Market Your Human Translation Services with FairLoc
In today’s world, selling human translation services has become more difficult. Clients are aware they can save both time and money by choosing AI/MT solutions, and often they can’t pick up on the differences in quality, authenticity and tone when the end result is in a language they don’t read. This can make it a challenge to sell pure, human-led solutions, even when we know they are the better option. Often, we simply have to give the client what they want – alongside all our caveats and explanations, of course.
One of the advantages of FairLoc is that it provides translation agencies and freelancers with a way to brand their human translation services. It makes it easier to highlight the benefits of this option, while also providing clients with recognition for what is ultimately a more sustainable, responsible and ethical choice. This can help level the playing field somewhat between human and machine options, and it gives translation providers a valuable platform for important conversations about the differences – and the consequences of choosing one option over the other.
Below, we present some concrete ideas on how you can use FairLoc to market your human translation services as part of a more transparent and constructive dialogue with your clients. Read on for some inspiration:
Offer FairLoc Translations/Localisation Services
Twenty years ago, our industry sold translations. Then we sold localisation services and multilingual solutions. Today, we offer a vast array of different possibilities, both human and machine, and the traditional product we once called translation is framed in dozens of different ways. Some call it premium translation. Others call it slow translation. Some refer to it simply as human localisation, and a very small minority still just call it translation. Now, we have one more option to add to the mix – a FairLoc translation.
Here are some advantages of going down this route:
- The FairLoc name and logo will generate intrigue. FairLoc branding frames this as a premium or more exclusive option, and it will draw the interest of curious clients who want to learn more.
- FairLoc instantly highlights the positive. It’s right there in the very name – Fair. Immediately, your clients will understand that this is an ethical and sustainable option. It is a choice they can feel proud to make.
- The distinctive colour, logo and branding will create more visibility on your website for the human option. Rather than simply appearing as one item in a list of different possibilities, this service option will now stand out with a clear profile for what ought to be one of your primary and most-sold services.
Of course, choosing to brand your human translation services in this way may also require a bit of educating and explanation. For clients, the FairLoc name is still new, and you will need to elaborate on exactly what they will get when choosing this kind of service. In time, however, we hope that FairLoc will become just as familiar to them as other industry neologisms such as localisation and MTPE, which we use to describe how we work and to better express the value in what we provide.
Right now, you have the opportunity to help us build towards this development. By branding your human translation services as FairLoc translations, you can signal to clients that you are a firm supporter of human creativity and fair practices, and you can actively play a fundamental role in helping to protect and improve our industry.
Create a FairLoc Page for your Website
If you already have your own way of branding your human translation services that you don’t want to change, or if you feel unsure about making FairLoc such an intricate part of your brand, another option is to create a FairLoc section on your website. Here, you can explain that you are a FairLoc Ambassador and elaborate on what this means for the way you work and for your clients.
You can also use this page as a way to frankly and transparently take up some of the issues affecting our industry and communicate them to your clients – in a positive, respectful and constructive way. After all, we know that these conversations are difficult, and engaging clients is not an easy task. But at the end of the day, it affects the quality of the product they receive, the health of an industry they rely on, and the overall experience of customers and users who rely on localisation services.
Some examples of topics you could discuss on this page would include:
- The need to understand and accept the limitations of AI and MT. You can use FairLoc as a way of communicating a difficult message that clients don’t always want to hear and, in doing so, show them that you are extremely committed to getting the best results for them.
- The negative consequences that AI and MT are having. The overuse of these technologies is causing lots of talented linguists to leave the industry. This erodes quality and harms efficiency, as linguists familiar with client brands disappear and take their knowledge with them. If clients rely on localisation services to reach their customers, then the health of our industry should matter to them.
- Current practices are unfair. The work of human linguists has been used to train AI and MT translation technologies. Now, those very same technologies are eroding conditions and leaving linguists without work via forces that no single agency or freelancer can control. Nobody who cares about fairness can accept this, and clients who are proud of their CSR and social values ought to be aware of what is happening.
Use FairLoc as a Decision-Support Tool
Does your website feature a tool or a function that explains the different options and helps your clients to decide what is right for them? Include FairLoc in this tool – or create a new one based around the FairLoc approach!
This could explain the process of a FairLoc translation – namely, that the human linguist creates their translation from scratch, using AI/MT for inspiration and research only, and never to create a pre-translation/framework they can edit. It could then explain the quality implication of this and help clients work out whether it’s relevant for them. Are they translating marketing content? Do they need to create an emotional connection with their readers? Are they concerned about seeing their brand voice and identity diluted in other markets? Then FairLoc is for them!
As well as quality, this tool could also consider values, internal policies and public commitments to CSR. It could ask questions about their existing commitments to fairness in the supply chain, sustainable working practices, the green transition and more, and then recommend a solution based on their answers. Not to mention, it could also highlight the fact that the client will be able to display the stamp alongside their translated text and thus use FairLoc as another way to communicate their values to the world.
All in all, this tool would serve two purposes – both to provide a better user experience on your website and to educate clients about some of the subtle differences between options. It is therefore not just self-serving for the industry, but also a way of providing a better level of service to your clients.
Speak with Us for More Ideas!
