Blog Archive

When searching for a suitable provider of translation services, many companies announce a tender in the hope of choosing the fastest, cheapest, and most competent agency. At first glance this seems like a good way to do things — you collect the necessary information about all the agencies, compare it, and choose the one you deem […]

If you have ever needed a professional translation, most likely you have already asked this question. In this case, people usually hire a translation agency. But their services are not cheap. Or perhaps it is better to hire independent translators, and save money? The answer is yes, you can indeed save money. We will even […]

The first cry from the editor was aimed at wannabe translators, people planning to take up translation professionally. The present cry, if we can call it that, is directed more at editors. Although it’s unlikely editors will discover anything entirely new in this article — they’re more likely just to give a knowing smile. * * * The most […]

Plenty of companies get clients who will start from the assumption that simply presenting a potential job — particularly a big one — gives them sufficient grounds to ask for a discount. They lean on their potential contractor in negotiations, ask for concessions, and very often get them. But when a client applies this same tactic to […]

We have written before about why a lot of agencies will ask you to complete a test assignment, and why you can’t hold it against them. If you are taking a translation test, here’s some unhelpful advice from the editor who is always marking applicants’ test translations. My mom says I’m a great translator — the editor is […]

The Internet is teeming with guidelines regarding skills translators must possess to be considered good. As a rule, they all mention the same qualities: perfect proficiency in foreign languages and flawless mastery of the native one, ability to “sense” linguistic subtleties, integration with the language environment, extensive vocabulary, advanced computer skills, etc. Hence, the natural question: if […]

Not only do you, some of your friends, and your brother Alex consider yourselves to be translators, but so does just about anyone else who has ever studied a language. But getting a degree is just theory. When that theory comes into contact with how language is used, this can result in countless mistakes, misunderstandings, […]

When purchasing goods or ordering a service, we expect them to meet our expectations. But you don’t always get what you pay for, and that is especially the case if you can’t check what you’re buying in advance. Translation services are no exception: you can contact a translation agency with a good reputation and recommendations […]

Technological development allows us an ever-greater degree of freedom From a communications channel, the Internet has become a medium for storing and processing information, while increasing network capacity and improvements to hardware and virtual technologies have made widespread access to cloud computing possible. The cloud enables not only access to information from anywhere in the […]

This article provides step-by-step instructions for clients looking for translation services who may be outside their expertise and thus don’t know how to find a competent service provider. We outline some of the simplest steps that can be taken to minimize the likelihood of choosing an unreliable translation agency. Agencies use similar procedures when working […]