Transactional or Relational Translation Vendors

Translation customers have choices when it comes to who performs their translation work. Their experience with translation vendors can be transactional or relational. What do we mean by this? Here’s how we characterize the two.

Transactional Translation Vendor: Business is on the impersonal side. It’s just the facts. We’ll do x-y-z for x amount of dollars. Don’t even think about asking for a favor or anything beyond the specified service. Anything departing from the specification will be extra.

Relational Translation Vendor: We know you, your business, the last project we performed for you, what you like, don’t like, and how you want services provided and delivered. We have a relationship. It’s a professional relationship but a relationship none the less.

Transactional business gets the job done, although it’s somehow not quite as fun. There’s little bonding between the parties and one gets the sense that given even the slightest motivation to do business with someone else, either party would do that.

Relational work tends to build on synergies, on being part of a team, and on interpersonal interactions. It has the potential to be more satisfying. When a project is successfully completed there’s a sense of accomplishment.

Every client interaction has the potential to strengthen the existing relationship and build for the future. WIth this in mind is there any such thing as a routine project, meeting, email, or telephone call?