5+1 Core Ingredients That Makes A Successful Translation Agency

07th Mar 2016

This article aims to explore 5 core ingredients which would make a translation agency successful. Whether you are a freelance translator already providing professional translation services or a business man looking to enter the market, please know that many translation companies already exists and that the competition is fierce. To have the best chance of success let us take a look at 5+1 core attributes of a successful translation company.
  1. Do a good job!
This is an absolute-must. What does this mean? Essentially it means that you are prepared to go above and beyond the client's expectations. Impress them! Perhaps the translation can be delivered a couple of days earlier than requested or perhaps send the client an email to say you spotted inconsistencies on their source documents. Obviously, none of this matters unless you are certain that your translation is 100 percent accurate. Inaccurate translation can mar the reputation of a company and it can set the tone for your downfall. So please have an independent proofreader check the work, after all, accuracy is what builds a brand.
  1. The language pairs offered
This is one of the most crucial aspects which you need to consider. There are more than 6,500 different languages in the world, but not all are widely spoken. As a translation agency, one of the first things to do is to thoroughly research which languages are the most popular. Having a limited language pair offering will stunt the growth of your business. So research deeply about the language pairs that are used most often and expand a strong translation team to support your sales.
  1. Marketing/Strong Sales Team
In today’s times, when the competition levels are so high, you will need to be sure that you are constantly marketing your services. Until and unless, you market yourself in an apt manner, it will be hard to land clients. Come up with new and innovative methods of marketing your business and give your prospective clients good enough reasons to require your services. Make sure your clients understand how choosing the translation service can help them not only generate more profits, but also reduce their administrative headache. This often ends up making all the difference.
  1. Customer incentives
Even in the translation agency industry, you will need to give your customers the right set of incentives which will make them choose you. The incentives can vary, sometimes, it could be in the form of discounts or if it is to attract a new client, even a unpaid trial service. Whatever you decide to choose, the idea is to become an expert marketer to lure potential clients.
  1. After-sales service
The key to success lies in building client relationships. Having hundreds of clients means little unless you can retain their business. Even after the translation project has been delivered, you can always choose to have a follow-up mail/call from time to time. This will allow you to improve your client relationship and can potentially fetch you plenty of repeat orders as well. Bonus Point - Value Added The definition of an 'agency' is the 'middle man' between the client and the service provider. In other words, the client can also find freelancers to translate their business documents at a lower cost. The difference is the 'Value Added' approach, that is, a translation agency takes care of the project from start to finish as well as 'guaranteeing' with their brand that the translation is of standard. When clients trust your brand and are willing to pay extra because of it, your business will surely grow. These are the five +1 golden pillars of success which can take your translation agency to the very top. Make it a goal to implement each one of them and you should see a growth in your bottom line. The field of translation has huge scope and it is a booming industry. Go and capitalize on it!