Translation from Spanish to English: Choosing English to Spanish Translation Services

When you need a translation from Spanish to English, it can be hard to know which translation agency to entrust with the job. Here is an objective guide to help you decide. At the bottom, you'll also find a guide to translator prices and more information about English to Spanish translation services. (Looking for a free online Spanish translation?)

How to choose an agency for your Spanish translation

Here is a step by step guide to help you choose the right translation partner.

1) Ask for quotations from several agencies. We do not recommend choosing an agency based on price alone, but price is important information to have before making a decision. We suggest requesting prices from more than one agency in order to have a basis for comparison.

When requesting a quote, be sure to specify the language combination and if you have any specific requirements such as a technical translator. If possible, send a copy of the document you need translated so that the agency can evaluate it before quoting a price. If sending the document is not an option, then try to find out the word count -- the agency can probably give you an estimate based on the number of words.

Translation prices can vary significantly from agency to agency. When comparing prices, keep in mind that very cheap agencies have to keep their costs down in order to make a profit. They are likely to be working with lower-cost, less professional, translators and to be skipping expensive quality control steps such as sending the translation to an editor.

Other factors that influence pricing of Spanish to English or English to Spanish translation services are the size of the agency, their overhead and marketing costs (some large, well-known agencies charge very high rates), the types of services included, and agency location (for example, the market rates for Spanish to English and English to Spanish translation services are generally lower in Spain than in the U.S.).

2) Find out what is included in the price. Is the agency hiring low-cost beginning translators or more expensive qualified translators? Is the agency paying an editor to check every translation thoroughly? These factors impact the agency's costs and are therefore likely to impact the price, but they can mean a big difference in the quality of the translation you will get.

For an important translation from Spanish to English, you want an agency that works with experienced native translators who have been carefully screened. In most cases, this screening would involve passing a translation test.

We suggest looking for an agency which has every translation reviewed carefully by a native editor as well as the original translator. In other words, a minimum of two native linguists should ideally work on each translation. And the editor's job should involve more than just a quick grammar check -- preferably, the editor should actually check the translation line by line against the original for accuracy.

Does your translation have special requirements? Do you need a specialized medical translator; do you need a designer to do layout work on the final document? Do you need rush turnaround? Find out which agencies will cover your needs for the same price or an additional cost. We also recommend looking for an agency with experience handling projects similar to yours. Avoid letting your project become a "guinea pig" on which the agency tests new translators or processes.

3) Back up your research. Before hiring an agency for an important translation from Spanish to English, it's worth digging a little deeper to make sure of what you're getting. Some suggestions:

• Ask the agency for past client references, preferably in your sector. Call these references to find out their level of satisfaction with the agency's Spanish to English or English to Spanish translation services.
• Ask to see examples of past projects the agency has managed that are similar to your own.
• Ask to see a CV or work samples from the specific translator who will be working on your project.
• Have you been promised that a native editor will revise your translation? Follow up by asking the agency to send you a copy of the editor's corrections along with the final translated document.

And when you reach an agreement with the agency, always put that agreement in writing to avoid misunderstandings or disagreements later.

Translation from Spanish to English - More Resources

Read a comparison of different types of English to Spanish translation services

See typical prices for translation from Spanish to English

See tips on reducing the costs of translation from Spanish to English

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