Mastering Multilingual Marketing:

Streamlining Your In-Country Validation Process

Please note that the audio for this webcast will be streamed.

Presented by Bert Esselink

Moderated by Paula Shannon
April, 2009
 Agenda

Housekeeping & Introductions

Introducing Translation Validation

Validation Models

Validation Processes

Validation Technologies

Translation Quality Tracking

Best Practices
Live Q&A

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Introductions

Bert Esselink
Author of “A Practical Guide to Localization” and Strategic Account
Solutions, Lionbridge
Bert.Esselink@lionbridge.com
Esselink has been active in multilingual publishing projects for almost two
decades
His book, A Practical Guide to Localization, is used widely throughout the
localization industry

Paula Shannon
CSO, SVP and General Manager, Lionbridge
Paula.Shannon@lionbridge.com
Shannon has more than 23 years experience in the translation and localization
industry
Responsible for sites in 26+ countries, driving new services and sustainable
solutions, ensuring the continued delivery of innovation and execution excellence
to a broad range of Global 1000 customers

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About Lionbridge

Global Scale Market Leadership

4,600 employees 26 countries Leader in $12B services industry
• Global network of 25,000 translators • Translation and adaptation of products
and content for international markets

Hosted Technology Global Clients

Web-based language technology Recurring relationships with 500+
platform global clients
• Enhances competitive advantage • 80% of revenue comes from recurring clients
• Drives efficiency • 12 of the Fortune 20 companies are client

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Polling Question

Who currently validates translations in your organization?

In-country sales, marketing or product managers

In-country distributors or partners
Dedicated in-house translation validation team
Third-party language validation supplier
Third-party translation supplier
Third-party subject-matter experts (SME)
I review all languages myself
Other...

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 Introducing Translation Validation

A client review of a translation provided by an external

provider to ensure the quality of the final text.

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 Introducing Translation Validation

A client review of a translation provided by an external

provider to ensure the quality of the final text.

 Ensure translations are at agreed quality levels

 Provide feedback to translators about quality of
deliverables expectations
 Obtain approval from local country representatives who
might use the translations (internal clients)

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 Introducing Translation Validation

A client review of a translation provided by an external

provider to ensure the quality of the final text.

 Ensure translations are at agreed quality levels

 Provide feedback to translators about quality of
deliverables expectations
 Obtain approval from local country representatives who
might use the translations (internal clients)

In most cases, in-country representatives from the

organization that outsources the translation. For example, a
local marketing or product manager.

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 Without managing validation…

Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission

 Without managing validation…

Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission

 Without managing validation…

Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission

 Without managing validation…

Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission

 Common Issues

Local market translation validator is expecting local

copy, not translated copy.

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 Common Issues

Local market translation validator is expecting local

copy, not translated copy.

Validation is a bottleneck in the release schedule,

takes far too long.

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 Common Issues

Local market translation validator is expecting local

copy, not translated copy.

Validation is a bottleneck in the release schedule,

takes far too long.

No clear instructions or guidelines exist for the

validators.

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 Common Issues

Local market translation validator is expecting local

copy, not translated copy.

Validation is a bottleneck in the release schedule,

takes far too long.

No clear instructions or guidelines exist for the

validators.

Local market validator spends way too much time

reviewing -or rewriting- translations.

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 Common Issues

Local market translation validator is expecting local

copy, not translated copy.

Validation is a bottleneck in the release schedule,

takes far too long.

No clear instructions or guidelines exist for the

validators.

Local market validator spends way too much time

reviewing -or rewriting- translations.

Translators don't like entering preferential changes

that alter the meaning of the source text.

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 Key Considerations

Do we have
validators
available for
all required
languages?

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 Key Considerations

Do we have
validators
Will the in- available for
country
resources all required
have the time
and skills to
languages?
perform this
validation?

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 Key Considerations

Do all translations
need to be validated
or only a subset?

Do we have
validators
Will the in- available for
country
resources all required
have the time
and skills to
languages?
perform this
validation?

Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission

 Key Considerations

Do all translations
need to be validated
or only a subset?

Do we have
validators
Will the in- available for
country
resources all required
have the time
and skills to
languages?
perform this
validation?

Can the validation process

be outsourced to a third
party?

Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission

 Key Considerations

Do all translations
need to be validated
or only a subset?