Are you feeling inspired by the possibilities, or do you have another idea we haven’t considered here? Send us a message and let’s chat. We’re very keen to talk to anybody in the world of translation who is interested in becoming a FairLoc Ambassador.
You can send us an email to contact@fairloc.com and we’ll be in touch right away to set up a meeting.
Together, let’s protect our industry and help make it better, fairer and more sustainable for the future – not just for us, but for our clients and for everyone who uses, reads and relies on the content we produce!
Introducing FairLoc 2.0!
FairLoc first launched in April 2024, but since then a lot has happened. The industry has continued to change at breakneck speed. AI and machine translation have gotten better and grown more prevalent, but we’ve also seen more recognition from clients about what happens when humans are removed from the equation. As for us here at FairLoc, we’ve had lots of great interactions with translators, agencies and clients alike – and we’ve learnt a lot.
That’s why we’re now launching FairLoc 2.0.
The idea is the same. FairLoc is still a certification scheme for human translations. But we’ve made some changes. Our ambition with this is to make FairLoc even simpler and better, so that hopefully it can succeed in its mission to protect the wonderful translation industry we all know and love – before it’s too late.
We truly believe that the FairLoc mission is more important now than it ever has been, and so we hope you’ll read on, learn more, and consider supporting us in this next phase of FairLoc.
What’s Changed?
All of the changes we’ve made are designed to make FairLoc simpler. Here’s the gist:
- It’s now simpler than ever. Freelancers and translation agencies can sign up as FairLoc Ambassadors and begin issuing stamps immediately.
- Stamps are issued on a per-document basis, giving more flexibility to both agencies and their clients. Different workflows can be combined, while still allowing FairLoc to incentivise and celebrate the human approach.
A More Flexible Solution
Flexibility is at the heart of our redesign. By making stamps specific to a particular text or project rather than an entire company, we’ve made it possible for translation providers and their clients to celebrate human translation wherever it’s chosen, without closing the door to alternative solutions when they suit. In practice, this means a client could order a human translation for, say, a blog post, and get the FairLoc Stamp for that project. But this would not prevent them from choosing MTPE for another project with a tighter budget or shorter deadline in the future.
Ultimately, our hope is that by making FairLoc more flexible, we can increase the appeal of the FairLoc brand and help it spread far and wide. The more agencies and freelancers become FairLoc Ambassadors, the more the stamp will be seen, and the more successful it will become at making a virtue of the human approach.
Targeting Agencies, Not Clients
When we started FairLoc, our original idea was to target end clients and try to start a groundswell through them. If they could be convinced of the value of the human approach, they could create an organic demand for human solutions and change the industry from the bottom up. In retrospect, we might have been a little naïve. We found that clients were not as interested in these conversations as we had hoped, and they felt that a human-only caveat was too restrictive. We may also have underestimated their enthusiasm for AI – and the challenge posed by how difficult it is to see a direct link between inauthentic AI text and its negative outcomes down the line.
With FairLoc 2.0, the aim now is to ask translation agencies and freelancers to help us bring about change. After all, they should have a much bigger incentive than anyone else to save this industry. If they don’t, they might just get swallowed up by tech companies and soon cease to exist. Plus, they are already in contact with their clients and better positioned to communicate the virtues of both FairLoc and the human approach. We believe that the conversation around the importance of human creativity is one that needs to be had, and the fact that it hasn’t been happening already is a big part of how we ended up where we are in the first place.
Our hope now is that the FairLoc brand can serve as a platform and a springboard for these conversations. Clients can use it as a way to frame, introduce and elevate their human translation solutions, providing clients with a different understanding of human localisation and an added incentive to choose it. The FairLoc Badge on their website can be used to generate intrigue, while branding human translation services as FairLoc translations can help to distinguish this option and boost its appeal.
What Next?
If you’re a freelancer or the representative of a translation agency, you can sign up as a FairLoc Ambassador for free for the first three months. After that, it will cost you only €2 a month.
With so much flexibility and at such a low price, what excuse could you possibly have for not signing up and doing your bit to protect the future of our industry?
In return, you’ll get:
- The ability to display the FairLoc Badge on your website and in emails. This marks you out as a conscientious, responsible translation provider and will boost your profile among both vendors and clients.
- The ability to issue FairLoc Stamps to your clients when they order qualifying services. This will help you incentivise human translation, offer more value to your clients, and give you a new way to approach important conversations about what we lose when humans are removed from the process.
- Access to our FairLoc Discord Community. Meet and network with like-minded linguists and actively get involved in conversations about the future of our industry and the challenges we face.
Take a look around our website for more information, or send an email to contact@fairloc.com with any questions you may have. We’d be very glad to set up a chat and talk through any concerns, queries, feedback or ideas you may have!
And whatever you take away from this, please remember:
The localisation industry is still under a lot of pressure. Tech companies that do not understand the crucial role of human insight, culture and creativity are attempting to take over, and they’re forcing many of us to offer sub-standard solutions in order to protect our positions. Clients notice the difference, but they don’t understand the intricacies of languages they can’t read, and often they are lured in by low prices and impressive turnaround times. This is not an easy battle for us to win, but we have to try. Our livelihoods are at stake.