Tips for translators: Quality

Because Quality Matters

We want to become the number one reference translators’ marketplace, by selling the highest quality, bespoke service, direct from translator to customer with 98% customer satisfaction.

Why highest quality?

There are 2 main reasons: 1) companies invest a lot of money and energy in producing their best products and they hire our services because they don’t want to miss global reach because of a poor translation. 2) high quality is our most important value and it makes us unique. No other translators’ platform in the market has this high quality standard.

And what does highest quality exactly mean?

TranslatorsVillage is targeting a client 98% satisfaction and allows 2 minor errors every 100 words.

How does it work?

• TranslatorsVillage does random quality checks on translations delivered and always runs a Translation Quality Assessment process when a client complains about the translation. At this point, payment process will be put on hold.

• All complaints are notified in writing within 15 days after delivery date. Failure to meet the agreed requirements (a maximum of 2 basic errors every 100 words), we will reduce the amount payable by a sum equal to the cost necessary to remedy the deficiencies.

• TranslatorsVillage applies Standard Quality Review procedures. The first basic Quality control is carried out by translation quality assessment market tools, that check for grammar, spelling, additions, omissions, consistency. 

• An external assessment is run when discrepancies are related to style, or misinterpretation claims. TranslatorsVillage applies Lisa Standards (LISA QA Model and SAE J2450) for translation quality assessment. It measures the number and type of errors found in a text and calculates a score, or TQI, which is indicative of the quality of a given translation.

We sell quality translation and for this reason we do a through selection process. When joining the platform, translators confirm they can meet our quality standards and sign the Translators terms and conditions.

Our quality process allows us to assure high quality translation and to grow with our clients.

Tips for translators: Updating your profile

"C'est le temps que tu as perdu pour ta rose qui fait ta rose si importante."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

 

Don't stand still

In today's world we are overwhelmed with information. With so many sites and web activities it is easy to write something and to then forget about it... but it is fundamental that you differentiate yourself from the crowd.

It is very important to continually boost your latest activities and your personal reputation on the Internet. Therefore we suggest you add a monthly review of your profile and spend just one hour to carry out the following checks:

• Is your profile up to date? The information posted last month might be slightly out of date or might need a different focus.

• Have you attended a conference or training that might be added to your profile? Anything that provides an extra value to your prospects? Remember that we don't want links to other pages. We want our clients to stay on the translatorsvillage platform. Links to external pages are a distraction; however this does not stop you from mentioning them in your summary.

• Have you written a paper and have some interesting content that you want to add into your summary?

• Have you done any new translations?

• If the answer is yes, there is now a new opportunity to receive more references from your clients that you can now add to your profile.
• If the answer is no, there are other ways of improving your profile

• Guest blogging. Write something related to your experience that you want to share with the world. We will publish it on your behalf and this will enhance your web presence. Visit our guestblog .... to see previous publication.

• Translate any article published on our blog in your language.

• Participate in any of our volunteering programs. Our first one is launching today (please find details below) and more will be coming soon. 

• Spend time on preparing your activities for next month and adjust your calendar accordingly.

• Spend some time studying each month. 

• At last but not least, examine your result.

... Keep moving, adjusting, readjusting and discover new experiences.

You won't be disappointed.

Tips for translators: Profile improvement

You have a voice and something important to say

When you are seeking a professional (e.g a marketing expert) you want to know what they have achieved, what makes them special and in particular what are their specific skills.

The same thing happens to people when they are searching for translators. For them, their translation is the most important thing and they want to choose the translator that best meets their specific needs and understands their business the most.

Everything that makes you different from the rest of your colleagues should be in your profile since it helps you to highlight your unique selling points. Those of you whose headline reads “Source-Target Language Translator” or “Specialized Freelance Translator” are describing a general feature that is already known by the client since they have already made a search according to language preference and specialization.

Remember that you are much more than a "Source-Target Language Translator," you each have your own unique skills that set you apart from the rest and that is exactly what a client is looking for. 

Your profile has fields that the client will carefully read to discover what makes you different and relevant to them: Occupational and academic background, industry/sector, type of experience (bear in mind that the search engine has already filtered you by language combination and specialism). Make it clear why you have chosen those fields and what you can offer them. Clients want to learn about your skills and knowledge.

Don’t be afraid to put that you are “French to English legal translator with 25 years experience as a lawyer” in your headline and then rewrite it in your “Summary” section relating it to your other specialties and additional skills and the description of your last jobs. That’s the idea!

Make sure you always have your profile updated with your rates and availability and also your recent activities. Don't forget to write your profile in both English and your mother tongue. If you are a French to English translator your clients can either be French or English speakers. Our platform will be available in French, Italian and German very soon.

Good luck and we appreciate you being part of the TranslatorsVillage community.

Tips for translators - Your picture

Why is your picture more important than you thought?

We all know the sayings: "A picture is worth a thousand words". I think it exist in almost any language I know, so there has to be a reason for it being so popular.

The reason of it being so important in your profile is that it is the first think that everyone sees when your profile shows up on the screen. Buying patterns in the internet, make this even more important. Would you book an hotel that does not have pictures on the Internet?  It is absolutely true that for translation you use your brain and not your image, but image provides the confidence of dealing with a person, and makes the client think that this person is not hiding anything,  People buy people, and when it comes to virtual networks, pictures bring forward our human side.

Sometimes an example worth more a thousand words:

Can you see the difference? Which one would you choose?