Guide · Buyer's checklist
Six criteria and the questions to ask before you sign, whether you compare traditional agencies, AI tools or AI-powered agencies.
Test each agency on one of your own videos in your target language, then check five more points: who reviews the transcript and the translation, how the voices are produced, how your terminology stays consistent, how your content is protected, and whether you get an exact quote and a delivery date before production starts. An agency that is confident in its quality makes all six visible.
Ask every provider the same questions, so you compare answers rather than sales pitches.
Ask for a short test on one of your real videos, in your target language, rather than a showreel. It shows how the agency handles your speakers, your jargon and your audio quality.
Errors are cheapest to fix before audio is produced. Check that you can approve the transcript and the translation, and that a person checks every final file.
Ask whether the agency can clone your speakers' voices with their consent, which professional voices are available, and how it handles several speakers in one video.
Product names, acronyms and technical terms must be rendered the same way in every video, with an approved equivalent in each language. A shared glossary applied to every language is the simplest guarantee.
Check where your content is processed, who can access it, whether the workflow is GDPR-compliant and whether your videos are used to train AI models.
A reliable agency scopes the project first, then commits to a price and a date before production. Be wary of estimates that change once the work has started.
Beyond the checklist, these answers separate a reliable partner from a risky one.
| Topic | Question to ask | Red flag | Good sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnaround | Question to askWhen will we receive the first language, and the last one? | Red flagA vague estimate, or a timeline that grows with each language | Good signA delivery date committed at scoping, with languages produced in parallel |
| Revisions | Question to askWhat happens if we want to change a sentence after delivery? | Red flagEvery change treated as a new order | Good signCorrections on the final files are part of the workflow |
| Lip-sync | Question to askCan you match lip movements when faces are on screen? | Red flagNo option, or the same treatment for every video | Good signLip-sync offered where faces are visible, skipped where it adds nothing |
| Deliverables | Question to askWhich files will we receive? | Red flagA single video file with burned-in subtitles | Good signVideos, separate audio tracks, subtitle files and transcripts |
| Languages | Question to askWhich languages do you cover, and who checks them? | Red flagA long list of languages with no review process | Good signEvery language goes through the same review steps |
| Volume | Question to askHow would you handle a catalog of several hundred videos? | Red flagNo batch planning and no single point of contact | Good signWork planned in batches your team can validate progressively |
Four kinds of providers answer the same search. Traditional agencies coordinate translators, voice actors and studios, which suits films and advertising. Freelance translators are a good option for subtitles on a handful of videos. Self-serve AI tools are fast and affordable when your team can review the output itself. AI-powered agencies combine AI production with human review and project management, which suits companies translating training, marketing or expert content at volume. Knowing which category you need narrows your shortlist before you compare providers.
Choose one representative video: several speakers, some technical vocabulary and the audio quality of your usual productions. Send it to two or three shortlisted providers with the same target language and the same glossary. Ask a native speaker from your team or your market to watch the results without knowing which provider made them, then compare accuracy, voice naturalness, timing and how each provider handled your feedback. A pilot of a few minutes tells you more than any sales presentation.
The most common mistake is choosing on the rate per minute alone, then paying for it in corrections and delays. Others are skipping the transcript review, which lets a wrong product name spread into every language, not sharing a glossary at the start, and ordering every language at once before a pilot has validated the quality. Finally, agree on the deliverables up front: re-exporting files for your LMS or video platform later costs time.
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Managed localization projects delivered for education, media and enterprise teams.
Premium e-learning
2×
audience after translation
About one hundred French masterclass videos localized into English and Spanish, opening two new markets for a premium education platform.
Read the case studyCreator and media
10k+
new subscribers generated
The author's YouTube channel dubbed into 4 languages in his cloned voice, helping generate more than 10,000 new subscribers on the localized channels.
Read the case studyPharma and dermo-cosmetics
1
managed workflow for the whole group
Professional internal videos translated into multiple languages through one managed workflow, validated by the group's teams at each critical step.
Read the case studyTraining company
2
new markets opened
Full trading courses localized into English and Spanish with a dedicated glossary, opening two new markets.
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