Is There a Future for Uberized or On-Demand Translation Services?

by Konstantin Josseliani

We encounter various examples of Uberization in our daily lives. Some people call Uber to get to places and some use similar platforms to choose professional service providers, such as tutors. Some believe that the use of such platforms shortens the logistics chain and connects service providers directly to service consumers. On the face of it, this is a great idea because the consumer obtains services without intermediaries, making everything faster and cheaper.

But is it really as perfect a platform as developers would have us believe? Have you ever been in a situation when an Uber driver did not know the route well or showed up in a dirty car and was quite rude? Yes, we regularly find ourselves in such situations. We have to understand that by ordering a service directly from a driver or other service provider, we end up interacting directly with them, leaving quality entirely up to the provider. In other words, we assume all the risks.

The translation industry has not escaped the Uberization craze. Multiple platforms now allow clients to connect directly with translators, bypassing translation agencies. Such platforms refer to agencies as “middle men,” implying that they don’t bring any additional value to the table, but rather represent an unnecessary barrier between the service provider and the consumer.

This concept appeals to inexperienced clients because it helps save the money that would be paid to a translation agency, and it speeds up the translation process, since client interact directly with translators.
However, such platforms fail to mention the risks that this business model poses for both translators and clients.

So let’s figure out what risks are involved and what the consequences of direct collaboration between clients and translators might be.

The main risks for clients are associated with choosing the right specialist, project management and quality assurance.

To the unsavvy client, the translation process looks like this: the client sends a project for translation to an agency. The agency simply forwards the project to a translator and then sends the finished translation back to the client. Is it really that simple?
Of course not. Translation agencies actually perform a number of important functions:
1. Vendor Selection and Testing
On Uber-like translation platforms, all vendors look like highly professional specialists with expertise in practically any translation software and subject matter. In reality, most of them overestimate their abilities. Clients only become aware of this while working on a project, finding that their translator does not know how to use the required software or industry-specific terminology, or simply produces a bad translation.
Translation agencies have special vendor management departments. These departments gather information about translators, test them, and prepare them for working on their projects. In addition, vendor management specialists assign translators to projects based on subject matter, which ensures the desired quality level.
2. Project Management
This is another function performed by agencies. For each project, a project manager divides the work between several translators based on word count and deadline and constantly monitors execution. If a project involves several different tasks in addition to translation, such as engineering tasks, DTP, etc., project management becomes a more complex job. The project manager ensures that the deadline is met regardless of whether individual vendors deliver on time.
3. Quality Control
This is one of the most important functions of an agency, which guarantees that clients will receive a quality product. Quality control includes a number of tasks, such as selecting vendors for the project, providing training or reference materials, editing, and final quality control.
4. Risk Management
When working directly with a service provider, clients assume all of the project risk: what if the translator gets sick, goes out of town, or simply fails to deliver the translation on time? Agencies will guarantee that if their vendor fails to deliver the project on time, the work will be reassigned, and the client will still receive the finished product by the deadline.

These are only some of the functions performed by translation agencies and “forgotten” by platforms and advocates of Uberization in the translation industry. If not performed by an agency, these functions become the client’s responsibility, creating additional administrative costs and other expenses and putting the entire project at risk.

Now that we’ve looked at the functions that agencies perform on behalf of clients, let’s discuss the relationship between agencies and vendors, such as translators.
Agencies do not compete with translators: they are not manning opposite sides of the barricades. They are partners and complement each other when working with clients.

What Useful Functions Do Agencies Perform on Behalf of Translators?

1. Client Solicitation
Agencies take full responsibility for the marketing and sales tasks associated with finding new clients. Finding a new client is a lengthy process that may take several months and entail significant expenditure on marketing and sales.
2. Project Management
These days, a standard translation project is more than just a text that needs to be translated. It’s an array of files that requires the efforts of several specialists at the same time, including engineers, desktop publishers, editors, proofreaders, and project managers. Project managers fulfill the role of conductors, organizing all the specialists and ensuring effective teamwork.
3. Client Management
This is another set of tasks that is often underappreciated. Agencies take on the responsibility of communicating with clients or their representatives (often numerous), clarifying their expectations and requirements, clearing technical details and deadlines, and sharing all of this information with the team in a processed format.
4. Administrative Details
Regardless of whether the customer pays or not, an agency guarantees that the translator will get paid in accordance with the agreement between the translator and the agency.
Thus, we may conclude that agencies perform a number of functions that are critical for translators and that translators have to perform themselves when working directly with clients, while also assuming all the risks.

Uberization is an on-demand alternative or simplified project execution formula featuring maximum automation.

Would it be right to say that Uberization is completely inapplicable to the translation industry? No, a number of companies have transformed this approach into the so-called on-demand service, a business model that offers expedient translation services at minimum cost.

How does this work? The main requirement is the maximum automation of all processes associated with translation. The customer places an order via a portal and receives an automatic quote. Once payment has been made, the project is sent over to the project team with minimum involvement on the part of the project manager or deviation from a set algorithm. Some stages, such as editing and DTP, may be omitted, which ensures fast and low-cost project execution.

Of course, this approach comes with certain risks and cannot be used for all types of text. Nevertheless, annual growth in this segment is 30%, which attests to the popularity of this business model among clients.
Major issues include the agreement between client and service provider on quality level and type of content, maximum automation on the provider’s side, and the availability of a prepared production infrastructure.
Janus Worldwide offers on-demand translations through its GTP Platform Janus Express Module that has recently seen increased demand from clients.

In conclusion, modern translation agencies must be able to offer various business models depending on client needs and control their involvement in the production process, as universal solutions for all clients and their consumer needs simply do not exist.

The final choice of business model is always up to the client, and the agency should play the role of consultant, adapting its processes and technologies to meet the client’s needs.