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Definitely worth reading if you are a freelance translator!
Thread poster: Michelle Kusuda
Michelle Kusuda
Michelle Kusuda  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 09:29
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Good agencies are Language Service Brokers but not providers! ;) Jan 21, 2013

Terry Richards wrote:

Actually, if you look at what agencies (at least, the good ones) actually do, I think the LSP name fits very well.

They find the customers, coordinate multiple translators (possibly in multiple languages), interface with the end customer, have the documents reread, perform quality control, front the money to translators even if they haven't been paid and so forth. These are all services, they are all language related and they are all provided by the agency. At least, they should be, I am well aware that many agencies fall down on at least some of these items but even that doesn't mean they are not LSPs, it just means that they are bad LSPs!

I think the problem here is that, as translators, we tend to think that translating is the entire job. It is not.




I did not take the article as a criticism of translation agencies, I read it tongue in cheek on how we try to be so accurate in conveying the true meaning of a text and yet we do not even have a very accurate one for our own industry. There are great agencies and great translators out there. The opposite is also true!

Cheers everyone!

4 more for 44! May the 4s be with you!


 
Konstantinos Stardelis
Konstantinos Stardelis
Local time: 15:29
English to Greek
Actually, no. Jan 21, 2013

Terry Richards wrote:

Actually, if you look at what agencies (at least, the good ones) actually do, I think the LSP name fits very well.

They find the customers, coordinate multiple translators (possibly in multiple languages), interface with the end customer, have the documents reread, perform quality control, front the money to translators even if they haven't been paid and so forth. These are all services, they are all language related and they are all provided by the agency. At least, they should be, I am well aware that many agencies fall down on at least some of these items but even that doesn't mean they are not LSPs, it just means that they are bad LSPs!

I think the problem here is that, as translators, we tend to think that translating is the entire job. It is not.



The vast majority of translation agencies have nothing to do with language related services; unless you think that if my accountant is taking care of my invoices that means he's providing language services along with me.

In the machine called LSP, the only cogs that have anything to do with language services are the translators, proofreaders and editors. The rest are supporting services.


 
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Definitely worth reading if you are a freelance translator!







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