LISA

LISA
Best Practice
Guide
Quality Assurance–
The Client Perspective
Localization Industry Standards Association

Localization Industry Standards Association
S ince 990, the Localization Industry Standards Association has been helping companies enable global busi-
ness. LISA is the premier not-for-profit organization in the world for individuals, businesses, associations,
and standards organizations involved in language and language technology worldwide. LISA brings together IT
manufacturers, translation and localization solutions providers, and internationalization professionals, as well
as increasing numbers of vertical market corporations with an international business focus in finance, banking,
manufacturing, health care, energy and communications.
Together, these entities help LISA establish best practice guidelines and language technology standards for enter-
prise globalization. LISA offers other services in the form of standards initiatives, Special Interest Groups, confer-
ences and training programs which help companies implement efficient international business models to provide a
return on investment for their Globalization, Internationalization, Localization, and Translation (GILT) efforts.
LISA partners and affiliate groups include the International Organization for Standardization (ISO Liaison Cate-
gory A Members of TC 37 and TC 46), The World Bank, OASIS, IDEAlliance, AIIM, The Advisory Council (TAC),
Fort-Ross, €TTEC, the Japan Technical Communicators Association, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE),
the European Union, the Canadian Translation Bureau, TermNet, the American Translators Association (ATA),
IWIPS, Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs (FIT), Termium, JETRO, the Institute of Translating and Inter-
preting (ITI), The Unicode Consortium, OpenI18N, and other professional and trade organizations.
LISA members and co-founders include some of the largest and best-known companies in the world, including
Adobe, Avaya, Cisco Systems, CLS Communication, EMC, Hewlett Packard, IBM, Innodata Isogen, Fuji Xerox,
Microsoft, Oracle, Nokia, Logitech, SAP, Siebel Systems, Standard Chartered Bank, FileNet, LionBridge Tech-
nologies, Lucent, Sun Microsystems, WH&P, PeopleSoft, Philips Medical Systems, Rockwell Automation, The
RWS Group, Xerox Corporation and Canon Research, among others.
Why Do the Leading Corporations and Organizations Around the World Support LISA?
LISA has a proven track record of partnership with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and mul-
tinational corporations. LISA helps these bodies implement best practice and language technology standards, while
providing them with access to the best independent information about what it takes to manage their multiple language
content efficiently to communicate effectively across cultures. LISA has held more than 45 international forums and
global strategies summits in Asia, Europe and North America, as well as workshops, executive roundtables, and other
events tailored to meet the needs of specific groups or industry segments. LISA’s members and partners know that they
can come to LISA as an unbiased information resource to learn about the cost factors, technologies and business trends
that affect how they do business in an increasingly globalized and integrated world.
Why Do GILT Service Providers Support LISA?

LISA has provided an open forum for more than twelve years for GILT service providers to discuss the business
and legal issues that affect them, and to learn from one another and from their customers. Like their clients, service
providers understand that they need to stay current on technical standards and business developments in the GILT
industry. They also know that they can rely on the largest archive of GILT-related information in the world, available
to LISA members, including all () issues of the Globalization Insider (LISA’s content-packed newsletter, now in its
3th year of publication), (2) presentations and summaries from every major LISA event since 997, and (3) research
and survey reports that indicate where the GILT industry is today and where it is headed in the future.
Contents
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
OVERVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
assessing needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
preparing for localization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
selecting appropriate partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
linguistic resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
working with partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
checking quality and resolving problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
LOCALIZATION PROJECT BILL OF MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
GLOBALIZATION INSIDER ARTICLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
high-quality translation—the new localization paradigm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
putting the qa stamp on translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
quality issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
the customer makes the difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective 

copyright © 2004 the localization industry standards association
Introduction
F ar too often, buyers of globalization, internationalization, localization and translation (or gilt, for short) are unhappy
with the quality of the services they buy. At the same time, providers of gilt services are faced with impossible dead-
lines, increasing volumes, and the constant demand for lower prices. It might seem that the demands for better, faster
and cheaper gilt services, coupled with the clients’ need for quality, are fundamentally contradictory; but fortunately,
many of the steps that can help make gilt cheaper are the same steps that can help improve localization quality. Achiev-
ing quality localization at a reasonable price requires sustained effort and knowledge about gilt processes on the part
of buyers of services. Most quality concerns are best addressed long before a translator sees a product. “Throwing it over
the wall” is a recipe for poor quality localization and greater expense. In contrast, knowledgeable buyers know what to
expect, what not to expect and how to achieve the results they want.
This Best Practices Guide addresses the issues gilt clients face when setting up their processes ensure to quality gilt.
The guide is structured in four sections:
• A series of questions about gilt quality in six broad areas:

. assessing needs,
2. preparing for localization
3. selecting appropriate partners
4. linguistic resource
5. working with partners
6. checking quality and resolving problems.
Not all of these questions have definite answers since a particular organizations’s course of action will depend on its
needs and the nature of its projects. Nonetheless, considering the questions and the potential answers will allow read-
ers to clarify their needs and processes early on to prevent problems. Each of these sets of questions also contains open
advice from noted gilt experts. Eric Nicod, Software Localization Manager at Logitech, and Alison Toon, Translation
and Localization Manager at Hewlett Packard, kindly agreed to provide the benefit of their experience and knowledge
in implementing large localization projects for this guide. Reflecting the broad nature of the gilt industry, their advice
is sometimes complementary and sometimes contradictory, but always insightful and constructive.
• The Localization Project Bill of Materials is a checklist that can be used and adapted to ensure that all issues that
can impact localization projects are addressed. Developed by LISA to help companies verify the completeness of their
localization projects, the Bill of Materials contains a detailed listing of components found in typical gilt projects that
need to be considered to guarantee high-quality localization.
• Four articles from the Globalization Insider (LISA’s newsletter) that address various aspects of gilt quality. These
articles represent some of the best insights available on how to achieve quality goals, and each one offers excellent
advice on how to build a gilt program that will meet an organization’s needs now and in the future.
• A listing of additional resources for readers to explore topics in greater depth.
The various sections of this Best Practice Guide together will be especially useful for:
. those who are considering localization and need to know how to get started
2. those who need a refresher course on how to improve their gilt quality
3. gilt solutions providers who need to know how to talk to their clients in order to improve process issues.
By considering the issues raised in this guide, readers will be better equipped to build partnerships and workflows that
will help them achieve their quality goals.
2 lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective

❖ QUALIT Y ASSURAN CE: THE CLIENT PER SPECTIVE ❖
Overview
How can clients ensure that their gilt efforts will be of the highest quality? What steps can be taken to realize customer expectations?
The responsibility it not solution providers’ alone—quality assurance must begin with the client at the earliest phase of product design.
Quality is not added by localization—if the original product is not of the highest quality the localized product will certainly reflect the
problems of the source. Given limited resources, clients have to decide where to focus their quality efforts and how best to realize them.
The following list of questions set forth questions and issues that clients must deal with to assess their quality needs and make them a
reality.
Assessing needs (SLV), or do I want to handle my 2. Is there a single person within my

