What To Do When You Need An Urgent Translation

These days, it’s not enough to have your documents intact. Having a translated copy is equally important. Whether you’re processing a visa, scholarship application, submitting legal documents, or updating medical records, you’d likely need a certified translation - especially if your document isn’t in English.

Sometimes, you might not know that you need a translation until the last minute. It’s urgent, and you don't know how to do it. When you’re stuck with getting an urgent translation done without risking its quality, here’s a comprehensive guide on what to do.

How to Handle Urgent Translation Requests Effectively 

It's easy to get panicky when you need to translate documents urgently. Here’s what you should do when you’re in a rush:

Read The Instructions Afresh

Usually, processes that require document translation typically indicate this requirement early on. You usually have time to do a careful translation. However, in some cases, a portion of a document may need retranslation due to incorrect translation, confusion, or loss of meaning. In this case, the document may be sent back for translation with the affected portion highlighted.

Before you hurriedly attempt to translate the whole document afresh, read the document’s query for any new instructions. Sometimes, you just need to provide a little more context for a flagged portion of the document. Read first so you know what you’re dealing with.

Know the Nature of Your Urgent Translation

Not all urgent translations are the same, so it’s essential to determine what you’re dealing with before taking the next step. Ask yourself: Does the translation need to be formal, like a legal or medical document? Or is it something less strict, like an internal memo or a quick email? The type of document will affect who you should turn to and how fast the work can realistically be done. 

Get Help from a Professional

Where online translation tools fall short, hiring a professional with a fast delivery rate is best. In this case, a translation agency. Agencies like Absolute Translations work with trained translators who understand how to handle urgent requests without compromising on quality.

Translation agencies operate on stricter professional protocols than freelancers. Therefore, you’re more likely to get premium value for money.

When working with translation agencies, provide all the relevant instructions and documents, so they can better assess your situation. In some cases, what you think you need may be wrong. Hence, having a professional translator review your documents and the instructions given is safer.

Things to Look Out for in a Translation Service Agency

Translation service agencies are your best bet for urgent and high-quality translation services. But there are fakes in the market with high prices and poor service quality. Here’s what to look out for when choosing a translation service agency:

Check for Expertise: Native vs Professional Translators

Expertise is the proof that a translation agency is trustworthy. But then, expertise can’t be judged based on a fancy website. Generally, you can assess the expertise of a translation agency by reviewing their translators' qualifications, certifications, reviews, and years of experience. But to vet an agency, check if they have a team of both native and professional-level translators. 

Native-level translators are native speakers who are familiar with the language's nuances. Hence, they can translate any document while retaining its nuanced meaning. Professional translators, on the other hand, are mostly multilingual. Thanks to being skilled in multiple languages, they can also help translate your documents effectively.

Additionally, translations are often best handled by translators with similar backgrounds. For instance, a translator with a legal background is better skilled to translate legal documents. Also, medical translations are better done by translators with a medical background. This is one of the best ways to know if an agency can handle your translation, especially with its peculiarities.

Absolute Translations checks all the boxes with our global network of both native and professional-level translators.

Quality Assurance

Quality is non-negotiable in translation. A reliable agency should have different strategies to ensure quality in its services. These strategies typically involve translation review by a team of qualified translators, editing, and proofreading to catch errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Some agencies even adopt back-translation, which is re-translating a translated text back to its source language to check for accuracy. 

At Absolute Translations, each task is handled by a team of expert translators, so you're assured of a translation without loopholes.

Language and Specialisation 

Before discussing with a translation agency, first go through their service pages to see the languages they offer translations in. While many agencies cover common languages, you may need one that specialises in less common languages, especially the one you need.

Similarly, check if the agency specialises in your type of translation. While most agencies handle generic translations, some are industry-specific, e.g., finance or marketing translations.  A good agency should have a strong network of translators who can translate multiple languages across different niches. 

Confidentiality and Data Privacy

Data privacy is important for translations, and it’s why top translation agencies comply with global data protection laws. If your documents contain sensitive or confidential information, choosing an agency that won't steal or exploit your data is essential. Always ask about an agency’s data privacy and confidentiality practices before choosing them. 

A reputable agency will have strict confidentiality rules and measures to protect your information. In some cases, an agency may securely store your translation data for a while, just in case you need to retrieve it. The timeframe varies, but it is generally 30 days. Once the back-up period has elapsed, the agency will notify you and erase your data from their archive. 

Choose Wisely

Urgent translations are unique in that they must be done quickly without compromising on quality. It’s best to hire a professional translator with a verifiable track record of excellent translation. When seeking professional translation, your best bet is to work with translation service agencies. 

If you need fast, accurate, and professionally certified translations, Absolute Translations is ready to help.  You can reach us by email at main@absolutetranslations.com, call us at 0333 577 0767, or visit our website at https://www.absolutetranslations.com/ for more information and to get in touch with our dedicated team. We're eager to help you!