Immigration Translations Done Right
Immigration Firm based in Vancouver, Canada
One of our clients, an immigration firm located in Vancouver, Canada, works with clients around the world. In recent years they have experienced an influx of Korean clients, and as a result, needed a permanent Korean translation solution. Although they had solutions in place for other languages, they had trouble finding good quality, dependable Korean translators.
At first, they found some translators through print media, and in later years, through online postings. They were excited because they had many translators respond to their ads. However, they soon learned the difference between experienced and inexperienced translators.
Some of the translators they contacted were only comfortable with general material. Others had excellent credentials but would often go missing as deadlines approached. As a result, this immigration firm went through a period of years in which they contacted a different Korean translator for each request, trying to find the best fit.
In some cases, the end clients were unhappy with the quality of the translation they purchased from these translators. On a few occasions, immigration applications were returned and put to the back of the line due to incomplete or inaccurate translations. Some customers, fed up with the poor translation quality, ended up leaving them a negative review on the Internet.
Eventually, they reached out to us for a solution. We realized that there were a few broken links in their existing process. First, translators were not vetted before working on an actual case. Second, although some of the translators had some community translation experience, they were not in fact certified. In addition, the firm had no translation style guide published. Each translator was left to make their own decisions, often with varying results.
Initially, we worked with this immigration firm to create a style guide for immigration related translations. Next, we connected them with the Korean to English certified translators on our team. Almost immediately, clients were satisfied with the speed, presentation, and accuracy of the certified translations. This led to a few new clients for the immigration firm through word of mouth and improved online reviews. Eventually we needed to recruit an additional Korean to English certified translator to handle the increased volume of work. Even with borders closed during 2020 this immigration firm was able to increase the number of clients requesting assistance with Korean documents.
Fast forward to January 2021. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has changed the rules for the translation of supporting documentation for immigration, permanent residence, and express entry applications. In the past, translations could be done by any translator, regardless of their experience. Now, these documents must be translated by a certified translator. Our client was ahead of the curve and prepared for this policy change, while competitors were caught suddenly trying to recruit from a limited pool of certified Korean translators, at a time when it is difficult to find and meet translator candidates in person.