Free translation trial period

Is it worth using a human translator?

There’s no getting around it – human translation can be expensive. Or at least, it can seem expensive, particularly if you’ve not provided translations of your website, social media, etc. before or have only ever used free tools like Google Translate, DeepL or ChatGPT. This is all the more true if you’re working with a limited communications or marketing budget.

Is it worth the cost? Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to this question – there are just too many factors involved. Do you need ongoing translation services, or is it just a one-off? What exactly are you trying to achieve? Raising awareness? Selling your product? Communicating with potential project stakeholders?

I said that human translation can “seem” expensive, because you might find it more helpful to think about translation (or any language service) as an investment. Much like getting a webdesigner to create your website for you, the amount of money you spend on translation should hopefully provide you with some sort of return. That might be monetary, if you’re having your product marketing translated for example, or non-monetary, if your goal is to expand your social media following by providing content in English etc.

Does the return justify the investment? I’m afraid I can’t answer that, but I do offer something that might help you explore your options: my free translation trial period.

What does it involve?

Like any free trial period, this allows you to take advantage of a limited version of my services for a short period – specifically three months. During these three months, I will provide you with a certain number of words of translation each month, entirely for free. The exact amount will vary depending on the nature and complexity of the work required, but it will add up to approximately half a day of working time per month.

The number of free trial periods that I can offer is, therefore, limited to two at a time, but a waiting list is available if necessary.

What can I have translated for free?

When deciding what sort of material you want me to work on during the trial period, I recommend choosing something with measurable outcomes. For example, you might choose to have your social media posts translated, to see whether that generates more engagement than the untranslated version. Or if your blog posts are usually translated using an automated translation system like Google Translate, you might want to have me translate one of the posts so you can see whether it attracts more pageviews. At the end of each month, I will send you a summary of the theoretical price of the services used, so you can decide whether the benefit is worth the investment.

Who is eligible?

Another very difficult question to answer! The best way to find out whether you (or your organisation) is eligible is to email me at david@bwtranslation.co.uk and tell me a bit about yourself, your circumstances and why you think you would benefit from this free trial period.

Restrictions

This free trial period offer is aimed solely at those who are not sure whether investing in language services is the right choice for their circumstances and/or who are operating within tight budgetary constrictions. I therefore reserve the right to refuse to provide a free trial period to any requestor at my discretion.

The free trial period is not available to any translation agency, language service provider, broker or similar in any circumstances.

Exact terms and conditions to be agreed on request.