. What business requirements does localization in-house? organization who can serve as a con-
this project address, and how do I 2. Should I choose a domain specialist tact person for my partners?
expect it to meet them? or a general solutions provider? 3. Have my quality expectations been
2. How much can I spend on this proj- 3. Can my potential partners provide made clear to my partners? Have they
ect? How much can be internal vs. relevant references and have I taken agreed to meet them? What issues
external spending? then time/will I check them? have been identified in advance?
3. How much time can I spend on inter- 4. Should I request test localizations 4. Is there a process in place for me to
nationalization, localization, testing from my potential partners? provide incremental feedback as the
and explicit quality assurance (qa)? 5. Do my potential partners have suffi- project progresses? Is there a pro-
4. At what stages can I take time for qa? cient capacity to handle my projects cess to incorporate this feedback into
Will my product be ready for inter- at the same time as they deal with already-localized, as well as future,
nationalization testing prior to local- projects from other clients? Can they material?
ization? scale their operations if I increase 5. If working with an MLV, what level
5. Will I be able to provide training on volume? of contact do actual translators have
and examples of the product to my 6. What skills will my partner need to with me to address questions? Is this
gilt solutions partners? deliver the quality I require? Does contact channeled through a project
6. What are my expectations for this it have these skills, or can it partner manager, or is it direct?
product? Do my expectations match with others to deliver what I need?
my needs? Do my expectations and 7. How important is physical location? Checking Quality and Resolving
needs match my budget? Problems
7. Am I sure I am providing a quality Linguistic resources . What quality assurance methods are
source product, or am I expecting my . What linguistic resources (terminol- appropriate for my project? Which
solutions partners to fix problems in ogy, translation memory, etc.) do I ones should I use?
my product? have available? Can my partners use 2. What should my QA testing focus
them? on?
Preparing for localization 2. Have my linguistic resources been 3. Can I conduct functional testing of
. Are my files properly international- checked for quality? localized versions?
ized? Do I know where internation- 3. Do I have a process or method in 4. Do my quality checks represent how
alization problems may occur? place to maintain my linguistic my product will actually be used?
2. Are my files in appropriate formats? resources and so implement changes 5. How will I find out about problems
If not, can I convert them? to them? in localized versions?
3. Are my files properly organized, and 4. If I have previously-translated mate- 6. Who will pay for correction of prob-
can I provide needed file information rials, can I verify their quality? Can lems? What sort of problems should
to my partner(s)? they be used to improve the quality we try to resolve?
4. Do I have an appropriate plan and of this project? 7. How will I disseminate corrections/
sequence for my project? changes to users after product ship-
Working with partners ment (e.g., if an update is required)?
Selecting appropriate partners . How should I communicate with the
. Do I want a multiple-language vendor translators? With managers? What
(MLV), single-language vendor(s) structure is in place to resolve prob-
lems or make changes?
lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective 3

❖ QUALIT Y ASSURAN CE: THE CLIENT PERSPECTIVE ❖
Assessing Needs
Quality gilt results depend on balancing quality desires and requirements with real-world constraints. Clients often have unrealistic or
unstated expectations for quality and are then disappointed with the results. Making expectations explicit and understanding how they
will/will not be met (and at what cost) can help clients make appropriate decisions and investments.
1. What business reqirements does needs or which will poorly serve your port internal headcount). This will affect
this project address and how do I customers. how much can be spent on qa efforts
expect it to meet them? with external partners and may force
A common problem in planning for DO determine the business assignment of qa tasks to one part of the
localization is the failure to consider the requirements of your project process or another.
business context in which localization DON’T neglect consideration of While internal staff generally know
occurs. A decision may be made to local- long-term support needs your product better than any external
ize for a given market without a thorough partner, they often lack expertise in gilt-
investigation of the potential return on specific skills. Choosing where to spend
investment (roi). 2. How much can I spend on this your budget, taking into account the
Before starting a localization project project? strengths and weaknesses of your inter-
determine what business requirements How much you can spend on localiza- nal staff and external partners, will help
the project will address and why you tion needs to be determined in terms you achieve the best results within your
need to localize a particular product for a of the business requirements identified budget constraints and priorities.
given market. Ask yourself what the sales in the previous question. Localization
targets are for each market and what the cost is the opportunity cost to reach a DO make realistic plans for
legal or other obligations are. If roi is not market, and should not be thought of as your budget
the foremost concern, be sure to under- an expense to be whittled down as much DON’T expect 00 results on a 
stand the other business needs require- as possible. budget
ments. For example, are you localizing to Early on you need to determine what
gain a competitive advantage or to meet you budget for a given project will be and
legal requirements? How do your busi- how much you can spend on QA of gilt 3. How much time can I spend on
ness needs influence your localization issues. All things being equal, obtain- internationalization?
requirements? ing a quality localization will generally Internationalization represents the most
Consider how your localization cost more than obtaining poor localiza- cost-effective way to help facilitate qual-
options will meet these needs and how tion from the same solutions provider. ity assurance downstream in localiza-
they will fit into your existing business If obtaining localization as cheaply as tion. This step is often not given enough
processes. Localization is most effective possible is your goal, you need to accept importance in product design because
when it is planned for and implemented that this will impact the quality of your it requires up-front time and budget be
as part of the entire business process, not results. Obtaining and verifying quality engineering and development groups. It
as an “add-on” at the end of the chain. takes time and money. The most expen- tends to be pushed to gilt solutions pro-
It is also vital to consider the ongoing sive localization will not, however, nec- viders, who are then forced to deal with
costs of localization, not just the initial essarily be the best localization. Simply problems that could have been prevented.
cost. What sort of support will the prod- paying more does not automatically Internationalization problems, if not
uct require after its completion, and will result in improved quality. solved one time before localization, must
you be able to provide this support? Is Early on you need to determine what be solved in each target locale—each error
the project a one-time localization, or is your budget for a given project will be that must be solved/worked around adds
it part of an ongoing program of local- and how much you can spend on qa of time and expense and lowers the quality of
ization for a specific market? Will sales gilt issues. the finished product. This is because most
pay for and justify the long-term support localization fixes to internationalization
needs? How much of this can be internal vs. problems are workarounds of dubious or
Failure to consider the short- and external spending? limited quality.
long-term business requirements driving Often companies have priorities for The more time you can spend on
a project can add expense and result in whether budget is spent internally or internationalization, the more you will
localizations that do not meet business externally (for example, a percentage of be able to avert problems before they
a project’s budget may need to go to sup- become major. If problems are fixed early

