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lisava -at- psitek -dot- com wondered: <<What is the easiest way to manage
translations?>>
Contract them out to someone else! <g> No, seriously. If you've got a large
translation workload, and particularly if you must handle multiple
languages, it's often easiest and most effective to hire a good translation
agency with years of experience. Translation and the associated quality
control (including localization) requirements are difficult and demanding
work, and best left to experts. If you don't go the agency route, you'll
probably need someone whose primary job is to manage the translations--it's
time-consuming work.
If your workload is more manageable (w.g., only two languages, both of which
you're familiar with, and a relatively low volume of work), you can develop
a process to ensure translations get done on time and done right. This
involves the following steps:
- work with the translator to carefully define your and their requirements,
establish scheduling, define workflow procedures, etc.
- produce a ***final*** first-language version: if a document is still
undergoing revision, it will be a time-consuming and expensive nightmare for
the translator to keep updating it to reflect the changes. It can be done,
but you'll pay more and risk errors creeping in
- translate the document into the second language
- perform quality control on the translation using someone expert in the
second language, and competent in the first language
- revise the translation based on the previous step, then do page layout (or
create online materials, as the case may be)
- communicate changes to the translator when you release new versions of the
product (thus, new versions of the docs)
- repeat these steps as often as required
<<What source files should you have (i.e. MSWord files, XML files, HTML
files)>>
The specific format is less important than finding a format that lets you
revise and review it quickly and effectively, with minimal delays or rework
required due to file translation. The ideal translator will use compatible
software and additional tools that work with your files (e.g., translation
memory software) to ease the job. You may not actually choose your own
software based on what the translator prefers, but sometimes this may
actually be a wise decision. To pick a format, clearly identify what the
source material must be to meet your own needs (in-house review), how to
transmit that information to the contractor to ease their task (thus, speed
the job and minimize error), and how to receive the translations back.
<<What process if any have any of you defined in managing the whole
translation process from start to finish?>>
Basically what I described above, though in my case, I'm good enough in
French that I do much of the quality control myself, albeit with the help of
my francophone authors for idiom and the help of a professional French
editor for the niceties of French grammar.
--Geoff Hart, geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
(try ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca if you get no response)
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada
"Wisdom is one of the few things that look bigger the further away it
is."--Terry Pratchett
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