When to get involved in a translation project

When to get involved in a translation project

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Most buyers of translation services prefer not to be involved in the translation project.  In some cases, this approach is perfectly fine and will not affect the outcome of the project.  However, like tailoring a suit, or in any other personalized professional service, the buyer can benefit greatly by participating – particularly in terms of cost-effectiveness.  This article will define when it makes sense for buyers to participate in a translation project. The criteria in a project are:

  • Files
  • Document type
  • Level of Influence on quality
  • Scale

Notice that importance is not one of the criteria.  In some cases, when a translation project is extremely important the only thing a client can do is proactively check in and confirm that the project is on time and without uncontrollable problems.  

Files

Files refer to the file type (MP4, MP3, INDD, etc.) of the file to be translated. A common issue busy clients face is that they don’t make time to inspect the files they are sending over for translations.  Before sending files to the language service provider (LSP), spend the time to ensure that you are only sending files that are relevant to the translation project.  Otherwise, LSPs will have to make assumptions about the files and err on the side of inclusion as to avoid upsetting a client or missing their deadline by having to send out additional files for a rush translation in the future.  Significant costly mistakes can be prevented from just this one act. Perhaps surprisingly, clients confirm requests to translate batches of files not realizing that not every file ultimately needed to be translated.  

Certain file types allow for options in terms of how they are handled.  For example, when translating videos, clients typically like to select their preferred voice over talent, style of voice over, and/or various characteristics of subtitles.  Another example are desktop publishing (DTP) files like Adobe InDesign. In many cases, when clients provide INDD files for translation, it’s because they or someone in their company has the software and skills to do DTP.  This is an excellent opportunity to participate in the project, reduce costs by doing the foreign language DTP internally, and personalize the final layout of the document.  

Document type

Document type refers to the type of document that the file represents. For example, a birth certificate, report or a presentation are all documents. Birth certificates and other immigration documents are considered some of the simplest translation projects in the industry, but even these types of documents could benefit from some participation. For example, when translating names from foreign alphabets to English, the client may prefer one spelling of their name over another. The unnecessary complication of having to reprint translation certificates and re-apostille documents can be avoided by addressing this issue from the start.   

Some documents contain a mix of media, such are text and graphics. For example, a report may have text with embedded charts. The charts may have graphic forms of text in them such as the labels of the axes or the legend. In some cases, all text and graphics of text should be within scope. In other cases, like a scientific journal article, both some sections of a document and some graphics of text should not be in scope.  Spending the few minutes necessary to communicate with an LSP and solidify the scope of what needs to be translated can save time and money.  

Perhaps the most common form of participation with an LSP is known as Client Review (CR).  CR is when the client or a fellow stakeholder reviews an interim deliverable – still in an editable phase – to contribute unique knowledge or understanding of the content. Typically, the reviewer is knowledgeable in the target language and personalizes the translation to maximizes its “fit” with the corporate language and brand. eLearning courses are a good example of this. Oftentimes the trainer that will teach the course will participate in the translation process to ensure they are comfortable with the phrasing and presentation of the material. This level of participation adds immeasurable value to the final outcome.  

Level of influence on quality

At BURG we divide the concept of quality into seven dimensions:

  • Terminology: Specific terms that best fit the meaning of the text.
  • Convention: Correct location and number formatting, such as addresses, dates, time, measurements, and currency.
  • Accuracy: Concordant meaning is shared between the source and target language.
  • Fluency: Overall correct sentence integrity, such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
  • Style: Designated level of formality, mode of discourse, and tone.
  • Design: Comparable layout, text length, formatting, missed text, and truncation/expansion issues.
  • Cultural reference: Appropriate use of culture-specific idioms, cultural references, and the application of local certifications.

Accuracy is perhaps the most common dimension of quality that people think of when they think of translation quality.  Technically, the client can participate in determining the level of quality in every dimension. Clients can:

  • provide preferred or corporate terminology prior to the start of a translation project to better improve the value of the translation
  • inform the LSP of the locale of the audience to ensure that the correct local convention is used (eg. Spanish for US and Spanish for Spain would have different number formatting)
  • act as an additional layer of review to minimize the probability of punctuation issues or wrong word choice and reduce costs
  • explain the purpose of the translation to inform the LSP of the level of fluency required in the target language to minimize costs
  • provide a style guide to inform the LSP of what style to maintain in the translation to improve quality
  • provide guidance and limits for layout quality, character limits, etc. to minimize DTP costs
  • test interim deliverables on a sample of the target audience or inform the LSP on the preferred language written on the translation certification to maximize utility of the translations

There are likely many more reasons to participate in a translation project.  The easiest way to learn what level of participation is needed is to ask an LSP and to be available to them in case opportunities are discovered during the translation process to improve quality or reduce costs.  

If you’d like to learn more about how BURG Translations helps you ensure high-quality translations, contact us today.