Six easy ways to control your localization costs

Six Easy Ways to Control YourLocalization Costs

Bill SwallowContent Solutions Manager, LinguaLinx17 years’ experience in technical communication

About LinguaLinxHeadquartered in Cohoes, NY50 employees country-wideFounded in 2002Technologically advanced LSP leveraging a variety ofprevalent language industry tools such as translationmemory and workflow efficiencyCurrently provides service to a worldwide base of over1,000 diverse clients

About GlobalScriptContent Solutions division of LinguaLinxContent development consulting and servicesGlobal readiness assessmentWorkflow improvementAuthoring technology optimization

DefinitionsGlobalization (G11N)all company-wide preparations that must be made inorder to enter the international marketplaceInternationalization (I18N)creating source material that is locale-independentLocalization (L10N)adapting content and presentation for a particularcountry or regionTranslation (T9N)adapting meaning from one language into another in awritten format

Poll: Are you currently translating/localizing yourcontent?

Six easy ways to control yourlocalization costsPlan for all of your localized needs up frontConsult with your translation vendor throughoutUse consistent, controlled contentDesign templates and layouts that fit every needUse localization friendly technologiesEnsure the easiest path for round-tripping content

1. Plan for all of your localized needs up frontIt’s not just about translating what you have.It’s about making sure that your audience has what theyneed, in the form that they need it in.

1. Plan for all of your localized needs up frontLocalization is not a project-end activityStart planning for it from the very beginningEvery aspect of your content strategy impacts and isimpacted by localization

1. Plan for all of your localized needs up frontWhy is this important?Translating content is only one piece of the completepicture.Technology considerations can impact translation quality,time, and cost.Not every experience is the same.Needs and expectations will continue to shift.Be prepared to quickly shift with them.

1. Plan for all of your localized needs up frontThe 1:10:100 ruleFixing a problem at the planning stage is cheapFixing a problem mid-project can come with a significantcostFixing a problem at the delivery stage can cost atremendous amount

1. Plan for all of your localized needs up frontKeep a diverse audience in mindStrengthen adherence to styleIdentify potential issues for target marketsKeep technology decisions in checkPlan for exceptionsKeep costs downEnsure translators are prepared with the correctapproach

1. Plan for all of your localized needs up frontDevelop a global content strategyMany content typesDiverse audienceDiverse authorsAligns with corporate goalsStrengthens corporate brand

1. Plan for all of your localized needs up frontA global content strategy is NOT…A single actionable planA technology implementationA siloed activityA translation workflow

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutYour translation vendor is your local market SME.

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutWho should be involved?WritersProduct developmentProduct managementMarketing & SalesSupportLocalizationAny group involved or impacted

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutInvolve everyone from beginning to endEvery group brings unique and critical insights to thetableNeeds vary and may conflict; plan for itMeet regularlyKeep market needs and expectations in mind

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutHow to involve your translation vendorContact them at the beginningInclude them in strategic planningIf you can’t, at minimum supply them with updatesInclude them in tactical planningInclude when making decisions on style, technology, anddelivery

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutTranslation options:Human translationMachine translationCrowdsourced translation

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutHuman TranslationPerformed by professional translators fluent in bothlanguage and subject matterHighest accuracy and quality in translationAble to transcreate content where appropriateTranslators can be engaged in strategy developmentHigher cost and longer duration

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutMachine translationPerformed by softwareQuestionable accuracy and quality in translationUnable to transcreate contentPost-translation editing requiredLow cost and shorter duration

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutCrowdsourced translationPerformed by a mix of peopleVariable accuracy and quality in translationAble to transcreate content where appropriatePost-translation editing may be neededLower direct cost and shorter durationBest suited for “living” content (blogs, social content,wikis)

2. Consult with your translation vendorthroughoutCultural Differences are Small but Noticeable

Poll: How do you create your content?

3. Use consistent, controlled content“Translation shouldn’t be a problemso long as my content’s good, right?”What is good content?

3. Use consistent, controlled contentConsistency is keyStructured authoring can ensure consistencyUnstructured authoring can as well, though requiresadditional effortReuse/repurpose contentAll hail the Editor!Linguistic analysis/QA tools (Acrolinx)

3. Use consistent, controlled contentConsistency in unique content is also importantTargeted messagingTime-sensitive information must still conformSupporting information for transcreation (document yourcontent)Keep your brand intact

3. Use consistent, controlled contentTranslations should read as if it were originally crafted inthe target language. Understanding the cultural andlinguistic dynamics of the localization process will helpcreate better multilingual content.Lay it out for all the worldAnticipate language expansionUse consistent terminologyWrite clearly and concisely

3. Use consistent, controlled contentAvoid:Complex or lengthy sentencesAbbreviations, slang, jargon, or undefined acronymsInvented words (unless they are well defined) or wordswith multiple meaningsAnything portraying a way of life or a culture specific to aparticular people, country or region

3. Use consistent, controlled contentAudience AnalysisCultural understanding is criticalPeople consume information and react differentlyEasier to plan up front than backpedal laterLinguistic and localization analysis and testingDevelop appropriate information for the appropriateaudience, in the appropriate manner, for the greatestvalue

Poll: What type of information do you primarilycreate?

4. Design templates and layoutsthat fit every needThink about text expansionThink about text reductionGot graphics? Keep text separate!Do your needs vary? So should your templates!

4. Design templates and layoutsthat fit every need

5. Use localization friendly technologiesTools should not dictate your localization plan.They should support it.

5. Use localization friendly technologiesUse a Content Management SystemStores content in purposeful chunksEach chunk can be used and reused as neededWrite once, translate once, use anywhereA CMS can export content free of layout and images,expediting translation turnaroundMost evolve with the timesMost facilitate publishing for multiple outputs

5. Use localization friendly technologiesIf you can’t use a CMSUse XML if possibleIf you can’t use XML, use tools supporting reuseUse tools that import/export in non-proprietary formatsGlobal control over formatting is critical

5. Use localization friendly technologiesSoft tools for solid gainsStyle guidesGlossaries and terminology listsWorkflows and processesClear, open, direct communication

6. Ensure the easiest path forround-tripping contentMost translation happens outside of source content toolsContent must be easily exported for translationContent must be easily imported after translation

Case StudyNorth American (US & Canada) vendorConsolidation of 26 European marketsIntroducing XML-based structured authoring processEstablished centralized workflowsCentralize translation memories, glossaries andTermBasesRevamp entire desktop publishing process

Case Study - ResultsShorter time to market for frequently changing andupdated dataIncreased enterprise and branding consistencySignificant savings through global costing alignmentEconomies of scale gained in project management

Six easy ways to control yourlocalization costsPlan for all of your localized needs up frontConsult with your translation vendor throughoutUse consistent, controlled contentDesign templates and layouts that fit every needUse localization friendly technologiesEnsure the easiest path for round-tripping content

For more informationLinguaLinx.comGlobalScript.combswallow@lingualinx.com@BillSwallow@LinguaLinx@GlobalScript

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Six easy ways to control your localization costs

by Scriptorium Publishing on Jul 16, 2012

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Six easy ways to control your localization costs Webinar Transcript