on (and so cost less), greater emphasis adequate qa during the time allotted? or other methods for localizers to get
can be placed on raising quality, rather Allowing for qa may force changes the answers to questions or problems?
then trying to salvage quality. to overall project plan.
DO provide training and/or
How much time can I spend onlocal- Will my product be ready for interna- products to partners
ization? tionalization testing prior to localiza- DON’T expect perfect localization
Is localization given adequate time? If tion? without product support
localization is relegated to the closing This is a critical question in software and
weeks of a large project there is no time other technical localization projects. If
to fix problems or make needed changes. projects are being modified up to the last 6. What are my expectations for this
Localization should be planned for at the possible minute and cannot be tested, product?
earliest stages. what assurance can you have that critical Do you expect perfection from local-
If you must rush localization, quality internationalization errors will not crop ized versions, or do you expect usable
is likely to suffer even as costs rise. The up at the last minute? These may harm (but not perfect) ones? What need will
more time allowed for localization, the localization efforts (and bring an about thelocalization fill? Are you localizing a
more likely that problems will be resolved accompanying loss of quality). user interface where perfection will be
in an acceptable manner. Discuss time Failure to provide a stable interna- expected, or are you providing a “quick
requirements with your partners early tionalized version early on also increases and dirty” localization intended for a
on to ensure that your plans are realistic costs by requiring implementation of small audience of technical users?
and will allow sufficient time for quality changes and/or costly fixes to problems
localization. at the last minute. Do my expectations match my needs?
One of the most common errors in How critical is a given quality level for
localization projects is to expect the DO make plans for qa the product? Do you expect perfection
actual translation phase of localization to DON’T put internationalization but really need something less? Would
be completed in an unrealistically short testing off fixing 90% of the errors be enough for
time. Rush jobs are subject to errors and the product? At what point does spend-
mistakes that easily easily preventable ing more on fixing a product become
with sufficient time. 5. Will I be able to provide training counter-productive?
on and examples of the product to
How much can I spend on testing and my GILT solutions partners? Do my expectations and needs match
explicit quality assurance (QA) steps? Perhaps the worst possible localization my budget?
qa is often left to gilt solutions provid- process is one in which user interface If you need perfection and expect it,
ers and considered part of localization. strings are extracted from a program and are you allocating time and budget to
When they are provided with adequate sent off to a gilt solutions provider for achieve it? It takes time and money to
time, support and resources, this may translation, with little or no context. The achieve high-quality localization, and if
be an acceptable method for dealing highest quality process will involve train- time and budget are not available for a
with qa issues. However, when quality ing gilt partners on the product and given quality level, this level will not be
specifications are not covered in con- providing functional copies. This may or attained, through no fault of the solu-
tracts and supported by the client, qa may not be feasible (e.g., a heavy machin- tions provider.
levels may not match your expectations ery manufacturer would not physically
and demands. qa expectations should be be able to provide a 60-ton turbine to a DO have realistic expectations
specified in advance and given adequate localization provider), but quality is pro- DON’T expect more than you pay
time in project planning. moted and improved by providing the for
solutions provider with as much infor-
DO leave enough time at each mation and training as possible.
stage of development 7. Am I sure I am providing a quality
DON’T rush internationalization Will it fit into my budget and time source product, or am I expecting
requirements to do so? my solutions partners to fix prob-
If it is physically and logistically possible lems in my product?
4. At what stages can I take time for to provide functional copies of a product It is quite common for clients to complain
QA? to solutions providers, do your budget about problems in a localized version of a
Identify early at what stages you will be and/or time constraints allow you to do product that in fact existed in the source-
able to perform qa. If there are two weeks so? If not, what can be done within the language version, but which were ignored
for localization, does this allow adequate you time and budget limitations? Would or never even noticed. Often, localized
time for qa? Even if you can spend time it be possible to provide distance train- versions of products are subjected to levels
on particular aspects of product devel- ing or support for localizers? Would it be of scrutiny never given to the source.
opment, will you be able to perform possible to provide priority help service As with internationalization problems,

problems in the source cost more to fix Expert Advice
during localization than earlier on during
the authoring process.
Yann Meersseman points out that
“technically speaking, localization adds
A ccording to Eric Nicod, Software
Localization Manager at Logitech,
it is critical to consider early on the
get ahead of reality. She stresses that
(1) an understanding of why you want
to localize certain materials and (2)
nothing” to a product (see “The Cus- requirements for the markets tar- whether it makes sense to do so are
tomer Makers the Difference” on page geted for localization. This will, in large key to preventing disappointment. It is
35 for more information). That is to say, measure, determine the amount to be easy to localize a proudct only to find
while poor localization can lower qual- spent on localization. Factors to con- that the cost to localize is more than
ity, good localization generally cannot fix sider include (1) local customer pref- the projected sales of that localized
problems in the source. Delivering error- erence, (2) competitive products, (3) version. Knowing the needs the local-
ridden or poorly-written documentation legal requirements (e.g.., localization ization will help determine whether it
yet expecting the localized version to be is mandated for products sold in most match your budget.
high-quality, is a recipe for disappoint- of Europe), (4) adding languages will Understand your end-to-end busi-
ment. impact current schedules and plans, ness processes and requirements,
When examined, problems in transla- and (5) the opportunity cost of not and view localization as just another
tion frequently prove to be the result of localizing. compontent within them. Your busi-
problems in the source. Poor writing or For new products, consider the ness model will influence localiza-
design are only magnified in translation. market markets you need to reach, tion needs and impact how projects
You may not be able to fix all prob- and your plans are for product rollout. are handled. There is a tendency to
lems yourself (e.g., you may not have Potential revenues should be balanced treat localization as a catchall process
in-house expertise to deal with all prob- against the cost to reach them.. rather than as something that will vary
lems), so it may be appropriate to work In the case of existing products that depending on business needs. Failure
with your partners to solve problems. will be localized into new languages, it to consider the business reasons can
Such services, however, are generally not is important to consider the impact on lead to downstream problems as you
included in localization quotes, and will the current review schedule. Adding find that expectations don’t match
be separate (and expensive) services on localization may not be feasible at just business needs or reality.
top of general localization costs. any point in the product cycle. You In making decisions be sure not to
may need to wait for the optimal time neglect any on-going support issues
DO fix problems in the source to introduce a new language when it that may result from a localization proj-
DON’T expect partners to fix your will not disrupt current projects and ect. In other words, is this localization
mistakes plans. Consider all costs, and all mate- a “one-off” project, or will you need to
rials, not just those that are immedi- build support processes to deal with
ately obvious. the localization after release? Consid-
❖ Nicod also cautions against making eration of support requirements (both
localization decisions based on cost internal and external) will help you
alone: although price is an important understand the real cost of localiza-
factor, alone it revelas little about qual- tion.
ity. The cheapest localization is often If you are dealing with a GILT solu-
not the best, but the most expensive tions provider, you must also under-
one may not be the best either. stand what work and effort is required
Do not put of internationalization on your part. You may find that mas-
or QA testing—the later a problem is saging matierals to the point where a
detected, the more it will cost to fix it. partner can deliver a given price will
Testing should be constant from the be quite expensive due to the time
very start of a project. and staff required to prepare them.
It is really vital, wherever possible, Costs such as terminology research or
to supply examples of your product, importing translation memory (TM)
even if the product is a beta, to your data may not be part of a quote unless
translators so that they can translate specifically requested. In general,
material with reference to the actual required as detailed a quote as possi-
product. ble so you know exactly what services
are included and what are not.
A lison Toon,Translation and Localiza-

