According to world-leading language education company Berlitz, “Spanish is the second most widely spoken language globally in terms of native speakers.” There are 21 Spanish-speaking countries and a lot of others with large Spanish-speaking populations. Even in the US, there are almost 42 million people who speak Spanish as their first language.
If you’re heading into a new Spanish-speaking market or have Spanish translation needs, we know it can be difficult to figure out whom to partner with to make this happen. As a Language Services Provider (LSP), we have a lot of clients who need help localizing into areas with strong Spanish requirements. So, if you’re looking to partner with an LSP because you need to make sure your English-to-Spanish translation is accurate, what should you be looking for in a translation company? In this article, we’ll quickly outline what you need to look for to find the best English-to-Spanish translation partner for your business.
Are you translating for a new client in Madrid that speaks classic Spanish? Or are you trying to secure a land deal in the highlands of Ecuador, so you’ll need documents translated into Andean Spanish?
How many versions of Spanish exist? It’s hard to say, somewhere in the region of about 30. The versions are made up of these elements:
You’re going to want an LSP that will put together a localization strategy that’ll get these elements right and help you hit the ground running.
Different industries have different ways of operating and communicating. Some even have their own proxy languages like legalese which is defined by dictionary.com as “language containing an excessive amount of legal terminology or of legal jargon.”
Translating industry-specific jargon from English to Spanish is already a challenge, so finding an LSP with experienced translators in your field is crucial. Don't risk miscommunication or mistranslations, make sure your chosen partner has the expertise you need.
Any LSP worth talking to has international qualifications. Top of the list for businesses in the translation world is ISO17100. This is the international standard for translation services.
It means the LSP you’re considering opens their doors annually to an independent auditor who makes sure they’re following their own processes and Quality Assurance (QA) guidelines.
What kind of processes does the LSP have in place? Are they rigid? Can they be adapted quickly to your needs and the way you run your business? What if you have questions or concerns?
You’re going to want an account manager that you can speak to who’ll fight for your best interests and make sure you get what you need.
A good LSP will have their own processes, but they’ll also want to become a natural extension of your business.
If you suddenly need to translate your detailed financial services website into four other Spanish versions within a month, can they handle it?
Sure, you want to give them as much notice as possible, but sometimes business doesn’t work that way and being first to market is worth it at any cost.
It’ll be a conversation, obviously, but a good LSP will have the resources to increase your project team as you need it.
Who knows, maybe you’ll end up expanding into other countries beyond just Spanish speaking ones?
If you go with an LSP who works in most of the languages in the world, you won’t have to go through the procurement process again.
You’ll have a trusted partner to help you into any market in the world.
There are some elements of Spanish that are generic across all its types. It’s one of the Romance languages and it’s a very expressive language.
Spanish text in a translation can be up to 25% longer than English. It’s preferable to keep all elements of a translation project running through a single company, so your chosen LSP should be able to run design and digital projects as well.
This doesn’t mean they have to have their own in-house Desktop Publishing (DTP) team, just key partners they can draw on so all members of the delivery team are on the same page at all times.
Make sure you see some examples of their translations. Not a sample you send them - they may put the A-team on that, only to switch you to the C-team when you start working with them – but actual projects they’ve done.
This way you can check out the quality of their translations, their process, their QA and everything else that’s going to let you sleep at night.
If you need a partner to help you with a Spanish translation project, we’d love to sit down and talk with you about it.
Consultations are free and there’s no obligation.
With LinguaLinx, you won't ever have to worry about your message getting lost as it’s translated. You know you're in good hands with our ISO 17100 compliance, twenty years of professional translation experience, and the organizations whose trust we've earned.