Your Ultimate Guide to Manage Large-scale Projects

Localization/L10n managers often find it hard to manage large-scale projects.

Even short files can be a pain to control, depending on the nature of the project and the capability of the translation agency. Here at GTE Localize, our clients do not have to worry about any of that. Our unique, collaborative approach to translation helps us manage large-scale projects in a breeze. 

In this article, we will go through some of the techniques and technologies used in our workflow that enable us to be much more efficient at what we do than regular translation agencies. We also mention a few things that L10n managers can do to facilitate the translation process and help translation agencies manage large-scale projects more smoothly. 

Preparation

First of all, it will be helpful if the clients already know the nature of the files they will be sending to translators, like:

• Are they going to consist of spreadsheets, text documents, or PDF files? 
• Perhaps the files include a few Powerpoint presentations and an image or two?

It is absolutely fine if the clients are not sure, but if our clients are, we can give them some suggestions to ensure that the final result looks great.

Let’s take certain types of files such as images or slide presentations as examples. It would be great if the clients are able to send us an editable version, so we can adjust them adhering to their preferences, such as preserving backgrounds and logos, or separating any content that they do not want to be translated. 

Style Guides

Style guides are always vital and beneficial, but this is especially true when we manage large-scale projects.

Style Guides are a set of project-specific guidelines that all translators must grasp thoroughly before starting to work on translation. These instructions cover everything from whether to convert dates and units of measurement to the way to translate terms like brand names, or how to handle abbreviations. These guidelines will help ensure that all translators can collaborate to generate a seamless and consistent translation.

If the clients don’t know how to make style guides themselves, we can supply them with a template and a short online form that they can fill out to tell us about their exact requirements.

Manage Large-scale Projects: Termbases and Glossaries

Most large or recurring projects include certain words and phrases that appear multiple times in a file or different files. Given the possibility that different translators would make different translation choices, though equally correct, a termbase or glossary should be created to ensure project consistency. The distinction between the two is that a termbase is a more comprehensive glossary that typically includes explanations and descriptions, whereas a glossary is simply a list of terms and their translations. Translation Memories, which we shall discuss next, is another important technology used for this same purpose.

Translation Memories

Translation Memories have established themselves as 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 available is equivalent to GTE Localize’s. We have the fastest translation memory infrastructure in the industry to smooth out our translation process while ensuring the consistency of the content.

Manage Large-scale Projects: Collaborative Translation Mode

We utilize some of the most advanced translation and localization management platforms such as Phrase, LingoHub, Lokalise, and Crowdin to streamline our procedure. These platforms enable different translators to work together on the same document and at the same time while sharing computer-assisted translation tools that provide collaborative technology. Therefore, we can minimize the overall translation turnaround time, enhance cooperation, in particular between translator and proofreaders, and eliminate several management tasks.

Translation Management System

Acknowledging the importance of technology in ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow, GTE Localize has set up our own management system called G-One. 

Our system consists of 3 outstanding functions:

• Translation management system (TMS): To keep track of all project details systematically and allocate jobs to in-house linguists or freelancers automatically.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM): To monitor relationships with potential and current clients.
• Vendor Portal (VP): A one-stop platform for our freelancers to receive jobs, deliver jobs, and manage their invoices.

On this G-One system, we also have a deadline dashboard for PM, Sales, and In-house translators to track and follow deadlines efficiently. The color of the project changes to yellow 2 hours before the deadline to remind our team of the upcoming deadlines. This is why we can deliver our translation in high quality and on time or ahead of schedule.

Manage Large-scale Projects: CAT tools

We employ CAT Tools such as SDL, Matecat, Smartling, and Wordfast for every translation and localization project. These programs are aimed to assist translators in increasing their productivity and improving the quality of their translations. They enable translators and linguists to modify, organize, and store previous translations, resulting in lower translation costs, faster turnaround times, and consistent translations.

Quality Control (QC) Tools

To handle large or recurring projects accurately, you need to get support from technologies.

At GTE Localize, we use QC Tool – Xbench, which allows us to organize your terminology and spot errors to give you error-free translations. All of our projects will go through at least 2 steps (Translating + Editing), even if it is a 5-word file. If a client selects a Translation Only project, it will be translated by an Editor and we will automatically have an additional stage – spot QA check. For large projects or projects from key clients, we additionally incorporate an internal LQA round by a third linguist.

GTE Localize (not Clients) bears the expense of the spot QA check or internal LQA round in order to provide clients with the highest quality translations.

To Wrap Up

To manage large-scale projects, we need not only talented linguists all around the world but also useful technologies and softwares. 

With the help of the above technologies, GTE Localize has created a seamless workflow and manages large-scale projects with ease. That is why we are confident to offer our clients a 1-year-warranty for all of our projects.

If you are a Language Services Provider, we hope you find this article useful for an effective workflow.

If you are a client who is searching for a reliable translation and localization company to handle large or recurring projects, look no further than GTE Localize. We will help you complete your Indonesian translation services, Thai translation services, Vietnamese translation services, Spanish translation services, etc. at a cost-saving rate and fast turnaround time.

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