People think translation is easy and straightforward. Try to use any translation tool online and translate “siren” in Spanish. Now, to “sound the fire truck siren” might turn into “sound the fire truck mermaid”. And this is just a very simple example of what machine translation can do. Imagine what it will do to a document you want to send to your customers or investors?
If you use professional translation services, you know you’re working with trained linguists. Besides studying languages, the people handling your texts have studied translation. They know how to deal with those cultural issues and words with multiple meanings that Google translate can’t handle. The fact that your professional translator is qualified also means they’re faster than someone doing your translation in their spare time. They may well use translation software to help them work faster and ensure consistency.
Trained linguists are also well versed in ensuring consistency throughout your text. Professional translators often use translation software to help them with this, especially for large texts. This is important if you’re going to reuse and recycle texts in different ways. You don’t want embarrassing inconsistencies bringing the brand image down.