BigTranslation, your partner agency when you communicate with the world
We meet Eve Pattison, Operations Manager at BigTranslation, one of the best global translation agencies, with the vocation to satisfy all those companies that expand into new markets or localize their communication. BigTranslation is an agency that works only with mother tongue translators and is characterized by the ability to offer a 360° service, which makes use of an advanced digital platform.
BigTranslation website: https://www.bigtranslation.com
For an instant quote: https://www.bigtranslation.com/quote.php
Can you tell us a bit about BigTranslation and how it was founded?
Yes, BigTranslation is a translation agency that was founded in the context of today’s fast-moving, and ever-more digital world. This means that all of our services are orientated towards meeting the needs of companies that are producing high volumes of website content, expanding into new markets, or localising their materials to optimise communication with all their customers.
We specialise in translations for eCommerce, retail, tourism and leisure, marketing and media, health, industry, education, beauty and fashion and gaming, among others.
What makes BigTranslation the perfect partner for these kinds of clients is that we work exclusively with native translators. Our community of professional linguists is made up of thousands of translators all around the globe, living in the country of their mother tongue.
In addition, the secret to our success is our powerful digital platform where all our projects are centralised and managed in the most efficient and effective way. Translations are assigned to the most appropriate translator in a matter of minutes and are delivered straight to the client’s inbox when they’re ready. Our processes are efficient, agile and allow us to save customers money whilst ensuring a top-quality service.
What types of services does BigTranslation offer?
At BigTranslation, the client’s needs are at the centre of everything we do. As such, we offer a 360º language solution, which encompasses translation, transcription, multilingual content writing, certified translation, subtitling, and language consulting.
In addition, we’ve made the process super simple. We have an online Instant Quote option on our website that is accessible 24/7/365. Clients can upload their text and select the service they need in just a few clicks. It’s quick, simple, and available whenever the client needs it!
Let’s consider a company that is planning to expand activities to foreign countries. They would probably need multiple services, can you support them at any language level?
Yes, we offer our services in over 50 languages, meaning clients can entrust all their projects to us as they grow and expand into new markets. It’s a totally scalable process, and also a great investment when done right. We know that businesses in the process of internationalising need customisable and flexible options in numerous languages at a time. They also need to minimise manual processes and deadlines, so our services are designed with these points in mind.
How do you relate to a client embarking on a large localisation/translation project? Is there a specific person in the client’s company you usually work with?
If a client has a project with special requirements, a large volume of text, or needs regular ongoing translations, they can contact us directly to have a dedicated Key Account Manager and Project Manager handle their translations in the way that best suits them, according to their needs and priorities. For this kind of project we usually work closely with marketing managers, country managers or content managers, but it really depends on the client’s own set up. We can keep in close contact with anyone in the customer’s company that needs to be kept in the loop!
Depending on the client’s workflow and the type of texts in question, this is also the kind of project that is particularly suited to management via API. We have developed our own translation API that allows the client to create an interface that suits their needs and ‘plug in’ to our translation platform, letting them request quotes, place orders, and retrieve their translations directly, ready for integration in their system.
Is there any material/information the client should give you together with the translation itself?
In translation context is key, so it’s great if the client can provide any additional information or supporting materials. We have a specific option available in our Instant Quote to allow clients the opportunity to add relevant information for the translator, and we encourage them to do so. Good examples would be links to relevant products or websites, or a description of how the text will be used, and who it’s aimed at.
It’s also important for the client to let us know if they have any particular terminological or stylistic preferences by sending over existing glossaries or style guides. The translator will bear all of this in mind during the project to ensure the text is as effective in the target language as it is in the original language.
How do you choose and train your translators?
We take our selection process very seriously, in order to ensure high-quality translations every time. We work exclusively with professional native translators so that all translations are completely natural in the target language.
In addition, we carry out rigorous checks to ensure our translators have the necessary training and experience, and carry out our own translation tests before welcoming them into our team.
Once they join our team, we are dedicated to providing ongoing feedback, as well relevant articles and guides to useful tools and resources.
In your experience what makes a “good” translation agency?
In our experience, being a ‘good’ translation agency has three pillars.
First, it means taking care of, and working closely with, both our customers and our community of translators. This is why our KAMs work hand in hand with customers, keeping them up to date with all the information about their projects. Our clients’ projects are our projects, and their success is our success.
We also foster a close relationship with our translators. We like to think of BigTranslation as one big family and our linguists are at the very heart of what we do.
Second, the professionalism of the linguists we work with is crucial, as we touched on earlier. For us, it’s vital that our team is trained and experienced in the relevant areas, to ensure that texts are translated to the very highest quality.
Third, it means having powerful technological tools available to make the translation process as agile and efficient as possible. For example, in addition to our Instant Quote tool and translation platform, we offer a range of integration options, such as our translation API, and plugins such as WMPL that mean the client’s content can be sent, received and integrated in their systems as simply and quickly as possible.
Can you give us some numbers to explain your activity?
Sure, a few important numbers that sum up BigTranslation would be the following:
Over 15,000 translators working with us from all over the globe.
Over 50 different languages and 2,500 combinations on offer.
Over 20,000 projects carried out.
Clients in over 50 countries all around the world.
In how many languages do you offer your services?
We offer translation into and from over 50 languages, and all the many, many combinations between them all (over 2,500 in total)! These include all European languages and a large number of Asian languages too. Some of our most popular languages at the moment are English (a staple), Dutch, Italian, Chinese, Korean, German, Russian and Swedish, for example.
We think that a good translation also requires the understanding of the culture underpinning a language. Is this true to some extent?
Yes, thank you for asking this question! For the team at BigTranslation, it’s not only true ‘to some extent’, it’s completely fundamental for the most successful translation process. This is why it’s key for us to work exclusively with native translators. Any business that works with non-native translators is putting their reputation at risk. We know that culture shapes language, concepts and customs and it is only with a complete understanding of these, that you can effectively communicate with that public.
In fact, that’s why at BigTranslation we don’t stop at working with native translators, we take it a step further; in addition to being qualified and native professionals, it’s very important for us that our translators live in the country of their mother tongue, as this means that every project is appropriately and effectively localised for the target market and achieve the very best results for our clients!
BigTranslation website: https://www.bigtranslation.com
