Before comparing providers, obtain the receiving institution’s translation instructions. The right service depends on the language direction, documents and certification format your submission requires. A provider’s promise of acceptance cannot replace those instructions.
Verify the person signing the translation
Ask who will sign the sworn deliverable and how their appointment and registration can be checked. Confirm that the relevant language and direction are covered. A company name, association membership or a photograph of a stamp is not sufficient evidence by itself.
Indonesia’s appointment framework concerns individual translators. Our legal basis guide explains the distinction between the company arranging the work and the translator responsible for it, with links to the regulation.
Discuss the actual documents
Describe the subject matter and any difficult features: handwriting, tables, technical terms, annexes or inconsistent spellings. Ask how the provider will resolve unclear passages and which reference materials would help. A useful answer explains the work proposed for your documents, rather than making a broad claim about handling every field.
If a sample would help you assess presentation, request a demonstration or an anonymised example that the provider is permitted to share. A refusal to disclose another customer’s work is not evidence of poor quality. Do not send your own sensitive files until the sharing arrangements are clear.
Compare quotations on the same basis
Give each provider the same document list and recipient instructions. Check whether their quotations cover the same work:
- The source files, language direction and certification format.
- The pricing unit, total, currency, taxes and additional charges.
- Digital files, hardcopies, extra copies and any physical delivery.
- The agreed deadline, time zone and conditions for starting work.
- How errors, changes to the source and new requirements will be handled.
Price alone does not establish translator status or quality. An unexplained difference between quotations is a reason to ask about scope, not to assume that the cheapest or most expensive provider is best. The translation cost guide explains the details to compare.
Check the response to uncertainty
A provider should be able to identify what it can confirm and what must be clarified with the recipient. For example, ask whether the institution needs a particular declaration, signature format or source-document copy. If notarisation, an apostille or legalisation is mentioned, establish the separate requirement and who will arrange it.
Keep the recipient’s written instructions with the order confirmation. For immigration work, start with the checklist for the specific visa route; see our visa translation guide.
What if the provider promises acceptance everywhere?
Ask for the specific institution and requirement supporting that promise. Translator status, translation quality and the institution’s acceptance decision are separate matters. A universal assurance is not a substitute for checking your submission.
What should happen if I find an error?
Send the affected passage, source reference and order number to the provider. Ask it to assess the issue against the agreed work and explain the correction process. Keep this separate from a new source version or a requirement introduced after the order.
Request a scoped quotation
Contact Translation.co.id with your language pair, document types, intended recipient and deadline. Include the recipient’s instructions so the proposed work and delivery format can be recorded before you accept a quotation.