Do we have
validators
Will the in- available for
country
resources all required
have the time
and skills to
languages?
perform this
validation? Who tells
validators what
Can the validation process to focus on
be outsourced to a third when reviewing
party? translations?
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 Key Considerations

How to avoid
Do all translations
delays caused by need to be validated
validation, i.e. or only a subset?
who manages
the validation
process? Do we have
validators
Will the in- available for
country
resources all required
have the time
and skills to
languages?
perform this
validation? Who tells
validators what
Can the validation process to focus on
be outsourced to a third when reviewing
party? translations?
Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission
 Key Considerations

How to avoid
Do all translations
delays caused by need to be validated
validation, i.e. or only a subset?
who manages
the validation How to track
process? Do we have
comments
and measure validators
Will the in-
quality? available for
country
resources all required
have the time
and skills to
languages?
perform this
validation? Who tells
validators what
Can the validation process to focus on
be outsourced to a third when reviewing
party? translations?
Company confidential – distribution prohibited without permission
 Key Considerations

How to avoid
Do all translations
delays caused by need to be validated
validation, i.e. or only a subset?
who manages
the validation How to track
process? Do we have
comments
and measure validators
Will the in-
quality? available for
country
resources all required
have the time
and skills to
How to avoid complete languages?
rewrites of translations that
perform this violate global branding
validation? guidelines? Who tells
validators what
Can the validation process to focus on
be outsourced to a third when reviewing
party? translations?
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 Validation Models – The Options

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 Validation Models – The Options

• What is validated – language only or also readiness for target audience?

• What are the volumes, i.e. what is the validation workload?
• How critical is time?

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 Validation Models – The Options

• What is validated – language only or also readiness for target audience?

• What are the volumes, i.e. what is the validation workload?
• How critical is time?

•In-country sales, marketing, product managers

• Third-party validation supplier

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 Translation Process

Client and/or Translation Project In-Country Client In-Country

Advertising Agency Management Office Translators Reviewers

Handoff Analysis,
Source File Quoting

Prepare for Translation & Validate

Translation Editing Translations A

Quality
Control

Conversion & Validate

Layout Translations B

Printing / Project Incorporate

Publishing Closure Changes

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 When to Validate?

• Sample-based spot checks

• Useful to provide direction to translators

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 When to Validate?

• Sample-based spot checks

• Useful to provide direction to translators

• Translation / language quality focus

• Link to Translation Memory (TM)
• Potential to use TMS or GMS

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 When to Validate?

• Sample-based spot checks

• Useful to provide direction to translators

• Translation / language quality focus

• Link to Translation Memory (TM)
• Potential to use TMS or GMS

• Final product / layout focus

• No link to TM or multiple DTP cycles

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 How to Validate?

Validation & Commenting

Translate
Validator reviews and edits/updates translations
Translator reviews and approves changes and
Validate &
approves (optional step) Comment
Advantages: speed (two steps in one)
Disadvantages: translator doesn't see changes, Enter Changes

more difficult to update translation memory

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 How to Validate?

Validation & Commenting

Translate
Validator reviews and edits/updates translations
Translator reviews and approves changes and
Validate &
approves (optional step) Comment
Advantages: speed (two steps in one)
Disadvantages: translator doesn't see changes, Enter Changes

more difficult to update translation memory

Validation & Editing

Translate
Validator reviews translations and provides
comments
Validate &
Translator enters changes and resubmits Change
Advantages: translator learns from changes, easier
to update translation memory Approve
Changes
Disadvantages: commenting takes long, entering
changes even longer

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 Validation Technologies

•Paper
•Paper
•Paper

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 Validation Technologies

•Paper • Microsoft Word: Track

•Paper changes

•Paper • Adobe Acrobat:

Annotated PDF

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 Validation Technologies

• Globalization/Translation
•Paper • Microsoft Word: Track
Management System
•Paper changes
(GMS/TMS): online review
•Paper • Adobe Acrobat: (e.g. Freeway)
Annotated PDF
• Online XML Editor or CMS
• Wiki

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 Microsoft Word

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 Adobe PDF

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 Translation Validation – Freeway

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 Translation Validation – Online XML Editor

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 Wiki

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 Poll Question

Which technology do you use for translation validation?

