Download - Strategies for Choosing a LSP

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© 2010 Lionbridge Technologies, Inc.

Strategies for Choosing a Language Service Provider

February 2011

Join the Conversation on Twitter: #LIOX @Lionbridge


Introductions

John Yunker

Co-founder of Byte Level Research, and author of the book

The Savvy Client’s Guide to Translation [email protected]

@johnyunker

Blog: www.globalbydesign.com

Paula Shannon

CSO, Senior Vice President, Lionbridge

[email protected]

@PaulaBShannon

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.globalbydesign.com/





Lionbridge Snapshot$400M Leader in Translation, Testing and Development

Market LeadershipGlobal Scale

Loyal, Global ClientsCloud Technology Platform

4,200 employees 26 countries

1,900 offshore employees

85,000+ third party, mobileand at home workers

‘Crowd-in-the-Cloud SM’

Industry leading technology

Drives efficiency

Improves productivity

Leader in $14B services industry

Translation and adaptationof products and content for international markets

Recurring relationshipswith 500+ global clients

80% of revenue comesfrom recurring clients

12 of the Fortune 20 companies are clients


About Byte Level Research

Available at www.bytelevel.com

http://www.bytelevel.com/


Agenda

Translating the Translation Industry

Selecting the Right Translation Vendor

Becoming the Right Translation Buyer


Translating the Translation Industry


Clients are from Mars...

“We need a translation

agency.”

...Agencies are from Venus



“We’re more than that. We’re an LSP!”




“Does that mean you translate?”




“It means we provide both internalization and

localization services.”




“So, does that mean you

translate?”



Learning the ’Lingo’

i18n L10n g11n

TM MTCAT

Internationalization Localization Globalization

Computer-aided Translation

Translation Memory

Machine Translation

When in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask!


How an LSP Came to Be…

TranslatorTranslation

Agency

Multi-Language

Vendor

LanguageService

Provider

Vendors evolve as their clients evolve…

1980s 1990s 2000s Today

What type of client are

you?


Localization (and Translation)Going Global the ’Hard Way’

Once a product is released for one market, localizingit for new markets often requires extensive re-engineering

Plan Develop Test Release

Localization


Internationalization (and Globalization)Going Global the ’Smart Way’

By engineering a world-ready product from the beginning,localization is much more efficient

Plan Develop Test Release

LocalizationInternationalization


Selecting the Right Translation Partner


Criteria Used

Price

Speed

Location

Quality (sample translation)

Our competitors use them

Workflow tools

ISO Certification

Nice people


Questions to Ask

“What percentageof translation is

outsourced?”“Who is my project

manager?”

“How long has this person beenwith you?”

“Who is his/her back-up?”

“How well do you understand my

industry?”

“Do you embrace new technologies?”

“Do you support our technologies?”

“How well do you understand my terminology?”


The Problem with Sample Translations

It only eliminates the really bad vendors

The translators who handle the sample may not be workingon your job

Different reviewers may have different opinions aboutwhich sample is best

Timelines and terminology limitations impact quality

The focus is more on the sample than on the process


Instead...

Focus on the process and the product

Have the agency review a sample of yourcontent/software/website and tell youhow to improve it

• Better coding/commenting

• Is the source text world-ready?

• Get translator input on the local market

and the challenges you’ll face

Once you arrive at 2-3 vendors,conduct a paid pilot run


“We’re ISO Certified, So You Don’t Need to Worry.”

ISO Certification is like a driver’s license...It doesn’t prevent accidents from happening

Don’t let the process get in the way of the practical(of the obvious)

How do you define quality?


Becoming the Right Translation Buyer


Become a “World-Ready” Client

Are you a national company selling to foreign markets or a global company selling to local markets?

From content creators to developers to marketers, everyone must understand globalization

Ask your vendor to help train your team

Study the best global web sites and software.Take what works…ignore what doesn’t


Anything “Thrown Over the Wall” Usually Breaks

If you can’t make sense of your source text/files/web sites,don’t expect your agency to do better

Savvy clients provide “dummy proof” source text:

• They protect code from breakage

• They rely on translation memory to enforce consistency

• They provide context/comments with source text

• They provide internationalized source text


Internationalized Text: Concatenation

Source: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/internationalization#markup

Bad:<fb:intl>You are eating</fb:intl> <fb:intl>at home.</fb:intl>

Good:<fb:intl>You are eating at home.</fb:intl><fb:intl>You are eating at a restaurant.</fb:intl>


Internationalized Text: Punctuation

Bad:<fb:intl>You have mail</fb:intl>.

Good:<fb:intl>You have mail.</fb:intl>



Internationalized Text: Instructions

Bad:<fb:intl desc=”X’s photos'">{name}'s photos</fb:intl>

Good:<fb:intl desc="In, 'X's photos are ready to view.'">{name}'s photos</fb:intl>



International Designs Are Flexible


International Designs Are Flexible (Cont’d)


Different Content = Different Strategies

Human Translation Only

Web & Marketing

Product Info

Knowledgebase

User-Generated Content

MT + Human Editing

MT Only


The Most Effective Local Content May Not Require Translation


Knowledge Center

The Art and Science of Global Navigation

The Best Global Web Sites (and Why)

Mastering Multilingual Marketing

View Webinars On-Demand

Building Stronger Brands Around the World:A Guide to Effective Global Marketing

Strengthening Global Brands: Key Steps for Meaningful Communications around the World

Building a Global Web Strategy: Best Practicesfor Developing your International Online Brand

Download White Papers


Thank You!

Lionbridge

www.lionbridge.com

http://blog.lionbridge.com

http://twitter.com/Lionbridge

http://www.facebook.com/L10nbridge

http://www.lionbridge.com/

http://blog.lionbridge.com/

http://twitter.com/Lionbridge

http://www.facebook.com/L10nbridge

Download - Strategies for Choosing a LSP

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