@billswallow

Thevaluepropositionoftranslationstrategies

#LavaCon

Aboutthepresenter❖ Bill Swallow

❖ Director of Operations, Scriptorium ❖ Localization ❖ Content strategy ❖ Implementation

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Localizationlayers

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Translation(T9n)❖ Communicating the meaning expressed in

one language equivalently in another ❖ Text, images, audio, video… ❖ Text translation, transcription,

interpretation…

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Internationalization(i18n)❖ Designing for localization ❖ Isolating all strings (text) for easier

translation ❖ Applies well beyond software

❖ Templates ❖ Style ❖ Terminology ❖ All infrastructure

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Transcreation❖ Adapting a message from one language or

culture to another ❖ More involved than translation ❖ Custom-tailored for specific audiences ❖ Heavily used in marketing

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Localization(L10n)❖ Tailoring a complete product to another

language market ❖ Involves translation, internationalization,

transcreation, and more ❖ Appropriate and relevant product

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Localization

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Popquiz!

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Averagecostoftranslation

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21¢perword!

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21¢perword!❖ Reported by Slator in April 2016

https://slator.com/deal-wins/usd-0-21-per-word-americas-translation-rate/

❖ US Government’s General Services Administration (GSA)

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Payingtoomuchforproblematictranslationsthattaketoolongtoproduce

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Chasingsavings

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Flickr: kenteegardin

Contentstrategy

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Flickr: ºNit Soto

Contentstrategy

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❖ Infrastructure and workflow ❖ Source language focus

(internationalization) ❖ Localization is rarely a primary focus

Localizationstrategy

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Localizationstrategy❖ Content ❖ Product ❖ Marketing ❖ Sales ❖ Support

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Perfectpairing

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Perfectpairing❖ Align content with localization needs ❖ Build internationalization into content

infrastructure ❖ Plan for reuse and automation

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Beginattheend

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Flickr: Andrew_D_Hurley

Audiencefirst

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eremedia.com: Siofra Pratt

Localizationstrategy❖ Show the value ❖ Get buy-in from the top ❖ Choose translation approaches wisely ❖ Internationalize everything ❖ Own your translation memory ❖ Review and test heavily ❖ Govern your strategy well

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Determiningvalue

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Determiningvalue❖ Cost ❖ Quality ❖ Time

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Truevalue=timetomarket

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Truevalue=timetomarket❖ Delays don’t produce revenue ❖ Translation is a legal requirement in some

markets ❖ “Your language comes later”

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Localizationstrategy❖ Show the value ❖ Get buy-in from the top ❖ Choose translation approaches wisely ❖ Internationalize everything ❖ Own your translation memory ❖ Review and test heavily ❖ Govern your strategy well

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Getbuy-infromthetop

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Getbuy-infromthetop❖ All strategies need a champion or

executive sponsor ❖ Increases participation from all groups ❖ Makes it easier to cut through the noise

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Localizationstrategy❖ Show the value ❖ Get buy-in from the top ❖ Choose translation approaches wisely ❖ Internationalize everything ❖ Own your translation memory ❖ Review and test heavily ❖ Govern your strategy well

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Choosewisely…

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Chooseyourmethodwisely…❖ Human translation ❖ Machine translation ❖ Transcreation

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Useofmachinetranslationisincreasing

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Wikimedia: D J Shin

Humanversusmachine

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Humanversusmachine❖ Humans understand tone, style, and

nuance. ❖ Machines excel at terminology and

predictable language.

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Transcreation

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Flickr: wolfgangstaudt

Transcreation

❖ Ideal for custom messaging ❖ Requires significant planning ❖ Planning happens during source

language planning ❖ Highly effective, but very expensive

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Transcreation

❖ Partner with local market experts ❖ Convey intent and approach ❖ Collaborate on targeted messaging ❖ Always test locally before

deploying

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Translationworkflows

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Flickr: ironypoisoning

Translationworkflows❖ Waterfall ❖ Parallel ❖ Agile/iterative

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Yourchoicesmatter❖ The type of translation informs content

and product design ❖ The type of workflow informs project and

release schedules ❖ Find the best combination to maximize

value ❖ Keep corporate culture in mind

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Localizationstrategy❖ Show the value ❖ Get buy-in from the top ❖ Choose translation approaches wisely ❖ Internationalize everything ❖ Own your translation memory ❖ Review and test heavily ❖ Govern your strategy well

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Internationalizeeverything

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Flickr: liquene

Internationalizeeverything❖ Software ❖ Hardware labels ❖ Images ❖ Templates and transforms ❖ Terminology ❖ Style guides

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Onesizedoesnotfitall

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Flickr: sfllaw

Internationalizeeverything❖ Eliminate the grunt work ❖ Quickly identify and correct problem

areas in design ❖ Expedite production

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Localizationstrategy❖ Show the value ❖ Get buy-in from the top ❖ Choose translation approaches wisely ❖ Internationalize everything ❖ Own your translation memory ❖ Review and test heavily ❖ Govern your strategy well

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Ownyourtranslationmemory

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Ownyourtranslationmemory❖ It’s your intellectual property ❖ Supply it to all translators ❖ Review and clean it regularly ❖ You have ultimate control over translation

quality

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Onlyworkwithtranslationproviderswhogiveyoufullrightsovertranslationsandtranslationmemory

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Localizationstrategy❖ Show the value ❖ Get buy-in from the top ❖ Choose translation approaches wisely ❖ Internationalize everything ❖ Own your translation memory ❖ Review and test heavily ❖ Govern your strategy well

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Reviewandtesting

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Flickr: us7thfleet

Reviewandtesting❖ Same level of testing as with source ❖ Catch and correct usability issues ❖ You may need to revisit the source ❖ Same level of quality for all

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Localizationstrategy❖ Show the value ❖ Get buy-in from the top ❖ Choose translation approaches wisely ❖ Internationalize everything ❖ Own your translation memory ❖ Review and test heavily ❖ Govern your strategy well

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Governance

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Flickr: steakpinball

Governance

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❖ Document all decisions, agreements, and responsibilities thoroughly

❖ Define and communicate standards ❖ Clearly set expectations ❖ Build accountability into all phases ❖ Take immediate corrective action

Questions?

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Resources❖ Localization value blog series

http://www.scriptorium.com/tag/localization-value/ ❖ USD 0.21 per Word: America’s

Translation Ratehttps://slator.com/deal-wins/usd-0-21-per-word-americas-translation-rate/

❖ XML business case calculatorhttp://www.scriptorium.com/services/xml-business-case-calculator/

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