You know T/E/P refers to three processes of translation: translating, editing, and proofreading. So what does Alternating TEP mean? It means any two continuous processes are taken by different translators. For example, if translator A performs a translating task, then the following editing task must be taken by a different translator B.

Why? We tend to ignore or be unaware of mistakes we make ourselves. This is true for everyone including professional translators. The performance may continue to get worse if we ask the same translator to improve his/her own translation again and again. It’s better to alternate translators to improve the work. This achieves much higher efficiency and quality.

Just pass on those companies that cannot give you a clear description of their process - they might be ones who don't know how to create a good translation at all! For the others, you should take the next step by asking if they can provide any evidence for the implementation of their processes. You want to make sure they walk the talk, right?

Don't mind the format of evidence. As only those leading players can get their processes clearly defined and tracked, you might need to be flexible with this because most translation companies don't have a formalized process in place at all. The most important thing is that you can be sure they do what they promise. For example, if they promise alternating TEP, ask "How can I know the translation is edited by a different translator?"

They might have a vendor manager who is responsible for choosing translation companies, or translation vendors as they prefer. They might require the candidate to fill out lengthy forms, but the key point is the same - resources and process! How do we know that? We provided translation services to enterprises like Nestle and Huawie for many years!

Well, now you're almost a translation expert. We would now like to give you more tips on how to save on translation without sacrificing quality.

Some translation companies mention it as a strength that they are based in the Egypt or in the KSA. It's true domestic companies give your more confidence and convenience because you're in the same time zone. However, if you want translation quality, keep in mind they will hire freelance translators to do the job. So, where their translators are based is more important than where the translation company is based. As one of the best practices, it's better to use local translators. For example, we'd better use a Japan-based Japanese translator for English to Japanese translation. There might be good Japanese translators in the USA but for sake of safety, we'd better use the ones in Japan.

Not many translation companies offer a money back guarantee for translation quality because defining the translation quality is difficult, not to mention the difficulty of measuring the quality. Again, that's why we emphasize the process. There are a few, not many, translation companies that offer a quality guarantee. If you're lucky enough to meet any of them, be sure to read their terms carefully - not all money back guarantee gives you strong protection.

It doesn't matter. Even the translation company's sales representative might not understand it. You can still get a good translation if you follow our tips for choosing the right translation company.

You might have the impression that large companies do better work than smaller ones. This is not always true. Also the number of languages they work with might give you a wrong impression about their size. In fact a company that supports 100 languages doesn't have to be larger or better than the ones supporting 10 languages. The size of translation companies, if you mean the number of full-time employees, mainly depends on their business model. Their translation processes are definitely more important.

If you ever use a traditional translation company, 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 translations 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 that holds for all translators, regardless of their knowledge, skills and capabilities. To ensure an acceptable quality level, translators have to control the speed. The daily maximum of words a translator can put out usually ranges from 1,000 to 2,500 words, depending on the languages, nature of source, and quality requirements.

Collaboration is difficult. For translation projects of millions of words, assigning multiple translators to work on different parts of the source at the same time may speed it 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 advanced translation technology.

The business process is inefficient. Last but not least - translation companies have to allocate a large amount of time for non-productive business processes such as contacting the translators, negotiating delivery terms, processing files, orders, invoices, and payment. If you give the translation company three days, the time left for translators might be less than one day.

Disappointing, right? So here is the next tip.

Even if you have a clear schedule for your translation project, it's better to let translation companies propose a time frame based on their capacity and availability. By letting companies propose a time frame, you can weed out companies that propose unreasonably short turnaround times. Request that they tell you when they can start the translation and when they can deliver. Some companies might accept your order, but cannot start it until the day before the deadline!

If the deadlines they propose don't match your schedule, try other translation companies. The translation service market is highly competitive. To gain more clients, translation companies always give their best turnaround they can meet. Don't try to press the companies to speed it up to fit your schedule. Some companies might compromise, but that might result in a disaster later. If all proposed turnaround times don't match your expectation, your schedule might be unrealistic. Revise it for the sake of quality!