It is of utmost importance to have a language service provider (LSP) if you want to penetrate into new markets and expand your business. However, it can be an uphill task to look for a partner that understands your strategic goals.
First of all, you have to know what these LSP’s are and what do they do, they are companies that not only provide translations but also localize your content while offering coaching solutions to your business. Having your content transformed by experts can be rewarding in terms of market growth and making your brand visible to the global audience. Here are a number of benefits that come with localization:
- Instills a sense of trust between business and its customers
- Builds a firm repute and increases your global reach
- Develops a long-lasting relationship
- Localized products and services decrease the overall cost
- Ensures consistency in your content when it comes to message delivery
How to Choose your LSP Partner?
It’s time to sit down with your team members to jot down ideas about the localization services you may require in the future. Keeping in view the requirements, you can set a criterion in order to find the right translation partner for your business. Here is a checklist of the most important things to look for in a translation provider:
1- Create a shortlist
One of the effective ways that you can follow while searching for the right LSP for your project is to some with a shortlist with all of your requirements. And mainly what you are looking for will be as below:
- The level of their expertise in the subject matter.
- Familiarity with industry and target market.
- Diversity in the number of languages they specialize in.
2- LSP’s qualifications
Now the question you need to ask yourself is if the chosen LSP has the right personnel to execute your localization strategies?
- Language Capabilities
It is vital to identify your language needs before partnering with an LSP and to search which LSP is providing translation and localization services according to your requirements. If your business requires only 2 to 3 languages, then you need to check a local LSP for each language or a specialized LSP for all of these languages. So we recommend that you should partner with a full-time translation provider in case you want to target more regions.
- Technical Capabilities
Nowadays, LSP’s provide more than just word to word translations; they help businesses grow by revamping the content according to the dynamic needs of the target market. For that purpose, highly efficient tools and resources are needed, so that they can assist you in redesigning multilingual videos and also help in transcription. Therefore, your best bet would be an LSP that can provide you all kinds of localization services under one roof. Here are some of the key technical aspects that you would need in the localization process:
- An easy-to-use translation management tool to keep track of translations
- Integration of technology with other hands-on services
- Information systems to communicate among stakeholders
3- Confidentiality
With technological advancement, hackers have also become dexterous. With security breaches making headlines on the front page of newspapers and on local news channels, LSP’s are bound to follow best practices when it comes to the security of your data. So, having a service provider on board that understands the confidentiality of data can be a deal-breaker in finding the right fit. So make sure you verify the efficiency of security checks through third-party certifications.
4- Request a Translation Test
Once you have shortlisted potential LSP’s, send them an official company document that contains abbreviations and industry-related jargons, to test their translation skills and how they stick to deadlines.
5- The translation process
It is essential to have a demonstrated process in place that starts with translations and ends with editing and proofreading. Moreover, you need to understand the translation mechanisms, whether the process is automated or manual. Plus, with efficient translation tools, a professional and a good team will be dedicated to customize the process according to the needs of the business.
6- Project management process
An efficient project management process will ensure smoothness and accuracy in the workflow and will relieve you of last-minute hassles. Moreover, you can save a lot of money because of the efficiency of the process, as the lag time is eliminated with the use of good project management tools.
Furthermore, to enhance the effectiveness of communication among stakeholders, a single point of contact may help manage your project better. The advantage of a single point of contact is that you may encounter fewer conflicts while increasing productivity.
7- Meeting deadlines
It is true that accurate translations take considerable amount; but with the help of efficient tools and resources, your LSP should be able to pull off bigger projects in a reasonable time. Make sure the quickness does not compromise the content quality.
8- Price
Do your research and see the average price for translation and localization services in your market segment. You need to always opt for a language service provider that is a one-stop solution for all of your localization services, as it can save you tons of money. Similarly, a company that works according to glossaries and guides can help you to save time and money while ensuring consistency in your content.
But then again, it is pertinent to pay your LSP the price they deserve as this encourages the team to work harder without shifting their focus on money matters.
9- Quality
Ultimately, it all comes down to the quality of the content. Therefore, bring in the professionals that are detail-oriented and qualified in the relevant language. Also, with continuous monitoring, you can add layers of quality in your content while keeping a track.
That’s exactly why we at Future Trans prioritize quality, precision and timeliness. All the time we are keen on committing to the ISO 17100 certification rules and procedures that provide accurate translations across the world. Having an experience of around 24 years, we have proven to be one of the top language service providers in the MENA region.
If you are looking to partner with a regional LSP who is trustworthy and can guarantee to deliver the highest quality for your translation and localization services, don’t hesitate to contact us NOW!
