The Challenge(s)
The client regularly translates a wide variety of content, including instructions for use (IFUs) into as many as 16 languages and brochures into as many as 6 languages. They had already been outsourcing, but were looking for a new supplier because of quality issues and the fact that their translations often seemed to be done by linguists with little or no life sciences experience. Proper terminology was extremely important to them, so they needed us to provide a team of translators with expertise in gynecology to improve the quality of existing content and make sure future translations were up to standard.
Our Solutions
We ran a test translation and started working on real projects after approval. We selected translators for all target languages to guarantee a detailed knowledge of content, requirements, and specifications. The client regularly introduced changes to source files and deliverables, but didn’t document or monitor the updates. To guarantee control over the content and quality, we offered a customized workflow for “update” projects. We also ran a comparison of target files and introduced detected linguistic changes to translation memories. Additionally, we encouraged the client to outsource both translation and desktop publishing (DTP) to us.
The Results
We noted an immediate reduction in quality issues, thanks to the fact that all feedback is reviewed and commented on by translators. Final, agreed versions of documents are then reflected in translation memories in order to populate the same terminology and wording in future documents or updated versions. A notable increase in productivity from the client side was also readily apparent. Our partnership with the client is fast approaching the two-year mark, and with continued results like these we look forward to a future of closer ties and even better outcomes.
