5 Tips for Partnering with a Translation Agency to Maximize Your Marketing Efforts

Translating your marketing content can have huge benefits for your company, especially if you have partnered with an agency that is well-suited for helping you meet your goals in foreign-language markets. Here are a few tips for working with a translation agency when it comes to maximizing your marketing campaign efforts:

Get to know your foreign-language audience

As important as this is in marketing in general, it’s just as important in translation of marketing materials. Where does the ideal audience live and work? What dialect do they speak? Do a little homework on the group you want to reach so that you can provide this information to the agency you choose for your project.

Consider localization as a whole, and not just translation

Whether your content will be in print, on your website or part of a social media outreach plan, localization encompasses more than the translation of a text to reach a specific population. It incorporates the entire concept of the message via the terminology, language, images, colors, etc. used to be relevant to the audience in a specific region or locale. Localization allows you to avoid promoting content that might be offensive in another culture so that you can truly sell your brand well to consumers.

Inquire about the translation team assigned to your project so you can feel confident about their output

The translators and proofreaders who handle your marketing content should specialize in the type of translation you require. You wouldn’t want a medical translator who is a native speaker of Chilean Spanish to translate your site’s digital brochures meant for customers in Mexico City. It is perfectly acceptable to ask your project manager about a translator’s credentials so that you can feel confident the work is in good hands.

Plan for your translation in advance and try to avoid last-minute requests

As soon as you know about the translation project and have the final document in hand, reach out to the translation agency so that the project manager can begin assembling the right team to handle your specific materials. Be up front about your preferred turn-around time on the project, but allow for adequate time for the team to translate your content accurately and professionally. If you wait too long to make a request, you may find yourself paying additional rush fees for the translation team to be able to handle your project in a shorter timeframe.

If you are pleased with the work, request the same translation team handle your next project if possible

If you are pleased with the work the agency has completed for you in the past for you, it is perfectly okay to ask that they utilize the same translators, editors and proofreaders that handled your previous projects. Agencies keep track of the teams it assigns for each project, and maintaining the same team to work on projects that require similar terminology and context is an additional way to help ensure consistency across your projects.