Translation agency or freelancer: to make the right choice

There emerged a necessity of making a professional translation, and you try to figure out, whose services to avail yourself? Both professional translation agencies and freelancers, working on their own resources, promise high quality of their services. However, whom to prefer in order to get quality work and not regret your decision in the end?

Pros and cons of turning to a freelancer

A freelancer is a specialist who works independently and remotely. Many people choose this type of activity, because it has many advantages, and the main is the ability to perform work in comfortable conditions from anywhere in the world. An indisputable plus of turning to a freelance translator is rather low prices due to high competition. Although there are also disadvantages of such cooperation:

• Lack of agreement.

  The vast majority of freelancers do not conclude contracts with their clients. This means that you have to rely upon the translation performer’s honesty, not supported by documents. And if such an employee asks for an advance payment for the work, and then disappears, you will not even have anyone to voice your demands.

• Failure to meet deadlines.

  If a contract with a freelancer is not concluded, the translation period may increase. But what if the time is running out? In this case, you will either have to look for a new specialist, or believe and wait until the work is completed.

• Inability to be convinced of the qualifications and experience of a specialist.

  Not all freelancers working on the Internet provide reliable information about themselves. A person who graduated from a linguistic university, in fact, can turn out to be an amateur translator or a simple schoolchild with a “C” in a foreign language.

These shortcomings do not mean that you cannot turn to freelancers. Although it is worth remembering that when choosing a remote specialist for translation, you take part in a kind of a raffle. You will not be warned when and whether your order will be completed at all.

Subtle aspects of document translation

Document translation requires certain skills and experience. Apart from the perfect knowledge of foreign languages, the translator must comply with all the subtleties of the design of various types of documents, indicate the exact proper names and addresses, and be able to translate seals and stamps, and so on.

Another feature is that you cannot notarize documents that were translated remotely by a freelancer. That is why, if the organization for which you ordered the document translation asks you to confirm it by a notary, such translation will be a waste of money and time. If you still choose a “free” translator for cooperation, it is a good practice to clarify in advance whether it is necessary to be notarized.

Why is it better to give preference to a translation agency?

If the quality of the translator's work and the speed of its execution are your priority, it will be right to apply to a translation agency. The main advantages of doing this are as follows:

• You will not have to look for a professional translator for a long time, peel apart the candidates and doubt their professionalism, as if you decide to make use a freelancer’s services.
• The scope of work, deadlines and payment are documented, so you will have no reason to worry that the order will not be completed on time and the translator will disappear.
• The specialists of the translation agency have an impressive experience of working with technical, legal and other documentation; they are familiar with the unequivocal terminology and follow the rules of paperwork.
• All the agency translators have professional diplomas, which must be checked while notarizing the documents.

So whom would you choose: a professional translator or a freelance translator? It's up to you to decide. Nevertheless, before making decision, think that whether your documents are accepted in the department for which they are intended may depend on this choice. Is it worth the risk when a foreign trip, citizenship or employment in a prestigious foreign company are at stake? After all, turning to a freelancer with a dubious reputation because of some financial benefit can cross out the pleasant prospects that are ahead.