Do you need a document translating but don’t know how you go about it? There are many solutions. Here is a brief guide to the different types of translation service providers, that could help you choose who to entrust your business content to.
Freelance translators
Many translators decide to set themselves up in business as freelancers. These professionals try to carve out a place in the translation market on their own. In this category, you might come across three scenarios:
A freelance translator who will take on your project directly
This professional works alone. You can contact them directly, sending your documents and providing instructions about the translation.
A freelance translator who subcontracts to other colleagues
Some freelance translators, overwhelmed with work, choose to subcontract to trusted colleagues in exchange for a small commission.
They will act as an intermediary, usually proofreading their colleague’s work before sending you the final version.
A freelance project manager
Unlike a translator subcontracting to a colleague, a freelance project manager no longer translates. They act solely as intermediaries. Their address books are long lists of professional translators who specialise in a variety of fields and work in different language combinations.
In this category, two or three people work together to create a small translation agency. They are often former colleagues or collaborators specialising in a particular field who choose to set up their own business.
This is a different way of managing a small agency. Generally, the members of this type of network still produce their own translations. They always proofread all the translations that pass through their hands.
Medium-sized agencies
This type of agency might have five to twenty employees, who will include not just project managers but also specialists in desktop publishing, web formats, and localisation.
They work in the same office, know each other personally and meet every day. Everyone has a specific role and represents a key element of the translation process.
Medium-sized agencies are usually created by professional translators who know their way around the industry and entrust projects to fully qualified independent translators.
Large agencies
Here, at least a hundred employees work together at several offices spread around the world. The scenario here is quite different, and the larger agencies may not even be created or managed by professional translators or people with experience in the industry.
The “business” side tends to take priority over the human aspect and professional fulfilment.
Mega-agencies
Unlike small agencies, these huge corporations, such as SDL or Lionbridge, are real translation factories. Located in many countries, they manage hundreds of projects every day and divide tasks between their large numbers of employees.
They have huge networks of translators working in every conceivable language combination and specialising in particular fields. This enables them to manage many different projects, regardless of the subject.
Translation service providers – it’s up to you!
From freelance translators to mega-agencies, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to translation service providers! The final decision to entrust your documents to one over another is up to you, depending on your needs and expectations.
Every provider has a different approach, so think about the type of service you want when making your choice.
Have you ever used the services of one of these types of providers? Were you happy with the service? Share your experience with us!
And if you’re looking for a reliable translation agency with experienced native translators, get in touch with BeTranslated today for a free, no-obligation quote.
What training courses are there in Belgium for future translators? As you can imagine, this is not a profession that can be blagged – it requires solid foundations.
In Belgium, translation schools are flourishing all over the country, training hundreds of professional translators every year.
In recent years, translation training in Belgium has become an academic subject taught in universities over five years (a bachelor’s degree in three years and a master’s in two).
This is due to the Marcourt decree, which stipulates that all master’s courses in translation and interpreting should be university degrees.
We have drawn up a list of the main Belgian universities teaching translation.
The Institut Libre Marie Haps trains its future translators and interpreters in the heart of the European quarter. This institution’s reputation for excellence makes it a great choice for students wanting to enter the profession.
The bachelor’s degree in translation and interpreting has recently been taken over by the Université Saint-Louis, though teaching still takes place at the Marie Haps building.
The master’s, meanwhile, is offered at the Louvain-la-Neuve site at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL).
ISTI, part of the ULB (Université libre de Bruxelles) since 2015, offers a complete translation and interpreting curriculum in no fewer than 19 languages. As well as European languages, students can choose more exotic tongues such as Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew, and Persian.
Vertaalkunde – Erasmushogeschool Brussel (EhB)
This Flemish university, affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), also offers a course for Dutch-speaking students wanting to specialise in translation.
Students can also opt for this prestigious university. The reputation of the University of Ghent is well-established, and it is considered the best university in Belgium by the Shanghai Ranking.
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is another pillar of the Belgian university system. This Dutch-speaking Belgian university is one of the biggest in the country.
The Université de Liège offers a course awarded jointly with the Haute École de Liège. During the bachelor’s course in the first three years, students take classes at both institutions (ULg and HEL), before focusing on either translation or interpreting during their master’s at ULg in the Place du XX Août.
