What is a Translation Agency?

What is a Translation Agency? What kinds of services can we get from the translation agency?

What is a Translation Agency? What kinds of services can we get from the translation agency?

Why translation agency is better choice for quality translation than machine translation and AI translation?

Translation services in the European Union

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There are more than 26,000 translation agencies worldwide. They range in size from large to small. The annual turnover from all companies within the industry amounts to 42 billion euros (2019), and it is growing by 7.90% each year. There is no doubt that approximately 85% of all the translation agency turnover worldwide is made up of small to medium-sized translation agencies with up to 10 employees. The top 100 translation agencies account for only about 14.30% of the total amount of the language service market.** Globalisation and digitalisation are driving the expansion of translation agencies. Europe is the largest translation market (about 50% of the global market), followed by North America (around 40%). The remainder is split between Asia and Latin America.

What is a Translation Agency?
What is a Translation Agency?

Baltic Media translation agency

What does a translation agency do?

A translation agency is a company that provides translation services to clients. Translation agencies typically have a team of experienced translators who specialize in different languages and subject areas. They can translate a wide range of documents, including:

  • Website content
  • Marketing materials
  • Legal documents
  • Technical manuals
  • Medical records
  • Software
  • Books
  • Movies and TV shows
translation agency staff a group of people smiling for the camera
What is a Translation Agency?

Translation agencies also offer a variety of other language-related services, such as:

  • Interpretation
  • Localization
  • Desktop publishing
  • Subtitling
  • Voiceover

Translation agencies can help businesses and individuals to communicate effectively with their global audiences. They can also help businesses to expand into new markets by translating their marketing materials and websites into local languages.

Here are some of the benefits of working with a translation agency:

  • Expertise: Translation agencies have a team of experienced translators who specialize in different languages and subject areas. This means that they can provide high-quality translations that are accurate and culturally appropriate.
  • Efficiency: Translation agencies can handle large and complex projects efficiently. They have the resources and expertise to manage multiple projects simultaneously and to meet tight deadlines.
  • Scalability: Translation agencies can scale their services to meet the needs of their clients. This means that they can provide translation services for businesses of all sizes.
  • Convenience: Translation agencies provide a one-stop shop for all of your language needs. They can handle everything from translation to localization to desktop publishing.

If you need to translate any documents or other content into a foreign language, I recommend working with a translation agency. They can provide you with high-quality and efficient translation services that will help you to communicate effectively with your global audience.

Why translation agency is better choice for quality translation than machine translation and AI translation?

Translation agencies offer a number of advantages over machine translation and AI translation when it comes to quality translation:

  • Expertise: Translation agencies have teams of experienced human translators who specialize in different languages and industries. This means that they have the knowledge and skills to produce accurate and idiomatic translations for even the most complex and challenging content.
  • Quality control: Translation agencies typically have rigorous quality control processes in place to ensure that all translations meet their high standards. This includes having multiple translators review each translation and making sure that it is accurate, culturally appropriate, and meets the client's specific needs.
  • Attention to detail: Human translators are able to pay attention to detail that machine translation and AI translation systems often miss. This includes things like cultural nuances, slang, and idiomatic expressions.
  • Flexibility: Translation agencies can accommodate a wide range of translation needs, from simple one-off translations to complex multilingual projects. They can also provide translations in a variety of formats, including websites, documents, marketing materials, and software.

Here are some specific examples of situations where a translation agency is a better choice for quality translation than machine translation or AI translation:

  • Translating technical or specialized content: Machine translation and AI translation systems can struggle with technical or specialized content, especially if it is complex or jargon-heavy. Translation agencies have translators who are experts in these areas and can produce accurate and idiomatic translations.
  • Translating marketing materials: Marketing materials need to be creative and persuasive, and machine translation and AI translation systems often struggle to capture this tone and style. Translation agencies have translators who can produce marketing translations that are both accurate and effective.
  • Translating legal or financial documents: Legal and financial documents need to be precise and accurate, and machine translation and AI translation systems can sometimes make mistakes that can have serious consequences. Translation agencies have translators who have experience translating these types of documents and can produce translations that are legally and financially sound.

Overall, translation agencies offer a number of advantages over machine translation and AI translation when it comes to quality translation. If you need accurate, idiomatic, and high-quality translations, then a translation agency is the best choice.

How does a translation agency work?  Common Translation Agency

You have found a world-class translation company specialising in region-specific languages and offering translation services from and into Northern European languages.

However, other companies are specialised in translating, not only from regional or resident languages, but also within specific industries, like healthcare, legal, technical documents, websites and other such texts.

There are translation companies which are backed by global stock markets and various funds, with an annual turnover of hundreds of millions. Such as Transperfect, Semantix, Lionbridge, Welocalize, LanguageLine Solutions and other Top 100 companies. These Language Service Providers (LSP) are particularly important to medium-sized and small translation agencies, which tend to buy specialised language services from them. Some medium-sized translation agencies work only as providers to the Top 100, while also being on this list.

