How to Best Handle Large or Recurring Projects

Depending on the nature of your project and the translation agency with whom you are dealing, even short files can be a pain to handle, let alone very large or recurring projects. Here at MotaWord, you don’t have to worry about any of that. We are widely recognized as the very best translation agency in the world when it comes to dealing with large or recurring projects that need a fast turnaround.

Our unique, collaborative approach to translation makes managing large or recurring projects a breeze for our clients. In the paragraphs below, we will outline some of the techniques and technologies that we use in our workflow that enable us to be so much more efficient at what we do than regular translation agencies. We also mention a few of the things that you could do yourself on your end that helps us make sure that you will receive your project just the way you need it.

Preparation

It all starts with the preparation stage. This is done on your end while we assist you whenever necessary. First of all, it helps a lot if you already know the nature of the files you will be sending our way. Are they going to consist of spreadsheets, text documents, PDF files? Perhaps a few Powerpoint presentations and an image or two? It is perfectly alright if you are not sure but, in case you are, then we can give you a few tips to make sure that the final product will look perfect.

For example, for certain types of files such as images or slide presentations, it can be really quite helpful if you are able to send us an editable version. In reality, this is true for all file types but even more so for those that include certain design elements such as backgrounds and logos if you would like these to be preserved. Another important tip is to separate any content that you do not wish to be translated. You can do this manually or, if you are translating your file with us, you can simply highlight the text in a word processing program and our system will automatically exclude it from the translation project.

Style Guides

Style Guides are always extremely important and highly useful, and this is even truer when we are talking about large or recurring projects. In essence, Style Guides are a series of project-specific guidelines that all translators must carefully read before they start working. These guidelines provide detailed instructions such as whether or not to convert dates and units of measurement, whether or not to translate certain specific words such as brand names, how to handle abbreviations, and so on. When you have a recurring or large project, these instructions are fundamental in order to make sure that multiple translators can work together to produce a seamless and perfectly consistent translation. If you don’t know how to set one up yourself, we are always happy to help and can provide you with a template and a short online form that you can fill in and let us know your specific needs.

Termbases and Glossaries:

Any large or recurring project is bound to contain certain terms and phrases that reappear multiple times throughout different files. Given that different translators might potentially make different, though equally correct, translation choices, it is important to set up a termbase or glossary in order to maintain project consistency. The difference between the two is that a termbase is a more complete glossary in which explanations and descriptions are often included, whereas a glossary is a simple list of terms and their translations. Another key technology used for this same purpose is Translation Memories, which we will talk about next.

Translation Memories:

Translation Memories have, by now, become an industry standard. They store previously translated segments that can be used in any future files or projects containing the same or similar sentences. That having been said, not every Translation Memory out there is equivalent to MotaWord's. Along with having the fastest translation memory infrastructure in the industry, we have developed technology that gives new meaning to the "Translation Memory" concept by introducing the idea of "Prospective Translation Memory", which encompasses not only your translated strings but also those that will be translated. For more details, we recommend that you check out our previous blog posts on the subject.

What Is Translation Memory? Translation Memory - It's What Friends Use For Your Translations

Collaborative Translation Mode:

Collaborative translation is MotaWord’s unique translation paradigm that has been made possible by advanced translation technologies that enable several individuals to work together on the same document and at the same time while sharing computer-assisted translation tools that provide collaborative technology.

Collaborative translation methods are often confused with crowdsourcing techniques, sometimes even by managers working in the translation industry. Collaborative translation refers to a technique in which multiple service providers engage together in a collaborative workspace while sharing common tools. This is a modern method made possible by cloud computing.

The aim of collaborative translation is to minimize the overall translation turnaround time, enhance cooperation, in particular between translator and proofreaders, and eliminate several management tasks. Crowdsourcing, on the other hand, refers to the process of assigning translation roles to a number of individuals by means of a "flexible open call." The aim of crowdsourcing is to automate the translation assignment process and decrease translation costs.