Aldo Gucci once quoted, “The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of the low price is forgotten.”
Although we are sure he was talking about high-quality shoes, it is worth noting that this quote even applies to the language industry, especially interpretation services.
Picture this: You are in a vital business meeting with some German clients. There is an enticing multi-million-dollar deal on the table that works for both parties. However, while ironing out the final details, your German-to-English interpreter fumbles a key phrase, impacting both the deal and your long-standing relationship with the Germans.
The result: You regret hiring a cheap interpretation service, which at first looked like a cost-effective solution but later turned out to be the ultimate deal-breaker!
Many professionals unknowingly make the same mistake: they hire cheap interpreters and then regret not having good-quality results.
This blog aims to uncover the real dangers of opting for low-cost interpretation services and explore why investing in professional linguistic services is essential.
What’s at Stake with Cheap Interpretation Services?
Communication Breakdown
From a business deal to a legal court case and medical consultations, clarity in communication is a must. A cheap interpreter might lack linguistic fluency, industry expertise, or cultural know-how. This could lead to inaccurate information being communicated. In sectors like legal and healthcare, a single miscommunicated word or phrase can have devastating results.
Brand Damage and Lost Trust
Imagine a brand about to sign a deal with a foreign entity in a virtual meeting. However, in between, the brand mistakenly relays an offensive message because of poor video remote interpreting. This situation won’t just leave the brand embarrassed but also risk loss of credibility and trust in global markets.
Invisible Costs That Come to Bite Later
At first glance, the “affordable” voice interpreter may save some money today, but it’s possible that you might end up paying a lot more to fix a future fallout.
This is how:
- Post-Event Corrections: A communicated botched-up message needs to be fixed to prevent further backlash.
- Lost Deals: As explored above, enticing deals may slip out of one’s hands.
- Reputation Management: The reputation of a brand or medical firm gets hit the most after inaccurate communication.
- Legal Liabilities: Misinterpreted terms may lead to legal punishments, as in the case of Willie Ramirez, a misinterpreted Spanish term (intoxicado) ended up costing the hospital millions of dollars in legal damages.
Are you working with a tight budget but still want to avoid cheap interpretation services? No worries; check out this blog to know how to efficiently budget interpretation costs: How to Keep Interpretation Costs Low Without Cutting Corners?
What Do High-Quality Interpretation Services Look Like?
While hiring an interpretation service, one must look for the following features:
- The agency provides certified interpreters with deep industry knowledge.
- They offer diverse services like consecutive, simultaneous, and conference interpreting.
- The agency provides interpretation services for all languages, including the lesser-spoken ones.
- Supports all platforms to ensure accurate interpretation, from real-time, on-site to video remote interpreting.
- Offers a sign language interpreter for clients with special needs.
Hiring a reliable interpretation service helps to minimize risks of fallout, enhances trust among clients and consumers, and finally enables efficient multilingual spoken communication across all platforms.
The Somya Translators Advantage
The risks of cheap interpretation services are real and can do irreversible damage to your brand. However, with Somya Translators, a leading ISO 17100:2015 certified linguistic agency, you get expert interpretation services across all industries and 170+ global languages.
We stand out because:
- Certified interpreters who offer expert communication across all platforms.
- Competitive and transparent prices that fit within your budget.
- Quality guarantee to ensure your communication is smooth and accurate.
- Customizable and flexible solutions to cater to diverse needs.
With our expert and reliable interpretation solutions, one can ensure their message falls in the right place and as intended.
So, before you think about opting for a cheap interpretation service, think about the cost of getting communication wrong!
Contact us today for a free quote, and let us help your brand speak every language in the right way!