Word with track changes
PDF with notes
GMS or TMS
CMS
Online XML editor
Wiki
Other...

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 Translation Validation Options

Validator Layout? Advantages Disadvantages

Track changes in No Everyone knows Not ideal for tagged
Microsoft Word Word; full freedom formats (xml, html) or
to edit InDesign exports
Online validation tool in No Online change and New tool to learn for
GMS/TMS (maybe error tracking; validators; no offline
preview) connected to TM; validation
embedded in
workflow
Annotated PDF or Yes Everyone can use No editing (only
Markup on Printout PDF; layout visible commenting), not
connected to TM
Online XML Editor, Wiki Yes Online change New tool to learn for
or CMS tracking, included in validators; no offline
workflow, full validation; no direct
freedom to edit connection to TM

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 Translation Quality Tracking

Perception of
Quality

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 Translation Quality Tracking

Perception of What to
Quality Measure?

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 Translation Quality Tracking

Perception of What to Key

Quality Measure? Performance
Indicators

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 Perception of Quality

Quality Quality Quality Quality

Translated Copy Localized Copy

English Copy • Linguistic • Creative Locally Created
Campaign • Cultural Campaign Copy
• Commercial

Translation versus Localization

In marketing translations, it's all about briding the gap from translated to localized copy.
Close collaboration between translator and validator should reduce review time.

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Poll Question

Do you track the quality of translations in one way or another?

No, not at all
No, just anecdotal
Occassionally
Yes, we use a tracking sheet
Yes, we have an advanced online tracking system

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 What to measure?

Number of passes or no-passes

Sentences? Documents? Deliverables? Projects?

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 What to measure?

Number of passes or no-passes

Sentences? Documents? Deliverables? Projects?

Number of errors
Language quality
• Grammar/spelling, punctuation, style/tone/literal translation
Translation quality
• Mistranslation, inconsistency, omission/addition, compliance to instructions
Subject knowledge
• Terminology, understanding, numerical

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 What to measure?

Number of passes or no-passes

Sentences? Documents? Deliverables? Projects?

Number of errors
Language quality
• Grammar/spelling, punctuation, style/tone/literal translation
Translation quality
• Mistranslation, inconsistency, omission/addition, compliance to instructions
Subject knowledge
• Terminology, understanding, numerical

Error weighting should differ per content type

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 What to measure?

Number of passes or no-passes

Sentences? Documents? Deliverables? Projects?

Number of errors
Language quality
• Grammar/spelling, punctuation, style/tone/literal translation
Translation quality
• Mistranslation, inconsistency, omission/addition, compliance to instructions
Subject knowledge
• Terminology, understanding, numerical

Error weighting should differ per content type

Consider repeated mistakes as one

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 What to measure?

Number of passes or no-passes

Sentences? Documents? Deliverables? Projects?

Number of errors
Language quality
• Grammar/spelling, punctuation, style/tone/literal translation
Translation quality
• Mistranslation, inconsistency, omission/addition, compliance to instructions
Subject knowledge
• Terminology, understanding, numerical

Error weighting should differ per content type

Consider repeated mistakes as one

Exclude source-related "errors"

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 Key Performance Indicators

First, decide what to measure.

Next, define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Examples:
Of all projects, 2% of projects with rework is accepted.
Of n segments reviewed, only 5% can be changed.
Of n words translated, only 10 translation errors are accepted.
Of all deliverables, only 4% can be a no-pass.
Tracking KPIs is ideally (semi-)automated
Start tracking macro information, then focus on details

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 Validation Best Practices

Why?
Consider well why you are validating – what are the objectives?
Write instructions for the validators so they understand the task.
What?
Think about what to validate – everything or just spot checks?
Decide what quality metrics and KPIs you want to measure.
Who?
Choose who will validate – internal or external, translator or SME?
Decide who will manage the validators and the validation planning.
When?
Decide at what point in the process you will validate.
Manage & monitor the timing carefully to avoid delays in publication.
How?
Choose the most suitable translation validation process and tool.
Ensure the process and tool is simple and easy-to-use.
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 Questions?

Bert Esselink
Author of “A Practical Guide to Localization” and
Strategic Account Solutions, Lionbridge
Bert.Esselink@lionbridge.com

Lionbridge
www.lionbridge.com

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