How to write an effective translation review/ testimonial [+templates]
Author: Gabriela Vornicu
Romanian translator & researcher
Updated 9 December 2023
So a translator you work with has just asked you to leave them a testimonial.
You're happy to help, but you just hate leaving reviews.
Today I'd like to share with you some translation review examples that I, as a translator, was over the moon to read.
I mean, I get a great testimonial every time I ask for one, but some reviews are just pure gold.
Here's what you'll find in this article:
1. What makes a translation testimonial effective?
2. What information can I include in a translation testimonial/review?
3. Translation testimonial/review examples
Key Takeaways
⬤ Be specific enough to sound authentic and credible.
⬤ Focus on problem, solution and results.
⬤ Include the language pair or subject area.
⬤ Provide specific data (length of collaboration, type of service provided, etc.)
What makes a translation testimonial effective?
A good testimonial is specific enough to sound authentic and credible, while covering:
- the challenges you faced
- how the translator helped you overcome these challenges (i.e. the solution)
- the specific results the translator's work had on your business
... so that the translator's potential clients reading your testimonial can relate to it and see that your translator has successfully helped people with the same problems in the past.
An example of an effective testimonial for a translator
This also means that "Thomas did a great job. I highly recommend him." is not a very effective translation review.
What information can I include in a translation review/testimonial?
-
Language pair and subject area. Most translators advertise themselves using keywords that follow the structure [language] + [subject area or service] + [role] (i.e. "Romanian medical translator", "Romanian healthcare content writer").
By including relevant keywords in your testimonial, it will sound authentic and credible and you will help your translator in their marketing efforts. E.g. "Gabriela is our to-go Romanian medical translator", "Anya is an excellent legal translator", etc.
-
Specific results/data. Did the translation help you rank higher in Google searches, increase registrations, sell more books, etc.? You can include this data in your review. E.g. "Thomas' translations have always received excellent feedback from our client.", "Thanks to Gabriela's optimisation strategy, our traffic has increased by 15%."
-
Specific skills. Instead of saying "Anne is a good translator", try to refer to specific qualities. E.g. "She responds very quickly", "She is an excellent communicator", etc.
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Length of collaboration. By mentioning the length of your relationship with the translation provider, your feedback will be more trustworthy. E.g. "Mara is our to-go Spanish translator since 2022".
Let's have a look at some translation review examples.
Translation testimonial/review examples
NOTE: Adapt the words in blue to your case.
Template 1
We had previously worked with several German translators, but realised that we needed a specialist marketing translator with a background in SEO and copywriting. We met Katja, whose expertise in both language and marketing was a game changer.
Katja transformed our English marketing materials into compelling German content and the impact was immediate - increased engagement and higher conversion rates.
Template 2
Excellent communication, fast turnaround and high-quality translations. Anne has been our to-go English-to-French legal translator since 2022 and we've always received excellent feedback from our clients for her translations.
She is very meticulous and pays close attention to the source text, always asking relevant questions and pointing out errors that we hadn't noticed.
I would highly recommend her for any legal translation!
Template 3
Being in the tech industry, translating our technical manuals into Spanish has been a constant struggle, so we’ve been looking for a Spanish technical translator. We soon met Carlos, who not only translated the content flawlessly, but also improved the overall readability.
Thanks to Carlos, our Spanish-speaking clients now have access to user-friendly manuals, resulting in fewer support queries and increased customer satisfaction.
About the author
Gabriela Vornicu
Romanian translator & researcher
I'm an English to Romanian medical translator and an independent researcher into the psychology of language. I help medical companies with highly specialised medical translation and research services, as well as healthcare marketing agencies with highly creative adaptations and SEO services.