The Importance of In‐Country Review

Written by

Argos Multilingual

Published on

07 May 2018

Pre‐Translation Reviewer Involvement in the In-Country Review

An important step in a professional localization process is the in-country review (ICR). This review enables the inclusion of company‐specific terminology, target audience, technical specifications of products in the target market, profound product knowledge and ensures the compliance with local regulations.

Glossaries and Style Guides

Glossaries and style guides are important tools for improving quality and consistency of translations. A glossary identifies key terms, product names, and special treatment of terminology in the source language and the associated translation. A style guide lists preferred conventions for voice, numerical notation, measurement units, etc. The in‐country reviewer should be involved in developing these tools or, at a minimum, have final approval of the assets before translation is started.

Sample Translation

For large translation projects or newly created translation teams, it is more efficient to provide feedback on translation quality early in the process, thereby avoiding significant rework at the end of the project. A recommended approach is to provide in‐country reviewers with a sample of the translation at the beginning of the project. A representative sample of the material should be prioritized for translation and review. Feedback on the sample should be specific with the goal of training the translation team to work in accordance with the appropriate voice to represent the company.

Defining Review Scope

The objectives of in‐country validation can be compromised or even negated if expectations are not clearly conveyed. It is crucial that the reviewer’s task be defined precisely. The assigned reviewers must understand that linguists are required to remain faithful to the meaning of the source document and not re‐write. While the translation should not be a word‐for‐word rendition, it should convey the intended meaning of the source material and not contain adaption of the source copy.

Review Instructions

Review should focus on verifying compliance with established conventions.
Verify adherence to glossary and linguistic style guides.
Note translation errors if encountered but do not perform an edit of the translation.
Review target copy against the source language for translation accuracy.
Restrict changes to identified scope, do not modify UI or glossary terms that have previously been approved.
Avoid non‐critical preferential changes.
Consider impact of changes, e.g., preferential changes to UI strings in a released product will have a far‐reaching impact.

Materials for Reviewer

Reviewers should receive the same reference material as used by the translation team to ensure consistency throughout the teams including:

Related documentation.
Any queries designated during translation and their responses.
Existing product glossaries.
Language style guides to define preferred voice.
Previous translations and/or translation memories.

Feedback from Reviewers

Reviewer feedback should meet specific criteria in order to constructively add value.

Consistency with glossary, style guide, and previous translations.
Traceable feedback, such as annotated PDFs or Word files with tracked changes.
Clear and specific instructions, e.g., “Term does not comply with glossary, change to:” rather than “Incorrect” or “Revise translation”.
Written in a common language (usually English) for review by project managers, etc.

Argos’ In-country Review

Looking to improve your time to market? Turn to our Argos Certified Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) to perform review for you, leaving your employees to do what they do best. Our SME’s are selected, tested and classified in our Resource Management System ensuring that we only utilize resources who specialize in your field. Contact Us and find out how we can help you with your next translation project!