ONSITE TRAINING FOR A 20,000-PAGE OPERATOR MANUAL PROJECT

The client needed all their documentation, i.e. 5000-page manuals, translated into four languages. We were chosen to create this multilingual documentation, which was both a privilege and a challenge, since this client had never worked with a translation agency before. We visited them to determine a suitable process for the translation of their technical manuals. The first step was to translate their documentation from scratch (including terminology management), and the second was to apply our expertise to establishing effective multilingual document management procedures.

• We created a team of translators for each target language. Efficient selection of experienced native-speakers specialising in our client’s business sector was key.

• Given that we started from scratch and no reference material or translation memories were available, experts from the client’s team in each country (Italy, Spain, Belgium, and Germany) gave our translators a training session on the material to be translated.

• Because we were dealing with a considerable volume, several translators worked together to extract source terminology and create a multilingual glossary. Once created, it was checked and approved by the client’s proofreaders.

• GIB Consult created a secure online platform (using Microsoft SharePoint technology) accessible at all times by the translators, the client, and the proofreaders. This allowed the translators to submit their translations for approval, offering a more effective system of direct communication that was easy to supervise. There was also a forum for translators to ask questions, which the local distributors could answer directly.

• The translations were sent to SME (native-speaker technicians) at the client’s end to be proofread, amended and approved. The text was then formatted by our team of DTP specialists before final delivery.

• During the translation process, the translation memories and glossaries were regularly updated. This was essential, since several translators were involved in the project, and the translations had to be consistent.

• Upon finalisation of the project, a post-mortem meeting was organised at the customer’s premises. This provided an opportunity to review the implementation of the project and discuss the overall project flow. It also allowed the customer to express their opinion about the project as a whole, helping us to optimise our services.

The project took six months to be completed. Since then, we have received regular updates of the manuals we translated. The translation memories and specialised glossaries that we created allow us to apply these updates quickly and inexpensively, whilst ensuring that the terminology is always consistent.

For a company like ours, this type of project is ideal because it gives us the opportunity to implement a client-specific workflow. Our process offered our client a guarantee of compliance with the terminology and deadlines, and produced translations of superior quality.

Because GIB Consult satisfied the client’s expectations, the client’s Marketing Department invited us to translate all of their sales brochures!