tools often require licenses.
Freelancers may be well versed in multiple tools as well.
An experienced agency should have these range of tools, and are able to utilize this across the team members in real time on their own secure network.
We hope this post helps you kick start your translation project and identifying which vendor to work with. If you have any questions, please feel free to chat with us at hello@lexallo.com. If you have found this post informative, do subscribe to our e-newsletter for future posts.