tion Manager at Hewlett-Packard,
cautions against letting enthusiasm

Preparing for Localization

Authors and developers of content can greatly influence the quality of localized materials through their actions before localization begins.
Internationalization—the process of preparing materials to facilitate localization—is critical in assuring quality of localized materials.
There are additional steps that clients can take that will also help increase quality and reduce costs at the same time. After clients have
identified their needs, they can properly plan their products to meet these needs.
1. Are my files properly internation- U.S. trash cans (which resemble mail- must remain consistent across languages.
alized? Do I know where interna- boxes used in many locales) and check This is typically done by leaving white
tionalization problems may occur? marks (✓) to indicate task completion (in space at the bottom of pages. If this is
Internationalization prepares products some locales check marks are symbols of not done localizers may need to reduce
for localization, and is a complex subject failure). Images may even be completely font sizes to keep pagination constant.
in its own right. The following informa- unintelligible in some locales. Potentially Alternatively, documentation can be
tion presents a basic overview. offensive content includes depictions designed without leaving significant
Internationalization, in its broadest of parts of the human body or religious room for expansion if total pagination
sense, refers to the phase during prod- symbols. can increase.
uct development when all locale-specific In cases where a company wishes
content such as text and images is made to use images in one locale that would Text
accessible and/or generic for the local- be inadvisable in another locale the Text internationalization involves sim-
ization process. In our context, it applies localizers will need to create appropriate plifying text and removing locale-spe-
to documentation as well as software. Its graphics for the locale in question. This cific references and content.
purpose is to facilitate localization so that can be expensive and, in the case of com- Simplifying text is important since
high quality can be achieved as cost-effec- plex graphics, the localizer may have to long and complex sentences are difficult
tively as possible. How this works for vari- charge a premium. to localize and may present unforeseen
ous kinds of content is described below: If there is any doubt about the appro- ambiguities and complexities. Especially
priateness of any graphics, consult with important is, wherever possible, elimi-
Images locale experts early on and implement nating long strings of nouns or other
The most important issues for the inter- changes before product development complex constructions like “handbrake
nationalization of images are () making becomes dependent on specific images. connector retract cord” as these are often
sure localizers can access text, and (2) Graphics used within programs or very difficult to translate.
removing potentially ambiguous and/or files should be “externalized” rather Removing locale-specific references is
offensive content from images. than embedded, i.e., graphics should be vital. Sports and religious metaphors in
It is vital that any images contain- linked to external files wherever possible particular do not translate well, and may
ing text be kept in a format that allows rather than copied and pasted in place. be difficult to convey in other locales.
localizers to translate the text. Typically In addition, graphics should be loaded at Do not use idioms or “figures of speech.”
this means that bitmapped file formats run-time from external resources rather References to celebrities, current events,
such as jpeg and gif should not be used than embedded as binary content within television shows and movies, or other
except as final output forms—localizers computer code. popular culture figures should generally
generally cannot work directly with be avoided because they may be misun-
these formats because the text is stored as Document Design derstood or meaningless outside of the
images rather than editable text. In place For localization of documentation, one source locale.
of bitmapped images original files in for- of the most critical steps room is to
mats such as Adobe Illustrator should leave room for text expansion. In most Program code
be saved (even if gif or jpeg images cases localized text will be longer than the Internationalization of program code
are used for final output in a web page). source text. The actual amount will vary by is a complex topic. A few guidelines for
Alternatively Adobe Photoshop (or an language pair and by text type and length internationalizing code are as follows:
equivalent program) may be used since (short texts typically expand more than
it allows text to be stored and edited in long texts). Consulting with your partner(s) . Do not embed strings in program
separate layers within the graphic files. about anticipated expansion early on will code. Include them in resource files
The second primary concern is to allow appropriate planning. instead and have the code point to
avoid offensive or ambiguous images. Leave room on pages for this expan- the resource file.
Ambiguous images include those like sion when pagination of documentation

2. Leave room in dialog boxes for text If you must convert files to other for- 3. Are my files properly organized,
expansion mats, do it yourself so that you can () and can I provide needed file infor-
3. Do not make language- or locale- verify quality of conversion in-house, mation to my partner(s)?
specific assumptions in computer and (2) avoid paying a premium for part- The logistics of organizing, maintaining,
code. For example, do not assume ners to do it. and tracking localization projects can
that all languages share a common be a major source of expense and errors
word order. DO confirm that your partner if steps are not taken to ensure smooth
can work with your files processes.
The concerns and issues listed above are DON’T use proprietary or uncom- Partners must be able to locate all
just a few of the many that must be con- mon file formats files and know what role they play in the
sidered in internationalization of files project. In general the best procedure is
and products. For more information, to create a file hierarchy in which related
please refer to the Additional Resources files are stored in the same folders. For
section at the end of this Guide. example, it is usually a good idea to put all
DO make sure documents and Expert Advice

products are international-
DON’T
ized before localization
include locale- or language-
specific information in files
A ccording to Alison Toon (Transla-
tion and Localization Manager at
HP), your business model and needs
mats should leave translatable content
outside of tags whenever possible.
It is critical to educate content
will impact preparation for localization creators in your organization about
as well, since your methods will depend localization to help them understand
2. Are my files in appropriate for- on the destination for particular texts. how their actions affect localization
mats? If not, can I convert? If you are using any technology as and other “downstream” processes.
Files must be delivered to localization part of the process, confirm any limi- Although this may be difficult to do, it
partners in formats that they can use. tations or issues that will affect the ultimately saves the organization time
In general, it is best to check with your use of that technology, as well as best and money.
partners well in advance to make sure practices for implemtation and use. Take a step back and look at things
they can handle your files natively. If they A prime example would be sending from the beginning to make changes
cannot, you will need to establish a reli- out a Microsoft Word file that has an that will make everyone’s life easier.
able process to enable localization. embedded PowerPoint slide that has Understand the needs and motivations
Use of proprietary or uncommon embedded Excel data. Each of these for particular choices (such as file for-
formats can lead to higher costs, longer layers could contain text that should mats) that will impact your work.
turn-around times and higher error not be translated, but which is not
rates. In some cases custom filters must
be developed, and this can be very
expensive. Fortunately most translation
obvious in the Word document. Be
aware of places text can “hide” and
how it can affect your results and
E ric Nicod, Software Localization
Manager at Logitech, states that
localization departments must have a
tools can deal with common file formats costs. Clean up and remove redundant good rapport with the software devel-
quite well, but there may be limitations materials: in some cases, files may be opment department so that they can
or issues with some formats. (For exam- 90% redundant, and failure to take influence the organization of software
ple, most translation tools do not deal care of this can result in a lot of wasted to facilitate the localization process.
directly with Quark XPress files, so extra effort and money. Often the actual organization of many
processing steps are required to extract In dealing with XML in particular, projects is out of the hands of the
text.) be sure you can provide a DTD (docu- department in charge of localization,
Another important limitation to con- ment type definition) or schema and so building a good relationship with
sider is that not all program handle all that all of the XML provided follows a the developers is vital.
languages, or there may be limitations in standard. XML can cause some prob- It also helps to have a convincing
language support. Make sure that your lems since it is not as easy to preview case for the developers as to how prop-
file formats will work in your required as other formats, and it may pro- erly organizing files for localization will
languages locales. For example, it is not vide content with little context. Pay save them time and money. Be pre-
sufficient to ask a localization partner if atttenion to how your XML files are pared in dealing with software devel-
they can “take Quark files.” Instead it is designed since content that should opers to provide concrete examples
important to specify what version and be translated (such as country names) and arguments for how their actions
what language(s) will be needed to verify may be provided inside tags (i.e., as impact time and revenue downstream.
that all required languages can be han- attributes), that most translation envi-
dled. ronments try to protect. Therefore, for-

