If you were to ask a stranger on the street what makes a good translation provider, they might say that the company should specialize in at least 20 languages, have a database of at least 1,000 translators, or be able to turn any document around in 24 hours. And sure, these aspects might look appealing in the short term, but do any of them really contribute to producing a good translation?
At PILA, we stay true to our name: Partners in Language Access. Instead of outsourcing translations to whichever external freelancer is available for the job, our central two-person team—Romina and Sarah—is involved in every translation we produce. As women who have both lived, worked, and pursued university-level studies in the U.S. and Latin America, we approach our translations as a bilingual and bicultural partnership, sharing diverse areas of expertise and clarifying any doubts that may arise.
We bring native English and native Spanish language skills to the table, ensuring grammatical and terminological accuracy, while simultaneously sharing the deep cultural knowledge so necessary for creating meaningful translations. And we handle the full process: from project management to glossary creation, from document preparation to project finalization, we take a holistic approach to the complete translation workflow to guarantee optimal outcomes.
From a client perspective, working with a small, dedicated team of translators means that you always have access to the person working on and making decisions around your materials, allowing for more fluid communication regarding expectations, preferences, or changes in scope. Plus, since we are committed to only collaborating with people and organizations whose missions we can really get behind, you can be sure that we are as invested in the success of your translations as you are.
Despite our tight-knit structure, we certainly don’t operate in a vacuum. We are in constant communication with other translation professionals and language access advocates located in the U.S. and abroad, whose input we value deeply and often integrate into our work. And when a large client request requires a few extra hands, we know that we can count on the folks in our trusted network to help out, contributing their own skills and expertise to what is always a collaborative process aimed at producing the best translation possible.
Do you have additional questions about our structure, workflow, or approach to translation? Send us a message at info@wearepila.com.
