Ordering a certified translation from a translation agency and ordering from a freelance friend are two significant differences. It is as if you will be buying wholesale or retail, buying in a supermarket or a tent near your home. Perhaps you will become the first buyer of an inexperienced student or an adult ex-professional who, after maternity experience, decided to return to a profession, the requirements that are growing every day. In this article, we’ll show you how you can save money and time for a certified translation.
Trusted Translation Agencies Have Experience
You can check a translation agency according to several simple criteria, such as reviews on the Internet (preferably with contacts and data of those who left the thought); Availability of a site convenient for your use, where you can easily find contact details, reviews, information about services; And the manner of communication and the professionalism of the consultant on the phone. You should feel the competence of the manager already at the initial phone call. Pay attention to how you were greeted, how you listened to your wishes, and how you answered questions.
A translation agency should have extensive experience in translating personal documents of citizens of different countries. They must provide: Certified and urgent translation within 24 hours, USCIS translation services; Notarization of translations, etc. By the way, the embassies and consulates of Canada, Great Britain, and the United States have not required any translation certification for a long time, at most – the certificate of a translation agency, which in most translation agencies is offered free of charge! This knowledge will allow you to save SIGNIFICANTLY on notary fees, which can go up to 50% of the order value.
Bring All The Documents at Once
Suppose you need to translate several documents, but not all of them are in your hands. In that case, please call the translation agency in advance and inform them about a potential order and ask if they will have time to translate and certify if you bring the documents on a specific date. It is more convenient for a translation agency to translate ten papers in 24 hours than ten copies received one per day.
Ask the Translation Agency for a Discount
Perhaps, of course, the dispatcher who accepts your order will not be able to make an independent decision on the amount of the discount, but he can always ask the head or a higher manager for such a decision.
In return, offer to leave an honest review, recommend to friends and acquaintances, and contact in the future. For a commercial organization that values and improves its reputation, your potential review, recommendation, and re-appeal is an excellent contribution to development, so your request will most likely be satisfied. The size of the discount can depend on various factors and range from “small, but nice” to “I didn’t expect you to be so generous.”
Pay Upon Completion of Translation
Beware of service representatives who demand 100% advance payment from you. If you leave the originals of the documents, what other guarantees are needed to the responsible executor that you will return and pay? None! If you apply online or leave copies of documents, more than 50% of the advance payment should not be required from you. If more is required, do not agree. In case of a translation error, an unscrupulous translation agency may ask you to pay an additional notary fee. Why should you pay for someone else’s mistakes?
Check if Translations are Archived
A conscientious translation agency will not charge you the total amount of payment when you re-apply for the same documents you have already applied for because it stores all translations in the archive. Accordingly, the labor costs for re-processing the translation will be less, and the payment should be less. If a translation agency does not store translations in an archive, it is either poorly organized or wants to earn more money from regular customers.
Final Word
Prices for translation in a translation agency in terms of price-quality-time-guarantee ratio are consistently lower than those of a private translator. This is due to the flow of translation requests, templates, experience, technical capabilities, and the struggle for reputation and customers.