Our translators
Some of our translators

 

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Who Works in a Translation Agency?

Usually, employees of translation agencies are qualified linguists - translators. On the whole, translations are made by freelance translators, who work with multiple translation agencies and live in different countries. However, translation agencies tend to use the services of in-house translators. Modern-day translators and translation agencies cannot be imagined not having knowledge on cutting-edge technology and its use, for example, automated machine-translation and computer-aided translation (CAT) software. Success requires that the modern-day translator and translation agency employees have higher education and competence in specific technologies. The work is still, however, performed by a human being – the professional translator - despite the continual improvement of automated technologies.

How a Translation Agency Works

What is Translation?

Translation is re-creating and/or explaining written or spoken text from one language to another.

The aim of translation is to convey a message from one language to another by considering cultural and regional differences between source and target languages.

Humanity has used translation for centuries with the appearance of written literature. To perform their work, modern day translators use complicated tools and technologies; however, for the purposes of simplifying and optimising, mainly rely on digital translation technologies.

We use written translation daily, even if sometimes it seems self-explanatory.

For example, look at food product labels. It must be in your language - not only in order for you to know what you eat, but also for you to know which ingredients might cause an allergic reaction.

This is only one of the many examples which show how professional translations help us daily. The work of a translator, however, tends to remain invisible. Yet, translation is all around us.

It is hard to imagine life without it.

Organizations around the world, encompassing a multitude of sectors, missions, and mandates, rely on translation for content as diverse as product labels, technical documentation, user reviews, marketing materials, annual reports, and much, much more.

You are welcome to get acquainted with language services we offer at the Baltic Media translation agency.

Baltic Media® Translation Agency in the Nordics

The Baltic Media® Nordic-Baltic Translation agency is a leading provider of digital translation services in Northern Europe specialising in Northern European (incl. Nordic, Baltic, Slavic) languages mostly in translation services from/into Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, German, English, Polish, Russian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian.

As an ISO certified language service provider, the Baltic Media® translation agency offers human translation services for corporate, governmental and private clients.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is a translation agency?

A translation agency is a professional language service provider that helps businesses and organisations communicate clearly across languages and cultures. At Baltic Media, we support companies in the Baltic region and internationally by delivering accurate, industry-specific translations tailored to each client’s needs.


What services does Baltic Media provide?

Baltic Media offers comprehensive language solutions, including:

  • Professional document translation

  • Website and software localisation

  • Legal, medical, technical and marketing translations

  • Certified and notarised translations

  • Interpreting services

  • Proofreading and editing

  • Desktop publishing (DTP)

Our services are designed to help businesses operate confidently in international markets.


Why choose a professional translation agency instead of machine translation?

While machine translation can be useful for basic understanding, professional translation ensures accuracy, confidentiality, and cultural precision. Our experienced linguists understand terminology, tone, and context — especially in specialised fields such as law, medicine, engineering, and finance. Every project is handled with care and quality control.


Who works with Baltic Media?

We collaborate with a network of qualified professional translators, subject-matter experts, editors, and experienced project managers. Each project is assigned to linguists with expertise in the relevant industry to ensure terminology accuracy and consistency.


What types of documents can you translate?

We translate a wide range of materials, including:

  • Contracts and legal documents

  • Technical manuals and product documentation

  • Medical and pharmaceutical texts

  • Marketing and advertising materials

  • Corporate reports and business communication

  • Websites and e-commerce content

  • Personal documents requiring certified translation

If you are unsure whether we handle your document type, our team will gladly advise you.


How do you ensure translation quality?

Quality is at the core of our work. Baltic Media follows structured quality assurance processes, which include:

  • Assigning specialised translators

  • Editing and proofreading by a second linguist when required

  • Terminology management

  • Use of professional translation technologies

  • Ongoing communication with clients to ensure expectations are met

Our goal is to deliver translations that are not only accurate, but ready for professional use.


Can you handle large or multilingual projects?

Yes. We regularly manage projects involving multiple languages and large volumes of content. Our experienced project managers coordinate workflows efficiently to ensure timely delivery without compromising quality.


Do you offer localisation services?

Yes. We adapt content linguistically and culturally for specific markets. This includes adjusting terminology, formats, user interfaces, and marketing messages so your content resonates naturally with the target audience.


How can I order a translation?

You can request a quote by sending us your documents via email or through our website contact form. To provide an accurate offer, we typically need:

  • Source and target language(s)

  • Type of document

  • Deadline

  • File format

Our team will respond promptly with pricing and delivery information.


Which industries do you support?

We work with clients across various industries, including:

  • Legal and financial services

  • Healthcare and life sciences

  • Manufacturing and engineering

  • Information technology

  • Marketing and communications

  • Public institutions and EU-related projects

*Source: Statista Research Department

**CSA Research