Buying a translation service, without being qualified to do so, can prove to be hazardous at a time when translation is sold more like a consumer product per kilo rather than the provision of a service. Above all translation must be a task for professionals, which unfortunately is not always the case. A quality translation implies respect for certain rules by the professional translator.
A translation bought on the cheap has little chance of meeting your expectations, of highlighting your company image or describing your products and services in an accurate and relevant manner. Who hasn't had a good laugh at a translation produced using automatic translation software? Who hasn't given up trying to read a document or website full of spelling and grammar mistakes? The quality of a professional translation has a price reflecting an economic reality. The deadline given according to the document's technical level and the style of writing desired is just as important and must be realistic therefore. To assess this, simply ask yourself how long it would take you to write a twenty page document in your mother tongue.
