3 Tips for Writing an Email to a Translation Company

When you need a translation service, your first instinct may be to pick up the phone and call your translation company of choice. However, with so many translation agencies out there and so much competition between them, it can be very tempting to email them instead – and while this approach can work, it can also end up costing you more time and money than you’d like if done incorrectly. Furthermore, if you send many emails back and forth with the same individual or hundreds of emails, your signature may appear in each one, and the email chain will get longer and longer. Here are three tips that will help you to contact a translation company via email successfully, saving you both money and stress in the process. By the time you’ve finished reading this blog post, you’ll have learned everything there is to know about email etiquette rules.

1) Decide what your request is

Before contacting a translation company, decide your request in an email message. Will you need their help translating an entire website? A manual? Marketing materials? It’s important to know exactly what you want to be solved before you contact anyone because that can make a difference in how your email reads. There are a collection of email phrases and phrases that are often used when signing off formal emails, just as there are in English. You don’t want it to seem like you’re just fishing around and wasting someone’s time if there’s nothing specific you need to be done. Think about it—if I were on the receiving end of your email, would I know why you contacted me right away, or would I have to read through everything first?

2) Write Clearly

The biggest problem with writing emails to translation companies is that they often appear unprofessional and sloppy. You’ll also need to include a subject line with your name and job title in your email. If you’re contacting a translation company, it’s a safe bet they receive all sorts of stupid emails daily, so be sure to present yours professionally and clearly. Use proper spelling and grammar (if you don’t know how to brush up here), and make sure your writing style is logical and concise. Also, give yourself plenty of time before your deadline—nothing looks more unprofessional than sending out jumbled last-minute messages for translators to decipher.

3) Make it as Easy as Possible for Them

A translation company will want information from you, and they’ll like it quickly. This is especially true if you need translation of non-English documents—the sooner your translation agency knows about your request, the sooner they can start working on it. Ensure you include all necessary contact details in every email or letter (or, if applicable, fill out their online form).

This includes your name, your company name (if applicable), a contact phone number, and an email address where they can reach you. You should also include any relevant information regarding your translation project, such as the desired language combination, the word count (if you know it), and by when you need it in your message.

If there’s only one way to get in touch with you, let them know that as well. To speed things up, even more, make sure to attach your documents for translation in your email. This way, the translation agency knows exactly what you need translating, and they can provide a more accurate quote!

Subject line: Include as many helpful details as possible

Your email’s subject line is your first chance to capture the translation vendor’s attention. Many translators use phrases like “Translator Application,” which informs me that the person is searching for work as a translator. Others have English>Spanish Translation Service as their option. That’s a step forward because it includes the source and destination languages.

What if you could offer even more relevant information in the subject line to help the reader rapidly determine whether you have what the translation vendor requires? Let me show you an example subject line that I believe is incredibly informative, and then we’ll look at each piece individually. If you have a business email address, it can make an email look more professional. Use the business email address for work and your email address for personal emails.

Language Combination

You must have a good language combination. The truth is straightforward. The reader will either need or not need your language mix. You immediately distinguish yourself from others who require it by mentioning your language combination. It’s not difficult, but you might be surprised to learn that many translators email subject lines that don’t specify their language combination or expertise.

Native Language

As soon as possible, confirm that you are a native speaker of the target language. You’d be astonished at how many letters we receive from people claiming to be able to translate into many languages, some of which are not their native tongues. You rapidly indicate that you are an experienced translator who understands our industry by stating that you are a native of the target language. If you’ve spent a long time in another nation and can now provide translation in both directions, include it in the body of your email. This is especially useful for language combinations when an English native speaker is hard to come by in the United States.

Cost Of Translation

You may believe that if you provide rates, people looking for lower rates will instantly disqualify you. I’m sure some, if not the majority, will disagree, and I entirely appreciate both sides of the debate over whether or not including rates in the initial contact email is a good idea. However, my advice is that you include a rate range. Why not specify a range? For example, your lowest available pricing for non-technical editable text, a premium rate for technical texts, or documents requiring extra formatting effort, etc. This strategy allows you to give a potential client an estimate of cost while maintaining control over your rate if the project progresses to a concrete assessment.