Fake translators are one of the most dangerous traps if you’re looking for someone to professionally and accurately translate texts and documents. But who are these translators, how can we recognise them, and above all, how can we avoid them? Here’s a rapid overview based on our many years of experience in the industry, and also a great deal of contact with self-styled professional translators.
Let’s start from the basics. Generally speaking, when you're looking for a translator, you turn to an agency.
Even though lately, the use of portals dedicated to freelancers is becoming a very popular alternative.
The main difference, however, is that this type of platform fails to offer the user a genuine selection. None of the uploaded CVs are verified, and neither are the proposed skills, thus increasing your chances of coming up with mediocre translators or outright imposters.
But poor or even non-existent translators can sometimes be recruited by agencies themselves with a less than professional approach. How can this happen?
There are mainly two types of fake translators: freelancers and agencies.
How can it be that a translation agency has fake translators in its ranks? Very simple: because they fail to implement a certified selection process like the one we, on the other hand, have relied on for years. A special portal dedicated to recruiting translators makes it possible for us to screen all candidates.
A translator who wishes to join our team needs to access a portal, send us their ID, CV and telephone number. They then receive a pass code on their mobile phone, which needs to be inserted to proceed. After verifying their personal data and language combination, they are directed to a test with 5 questions designed to assess their knowledge. Only with a score equal to or greater than 4/5 will they be able to proceed to the next step. If they get less than three questions right, the candidate is excluded from the selection. If, however, they get at least 3/5, they can try again a few hours later. They cannot go any further, however, until they obtain a suitable score. In the next step, they need to complete a test translation. At that point, our professional native-speaking staff will assess the result.
In statistical terms, out of 200 translators that register on our platform, less than 10 are successfully qualified. The existence of fake translators is therefore much more widespread than you might think.
When you contact an agency like ours, you can be sure that your text will be translated only by highly specialised and qualified translators, but otherwise, here are a few clues that should get you wondering whether you’re dealing with a fake translator:
These are three important alarm bells in understanding whether the translator is providing a professional service, if there is a risk of receiving a poor-quality service, or even worse, of not receiving one at all.
By company policy, we only work with translators selected through the portal and carry out randomised checks even after their engagement to ensure continuous quality over time. Each translator is assigned a score to reflect their level, and we offer training to encourage their growth and continuous use of the most advanced technological tools. Moreover, we also monitor each translator’s workload to discourage the practice of subcontracting jobs to other colleagues.
If you're looking for a professional and certified translator to process your texts, contact us now.
If, on the other hand, you’re a translator and would like to test your skills, working with a reliable and professional agency, send us your CV and pass the tests to join our team!
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