In-House Translation vs. Outsourced Translation: Pros and Cons

This is not Shakespeare, but a fundamental question that is increasingly facing all businesses, in almost all industries, that aspire to go global.

While most language services industry analysts believe that the question about choosing the right solution ─  to do translation internally or outsource it ─ is more about knowing your company’s needs and what type of projects you have to manage, business owners still differ on the issue and usually voice different opinions about the best route to take.

Outsourcing vs. In-House Translation

Before we decide to do the translation via outsourcing or in-house, let’s ask: why would businesses need to translate their content in the first place?

In fact, content translation is a must for all businesses that look forward to reaching out to foreign audiences and expanding into overseas markets. To home in on these foreign audiences, the company needs to focus on the translation and localization effort that aims to provide these new markets with quality content ─ in their own mother tongues and suitable to their cultural contexts.

So, to get this done, your business has only two options: to create your in-house translation team or to entirely outsource the translation jobs.

As to the question of which is better ─ in-house or outsourcing ─ let’s rephrase it into “which option fits your business?” The answer, however, needs a little more inquiry that discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each option separately.

Disadvantages of In-house Translation

Many people, especially marketers, believe that hiring and creating a full in-house team to do the company’s translations internally is more convenient to them and to the company. Even though the idea seems a little idealistic, it actually has some pros and some cons. Here are some of the disadvantages:  

1- There’s no doubt that your company’s internal translators have expertise in only a limited number of languages. So, what about the other languages?

2- When it comes to finance, costs could soar if your company decides to invest in CAT tools and training for your in-house translators.

3- Most probably internal translators will not be native! So you will be limited of hiring translators who are using your target/source languages as a second language. By this, your quality is definitely will be affected and your reach to your target audience will not be 100% effective.

4- Forget quality assurance, as who dares to review colleagues?! 

Advantages of In-house Translation

Some businesses, however, have a preference for creating an in-house team to do the company’s translations, citing the following pros:  

1- Same location, fast turnaround, they say! Since your generals are on the same premises as all your departments, all documents will, so they say, get translated as quickly as possible.

2- Better internal communication is probably the most prominent advantage. Your in-house translators obviously know the ins and outs of their organization. Better communication amounts to higher productivity, no doubt.

3- Naturally, your in-house translators are constantly submerged in the company’s business culture, and so have a better knowledge about your business’ products and services and each of them consequently looks like an expert at your firm’s terminology.

Disadvantages of Outsourcing Translation

Ironic detractors of the option of outsourcing translation, however, often refer to some cons, including:

1- Your business will have no full control of time or work activity.

2- If you have a tight budget, using a translation service might be a bit expensive.

3- Lack of information and specific terminology, especially at the beginning of the translation process. However, this could easily be counteracted by providing the translation vendor with the reference files that clarify the product/service details and the goals of translation.

4- Different time zones between the company and the translation vendor.

Advantages of Outsourcing Translation

When it comes to the pros of partnering with a professional translation vendor, the majority of language services industry analysts and business leaders agree that your company, in this case, will be enjoying more than 50 benefits. However, let’s, for now, mention the most prominent pros:

1- Outsourcing your translation service to a professional service provider contributes to controlling costs, especially in the long term.

2- Outsourcing your translations would also be beneficial if you have too little office space to support your in-house translators.

3- A professional translation agency usually has an extended base of selective translators of diverse language pairs and multiple fields of expertise. If you are translating a document into French, a native French speaker will perform the task, whereas an entirely different person will later translate a different document into Spanish; to assure full adherence to your target audience’s language and cultural nuances. This guarantees both top quality and fast turnaround – music to the ears of clients!

4- A translation service vendor will provide professional and efficient project management, which guarantees that the process is efficient and the workflow is optimally streamlined. Additionally, having access to a large pool of qualified translators will ensure that someone will be available to take on your project whenever it is required and submit it within your -previously set- timeline. So whatever the volume or the deadline of your project, rest assured that you’ll be granted to receive your project in the agreed deadline.

Why Torjoman?

An ISO 17100 certified language services provider, Torjoman has been over the past quarter-century delivering first-rate translation, localization and interpretation services to top-notch businesses, located in the Middle East and North Africa, who work in a wide array of industries ─ including manufacturing, technical, medical, as well as oil and gas.

We at Torjoman stick to certain criteria to meet and exceed customer expectations: 

Native Translators

We house more than 500 native translators who are specialized in different industries to ensure the resulting content is immediately understandable to the target market.

ISO Certification

Being an ISO17100 certified translation company guarantees that we are obliged to go through a meticulous process of translation to be 100% free of errors. 

Advanced Technology

We, at Torjoman translation company, always use the latest technology in translation like Translation Memory, Glossary, Translation Management System and many more. We also believe to have easy and quick communication between us and our clients, so we designed an ordering platform at our website and mobile app to facilitate the translation ordering process to our clients.  

Torjoman has always stood out with a unique mix of quality, accuracy and fast turnaround, which, at the end of the day, adds real value to the company’s regional and global clients.

For further information on how Torjoman can help grow your business, contact us today.