graphics used in a file in a single directory a common source of time and cost over- diffreence terms to refer to the ame thing
with the file. However, where multiple runs, as well as errors. in the sofware and user manual).
files use the same graphic and are linked Prior to starting a project, determine
to it, only one copy of the file should be DO organize your files and what dependencies (if any) exist, as well
provided in a separate folder for common name them consistently as how much time will be needed to
graphics. (If you provide multiple copies, DON’T include multiple copies of complete each stage before other stages
expect to be charged for localization of identical graphics can begin. Be prepared to adjust sched-
each copy since your partner will localize ule expectations to allow for the results
each one.) of this analysis.
Files should also be named in a consis- 4. Do I have an appropriate plan and Even if you deliver all components
tent and intelligible manner so that it is easy sequence for my project? of your project at one time, communi-
to tell where they are used and what they do. In larger projects, individual compon- cate your plan and requirements clearly
For example, the file name img002a.psd tents will generally be received over a to partners so that they carry out work
does not indicate anything about the file, period of time. The sequence in which according to your needs. In addition,
while userGuide_fig02a_en.psd helps work is completed and delivered can be plan with your partners to allow time for
localizers (and content creators) know vital to ensuring quality. Very often parts review of any materials that will affect
where the file is to be used and even the of a project will depend on completion other materials prior to further localiza-
language used in the file (en = English). If of other parts. For example manuals and tion.
partners have to spend time locating files help file will generally need to be localized
and opening them to verify content, the after software. Failure to follow a proper DO plan a sequence of work
odds of error or delay increase. sequence can lead to inconsistencies and DON’T localize materials out of
Make usre to send all files to your incorrect localizations (e.g., using two sequence
partner(s): missing or incorrect files are
Selecting Appropriate Partners

Choosing appropriate partners who can meet your needs is a vital step in obtaining quality localization results. Even good localizers can
deliver poor-quality results if they are not equipped to deal with specific projects or subject domains. Checking references and making sure
that solutions providers have delivered good localizations in the language(s) and subject domains(s) of your projects will help you verify the
selection good partners. You also need to confirm that potential partners have sufficient capacity to meet your needs in a timely manner.
1. Do I want a multiple-language languages. Typically smaller that MLVs, lishing (DTP) that their clients may not be
vendor, a single-language vendor(s), SLVs often provide an ideal partner for equipped to handle. These services come
or do I want to handle my localiza- smaller projects, or projects where single at a cost, but the additional costs of MLVs
tion in-house? languages are used. SLVs are generally may be less than the costs of maintaining
It is important to understand the differ- the companies that provide actual local- qualified in-house staff to deal with them.
ences between various types of gilt solu- ization services to MLVs. MLVs can also tap into existing networks
tions providers or departments so that In-house localization departments of translators that would be difficult for
you can select an appropriate partner. handle some or all localization tasks companies to build on their own.
Multiple-language vendors (MLVs for within the company that produces a SLVs may provide superior service for
short) provide “one-stop shopping” for product or products. These companies specific languages, and if you are local-
localization services and generally sup- typically produce large volumes of localizing into a small number of languages
port several languages through partner- izable materials and prefer to maintain and can handle project management
ships with single-language vendors and linguistic expertise within their own and other tasks in-house may be a good
individual freelance translators. organizations. option for high-quality results. SLVs
Single-language vendors (SLVs for MLVs generally provide the best generally charge less than MLVs are an
short), as the term suggests, typically option for companies with little or no attractive option for organizations that
provide localization services for one localization experience because they can want to maintain an active role in the
primary language, although they may provide all necessary services, including localization process. However, you must
be able to subcontract work for other project management and desktop pub- take all costs into account when compar-

ing potential partners and calculating partners. Check references thoroughly, 5. Do my potential partners have
return on investment. and be prepared to find out how the sufficient capacity to handle my
In-house localization is generally not solutions partner has done with regards projects at the same time as they
an option for serious localization work to quality and fixing problems. Ask for deal with projects from other
for newcomers to localization. Often examples of how it has dealt with proj- clients? Can they scale their opera-
companies are tempted to use multilin- ects similar to yours and how it has per- tions if I increase volume?
gual staff as localizers for small projects, formed under pressure. Capacity is an important consideration,
but these staff members are usually not You should also ask for references that especially for large or time-critical local-
trained as translators and are not quali- are relevant to your projects. Localization ization projects. Smaller solutions pro-
fied to provide high-quality localization. of an advertising campaign will not indi- viders may not have the capability to
cate how well a company will do in local- handle multiple projects due at the same
DO select an appropriate type izing a software project. If working in a time, so make sure that they can handle
of partner for your needs particular domain, try to obtain refer- your projects. If you leave sufficient time
DON’T fail to consider hidden costs ence relevant to that domain. If possible, for projects and plan ahead with your
such as project management try to get a neutral third party evaluation partners, you can help assure resource
of samples of the vendor’s work (note: do availability.
not use other vendors for this). If you anticipate your localization
2. Should I choose a domain special- requirements growing over time, make
ist or a general solutions provider? DO interview references thor- sure that your partners will be able
Whether to work with domain specialist oughly to scale their operations to meet your
or general localization providers depends DON’T fail to ask how the solutions needs. In some cases solutions providers
in large measure on the nature of materi- provider has handled diffi- are able to work with their own partners
als your company produces. culties to meet heavy demand. If it is important
If you produce one type of material that projects be handled in-house by a
(e.g., automotive manuals) or if your partner, verify that the partner has the
materials deal with a field that has spe- 4. Should I request test localizations capacity to do so.
cial terminology or requires considerable from my potential partners?
specific knowledge, domain special- A common practice in evaluating poten- DO make sure that your part-
ists will usually provide superior results tial gilt partners is to require them to ners can handle high
since they have the in-house expertise to submit test localizations, which are then demand periods
do so. Otherwise, most gilt service pro- evaluated to select the best partner. The DON’T fail to plan ahead to ensure
viders are qualified to deal with general advantage of this is that it allows you to resource availability
computer/information technology (IT) see what to expect from your own materi-
texts, and can often provide high-quality als rather than trying to evaluate potential
results in a variety of domains. partners based on projects that may be 6. What skills will my partner need to
In many cases there will be no domain substantially different from your own. deliver the quality I require? Does it
specialist localization firms for specific If you have enough time and skills to have these skills, or can it partner with
product areas or languages, so general evaluate test projects, they can be a very others to deliver what I need?
solutions providers may be the only valuable tool in selecting the best part- The skills needed to perform localiza-
option. Under these circumstance, the ners for your projects. However, they tion tasks vary, and you need to confirm
more information and training you can take time, and evaluation of the results that potential partners can provide these
provide to your partner, the better, since requires linguistic skill. It is pointless to skills. For example, can the solutions pro-
it will help the partner develop domain request a test localization if you have no vider handle software localization skills
expertise relevant to your products. way of avaluating its quality. on all required platforms; is it skilled in
Tests or pilot projects also serve a role graphics adaptation, etc.? Most vendors
DO consider the nature of your after your partners have been selected, will not have expertise in all possible
materials and the capabili- by allowing you to define processes and tasks in-house, but often can partner
ties of potential partners methods prior to running a large-scale with others to provide what’s missing.
DON’T fail to provide product infor- project. Tests of this sort can be “real” It is important not to assume that
mation to your partners projects, but on a smaller scale than potential partners can provide all
what is anticipated for the future. Care- required skills without checking. It is
ful analysis of the results can help iso- also important to work with partners in
3. Can my potential partners provide late problems and highlight areas for advance to make sure that your require-
relevant references and have I taken improvement for both you and your ments are understood and anticipated.
then time/will I check them? partner, prior to significant investment
Checking references can provide a good of time and resources in a large project.
idea of the capabilities of your potential
0 lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective

