We never simplify or skip the quality assurance process to speed up translation. Instead, our standard translation process requires Alternating TEP™ that most translation companies cannot guarantee. We have successfully streamlined business process and make collaborative translation possible.

Streamlined process

We automate the ordering process so that you may place an order in a few minutes. As soon as your order is accepted, our translators will be notified and start working on your project immediately. When the translation is finished, the files are packed and an email notification will be sent to you. All those non-translation tasks are done by system automatically and only take several minutes to finish. The saved time is to your benefit.

Collaborative translation

We always assign multiple translators for all your jobs. Where your source text includes multiple sentences, our unique technologies allow translators to keep translating and editing without waiting for each other. Translations by different translators are automatically merged. The quality is continuously improved, and the consistency is assured.

That's why we can bring better translation in a shorter turnaround!

After choosing the right translation service provider, you can still do something on your end to obtain even better translation quality.

1. Provide quality source

Source errors will delay progress. Ambiguous source text results in inaccurate translation. More importantly, the source text demonstrates your quality standard. Translators endeavor to make the translation quality match your expectation. The better the source you provide, the better the target you get. It's worth it to allocate a bit of time to improve the source text.

2. Manage the time

Time plays a very important role in translation quality. The more time you leave for translators, the better quality they can achieve. Be generous in setting the time limit when your schedule is not so tight. After all, you pay the translation fee by word count instead of hours. We recommend you have a look at our tips on timing your translation projects.

tips on timing your translation projects.

How to Get Your Translation in 24 Hours or Less without Paying Rush Fees

If you want to get your translation in 24 hours, please do not make any phone call or send any email to us. All you have to do is uploading your files and filling in the order form online. This is the fastest & easiest way to get your translation done in 24 hours.*

"Can I Get My Translation in 24 Hours?"

There are 71.9% possibilities you can get your translation in 24 hours, according to our past experiences with our clients. However we have to evaluate your source text (the text to translate) to be more accurate. Please click the right button to upload your files now. We will evaluate your files and let you know the turnaround time immediately.

"Can You Deliver It TODAY?"

Our quickest turnaround time is 20 hours. If you want to get your translation sooner, select Accelerated delivery option when you fill out the order form. We will speed up and deliver the translation to you as soon as it's done, before deadline. You may expect to receive the translation in a few hours, over night or even in the same day. There are no rush fee even you choose Accelerated delivery.

100% Money Back Guarantee

We are committed to meeting your deadlines. If we fail to deliver your translation on time, you get 100% of your money back. And you'll receive the finished portion of your translation for free. Upload your files to request a quote now. You will get your translation when you need it, guaranteed!

*Depending on the word count & languages

If you ever use a traditional translation agency, you know how slow the translation is. You place an order and can't get the translation until a few days or even weeks later, depending on the content, nature and volume. Why can't we get translation quickly?

Translation is just slow

Translation work is detail oriented and labor intensive. The faster a translator works the more mistakes s/he makes. It's a rule true for all translators, regardless of their knowledge, skills and capabilities. To ensure an acceptable quality level, the translators have to control the speed. The daily max words for a translator to put out usually range from 1,000 to 2,500 words, depending on the languages, nature of source and quality requirements.

Difficulty in collaboration

For translation projects of millions of words, assigning multiple translators to work on the different parts of source at the same time may speed up. However doing so brings inconsistency and requires additional editing. Also, a translator cannot start editing a section until all of its source text has been translated.

For small jobs it is even more difficult to assign multiple translators and get translating, editing, and proofreading tasks done by different people in an efficient manner. It requires much more time in planning, communicating and coordinating who will do what and when. Collaborative translation for a turnaround shorter than 3 days is virtually impossible without an advanced system like COT

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Inefficient business process

Last but not the least - a large amount of time is allocated for non-productive business process such as contacting the translators, negotiating for delivery terms, processing files, orders, invoices, and payment. If you leave three days for the translation agency, the time left for translators might be as less as one day.

For all the above reasons, translation is slow and translation services are even slower! So you might wonder why COT can translate faster while applying the Alternating TEP process? Please keep reading!

If you're comparing quotes from several translation providers, be aware the meaning of the word "translation service" may be totally different. It can be

1. A single round of translation (T-only translation).
2. Translating and editing (T&E translation).
3. Translating, editing, and proofreading (TEP translation).

They vary greatly not only in cost but also in quality. So when requesting quotes from a translation company or translation agency, first you should ask:

"What do you mean when you say translation?"

Many translation agencies offer translating only services. They will charge you additional fees for editing or proofreading. It is important to know if their offers include editing, proofreading, or both. Please remember on COT "translation" means translating, editing and proofreading (TEP) by default. If the provider answers TE or TEP, you may ask:

"Do you arrange more than one translator for TEP tasks?"

