Freelance translators or translation agencies?

• Published in Italian on LinkedIn on September 12, 2018

If you have on your desk a document to be translated you surely ask you this question. Who am I going to have the document translated by? Do I look for an agency or a freelance translator? And what if they do not deliver on time? Who costs less? And what if the work is not well done?

These questions, more than legitimate, actually apply not only in the field of translation. It is normal to want a reliable person who does a good job, delivers on time and possibly at little cost. But there’s no guarantee that agencies are better than freelance translators and vice versa. Both may be more or less reliable, professional and economical.

The question moves to another level and the question to ask, to orient oneself in the choice is: what do I need? Do I need a translation made in many languages and in a short time? Do I want to talk to a single person from beginning to end without having to re-explain everything each time? I have so many texts that I need translated in a uniform and homogeneous way and am willing to wait? Or do I prefer to have more than one translator speaking to a single person? These are the questions to ask before choosing who to look for.

In general (not always though), agencies guarantee translations into several languages at the same time and generally in a shorter time, with the possibility of delivering all the material to one person and then receive all the translations in the various languages required.

On the other hand, the freelance translator guarantees uniformity of style and the guarantee of dealing with a single person who is responsible for the entire translation process. However, delivery times may necessarily be longer and the languages in which the translator works are limited. As far as professionalism, reliability and prices are concerned, there is everything between agencies and freelance translators.

If you think about it, it's a bit like talking about fast-foods and exclusive restaurants. There is no one better than the other, beyond personal tastes, it depends on what I need at that moment. Sometimes I need a fast-food, if I want to eat something on the fly, generally knowing the type of menu they propose and spending the right amount. I know, however, that I won't have a waiter or dishes other than the menu that the fast food offers.

If instead I want to pamper myself or if I have to take a customer to lunch, I will choose a restaurant, with a menu maybe more limited but prepared with care and customizable and a waiter who is dedicated to me. Of course, I will probably spend more and if I don't know the restaurant I could have some surprises on the menu and the availability of the dishes.

To return to our translations, maybe the offer of a translation agency is broad in terms of specializations and working languages, but less flexible. The freelance translator, on the other hand, can work in a specific and personalized way on your requests (for delivery, flexibility, and perhaps due to corporate policy), but certainly does not translate into all the topics and languages of the world.

 After having done this type of reasoning you should have understood who you should look for. My main advice is, in both cases, to choose serious and precise professionals, to be sure that you have no surprises with the final work. Trade associations (both for agencies and for translators) can be a guarantee, but there are many translators and many agencies that do not belong to these associations and are excellent professionals anyway.

In any case, if you have any doubts, ask both of them, if you have any questions, you can contact me and I will explain how I work and if I can help you with your documents to be translated.