Translation Quality and Translator Qualifications: The 5 Things We Do Before and After Hiring

Translation Quality and Translator Qualifications: The 5 Things We Do Before and After Hiring

When hiring someone to complete your translation, it is natural to assume that a bilingual person who calls themselves a translator is qualified. It is equally logical to believe that a company that calls itself a Language Services Provider only hires qualified translators, right? 

But how do you know for sure?

As scary as it might be, the answer is that you don’t. Our industry is unregulated. This means that anyone can open a business that provides language services.

There is no certification, no license, no proof of education in a relevant field that we must present to demonstrate that we, and those we send to work for you on our behalf, are qualified.

There are exceptions, such as sending only court-certified interpreters to court proceedings. But even those instances are limited to only those languages that the relevant licensing body can test, which are usually only the most frequently represented foreign languages. If you are on trial for murder in the US and only speak Czech, you are out of luck as far as court-certified interpreters go.

We are an honest business founded and operated by individuals who have some of the best educational backgrounds attainable in the industry. We also understand that our professional reputation depends on our ability to hire only the best out of the best.

Which, sometimes, can resemble looking for a needle in a haystack.

Since we have been around for a while (Teneo was established in 2007), you would think translators and interpreters would be contacting us themselves, lining up for work opportunities with a company like ours. And they do. We receive hundreds of unsolicited applications every week. Most of the time, they come by email. And a shocking number of them look like this one:

The above is an actual email received. Note to self: unsolicited applications are out!

The time we would have to look for the one fantastic applicant, sorting through hundreds of fake or inadequate emails, would be immense and not worth it. The ‘Delete’ button is our only friend here.

Instead, this is how we hire:

1. We hire proactively, without waiting for a job that requests the given language.
2. We do not hire just for language. We also hire expert subject matter expertise. Yes, we have doctors who are translators and lawyers who are translators, for example.
3. We verify identity, credentials, references, and most items on someone’s resume.
4. We put people on camera and conduct recorded video interviews with them.
5. We test their language skills.

Once someone is hired, it is just the beginning.

Here is what happens on an ongoing basis:

1. We set people up for success with phenomenal project manager support and second-to-none technology and resources.
2. Each completed project is quality-checked.
3. Each person in a workflow rates the performance of the person before them.
4. Project Managers provide feedback.
5. Professional development and continuing education are both offered and encouraged.

If you are a customer and need to buy professional language services such as translation, interpreting, transcription, etc., ask your service provider about their hiring and quality control processes. They should have them and should be willing to share them with you.

Have questions or need to brainstorm any language-related issues? We are always happy to chat: translate@tlctranslation.com or call us at 817-441-9974.