ENLASO

Location: Language Technology Center: Articles: Ensuring Quality Through In-Country Validation

Sound quality localization processes should always incorporate a validation step by an in-country representative of the client. In-country review validation allows clients to provide input on company-specific terminology, target audience, technical specifications of products on the target market (e.g. compliance with local regulations) as well as to share their profound product knowledge. In other words, client validation means to provide translators with information from 'behind the scenes,' which helps them to produce a tailor-made translation.

Qualified reviewers can be an experienced distributor, product manager, customer service representative, marketing professional or any representative with local product buy-in. These review candidates have practical knowledge of the product from a technical perspective and are usually the most qualified to provide valuable localization information and feedback. Being part of the validation process also generates a greater understanding of the product, yielding an even deeper form of product quality through knowledge.

Ideally, the in-country reviewer should be involved early in the project, especially at the glossary development stage, so their technical lexicon is incorporated in the product's message. Bringing an in-country reviewer on board at the project's start avoids costly reworking due to mere stylistic differences in the translation later in the game and also generates buy-in. It is imperative that the assigned reviewers understand that linguists are required to remain faithful to the meaning of the source document and do not re-write. Although the translation is not word-for-word, linguists do convey the intended meaning of the source material.

Localization Manager Tip: Assigning Validators

• The objectives of in-country validation can be compromised or even negated if expectations are not clearly conveyed.
• Multiple reviewers per language may expedite the process; however, too many cooks in the kitchen may create differences of professional opinions in respects to technical terminology and use of local language nuances.
• Changing reviewers in mid-project compromises consistency and overlooks the original quality objectives of the review process.
• Unclear expectations regarding the target locale can be a problem. Example, the differences between Latin American Spanish and European Spanish are substantial and can negate the verification process.
• Reviewers can develop resentment to the work of the localization service provider as they were not provided the opportunity to localize the product themselves. Such a behavior is human; however, such a biased review can substantially hinder the cost and turnaround. For these professionals, it is imperative to earn their buy-in early in the process.
• If reviewers are unsatisfied with the quality of the source document (writing style) the localized version will only compound such a perception. Preparing source material for localization with quality in mind requires that the reviewers be involved in the review of the source document.
• As reviewers are most likely responsible for more than localization verification duties, establish expectations of clear turnaround time to avoid, rushed or overlooked localization costs.

Working closely with ENLASO, Satmetrix involves localization in development of the source material as well as the analysis of the collected data. It is critical that when localizing customer satisfaction surveys, that the original intent of the source survey is maintained as to not skew the data collected. It is important to distinguish here that the value of these systems are not simply in the multilingual surveys but rather, in the analysis and in the reporting tools that the survey data populates.

Collecting customer satisfaction information globally requires a multilingual system that generates accurate information that is useful to decision-makers immediately—in real time. Dated information is the Achilles-heal of traditional customer satisfaction systems and ultimately negates the objectives of collecting the data in the first place.

Liesl Leary, Senior Localization Strategist, ENLASO Corporation

Liesl Leary is a Senior Localization Strategist at ENLASO Corporation. She consults with organizations, like Satmetrix Systems, who require localization systems and process analysis to deploy efficient and cost-effective localization programs. In addition to her experience working with localization, Liesl has also worked as a Business Systems Analyst where she administered corporate best practice research that led to significant improvements in sales order entry processes. Educated both in the United States and in Europe, Liesl has a degree in International East Asian studies with course work completed in Beijing, China and 5 years of working in the localization industry.

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