Rule 7

Always give the translation company feedback, whether good or bad

The last but most important rule is that at the end of a project, you evaluate the services you have received and give feedback to the translation company.

If you were pleased, do let them know. Even though the absence of comments of dissatisfaction can be interpreted to mean that a client was satisfied, a simple comment like, "We were very satisfied, and we hope to work with you again," really goes a long way in raising the morale of project managers and translators. It makes them want to try even harder the next time they work with you.

But, what if you were not pleased? In such cases, try to be specific. Don't leave it with just a comment like, "We were dissatisfied." We recommend that in such cases, you provide as much detail as possible as to what you found lacking. For example, you might say:

• "The technical term used was incorrect. Please translate it as such-and-such from next time,"
• "There were many transcription errors in numerical figures, especially the figures in tables," or
• "There was a lack of consistency between Chapter 1 and Chapter 6 in the translation."

Project managers will communicate such evaluations to translators, and at the same time, they will consider steps to take in the next project to prevent recurrence. It may consist of a reinforcement of the review system for the prevention of careless errors, or the assignment of a different translator. This is truly the moment when project managers need to show what they are made of.

If you do not see any improvement even after providing such concrete feedback, it would be wise to seek another translation company.

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• Introduction
• Rule 1
• Rule 2
• Rule 3
• Rule 4
• Rule 5
• Rule 6
• Rule 7
• Conclusion

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