Choosing your language partner – Part 3

Welcome to the final part of our series. So far, we’ve looked at the numbers game of vanity metrics and the pitfalls that turn a bargain quote into a very expensive mistake.

When it comes to translation and interpreting services, the value you receive can be found in the stability of your operations, the quality of your linguists and the impact of your spend.

In my two decades in the localisation industry, I’ve seen how a low price always comes at a cost with the buyer eventually filling in the gaps with their own time and stress. As a quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin says, ‘the bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.’

Value starts with a strong relationship with your supplier’s team. Language projects have many moving parts, so clear communication and regular status updates help avoid misunderstandings and rework. When the vendor team knows what to do without direction from you, they provide a stability that a quote cannot capture.

Having an account manager, project manager, or linguist who acts as an extension of your own team allows you to focus on higher priority tasks. They act in your best interest, looking out for pitfalls and keeping your projects running smoothly. Because they understand your mission, they can make proactive recommendations to improve processes or suggest ways to save on costs.

High-quality interpreting is rooted in human connection. When an organisation and a service user need to communicate clearly and build trust, the interpreter makes that possible.

Many interpreters have walked the same path as the people they are now assisting. They understand the stress of adjusting to life in a new country because they have been through it themselves. Their experience helps the service user feel respected and safe, as well as creating a foundation for understanding and trust that other language service providers cannot match.

Tesco shows how this works in practice. To strengthen worker engagement and meet its obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, Tesco worked with interpreters to help them talk regularly with their employees about working conditions. The information gathered led to stronger dialogue and supply chain oversight, helping Tesco prevent exploitation by ensuring every voice was heard.

Aberlour are another case in point. A leading Scottish children’s charity, they work extensively with unaccompanied children who are in the UK and seeking asylum. Clear communication in their own language is a lifeline for the young people in allowing them to understand legal discussions and participate in the decisions affecting their future. For the child, an interpreter who speaks their language may be the first person in a long time who really understands them, which creates a safe space for them to speak openly and receive the support they need.

While AI interpreting solutions may offer speed, they cannot replicate the human connection or cultural nuance that builds genuine trust in sensitive situations.

The UK Procurement Act 2023 made social impact a legal requirement in public procurement, not just a nice to have. The legislation changed how public bodies purchase services, empowering them to award contracts based on community impact and long-term public benefit.

In the commercial world, Tesco demonstrates the strategic value of working with a social enterprise by choosing a language services provider that has a very strong ethical background, and that reinvests its profits into its parent charity. Tesco are thus able to secure ethical language services while also providing support for vulnerable people.

The true cost of a low quote reveals itself when service issues begin. Late deliveries, translation errors, long connection times and unresponsive communication have an impact. Instead of supporting your clients, you’re spending hours on damage control to fix errors and manage a service that should have worked from the start.

This is usually when buyers start thinking about finding a new vendor. But the pain of changing is an investment in time and effort:

• Administrative drain: You are back at square one sending out a new request for proposals and spending time evaluating the responses.
  
  
• Training burden: Once the vendor is identified, you have to re-train a new set of linguists on your products, services and preferred technology.
  
  
• Technical integration: While some vendors are technology agnostic, many have their own platforms, portals and connectors, which must be installed and learned to facilitate efficient workflows.
  
  
• Productivity decline: These disruptions impact operations, timelines and delivery of vital services.

The opportunity cost of this cycle is high. Beyond the time and effort spent, you face a loss of institutional knowledge and productivity that can take months to recover.

A language service provider who focuses on delivering value, rather than short-term savings, creates a foundation for a long-term relationship. In 10 years, no one will remember a low per-word rate. What they will remember is the service user who felt understood, the supply chain that became more ethical and the hours that you saved because your business partner just ‘got it’.

When it comes to professional language services, this series has been about understanding that flashy numbers and low-cost quotes are distractions.

Who you collaborate with is a strategic decision that protects your time and strengthens your impact. As the Grail Knight said: “You must choose. But choose wisely”.