viaLanguage.com -Translation Articles

Planning Your Next Translation Project: Tips for an Easy Process

What happens when you need an annual report translated for the global market, or if you need to send a packet of company information to all of your international employees? Does the thought of finding a translation team who will be familiar with your company’s technical terms and industry-specific jargon seem daunting? It may seem like a difficult undertaking, but when you start to break down the steps involved in a typical translation project, the process is pretty clear, and the steps obvious. With some up-front planning, organization and foresight your translation project will not only go smoothly, but you’ll actually be looking forward to the next one. Here are some points to consider and things to remember when planning your next translation project.

First, of course, is to think about the languages into which the material should be translated. This may seem obvious, but considering the target audience and their language preferences or dialect is essential. Just translating into “French” is sometimes not that simple. Consider that there are differences in culture and language between French for Canada and French for a European audience. This is also true for Chinese, German, and Spanish, for example. Will your material be used for an immigrant market in the United States? If so, be sure you find out about any country-of-origin-specific language preferences before starting the project.

Now, what needs to be translated? Be sure you have a complete list of documents for the translation team before you start. Also look within the documents to determine whether text in images, charts, tables, or diagrams should be translated. Let the team know right away so that they can provide an accurate time and cost estimate for you.

When you have the material that’s ready to translate, it’s often helpful to a translation agency if you have an accurate word count or page count to give to them. Software like Practicount can provide very accurate word or line counts for a variety of files like Word, Excel, or .PDF files. Translation agencies can also count the words and pages, but giving the team a good estimate of document length can really give them a head start in allocating enough resources to work on your project. If you’re working on a web localization project, be sure you know how much online content will be translated. Translation agencies appreciate a complete list of web design files to be translated so that you and the agency both have the same list to compare as the project progresses. Also, think about whether or not images and buttons on your web page also have to be localized. Your translation agency can often provide feedback regarding best localization practices if you have any uncertainties about what should be translated.

By the way, it’s almost always easiest for translation teams to have the source files, or native files, in which your document was created. For example, if you have a .PDF file of your material made from a Word file, also send the Word file to the translation team. Although PDFs can be easily created and are easy to send, having the original Word file can help translators a lot. A .PDF file cannot be run through a translation memory in order to pass on savings due to word repetition. Translators must go through the extra step of extracting the text into a Word file and then cleaning up the results before working with the material. In that case, it’s always a good practice to provide the original file to your translation agency at the beginning of the job.

Now, spend some time thinking about the final format of your translated document. If the document is highly designed and is in a desktop publishing program (DTP) like InDesign or Quark, it can sometimes be easier – and less work – for you to have a linguist work on these files, especially in the case of most Southeast Asian languages. If you’d like your translation team to also do the desktop publishing and graphics work, they’ll need all fonts, source files, and image files. However, if you have a .PDF made from a Quark or InDesign file, and you’d like to do desktop publishing at your company using the translation from your agency, they can provide you with a bilingual table with a column for English and a column for the translated language so that it’s easy to insert into your DTP program.

When submitting a project to your team for a quote, remember to allow about 24 hours turnaround time for the cost and time estimate. This allows time for your team to contact you with questions or clarifications. In order to provide the most accurate quote, the team also needs all of the information that you have about the end use of the material, languages and dialects needed, and any time constraints that you have. All of these factors help agencies find the best translator team for your projects.

Translation agencies will provide a time estimate before the project starts, but what is a typical turnaround time for translations? A good rule of thumb is to consider that a translator can translate about 2000 words per day. However, allowing a second linguist to proofread the translated material may add time to the project, but it’s crucial for the best quality translation. Also, having your translation agency work with the graphics file itself can typically add some time to the project (usually about one business day per two pages of DTP), but it will save your company some confusion and issues working in DTP in a language other than English. Sometimes that tradeoff in accuracy and smooth project flow is worth the extra time involved.

Your project manager can work with you to determine a project plan before your project begins. The agency can let you know how long each step of the process will take and how much time to allow for an in-country review of the translation by reviewers from your company, if necessary. Check with reviewers from your company to see how much time they would need for their review. Be sure to ask your project manager to incorporate that step into the project schedule. Also, your project manager can send you weekly or daily status reports to let you know how your project is progressing.