The Mons EII enjoys an excellent reputation in the worlds of translation and interpreting. Students graduating from this school have a solid qualification with which to launch into their working lives.
An unusual feature of this university is that students are offered an introduction to a third foreign language, including Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Hungarian, Swedish, or Norwegian.
The Université catholique de Louvain should not be confused with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. The two institutions are entirely separate. Unlike KUL (listed above), UCL is in Wallonia and offers teaching in French. UCL has organised two new master’s courses in translation and interpreting since 2015. The bachelor’s takes place in Brussels at the Marie Haps building (ULB).
Since the start of the 2017-2018 course, the master’s also began to cover Belgian French sign language.
As you can see, would-be translators and interpreters have no shortage of choice.
What do you think of these universities? Do you know of any others that should be added to our list? We are interested in your opinion! You can also take a look at our full list of university translation courses worldwide.
If you’re looking for talented translators such as those who have attended these institutions, look no further than BeTranslated, an experienced translation agency with reliable linguists.
Get in touch today for more information or a free, no-obligation quote.
For many companies or individuals that find themselves in need of a professional translation service, the prospect of choosing the right high-quality translation provider can be rather daunting.
If your content is being translated into a language that you yourself don’t understand, there is an element of trust, as you aren’t able to verify the quality of the work yourself.
The abundance of information online can be overwhelming for those working with translators for the first time.
Perhaps you’ve come across terms like CAT tools and localisation while browsing through translation agency websites and been left feeling confused, but all is not lost!
Our simple guide to what to look for when hiring a translation service will help you find the right translator for you.
Be specific about your language requirements
Let’s start with language combinations. Many translation agencies specialise in specific languages, such as European languages like French and Italian or Asian languages like Korean and Japanese, whilst others that have a larger pool of translators offer a seemingly endless list of language combinations.
It is crucial that your translator is specialised in the right regional dialect for your needs. For example, if your company is branching out into the Latin American market, working with European Spanish translators is not going to be appropriate.
Be specific with your translation agency about the regional details of your target audience, and make sure that they have linguists who are experienced with the dialects your project requires.
Look for translators specialised in the appropriate subject
Linguistic knowledge is just one piece of the translation puzzle; your translator should also be knowledgeable about the subject of the text to be translated.
If you need a contract translated, you should work with a legal translator experienced in contracts, whereas a marketing translator would be a more suitable choice for your publicity content.
Working with a specialised translator will ensure you receive a high-quality translation.
When researching translation service providers, focus on those that specialise in the type of translation you need, and feel free to ask them about their previous clients, which will give you a better idea about the kinds of translation they have experience doing, and the profiles of their translators.
Read reviews with a critical eye
Once you’ve narrowed your search down to translation agencies that are experts in your subject area and language combinations, it’s time to focus on their reputations.
Take a good look at their website and social media pages, particularly focusing on customer reviews and feedback. Read the reviews thoughtfully, with a clear idea of the kind of company you’re looking for.
Also, pay attention to the types of clients they have worked with; are they similar to your company?
Approaching this information with a clear idea of your own needs will make it much easier to process what is relevant to you and your needs.
Consider requesting a sample translation
Providing a translation agency with a short sample text (around 300 words is standard) for them to translate, which you may or may not be asked to pay for, is a great way of checking the quality of the work and confirming if they are the right fit for your translation needs.
Be realistic with what to expect from a free test translation; don’t expect a translator to translate pages and pages of text for free, especially if the job on offer is a small project.
That being said, many translators are happy to provide short samples, and it’s a useful step in finding the right high-quality translation service.
Be clear on the service that you expect
Ask for details on what the translation company offers, and be clear about what you need. Will you require extra services such as proofreading or localisation?
Don’t be afraid to ask the agency for details of their service, for example, is proofreading performed by a second qualified translator?
This is recommended as human error is natural and the more eyes on a text the better.
The bottom line is that clear communication will lead to a better working relationship and, ultimately, a better final product.
As an experienced translation agency with highly-qualified translators located around the globe, BeTranslated could be the right translation service provider for you.
In our increasingly globalised world and thanks largely to the internet, expanding into international markets is a reality for many businesses.