DO make sure your partners DON’T overlook possibilities cre-
know what skills you need ated by time zone differences
DON’T assume that your vendor can
do everything
❖
7. How important is physical loca-

tion?
Physical location of partners may or may Expert Advice
not be an important factor. If you need to
provide localizers with physical access to
your products, but you cannot send them
to the localizers (due to size or other fac-
L ogitech has chosen a “regional MLV”
model rather than a single MLV. In
this model, a number of smaller MLVs
HP, does not find location of poten-
tial partners particularly important.
Translators should be up-to-date on
tors) select a partner within a reasonable handle different regions (e.g., Eastern the language usage in the particular
physical distance from a location where Europe, the Middle East, the Nordic country for which they are translat-
the localizers can obtain access to them. countries). Logitech feels that smaller ing. For example, someone who has
Typically, localization is carried out companies provide a level of service lived in the U.S. for thirty years would
in the country where the product will and commitment that they would not not be a good choice for translating
be sold because localizers in the target find in working with one larger com- something for use in another country
country will be more aware of locale pany. besides the U.S.
needs and requirements than expatriate For Logitech, physical location is The type of solutions provider you
localizers. If it is important that localiza- vital. According to Eric Nicod, Soft- choose depends on your processes
tion be in-country, you may still be able ware Localization Manager at Logitech, and needs. If you want to simply hand
to work with partners in your own coun- meeting with partners at least once, over files and receive translations back
try since most solutions providers work including those at all levels of the pro- (the “black box” approach to localiza-
with in-country translators for actual duction cycle, is critical, as this allows tion) an MLV is probably the best bet.
translation work and handle additional him to gauge the partner’s “corporate However, if you have the time and
localization tasks in a central location. culture” and structure. This includes resources to manage SLVs and indi-
You will, however, need to verify where actually meeting all the translators as viduals, the price may be better and
actual translation takes place. well, and physical proximity facilitates the quality higher than with MLVs.
Some clients prefer to be physically such face-to-face meetings. According to Toon, you also need to
close to their partners so that they can Partners also need to have proven consider what sorts of materials you
work with them face to face and can expertise in the services Logitech are localizing. While most solutiosn
physically review their processes. needs, and these services need to be providers are excellent at translating
Another factor that may influence in-house. Management and business technical materials and specifications,
your choice is time zone. If you choose models must be very clear, and part- marketing materials are much more
a partner on the other side of the world ners must disclose their accounting difficult and require a “natural” in mar-
for some reason (reputation, skills, etc.), methods openly. keting with good copy-writing skills.
confirm that its office hours will overlap One of the most important quali- When considering the capacity of
with yours. If not, you will need to work ties that a partner have is a real dedi- potential partners, be aware that their
out a way to adequately communicate cation to service. Beware, however, of capacity needs to be sufficient not
concerning urgent matters. an overzealous level of personal com- only for you, but for all of their other
At the same time, there are some mitment, which can lead to an attitude clients. When you require a lot of
advantages to working with partners in of refusal to make changes, in which capacity, others may as well (including
different time zones. Partners can take case making changes can evolve from others from within your own company,
advantage of time zone differentials to a localization issue to a personal man- if your company is large), so you need
complete tasks during times that might agement issue. a partner who can successfully handle
otherwise be unused and effectively Nicod cautions against relying on multiple projects on your scale at one
decrease turnaround times. references to make a decision. Rather, time. Make sure your partner(s) will
There are advantages and disadvan- references should serve as a confirma- provide advance warning about any
tages to both sides of partner location. A tion of a conclusion already reached projects that may impact their ability
careful consideration of your processes through meeting with and internally to respond to your needs in a timely
and needs will help you determine where evaluating a potential partner. manner. Communication needs to be
they should be located. two-way, with no attempt to conceal
DO determine where your part-

ners can be located
I n contrast, Alison Toon, Transla-
tion and Localization Manager at
lack of capacity that could result in
delays or shoddy work.
lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective 

Linguistic Resources
Linguistic resources such as terminology information and translation memory data play a vital role in modern GILT projects by facilitat-
ing consistency and reuse of previously translated material. However, care must be taken to ensure that these resources are of high quality
and do not end up reproducing previous errors and problems. This section describes various linguistic resources, their roles in modern
GILT processes, and ways to ensure that your linguistic resources don’t end up creating problems rather than solving them.
1. What linguistic resources (termi- terminology lists (preferably with defini- TM tool will be able to provide the previ-
nology, translation memory, etc.) do tions) to help it determine how best to ous translations for the 80% that has not
I have available? Can my partners translate your terminology. changed. This results in substantial pro-
use them? If you have multinational offices that ductivity gains, as well as improved con-
The most common linguistic resources in are already familiar with your product(s), sistency between versions of the text. TM
use today are terminology information it is best to consult with staff from these is also useful when localizing collections
and translation memory, both of which offices on how key terms are to be trans- of documents that may have substantial
play vital roles in facilitating consistent lated since they will be up-to-date with repeated text (e.g., “boilerplate” copy-
translations. current usage. In general these staff will right notices or product descriptions).
be able to provide better translations than TM databases are generally built
Terminology Resources your gilt solutions providers because they during the translation process when a
Terminology resources range from deal with the terminology on a daily basis text is translated for the first time, and
simple lists of terms in an application and are familiar with common usage. then used in subsequent translation
such as Excel to complex relational data- If you are entering a new market, you work. However, with some projects, it
bases that define terms and the relation- will generally need to rely on your gilt is possible to build TM databases from
ships between them. Good terminology partners to suggest translations. Be sure previously translated documents that
resources are vital in the creation of both to allow adequate time for terminology were not created with a TM system (see
the source and translated versions of research prior to actual localization. If question 4 below).
products. you rush this step, you will decrease the You can also help increase the effec-
Good terminology resources will quality of the localized product and, in tiveness of TM data by making sure that
address terms in both the source and the the long run, increase costs as you are the source text is finalized before it is
target languages that must be consistently forced to deal with problems and incon- sent for localization. It is difficult to make
used and translated. The terminology sistent translations. changes to TM databases after they have
also needs to correspond to the physical Assist your solutions partners by () been created, so last-minute changes are
product. For example, calling a specific providing terminology lists in the source often made in output files, but not entered
key on a keyboard the “Enter” key in one language, and (2) helping them identify into the TM database. This means that
place in a document and the “Return” standard references in your subject matter these changes are not recorded and are
key in another will create confusion for early on (for example, subject-specific thus lost for subsequent revisions.
users, especially if the keyboard is labeled dictionaries or Internet resources).
only with “Return.” Other Linguistic Resources
If terminology is not defined in Translation Memory Other linguistic resources exist, such
advance and carefully applied, such con- Translation Memory (TM) is the most as machine translation (MT) lexicons,
fusion will be the norm rather than the vital labor-saving tool available today. language-specific hyphenators, and
exception, especially if documentation TM saves segments of source text (typi- so forth, but most purchasers of gilt
and other text are produced in a collab- cally sentences) and their translations services are unlikely to create these
orative environment. Such difficulties are and stores them in a database format so resources, so they are not covered here. If
only magnified by translation. It is the that they can be automatically retrieved you do require special resources, consult
responsibility of the content creator to when a new text or a new version of a with your gilt solutions partners early
make sure that the source is correct. previously translated text is processed on to make sure they can provide them
Multilingual terminology is the with the tool. at a price you are willing to pay.
responsibility of both you and your part- TM really comes into its own when
ner—often you will not have the in-house used on revisions of texts that remain DO provide any resources that
expertise to define localized terminol- substantially unchanged between ver- will help your partners
ogy yourself. However, you will need to sions. For example, if only 20% of a text DON’T allow poor terminology to
provide your partner with quality source has changed during a revision cycle, a create problems

