Medialocate - Translation, Localization, Multimedia Solutions

My engineer speaks Spanish, why can’t he do the translation?

Truly professional translators have an average of seven years of industry experience, a graduate degree or international graduate level degree in their language, and generally focus on a distinct subject matter. Most of them are accredited by the ATA (American Translators Association) or have the respective in-country equivalent.

Your internal specialist, who may also speak a particular foreign language, is not a linguist. Being a native speaker of a foreign language does not equate to being a qualified translator. (E.g., a technician might be excellent in troubleshooting, but you would most likely not expect him/her to actually write a publication-ready repair manual.) It is true that it is not always easy for an external linguist to have the same specialized or company-coined terminology knowledge that, say, a field engineer, a programmer, or a product expert of a specialized company might have. But instead of burdening your own staff with conflicting job responsibilities, you can utilize your multilingual staff during the initial glossary or sample assessment, and then again during the final release review process.

Moreover, you should also consider scalability. If you decide to have your own staff do the translation, will you have the required bandwidth? Can your own staff work with translation memory tools, which allow for greater speed and better consistency at reduced costs? Can you build translation memories that can automatically leverage ("recycle") existing translation segments over and over, with 100% match accuracy and blazing speed? Few companies can confidently answer “yes”. Without all that, your staff would have to retranslate most everything from scratch each time, using "human" memory or manually searching through previous translations.

Considering there are potentially hundreds or thousands of key terms and phrases in your product literature, this could be a cumbersome and time-consuming task, with a high chance of branding inconsistencies in the long run.
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I need my translation yesterday.

Rush translations can lead to compromised quality and higher fees, neither of which is conducive to the ultimate goal of receiving the highest return on your investment. For a high-quality end product, a typical project of 3,000 words generally requires a 2-3 day turnaround.

Keep in mind that for most companies, it often takes weeks or months and numerous iterations by several writers, content editors, marketing consultants, etc. before an English source text is considered ready for publication. Similarly, when crafting your translation, each translator, editor, and reviewer is essentially shaping the image of your company to your foreign customers, which goes far beyond simple word substitution. It is critical to allocate sufficient time and care to replicate the high quality of your source content in the target language counterpart. For large projects, quick deadlines and simultaneous releases, the scheduling and management of the localization process can be as important as the translation itself.
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I will save by selecting cheaper vendors.

Although low prices are undeniably attractive when buying consumer goods, “caveat emptor” when purchasing human skills. The lowest price temptation is seductive in translation precisely because of the erroneous notion that translation is a commodity instead of a service. In reality, translation is not a simple "word substitution" nor merely "typing in a foreign language."

There is nothing wrong with rational cost saving measures, but mindlessly saving translation costs often means paying extra costs for hidden editing or eventual retranslating, not to mention the cost of lost sales if your localized products or services are poorly perceived. Thus, all too often the lowest price at all costs becomes exactly that.

Good translation vendors offer a healthy balance between proven expertise, cost, and quality. They should be able to provide comprehensive language services along with sensible volume and payment discounts that do not compromise the selection of premium-level human resources. Before judging your vendor on their rates, first find out what services their rates actually include, and then ask them how they can help you save money without abandoning industry standard practices.
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I am best served by the largest translation vendor.

Just as there are successful small and large companies, there are small and large localization vendors who can best meet your company’s needs. Most localization companies consist of individual linguists or a small core staff. In this industry, a company with 10-15 employees is medium-sized; one with 20 or more employees is considered large; the few very large companies that exist may have upwards of 100 or more employees.

Very large vendors do have the most resources and can handle multiple +million word assignments simultaneously. However, because of their very large overhead they have to place most emphasis on major accounts that contribute big numbers to their financial bottom line. Within their operations, several administrative layers separate translation resources and management. These vendors may not be able to give you the personal attention you need, and having to customize a program for clients with less than a 7-figure budget is more of a business distraction to such high-volume entities.
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Smaller translation vendors are better.