Arranging different translators to take different TEP tasks creates much better quality. Certainly doing so will cost more. It is important to clarify how many translators will be assigned: one or two. On COT we guarantee at least two translators are involved. Our statistics show that three or even more translators will be involved in the process. Finally, you shall ask:

"Can you verify the process?"

Not all translation agencies do as they promise. To ensure you get what you pay for, ask for the verification of the implementation of TEP process. We welcome your request: COT makes its translation process traceable and transparent. We will show you who does what and when for your projects.

Although we are sure you couldn't get better prices from our competitors, we still encourage you to do comparison shopping. The more you compare, the more you will understand COT's value. Here we would like to reveal some pitfalls that you may meet when comparing translation prices.

1. Pricing by page

Some translation agencies charge by "page". Page as a translation unit is intuitive but may bring tremendous bias. One page of a document may include as many as 500 words or as few as 100 words, depending on font size. On the other hand, the number of tables and graphics contained in your documents will increase page count but will not increase word count significantly.

2. Pricing by target

Word count of source will differ from that of target. Some translation agencies may intend to give a quote in target especially when such difference is significant. There are two problems: First we don't know the target word count until the translation is done. Second we cannot control how many words to include in the translation - it will be totally determined by translators. Take the Chinese language for instance, you should know that on average 100 English words are equal to 170 Chinese words! If the quote is based on target words, the translation rate may looks remarkably lower but your total cost is just the same or even higher.

3. T only translation

Translating, editing and proofreading (TEP) process is the best practice widely recognized by the language industry. High-end translation service providers like COT take TEP as a standard service level but many other providers offer "T"(translating) only translation service by default. Their prices will look very attractive to customers who don't understand the difference among T, TE, and TEP translation service levels.

4. Single translator TEP

Arranging different translators to take TEP tasks (Alternating TEP™) brings better quality but this will cost more. Many translation agencies offer TE or TEP services but they assign only one translator for both editing and proofreading tasks.

5. Hidden fees

Some translation agencies may add additional fees to your bill when you choose them: for example, urgent fee, minimum charge fee, and DTP fees. A note on DTP fees: It is reasonable to charge you DTP fees if your documents include very complex format and layout and you request delivery of target in the same format. However for most of the time DTP is not necessary.

You can always find lower and lower prices if you keep searching on the Internet. You can get the translation done at lower cost but you will never actually save with cheap translation. The reason is simple. Qualified professional translators seldom, if ever, take jobs at a very low price. If someone offers you very low prices, you can imagine who will actually do the translation. Poor translators deliver poor translation. And in the end you have to pay more to improve the translation, not to mention the potential business opportunities you might lose.

"What if I hire a freelance translator?"

You might be happy for a while if you are lucky enough to meet a good translator. However relying on a freelance translator for your translation need is risky!

• Even very experienced translators may make mistakes. Without editing and proofreading by other translators, any single translator cannot ensure his/her own quality at all.
• "Your" freelance translator might not be available when you need him/her. The good translator may refuse your job when s/he is overloaded. If you meet a bad one, s/he would work overnight but will probably give you a surprise in quality the next morning.

"What if I hire a team of translators?"

It sounds like a good idea because you will not pay the agency fee. However the truth is you will pay much more for your own translation. You can't achieve the efficiency of a translation service provider like COT so you have to allocate much more time and efforts in managing the process, not to mention the quality assurance. Finally your translation will be much more expensive than using a translation company.

"Translation samples demonstrate quality."

To demonstrate their quality, some translation agencies put translation samples on their websites. However, good samples do NOT ensure the quality of real jobs. The reason is simple. Samples are usually done by selected top translators with additional reviews. But the real quality depends on the process, translators and time for the real jobs. If they don’t let the same translators follow the same process and allocate the same amount of time for your projects as they did for the samples, it’s impossible for you to get the same quality. The translation samples don’t necessarily prove anything.

"Trial jobs are the best evidence for quality."

For the reasons above, trial jobs do NOT work well either. If you receive a bad outcome for a trial job, you know their quality is really poor. Even if you receive a good outcome, the question is still there. You do not know who will translate your project or by what process. Can the service providers work with your projects exactly the same as they did for trial jobs? The most likely answer is No. Finally, no translation agency would agree to take a trial job for free unless you promise to give them big projects.

"Our translations are perfect!"

No translation is perfect, if “perfect” means “zero error”. First, there is no objective or clear standard in judging language or translation issues. Human languages are complex, flexible, and ambiguous. Second, none can ensure s/he won't make any mistakes in translating. Translation involves two languages, the conversion between both, and subject knowledge. Translation is such a complex task that it's inevitable translators of any level will have some errors in their translations. That's why COT offers money back guarantee - we have achieved a very high quality level but it's not perfect yet.