As with most things in life, quick fixes don’t work. Getting your uncle’s German speaking wife to translate for you because it’s convenient and cheap is not a long term solution. This will come back to bite you, and will land up costing double. Professionalism and experience are critical. A linguistic degree should be a pre-requisite, not an added benefit.
The key here is to go with a linguist with a professional background and tried and tested references. The mother-tongue aspect remains the most important. Your translator should always be translating into their mother-tongue.
Points to consider:
• Their mother-tongue needs to be your target language. If you require translation from English into Spanish specifically for Argentina, then your linguist needs to speak Argentinian Spanish.
• They need to live in the country of their respective locale. They would need to live in Argentina, as this assists with up-to-date terminology usage and a real perspective of the language and its working in day-to-day life.
• Industry-relevant Experience. If the content is marketing-based, then your chosen linguist needs to have concrete examples of the work they have previously completed in this field, and references for quality.