When Should You Change Your Translation Agency?

The process of selecting a suitable translation agency for your business is so long and challenging that once you find an agency that made you satisfied with a project, you tend to stick with them for a long time. The question is, is this a wise decision? Should you work with a translation agency for life or should you regularly change your translation vendors? The answers are not easy to find.

So in today’s post, we will discuss the pros and cons of keeping and changing the translation resources you have and find out when is the best time to change your translation agency.

Option 1: Stick with a translation agency

We agree that putting all your eggs in one basket is a risky decision. But everything has an exception. Working with a translation agency for life isn’t as bad as you think. It gives your business a secure and economical solution.

1. Remain the consistency

Each translator has different writing tones and styles. And these tones and styles become a part of your business’ brand. Changing translation agencies too often creates an inconsistent brand voice. This reason alone makes working with a translation agency for a long time a better choice for your business marketing strategy.

What’s more, when you commit to a long-term translation partner, both sides are familiar with the working process and styles of each other. Therefore, you don’t have to explain everything from scratch or answer the same questions about what you want or expect every time you have a translation project. This mutual understanding is likely to save your time and give you a more satisfying outcome.

2. Reduce costs

The costs of a translation project include the money you pay for your translation agency and the time you spend on the project. Most translation agencies calculate the price based on the number of words on source files.

With the help of the Translation Memory feature of CAT Tools, you don’t have to pay full price for repeated content. It means the content (a term, a sentence, or a paragraph) that was translated in previous projects is saved in the system and can be potentially reused for future ones. If your new files use the same terms or content, CAT Tools will automatically use the stored translations, saving translators from translating repeated content over and over again.

In short, the more translators translate, the bigger the translation memory is. Thus, the costs you pay for translation projects reduce over time. Working with a translation agency, your business can build up a database of translated content that is beneficial to your future translation projects.

Option 2: Change your translation agency regularly

One peak of changing translation partners is you have a chance to enjoy many introductory discounts that a long-term partner hardly ever offers. To attract new clients, many translation agencies apply exclusive discount programs for potential clients. This, of course, helps you cut down on translation costs.

Besides, when you are a potential or new client, the translation agency will show their best sides to you, aiming at convincing you to become a long-term partner. Your translation projects will receive the utmost service care and highest translation quality. This will be a big benefit for your company when working with a new translation vendor.

When should you change your translation agency?

The answer is up to you. Because in the end, your ultimate goals are to have the highest quality translations at the lowest costs. If you feel like your current translation agency provides translations with a gradual decrease in quality while the price is unchanged or even higher, you should consider finding a better one. Otherwise, keep working with your translation vendor now is a good choice.