This document lists 49 common questions that language service providers receive during requests for proposals (RFPs) and requests for information (RFIs). The questions seek details about the company such as its name, expertise, locations, processes, technologies used, project management, pricing and more. The goal is to evaluate the provider's capabilities and determine if they can meet the client's localization needs.

1. Common Questions Language Service Providers Receive During RFPs and RFIs
1 What is your company's official name?
2 Please provide a brief overview of your company.
3 How long has your company existed in the market?
4 Where is your headquarters?
5 Where is your sales site (where we send PO and from where you send invoices)?
6 How many production sites do you have?
7 Where is or are your production site(s) located?
8 What are your company's areas of expertise (e.g., translation/localization, testing, e-learning,)?
9 Please indicate your language coverage.
10 Can you provide SMEs? What is their role during the language localization process?
11 Can you provide voice talent and audio recording services?
12 How do you select a voice talent when regional dialects vary for the intended user?
13 What authoring tools are you able to work with?
14 Are you able to localize LMS or CMS?
15 Describe your process for localized screen shots
16 How do you define author's alterations and how are these handled? Text? Audio? Engineering?
17 Do you offer discounts for missed deadlines?
18 Do you have a quality manager?
19 If not, do you have a quality assuror?
20 Please provide description of your QA processes.
21 How do you select your translators?
22 How do you evaluate the performance of your translators, reviewers, technical resources (DTPers, Content engineers), and project managers? How often?
23 How do you measure customer satisfaction?
24 Describe your performance guarantees.
25 Describe how your organization resolves issues associated with unsatisfactory performance.
26 What is your average time to quote? Supporting course documents? E-Learning course?
27 Approximately, how many words are you able to translate & review per business day / person? Approximately, how many words are you able to review per hour?
28 How many DTP pages can you manage per business day?
29 What is the standard SLA (Service Level Agreement) you commit with your key customers?
30 Do you use a web-based project workflow? If yes, can your clients access it?
31 If you don't use a web-based project workflow-how do you update your clients on project workflow?
32 How do you manage localization projects for e-learning? (please provide with a process map)
33 How do you manage confidentiality and security of your clients' source and translated files?
34 How do you manage client specific translation memory and terminology (glossaries, style guides)?
35 How do you ensure that the terminology, style, and brand voice are accurately replicated across all target languages and content?
36 Do you have any best practices (in-house developed tools, Engineering best practices, processes, etc.) to communicate to your Clients?
37 How do you ensure that formatting is preserved in translated text?
38 What technologies are you using for translation services?
39 What are the benefits of your technology solutions?
40 How much did you invest in new technologies last year?
41 Which Translation Memory tools do you use?
42 Which Terminology tools do you use?
43 How do you manage Translation Memories and Terminology? (please provide a process map)

2. 44 Which of your offices will provide project management our translation projects?
45 Please describe the full range of your company's service offerings.
46 What are your core capabilities?
47 What value-add services can you offer?
48 How do you improve and manage the relationship with your clients? (what solutions do you propose? What kind of operating mechanism do you have for client management?)
49 Pricing: Please provide pricing per language including translation memory pricing. For DTP please provide per page pricing. For engineering, please provide an hourly rate.
For additional information, Contact Susan Bowles, Director of Client Strategies for Local Concept
via email at sbowles@localconcept.com