A smaller agency may place a higher value on your account because it represents a larger percentage of its revenue. Nonetheless, while a smaller vendor will likely be more attentive and flexible, it may be questionable whether it can provide the resources you require. Also, how would a small vendor be affected financially if only one or two of its larger clients left? Further, consider that many small vendors are managed by an individual translator who interfaces with a group of other translators. While these people may do a good job of translating your project, they often lack business savvy, scalability, engineering capabilities, and customer service skills.
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All translation vendors are pretty much the same.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” translation vendor. Carefully consider your individual priorities when going through your selection process. Unfortunately, there are vendors who will tell you anything to get your business, so do your homework carefully and try to elicit honest answers to your questions. Some of the key questions to ask are:

How long have you been in business?
How many clients do you currently have?
How many enterprise-level clients do you support?
May I talk to those accounts that you have serviced for more than 5 years?
How many full-time employees work at your company?
How long have your project managers been with your company?
Are you a foreign company with mere sales offices in the US?
Can I visit your facility or are you a virtual company?
What projects specifically related to my industry have you completed?
Can I talk to your customers in my industry?
Do you follow a quality assurance manual? May I see it?
What internal engineering capabilities do you have?
Do you have dedicated personnel for IS maintenance and support services?
Can you devote a full-time designated project team to my account?
Can you build a custom program tailored to my special needs?

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I can always use multiple vendors to get the job done.

Whether targeting a multilingual market near home, or reaching out to an international audience, most companies place global compliance, branding and consistency as their top priorities.

While dividing a complex website or a 500-page manual among multiple translation companies may on the surface seem like the fastest solution, you will be setting yourself up for some long-term damage control.

Because each individual translator has distinct personal preferences and writing techniques, the result of dividing a particular language by component may be a fractured jumble of text with constantly shifting terms and styles. In some cases, your carefully crafted message may even end up incomprehensible to your in-country audience.

If split by individual language, other issues arise. For example, critical branding components, layout styles, and writing conventions will likely be addressed differently and inconsistently among the multiple vendors.

Continuity issues are not isolated to sending a single project to multiple vendors, but also apply to sending separate projects to multiple vendors. If each vendor is managing its own isolated translation memory and translation teams, it is not only possible, but rather likely that each vendor will use its own terminology, style, etc. creating inconsistency across your brand as a whole. End users become frustrated and confused. Consequently, your company's image may be harmed on a global scale.

Careful vendor qualification and subsequent program centralization through a single translation provider increases terminology homogenization, stylistic consistency, translation speed, and ease of subsequent revisions or updates. Best of all, you won’t have to reinvent the process wheel with every new project.
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“Over-the-Fence” localization is what I want.

“I sent you my project for translation, just contact me when everything is done.”

Translations do not work like mail orders or online shopping. Ideally, you should be part of the translation production process, by having a kick-off meeting, regular conference calls and status reports. If possible and practical, regular site visits are recommended. Make your related manuals, glossaries, charts, and other visuals, as well as your engineers, technical writers, or product managers available to your translation vendor. Reference materials and contacts are invaluable to translators, editors, reviewers and desktop publishers in their pursuit of perfecting your localized materials. Remember, you know your product better than anyone else.

Expect changes. Translation is very subjective and five different reviewers will likely have five different and sometimes strong opinions or preferences. It is absolutely normal and part of the process, regardless of which translation company you choose as your provider. In particular, at the outset of a new translation program you should expect a learning curve. Reputable translation vendors will incorporate most client feedback and suggestions free of charge. Many customers with seasoned translation programs will actually assign special reviewers based on industry sector, company division, or even product. Linguists who work closely with client reviewers will over time develop a very effective working relationship. The more seamless the client-vendor relationship, the more polished and professional the final result.
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Project delivered. My work is done.

When your translation project is complete, think ahead by looking back. A post-project meeting or report may yield immense planning benefits and cost savings on your next project. Reviewing all aspects of your relationship with your vendor, with particular focus on areas for improvements in productivity, communication, and scheduling will allow you to build a sustainable and efficient localization program. Provide feedback from in-country personnel and customers when applicable. Recognize that the better your translation vendor understands your specific needs, the better the service you will receive the next time around.
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Back-translations will give me assurance that the original translation is good.

While back-translating technical patents or scientific formulas into English from a previous translation may help you verify the content of such documents, back-translations generally are not a suitable quality control mechanism. Most translations contain complex syntax, colloquial expressions, or even subtle, but necessary deviations from the source. Think of translation as fine art, rather than a mathematical equation.

When looking at a piece of art, be it a sculpture or written words, different human observers will see and “interpret” different meanings or messages with unique perspectives and word choices. A sentence can be composed and translated in endless variations and a poor translation can be skillfully reversed into English, whereas a great translation could unintentionally be “relegated” by a bilingual employee who is not a trained translator, or intentionally be “destroyed” when back-translated by a third party who might be competing for the work indirectly.

Selecting an experienced vendor with a good reputation, and understanding and participating in the translation process, will give you greater assurances that your translations are of good quality.
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Top Ten Localization Pitfalls