Clients sometimes want to know how we hire and vet our linguists. What separates assigning your script or marketing translation to Power of Babel from just finding someone on Fiverr?
So, here’s how we do it: we test our translators, and we proof their work.
When possible, we start people off with small jobs and see how they do. If the quality’s not good, our proofer can fix it. That’s the ideal situation.
But sometimes, there aren’t enough small jobs in a particular language or specialization, and we run a test.
The translation test
We do this in two contexts:
An “open call” in a specific language and specialization.
Inviting a small number of people to “audition” for a large project.
The tests are short (no more than 200 words), and we are clear about what we’re looking for.
Who evaluates the applicants for us? For this, we find a native speaker with expertise as a broadcaster or journalist, or a senior translator we trust.
We are picky
In open calls, dozens of people apply, and sadly, most don’t meet our standards. In some cases, the failure rate has been 98%! But in every case, we’ve met a colleague we would ultimately grow to trust, and avoided the pain of assigning work to people who promise more than they can deliver.
We run limited tests when we need translation of narration scripts or marketing copy. Not every translator can write a script, and success is often a matter of personal style and an ability to connect with the material. On every project, we want to make sure that the translator is the right fit for the job.
We stand behind our work
So, why hire an agency like Power of Babel instead of somebody from Fiverr or your cousin’s friend? Because we invest in testing and checking, and we stand behind the work we deliver.
