What does “More than a translation company” actually mean?

Without a doubt, language service providers need to offer more than just translations. Only a skilfully executed combination of quality, reliability and innovation results in holistic corporate solutions that focus first and foremost on client needs.

When we learn a foreign language, we begin by finding out what words from our native language are called in the foreign language. And that is how many people imagine translation works – you simply change words and phrases from one language to another. However, anyone who has tried translating for themself quickly realises that it is not that straightforward. For this reason, companies usually turn to a language service provider when they need a text translated.

A translation agency is not the same as a translation company

There are different models employed in the language service industry. Translation agencies do not have permanent linguists on staff, but rather act as brokers between clients and freelancers. In other words, they purchase translations from self-employed translators. This business model enables them to turn over high volumes very quickly and cheaply. Because such agencies often lack in-house linguistic expertise, the ultimate responsibility for text quality lies with the freelancers they use.

Translation companies, on the other hand, have permanent translation teams consisting of linguists who normally possess a translation degree and relevant industry knowledge. The in-house experts complete translations themselves and also revise work done by freelancers. This internal expertise helps to assure consistent translation quality. Naturally, this higher quality comes at a price, and scaling volumes and language combinations takes more time.

SwissGlobal is more than just a translation company

At SwissGlobal, we know that there is much more to professional translation than just language skills and industry knowledge. As in other industries, the internet, globalisation and new technologies have revolutionised the translation sector. Translation memories, CAT tools, speech-recognition software, machine translation and artificial intelligence are just a few examples of such innovations.

Language service providers that put a primary focus on client needs must be capable of finding solutions for everything from simple to highly complex applications. These can range from translating a simple Word document to exporting text files from a client’s CMS tool. Whichever solution is employed, at SwissGlobal we never choose innovation at the expense of traditional values such as reliability and top quality.

Complex problems demand holistic solutions

Many things have changed from the client’s perspective as well. Content has increased exponentially, and producing it has become more involved. Nowadays, the focus is not on translations alone but rather on their seamless integration into clients’ processes and tools, and on linguistic challenges such as localisation and transcreation.

Localisation refers to adapting texts to match the local context. This includes such things as converting units of measurement or identifying conventions specific to the target group. Transcreation is a process that takes cultural preferences into account so that advertising messages in the translation have the same effect on the audience as they did in the original.

All of these services are incorporated at different points into the client’s multilingual corporate communication – and the speed at which this must be carried out has increased at an unbelievable pace.

That’s why many clients today require holistic solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into their processes and tools. SwissGlobal combines human expertise with technology, enabling us to develop innovative, customised solutions for our clients.

Reliability and transparency create trust

This accelerated rate of doing business is a prerequisite in all industries today and requires extremely efficient processes. Punctual deliveries are important so that clients do not have to put their complex production processes on hold. And clients must be able to rely completely on this punctuality. Data security is equally important because confidential content is often handled.

Sometimes clients lack the necessary language skills to correctly evaluate the quality of a translation they order, which is why language services are always a matter of trust. Trust, however, is something that must be earned. SwissGlobal attaches great importance to transparency and a long-term partnership with its clients.

The many aspects of quality

When it comes to the quality of language service providers, the first thing that springs to mind is linguistic expertise. That’s why a basic rule of professional translation is that translators always translate into their mother tongue only. However, clients also need to be able to trust in a language service provider’s knowledge of the cultural and linguistic nuances of the target market.

Switzerland is a perfect example of this. Switzerland’s national languages German, French and Italian mirror its neighbouring countries, but significant regional language differences abound. If a translation sounds too “German” or too “French”, a Swiss target audience will not feel that they are being addressed. It’s similar to what would happen if you were not aware of the differences between UK, US and Australian English when translating for a specific English-speaking region. For this reason, SwissGlobal only employs trained language experts who are familiar with the regional nuances of both the source and target languages.

You can view an excellent example of this in our Best Case article entitled “Swiss Review: what’s in a name? When it says Swiss, it better be Swiss”.

Specialised expertise, further training and efficient processes

Ongoing quality management is a key factor for professional language services. ISO certifications are important tools we use to ensure the consistent high quality of our translations. In compliance with the certifications, all of our employees must be properly trained at all levels, and efficient processes are guaranteed.

Our employees possess the necessary qualifications for their work and also participate in training courses on a regular basis. Our quality standards also apply to our network of freelancers. SwissGlobal works exclusively with experts who have a proven track record.

You can read more about the topic of ISO certifications in our blog post entitled “Why ISO? Because separating the wheat from the chaff is key to your success”.

It’s all about the client

SwissGlobal is more than just a translation company. We believe that top-quality language solutions require the perfect combination of content, technologies and resources.

SwissGlobal’s expertise covers all the different steps involved in content production. Depending on the client’s needs, we can copywrite new content or edit existing text. We create terminology databases and style guides to ensure linguistic consistency – absolutely essential for corporate communication.

SwissGlobal does not use technology simply as an end in itself. We combine human expertise and the latest technology so our clients can enjoy optimum benefits. The best example of this approach is the post-editing of machine translations. Our specialised translator Daniel Prontera describes post-editing in more detail in our blog post “A passionate financial translator”.

SwissGlobal works with a team of in-house experts and a large network of proven specialists. These resources are all available to our clients, as well. Depending on your requirements, we can take over all aspects of your project or provide on-call or in-house services.

The well-balanced interplay between content, technology and resources is indispensable to ensuring holistic language solutions that focus on the client and their specific needs and create added value for them. It takes more than a translation company to achieve this – it takes SwissGlobal.