Most companies are well aware of the importance of having an active online presence, but this digital content is of no use to potential international customers if they can’t understand it. Hence the importance of a multilingual website.
Having your website translated by a professional translation service will make your products or services accessible to new clients and allow them to feel connected to your brand.
But why are multilingual websites so important, and what factors need to be considered when translating them? Let’s take a look.
Translate your website for strong customer relations
Studies show that 55% of customers prefer to shop in their own language : who can blame them?
Navigating the web through your native language is not only a much more relaxing user experience that eliminates the chances of misunderstandings, but it also makes you feel like the company is speaking to you, that their products or services are for you.
These days many web browsers offer instant machine translation of websites and, while this function can be useful in a pinch, the quality is extremely low which leaves users feeling frustrated and confused.
Customers can’t be blamed for questioning why they should give money to a company that has made no effort to make their digital content accessible.
Is this the impression you want your business to give?
By hiring a professional translation service to translate your website, you will open your business up to a whole new world of potential clients!
Your multilingual website should be easy to find
As well as helping you create strong relationships with prospective clients, translating your website into relevant languages actually increases your search engine rankings, making it easier for your company to be found online.
This is because having your content available in multiple languages means it appears in keyword searches in those languages, not only English, giving your business better exposure.
While we’re on the topic of SEO and search engines, it’s worth acknowledging that around the world different search engines are used: in Russia people use Yandex, in China it’s all about Baidu whilst in South Korea, Naver far outperforms both Google and Yahoo.
It pays to research how people use the internet in the country your business wants to expand into to give your website the best chance of being found by potential customers.
Make switching between languages easy
It’s all well and good making your website available in multiple languages, but if people can’t find the language switcher, they will be stuck viewing the site in English regardless!
It should be an intuitive process so that users don’t have to waste time and get bored. Most websites opt to place the language switcher at the top right-hand side of the page, so this is usually the best option.
Once you’ve settled on the position of the language switcher, you have to decide if you’re going to use flags or words to indicate the languages (or both, though this can look overcrowded).
Flags have the advantage of being visually appealing and simple, but can be rather exclusive; think about all the countries that speak Spanish, for example, they won’t feel represented by a Spanish flag.
If you decide to use words, we recommend having the language written in the relevant languages, i.e. the button should read ‘Deutsch’ instead of ‘German‘ or make it easier for users to find.
Localisation can be just as important as translation
Translating the verbal content of your website is only part of what goes into creating a successful multilingual website; you should work with a translation agency that can also localise your site.
Localisation is the process of altering content, whether that’s a website, a video, or a brand’s advertising campaign, to make sure it is received in the appropriate manner by the target audience, taking culture into account.
When it comes to localising websites, things to consider include images, date and address formats, and brand slogans, to name a few.
How to ensure an efficient translation process
Allowing your translator access to links to the original website they are translating will make life much easier and ultimately result in better translations.
Translation does not exist in a vacuum and knowing if the text they are working on is an image caption, a CTA (call to action), or button will inform how a translator renders it. Similarly, communicate with your translation agency about the best format for the source and target texts.
This will help both your translator and webmaster, who is not likely to understand the target text.
Now that we’ve convinced you of the importance of having a multilingual website, perhaps you’d like more information about BeTranslated’s talented website translators? For more information or a free, no-obligation quote, get in touch today.
This strategic setup makes it possible to combine linguistic precision with strong cultural knowledge while supporting companies, institutions, and international organisations across Europe.
Belgium plays a central role in multilingual communication within the European Union and international business ecosystems.
With three official languages and widespread professional use of English, Belgium offers a unique environment for high-level language services.
Belgian operations coordinate multilingual projects across Northern Europe, while the Spanish presence strengthens linguistic support for Southern Europe and international markets.
From Valencia to Belgium, a shared European vision
Belgium and Spain share architectural and cultural connections through landmark infrastructure and urban development projects.
From Valencia’s cultural institutions to major railway stations in Liège and Mons, architecture reflects innovation, mobility, and European cooperation.
This connection mirrors the linguistic bridge created through coordinated operations between Belgium and Spain.
Clients benefit from structured multilingual workflows, cultural accuracy, and consistent terminology across borders.
Need multilingual support in Belgium or Spain?
Work with experienced language professionals supporting companies, institutions, and international organisations across Europe.