2. Have my linguistic resources been 4. If I have previously-translated Translation memory databases can be
checked for quality? materials, can I verify their quality? built up from previous materials through
If you already have translation memory Can they be used to improve the a process called alignment in which
or terminology data, have you verified the quality of this project? the source text and its translation are
quality? If your materials were previously If you have had materials translated in matched, segment by segment, to create
translated, but you weren’t happy with the past without development of termi- a translation memory database after the
the results, be careful in using linguis- nology resources or translation memory, fact. If you already have a quality local-
tic resources created in their production you can still use these materials for ization that has not been processed in a
since you are likely to propagate the same improving future translations, provided TM system this will provide a good way
problems if you reuse these materials. you know their quality. to reuse the previous translation.
Checking quality involves not only Previous translations can be used Creating linguistic resources may be
making sure that previous translations in terminology research by allowing expensive, but can provide both short-
were adequate, but also confirming that terminologists to locate terms and their and long-term savings.
the linguistic resources accurately reflect translations without having to investi-
the final translations. It is quite common gate external sources. Very often this will DO use previous localizations
for linguistic resources to be out-of- result in better terminology since terms to build terminology and tm
synch with finalized translations since defined in this manner represent your DON’T assume you can’t reuse pre-
changes and corrections may have been actual terminology usage. vious localizations
introduced to localized versions without
the corresponding linguistic resources
being updated. Expert Advice
Linguistic resources may also be
incomplete or corrupt, thus requiring
some work prior to use. A lison Toon, Translation and Local-
ization Manager at HP, advises you
to consider the formats and tools you
tion project, including terminology
and translation memory data. If this
is done in advance you will be able to
DO check the quality of your use in order to identify any problems. reuse all linguistic resources with any-
linguistic resources Sometimes, specific formats will cause future partners.
DON’T use resources with problems problems with specific tools. Under- Consider also how to verify the
you don’t want to repeat stand the reasons why you need to quality of resources. For languages
use specific tools and how to work that are known by someone in your
with them to achieve the required company, you may have a good deal
3. Do I have a process or method results. of security. For other languages you
in place to maintain my linguis- Because it is easy for linguistic may need to rely on the judgment of
tic resources and so implement resources to beome out-of-synch external parties. Finding resources to
changes to them? with what is actually published or dis- independently verify quality may be
Before you begin a project you should tributed, HP often defines workflows difficult, however.
have a process already in place for main- that involve linguistic QA of the TM In new technology fields or domains,
taining and updating linguistic resources. before the TM tool is used to output terminology may not yet be standard-
This is needed to prevent your linguistic the translated file. If changes are sub- ized or may be in flux. The stability
resources from getting out of synch with sequently made, they are collected of terminology may vary not only by
your localized materials and potentially and implemented directly in the TM technology, but also by language. Ter-
spreading inappropriate terms or out- so that it always matches the final ver- minology might be very stable in one
dated translations in future localiza- sion of a file. language, while in another, several
tions. major players may each be promot-
You need to have this process in
advance since it will affect how files are
processed and may have implications for
A ccording to Eric Nicod, Software
Localization Manager at Logitech,
you need to contractually specify in
ing different terminology. In such a
situation, ensure that your linguistic
resources reflect current and wide-
costs since your gilt partners may need advance that you own all linguistic spread usage by consistently updating
to modify their processes to support your materials produced during a localiza- them to include the latest changes.
maintenance needs.
DO plan to maintain your lin-

guistic assets
DON’T leave planning until after
the project
lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective 3

Working With Partners

Establishing good working relationships with partners involves effort by both parties, as well as an understanding of where problems are
likely to occur and how to fix them before they become crises. Knowing how to work with partners will help ensure satisfaction on both
sides and produce a quality result. Regardless of how you choose to work with your partners, make sure that your expectations of the
relationship match those of your partners. Do not assume that your partners will do anything not specified in advance.
1. How should I communicate with sibility and control for projects so that the managerial burden on the primary
the translators? With managers? you don’t send competing messages or contacts.
The procedure you use to communicate requests to partners. It is not uncommon If, on the other hand, you choose
with the actual translators and proj- for multiple people involved in a proj- various people to serve as contacts for
ect managers on a particular project ect to have different ideas about what different aspects of the project, you may
will depend in large part on the sort of should be done. With no clear author- decrease the managerial burden on any
partner you choose. Interacting with ity or responsibility your partners will one individual (although probably not
multiple-language vendors (MLVs) is likely implement any and all requests in the overall amount of management
very different from working with single- an attempt to “keep the customer happy.” needed). Having multiple contact points
language vendors (SLVs). An awareness The result will be a negative impact on can, however, lead to inconsistency if
of the ways in which these different enti- quality. partners receive conflicting instructions
ties work will help you effectively com- from different individuals, since not all
municate with them. What structure is in place to resolve stakeholders in your projects may be
In the case of MLVs you generally problems or make changes? aware of what others have done.
will work with a single project manager, Before you start a project, establish an A sure recipe for disaster and quality
and thus have little direct contact with ‘escalation’ path with your partners (and problems is to let too many people have
the translators or other specialists work- within your own organization as well). access to control of a project. Allowing
ing on your projects. (Part of the reason In other words, make sure that you can individuals to have direct access to part-
for selecting an MLV is to reduce the always reach someone with questions ners grants them control of the project
amount of managerial contact you need or requests in the event that you cannot to some extent. Your partners cannot
to have with individuals.) However, reach your main contact, or if you do be expected to distinguish between the
in some cases you may want to obtain not obtain satisfactory results from that authority of various individuals coming
direct access to translators and other person. to them with instructions or requests.
individuals involved in your project (e.g., At the same time, provide the right As a general rule, designate one
to facilitate faster answering of ques- contact information to your partners so responsible party (the overall project
tions, or to corroborate on terminology that they know who to go to if they do not manager) within your organization who
development). receive needed answers, or if they are not will serve as the primary contact person
If you work with SLVs or freelance satisfied with the response they receive. for your partners. Make it clear to every-
translators you may have considerably one that this person is to be kept current
more direct contact with the translators DO make sure you know who to on any actions that may affect the proj-
involved in your projects than you gen- contact to resolve problems ect. While this individual may delegate
erally would with MLVs. DON’T rely on a single contact tasks and not direct all aspects of the
Before starting a project, know who to with no backup project, or may delegate tasks, he or she
contact for different problems and how to should be copied on all communications.
reach them. You also need to know who All parties involved in the project should
to reach as a backup if you project man- 2. Is there a single person within also be aware of what does and does not
ager is unavailable for any reason. Many my organization who can serve as a need to be cleared through the project
projects have been delayed or harmed contact person for my partners? manager.
simply because one individual could not There is a trade-off between different
be reached. methods of communication between you DO be clear on assignment of
Similarly, provide contact information and your partners. You can centralize responsibility
to your partners for your main point(s) communications through one primary DON’T let too many people have
of contact, as well as a backup. individual within both. This will result control of a project
Within your own organization, it is in more consistency and control on your
vital to establish clear lines of respon- end, but will, at the same time, increase

