Meet Joe. Joe manages localization for the DMV, and his translation just made the new driver’s manual. For some, making national or even international headlines is a dream come true, but probably not as a bad translation meme, right? Here are some tips on how to deliver quality content translation and avoid being like poor Joe.

Tip #1: Quality to Match the Content

Not all content is alike, so to maximize your localization spend, you want to be sure to pay for high quality translation for highly visible, long-lasting content, so ask yourself:

Does an incorrect translation put someone’s life in danger?

Would our brand be severely damaged by an incorrect or misleading translation?

Is this a short-term or long-lived piece of content?

Is this being distributed as hard copy or digital?

How easy is it to fix the content when a mistake is found?

Your answers to these questions will determine the quality level you need and help you avoid Joe’s fate.

Tip #2: Understand Quality Metrics

Language Quality Evaluation (LQE) is a way to objectively view your content quality, based on the criteria that matter to you – using human reviewers. It is an investment, so it’s best applied to the right content (see Tip #1), but it can help you understand the level of quality you currently have and whether it is trending over time in the right direction. It can also help you make decisions about your vendors and any trade-offs you may be making for speed or cost considerations. For an in-depth view of how translation quality is defined, check out this research.

Lingotek has spent the better part of the last four years creating the best integrated LQE feature-set in any TMS. Learn more.

Tip #3: Context, Context, Context!

That would have never happened to Joe if the people translating that content knew it was a road sign for a driver’s manual. Context changes everything, and Lingotek is the world’s leader in providing context!

See our Blog Post on the importance of Context.

Tip #4: Don’t Repeat, Repeat, Repeat!

Once you have invested in translating your content, you don’t want another translator to come along and translate it again in the next revision.

A real-time, cloud-based Translation Memory (TM) means that the translations you already have and have approved will be reused – maximizing your quality, but also your spend and time-to-market – TM for the hat-trick!

You can’t underestimate the power of quality translations, and the work involved to ensure a high standard can be overwhelming. Click on the link below to learn more about how Lingotek can help you easily achieve the kind of quality that leads to business growth and customer satisfaction.

With the thousands of translation and language service providers, it’s critical that you find the right partner to help you reach your business goals. Here are some considerations to keep in mind to find the right translation partner to grow your business.

Know Your Business Needs

1. What is your industry?

The first step to finding the right translation services partner is understanding your own unique needs so you can communicate them and find a partner with those capabilities. There are several factors that may require custom capabilities. When searching for a prospective translation partner, here are some special requirements to keep in mind.

2. Do you have any uncommon language pairs?

Some language pairs are more common than others. For example, common language pairs often involve English. However, some language pairs that don’t involve English may be less common and may add another layer of complexity.

If you have an uncommon language pair, a special team may need to be brought in. For example, if translating from German to French it’s likely that your content will need to be translated from German to English and then from English to French. It’s important to know if your language partner has that capability.

3. What is your workflow and pace?

Different industries and organizations require different pace, teams, and workflows. When choosing a partner, find one who can meet product deadlines, is flexible enough to work with your existing workflows and vendors, and can meet your budget expectations.

Is this a one-time translation project or something that will need to grow? As your company expands, you may need increased content or dynamic content on your website to be changed frequently. Depending on your budget or timeline, you may also want to stagger translation focusing a larger portion of your budget on marketing or supporting a product launch with more specialized human translation. This can grow over time to include technical support and user forums.

Questions to Ask a Translation Service Partner

1. Who are your content creators?

Who is creating your content is often overlooked, but the “who” is critical to the quality of your content. Content writers should be regional, in-country experts and understand locale-based language nuances as well as your company’s technical and stylistic needs.

Lingotek’s linguistic experts have top certifications (ATA, ITI, CATTI, LISA, etc.), go through security protocols, and provide samples to make sure that your brand can be reflected appropriately. The quality of your content will make a difference in your brand’s digital visibility and the overall user experience.

2. What technology do you use? What are its capabilities?

Your translation partner will be collaborating with your team members and within their own teams (content creators, engineers, designers, marketers, etc.). Integrated tools and connectors that make collaboration seamless are vital to this process.

Lingotek’s technology connects to the most popular software for designers, marketers, and project managers to allow them to focus on producing quality content and spend less time on duplications and unnecessary conversions.

3. Do you have a method to check the quality of translations?

Quality evaluation tools are critical to efficiency. Lingotek leverages translation memory with its Linguistic Quality Evaluations (LQE), a premium evaluation software that allows managers to provide analyses of current processes and workflows with proactive recommendations and improvements.

Coupled with our Translation Management System (TMS), we are able to provide real-time transparency and performance metrics for your company and build agile workflows to help the measurement of your KPIs.

4. Can your processes align with our processes?

There are thousands of language service providers on the market. But the main difference between a provider and a partner is the ability to create custom content and strategy aligned to your company’s goals.

This may mean creating a customized strategy from Point A to Point B; but sometimes getting your product to market also means working with existing vendors and workflows. Knowing if your vendor can be flexible from the start is critical. At Lingotek, we listen to your needs first and align to meet those needs with custom strategies that meet your needs, timeline, and budget.

A True Partner Adds Value

It’s easy to find a translation services provider — there are thousands of them! But a true partner looks out for your best interest and works alongside you to understand your business, build trust, and tailor solutions to give you a competitive advantage. A partner is aligned with your strategic objectives and goals to create custom solutions in order to enter new markets quickly and effectively.

At Lingotek, we aren’t just looking for the next transactional exchange; we are here to help you create quality content that adds value with premium technology and expert strategy. If you’re ready for a true language services partner, contact one of our experts at Lingotek to create your translation strategy.