Is your language service provider no longer good enough for your requirements? Then perhaps it’s time to change. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; as it happens, we all outgrow our own shell, metaphorically speaking. Yet, this change comes with a challenge. How can you make the right choice? Hopefully, this article will help you figure it out.

Choosing the right language service provider

Research is vital to choosing the suitable alternative for your translation and localisation needs. To make your search easier and more focused, we have compiled a list of key aspects to consider when choosing your new language service provider.

1. Check out their offering
It’s easy to get lost in the ocean of language services out there. That’s why when choosing your next service provider, you must carefully review their offering. For example, do they offer machine translation, human translation, machine translation backed by human post-editing, or a combination of these services?

2. Quality
Quality is the measure of all things in translation services. It is, therefore, important to find out if the new provider is ISO certified. An ISO certification offers you the guarantee that the LSP adheres to strict quality standards and observe specific linguistic quality assurance (LQA) rules, style guides, and sometimes, compliance rules. Compliance is crucial if you wish to expand into new markets speaking other languages than yours and operating by different rules and regulations. Laser-focused compliance and legal translation services can effectively help you reach your localisation goals.

3. Understanding processes & workflows
Another essential factor in opting for one language service provider or another is understanding processes and workflows that your desired LSP(s) operates by.

Typically, client communication is handled by an account manager, who will be working closely with your team(s) to collate all the requisite information about the project and deliver it to the translator. Once the translation is completed, a reviser will review the translation against the source language material, your brand and style guides, ensuring consistency has been preserved accordingly.