Following these steps and considering your translation needs before projects start can save your team time and money. Your viaLanguage representative would be happy to discuss the best way to get you started on your next translation project.


	viaLanguage Translation Articles Planning Your Next Translation Project: Tips for an Easy Process What happens when you need an annual report translated for the global market, or if you need to send a packet of company information to all of your international employees? Does the thought of finding a translation team who will be familiar with your company’s technical terms and industry-specific jargon seem daunting? It may seem like a difficult undertaking, but when you start to break down the steps involved in a typical translation project, the process is pretty clear, and the steps obvious. With some up-front planning, organization and foresight your translation project will not only go smoothly, but you’ll actually be looking forward to the next one. Here are some points to consider and things to remember when planning your next translation project. First, of course, is to think about the languages into which the material should be translated. This may seem obvious, but considering the target audience and their language preferences or dialect is essential. Just translating into “French” is sometimes not that simple. Consider that there are differences in culture and language between French for Canada and French for a European audience. This is also true for Chinese, German, and Spanish, for example. Will your material be used for an immigrant market in the United States? If so, be sure you find out about any country-of-origin-specific language preferences before starting the project. Now, what needs to be translated? Be sure you have a complete list of documents for the translation team before you start. Also look within the documents to determine whether text in images, charts, tables, or diagrams should be translated. Let the team know right away so that they can provide an accurate time and cost estimate for you. When you have the material that’s ready to translate, it’s often helpful to a translation agency if you have an accurate word count or page count to give to them. Software like Practicount can provide very accurate word or line counts for a variety of files like Word, Excel, or .PDF files. Translation agencies can also count the words and pages, but giving the team a good estimate of document length can really give them a head start in allocating enough resources to work on your project. If you’re working on a web localization project, be sure you know how much online content will be translated. Translation agencies appreciate a complete list of web design files to be translated so that you and the agency both have the same list to compare as the project progresses. Also, think about whether or not images and buttons on your web page also have to be localized. Your translation agency can often provide feedback regarding best localization practices if you have any uncertainties about what should be translated. By the way, it’s almost always easiest for translation teams to have the source files, or native files, in which your document was created. For example, if you have a .PDF file of your material made from a Word file, also send the Word file to the translation team. Although PDFs can be easily created and are easy to send, having the original Word file can help translators a lot. A .PDF file cannot be run through a translation memory in order to pass on savings due to word repetition. Translators must go through the extra step of extracting the text into a Word file and then cleaning up the results before working with the material. In that case, it’s always a good practice to provide the original file to your translation agency at the beginning of the job. Now, spend some time thinking about the final format of your translated document. If the document is highly designed and is in a desktop publishing program (DTP) like InDesign or Quark, it can sometimes be easier – and less work – for you to have a linguist work on these files, especially in the case of most Southeast Asian languages. If you’d like your translation team to also do the desktop publishing and graphics work, they’ll need all fonts, source files, and image files. However, if you have a .PDF made from a Quark or InDesign file, and you’d like to do desktop publishing at your company using the translation from your agency, they can provide you with a bilingual table with a column for English and a column for the translated language so that it’s easy to insert into your DTP program. When submitting a project to your team for a quote, remember to allow about 24 hours turnaround time for the cost and time estimate. This allows time for your team to contact you with questions or clarifications. In order to provide the most accurate quote, the team also needs all of the information that you have about the end use of the material, languages and dialects needed, and any time constraints that you have. All of these factors help agencies find the best translator team for your projects. Translation agencies will provide a time estimate before the project starts, but what is a typical turnaround time for translations? A good rule of thumb is to consider that a translator can translate about 2000 words per day. However, allowing a second linguist to proofread the translated material may add time to the project, but it’s crucial for the best quality translation. Also, having your translation agency work with the graphics file itself can typically add some time to the project (usually about one business day per two pages of DTP), but it will save your company some confusion and issues working in DTP in a language other than English. Sometimes that tradeoff in accuracy and smooth project flow is worth the extra time involved. Your project manager can work with you to determine a project plan before your project begins. The agency can let you know how long each step of the process will take and how much time to allow for an in-country review of the translation by reviewers from your company, if necessary. Check with reviewers from your company to see how much time they would need for their review. Be sure to ask your project manager to incorporate that step into the project schedule. Also, your project manager can send you weekly or daily status reports to let you know how your project is progressing. Following these steps and considering your translation needs before projects start can save your team time and money. Your viaLanguage representative would be happy to discuss the best way to get you started on your next translation project.