Unifying your Content Developement and Translation Strategies

Write once. Approve once. Use Everywhere. SmartDocs

Unifying your Content Development

and Translation Strategies: What, why

and how?

Presenter: Lisa Pietrangeli

Managing Partner and Executive Director of Operations and

Business Development

ThirtySix Software

@36Software@LavaCon

www.thirtysix.net WRITE ONCE. APPROVE ONCE. USE EVERYWHERE. 2

Questions for you:

Which of you are already translating content?

Which of you are already working with a content reuse process and/or tool?

Which of you are working with regulated content?


Our goals for today – So much to do!!

• Define common translation technology

• Discuss component content and translation reuse

• Explore how tools can support and unify content development and translation processes

• Address challenges such as: review and approval, handling cultural differences, and working with remote teams


Let’s get on the same page

We can all agree that component content reuse is a good thing. Some benefits are: • Improved consistency • Reliable reuse of already-approved content • Ability to track usage and history • Easy updates, automated document generation,

reliable reuse across people and departments, centralization, collaboration, etc.

• Saves money and time and headaches and inconsistencies…shall I go on?


Content Strategy

First

What content will be

reused?

Where will it be

reused?

Who will need to reuse it?

How is it going to be

reused?

Write once. Approve once. Use Everywhere.


Identify Reuse Opportunities


Your words…

Every word you choose impacts translation

Simplicity

Clarity

Consistency


Choosing your words

Simplicity

•Simple sentence structure

•Self-contained sentences and phrases

•Avoid too many modifiers

long-term surveillance test planning

•Avoid idioms and slang

Consistency

•Single term = single use

•Keep word choice consistent, avoid

unnecessary synonym use or words with

like meanings in the same context

•Terminology

Clarity

•Avoid nominative pronouns – restate objects for clarity

•Avoid unnecessary homographs, especially words that can be nouns or verbs

•Do not write negative words to represent a positive idea*

•Use words in the context of their most common definition

•When is an image or symbol a better option?


Why does your content development process impact translation?

• $$$

• Consistency and quality

• Timelines

Tools of the Trade:

Translation memory vs. Translation reuse


Translation reuse technology

Machine Translation (MT) – The application of computers to the task of translating texts from one natural language to another.

Translation Memory (TM)- A translation memory system stores the words, phrases, and ‘segments’ that have already been translated, in order to aid human translators.

Translation Reuse– Applying previously translated text on the component level that is contextually accurate regardless of document or output.


• Human vs. Machine

• Quantity vs. Quality

• Tools and Translator qualifications

• Content development

• Resources and knowledge base accessibility

Why does translation have to be so *^!% expensive??


Translation Memory:

• What do you send?

• What do translators see?

• What do they need?

• What is their process?

• What are you paying for?

How do translators work with your content?


Matchmaker, matchmaker… A 100% match is 100% dependent on the consistency of your source content. Source: The cat is black. Update 1: This cat is black. Update 2: The Cat is black Update 3: The cat is black! Update 4: The cat is brown. Update 5: The cat is black. (again)


Example: 1000 word topic that you can reuse

• $.20 per word = $200

• $.06 for review every time it comes out of the TM = $60

• $.00 per word if it’s dropped into your document already translated

Your words in dollars and cents


Translation Reuse

How is translation reuse different from translation memory?

–Cost –Timing –Quality –Consistency –Structured vs. unstructured –Review


What does your process need?

Three Key Elements

• In-Country Reviewers

• Terminology Management

• Language-specific style guides


Some definitions of terms

Localization - The process of adapting a product or service to a particular language, culture, and desired locale

Translation - The rendering of something into another language or into one's own from another language

Internationalization – The process of designing a product so that it can be adapted to various languages and regions without design changes.


In-Country Review

• Who is qualified to act as reviewer?

• At what point in the process should reviewers be involved?

• How will they receive content?

• How will they provide feedback?

• How will you implement their feedback?

– Final content

– Updating CMS and TM


Cultural considerations

• Different language pairs will have unique requirements

• Be mindful of cultural reactions to review

• Partner with your translation vendor for best results

• Treat ICR as an opportunity to bridge gaps


• Before or after a writing project begins? • Before or in conjunction with translation? • Adding a new language to your termbase • Translating terminology from scratch • Mining a TM • Identifying DNT (Do Not Translate) terms • Translation team – collaborative approach • ICR involvement

Creating and managing a termbase


• Who needs to be involved? • How should terminology be managed? • What can be automated? • How do you know terminology has been

used accurately and consistently during authoring and translation?

Managing Terminology: Making and enforcing the rules


• Excel term base with all languages • Stored on company server but with internal

access only • Distributed via email • Monthly phone calls to review any potential

changes, to discuss current projects, and share updated information if necessary

• Quarterly TM share • In-Country Reviewers (ICRs) part of process

Example: Terminology and TM Maintenance


Design Elements

• Text styles: Fonts, colors, sizing…

• Software references, screen text and buttons

• Notes, Warnings, Cautions

• Procedures

• Icons

Style Guide: Language Considerations


Acronyms, Screen references, Company or Product-specific terms

• DNT (parenthetical translation)

• DNT (translated definition) – 1st occurrence or every occurrence

• Transliterate

• Quick reference guide

• Glossary

Style Guide: Handling DNT (Do Not Translate) Terms


• Deviation from standard rules of the target language – Example: Source language title case

• Approved fonts for specific languages – Character languages – Italics and bolding

• Measurements – Provide Imperial and Metric? Change order? – Example:

• US – 3.6 in (9.144 cm) • Euro – 9.144 cm (3.6 in)

Style Guide: Making the rules clear


• Maintaining pagination

• Blank pages

• Page number requirements

• Revision numbers

• Update document dates

• Include language code

• File naming

Style Guide: Making the rules clear (cont’d)


Just do it… If you don’t, it will hurt…and nobody wants that

A months-long project can turn into years

Project cost will far exceed budgets

Cultural issues cost companies millions

Content Development and Translation as One Strategy


Lisa Pietrangeli Visit me at Booth #5 in the main

exhibit hall

[email protected]

+1 585-943-5059

Contact me with questions and for handouts

mailto:[email protected]

Unifying your Content Developement and Translation Strategies

Technology

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