How do you select translators for a project?

• How do I choose a good translation partner?
• How long does a translation take?
• How long does editing take?
• How should I submit my files for translation?
• What's the difference between a translation agency and a translation company?
• How do you calculate the cost of a translation?
• What's the difference between subtitling and translation?
• If translation and subtitling are so different, why do you offer both?
• What are the stages of the subtitling process?
• How do you select translators for a project?
• What do you need in order to subtitle my video?
• How do you calculate the cost of a subtitling project?
• What's the difference between subtitling and multilingual transcription?
• Do you accept draft versions of documents?
• Why do translations in certain languages cost more than others?
• Will the translated version be longer or shorter than the original document?
• Why do urgent translations cost more?
• When is my project considered and charged as 'urgent'?
• Do you charge for the translation of words like 'a', 'an', 'the' and 'it'?
• What is a certified translation?
• Do you offer certified translations?
• What's your recruitment process?
• Do you use non-native speakers?
• Do you use Translation Memory tools?
• Do you use Automated Translation?
• Do you offer Free Translation?
• Why do you offer both translation and subtitling?

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How do you select translators for a project?

We currently have more than 1200 translators on our database. They are based all over the world and have professional backgrounds in a wide variety of specialist fields. The most important factors we take into account when selecting a translator for your project are:

• Specialization: Many documents require translators with expert knowledge in the field. This is particularly true for medical, technical, legal and scientific translations.
• Test translation: All translators are asked to complete a test translation before we assign work to them. We don't pre-screen all translators with a standard test before they enter the database, rather we select suitable candidates on a project by project basis and send them a relevant test translation about the subject matter.
• Qualification: If a translator has a recognized translation qualification, that's great. However, we have experienced that not all qualified translators are necessarily better than those without qualifications. Therefore, translators who don't have a specific translation qualification might still be considered if they can provide references. We feel that if a translator does have a qualification, it shows commitment and dedication to the profession and we will take it into account, but it is not a pre-requisite for working with us.
• Experience: We'll select a translator with relevant professional translation experience in the subject field of your document. We will ask the translator to provide references from the employers with whom this work was carried out.
• References: We will need two references from previous employers, preferably in a related subject to the one we're recruiting for.
• Location: Where a translator is based is important for two reasons. Firstly, we prefer to work with translators who live in the country they translate for. For example, a native Dutch speaker who has lived and worked in an English speaking country and then moved back to the Netherlands. The reason is that translators who have lived away from their native language for a long time lose some of the cultural nuance of their target market. Secondly, if a translation is very urgent and it's nearly 6pm in London, it might make sense to select a translator from America who has just woken up.
• Flexibility & reliability: We keep a record of the translators we have worked with. We find it important to have a pleasant relationship with them and expect them to be flexible and reliable. If a translator delivers a translation late without advising us prior to the deadline, we do not work with them again. However, if a translator delivers an excellent result within the deadline, and is happy to make amendments to the translation after delivery, then we're likely to send more work their way. We have established excellent relationships with a number of translators in all languages.