3. Have my quality expectations 4. Is there a process in place to tional work. In the case of physical equip-
been made clear to my partners? provide incremental feedback as the ment, however, introducing changes may
Have they agreed to meet them? project progresses? involve shipment of new equipment or
What issues have been identified in If you properly determine a sequence of visits by service technicians to update
advance? work prior to starting a project, chances firmware or other components.
It is imperative t make your expectations are that major portions of the project will Obviously, it is better to allow time up
clear to partners early on. Key expecta- be completed before other portions start. front for quality assurance to prevent the
tions should be contractually specified to Quality and costs will improve if you need for critical corrections after ship-
prevent any misunderstanding. Discuss are able to review completed portions ment. Therefore QA must be planned
all expectations with your partners prior prior to the commencement of work on and carried out with sufficient time to
to commencement of work to make sure other portions. This is especially critical allow for corrections before any required
they are clear and realistic. Open discus- in cases where components (like screen deadlines for media or equipment pro-
sion prior to the beginning of a project captures or manuals) depend on comple- duction.
will prevent many problems. tion of other portions.
Clearly communicating needs and It is vital to review completed ver- DO determine the sequence of
expectations for quality with your part- sions promptly so that your partners work in advance to reduce
ners will allow them to more accurately can implement any required changes. the need for changes
allocate resources, and they may even be Establish a process with your partners DON’T forget to implement correc-
able to suggest ways to enhance quality. to implement incremental feedback in a tions in linguistic resources
Often, very small changes in processes timely manner. Leave time for this work,
can have tremendous impact on quality especially if your product has not been
and costs. Ask your partners how you localized previously. 5. If working with an MLV, what level
can facilitate their work to help them Changes must also be made in any of contact do actual translators have
meet your requirements. linguistic resources created in the proj- with me to address questions?
It is your responsibility to be educated ect. Set up a defined and verifiable pro- When you work with MLVs, you will
about the localization process so that you cess for the maintenance of all materials generally route most work through the
can know what is realistic within your with your partners. MLV, and thus have limited contact with
constraints. The better you are prepared the individuals actually working on the
and understand your quality needs, the Is there a process to incorporate this translation for any given project. The
more likely you are to come to agreement feedback into already-localized, as level of contact you actually need will
with your partners. well as future, material? depend greatly on your project type and
Often, potential issues can be identi- It is not uncommon that minor errors the experience of your MLV partner with
fied in advance and resolved to avoid will be discovered after a project is projects such as yours.
negatively affecting quality. For example, released. In most cases a new version is If you are working on a highly spe-
if you know that previously translated not required to correct minor localiza- cialized project in an area in which your
versions of your product were of poor tion errors. Occasionally, you will need partner is not particularly experienced,
quality, inform your partner so that they to revise an already-completed project to you may need to have considerable con-
can eliminate errors early on before they correct a vital problem. You need to contact with translators, particularly at the
create additional problems. While costs sider how to deal with these problems start of the project, as you bring them up
may be impacted by issues identifies in before they happen. to speed on your requirements.
this way, you will almost always save In the case of minor corrections, The actual nature of contact will
money by dealing with problems up arrange with your partners to imple- depend on your particular situation and
front, rather than waiting for them to be ment changes in linguistic resources the willingness of your MLV partner to
discovered so that future releases will not replicate provide direct access to the translators
If you fail to disclose known problems, these same problems. In the case of more working on the project (see below for
then you will be responsible for the extra important corrections, work together more information on this topic).
costs associated with fixing them. Work with your partners to make the required You must also determine when con-
that was not foreseen may be subject to changes. Depending on the nature of the tact with translators is needed. Part of
higher charges than work covered under problem and who is responsible for it, what you pay an MLV to do is to handle
the contract. you may need to pay to have the problem routine queries and issues with transla-
fixed or your service provider may agree tors. A high level of contact with trans-
DO identify issues in advance to fix the problem at no cost. lators effectively eliminates much of the
and plan to resolve them Develop a plan for how to dissemi- rationale for choosing an MLV. Too much
DON’T leave expectations unstated nate essential changes, should they arise. contact can even have negative effects if
The plan will depend greatly on the type you and your MLV provide contradictory
of project. A website, for example, can directions, or the translators don’t know
usually be updated in place with no addi- who to turn to for direction. Remember

that you also have chosen an MLV for its Expert Advice
expertise in managing the localization
process. In most cases the MLV will have
a better idea than you do concerning
what is actually needed to move a project
E ric Nicod, Localization Project
Manager at Logitech, finds that
meeting with everyone who will
I n contrast Alison Toon, Translation
and Localization Manager at HP,
does not find it particularly impor-
forward and guarantee its success. be involved in your projects at least tant that partners disclose their work
It makes sense to let MLVs manage once is very important. Knowing who methods, as long as they can deliver
the process as much as possible, and pri- you are working with helps facilitate on time and use the required tools
oritize your time in dealing with trans- project success and ensures that you and linguistic resources. Ultimately,
lators to handle only those issues that know whom to go to with specific the chosen partner is responsible for
require your attention. When you have issues. Your point of contact will usu- delivery, and as long as they can meet
a clear picture of when and where con- ally be a project manager, and if the their obligations, their methods do
tact is needed, you can provide prompt project manager does his or her job, not particularly matter.
and adequate feedback without unduly you should generally not need to con- Toon prefers that her team not
straining internal resources. tact others. However, when problems spend much time working with part-
do arise, having an “escalation” plan ners on management details. She del-
Is this contact channeled through a in place is crucial, so that you know egates many projects to an HP internal
project manager, or is it direct? whom to go to if problems are not team that deals specifically with GILT
Many MLVs do not like to provide direct resolved. In addition, both you and project management. She also hands
contact to the individuals and SLVs with your partners should have a backup project management off to an MLV, so
whom they do business. Often, they want contact person so that projects are that her team is not burdened with
to maintain control of projects and have not dependent on the availability of day-to-day management issues. How-
found, through experience, that allow- any one person. ever, she finds that having contact
ing too much access between clients and Openness and honesty are vital in with translators beneficial since it pro-
translators can have a negative effect on communication. Your partners need vides direct access to those who can
quality and lead to other problems. to disclose who will work on your help answer questions that may arise
Other MLVs are quite willing to pro- projects, and they need to be open during the localization process. In
vide direct access to translators if they in communicating problems. When addition, it is often more reliable and
understand that it is needed. If having problems or methods are hidden, or cheaper to send materials directly to
direct access to translators is important, even disguised, a breach of confidence translators, rather than have them go
discuss this with your partner early on to arises. You don’t want to find yourself through layers of MLV management, if
ascertain how best to accommodate this in a situation in which your partners your partners are willing to do this.
requirement. hav outsource work to companies In order to facilitate communica-
Your contact will usually be routed that fall below your quality standards tion with GILT partners, it is wise to
through a project manager, who can or with which you do not want to do have staff with good skills in various
often answer translators’ questions before business. languages in-house. In this wasy, there
they require your attention, and who can Some partners will provide you is always someone available in your
monitor the project’s progress to deter- with substantial feedback and will ask company who is familiar with your
mine when direct contact with you may questions, while others will generally projects and can deal with partners in
be required. provide little, if any, feedback. Be aware their preferred languages. Having lin-
However you may decide to handle of how these differences may impact guistic skills in-house not only helps
contacts with translators, make sure that your management requirements and facilitate project management, but
both you and your partner agree to apply practices. also can help international offices deal
the same method to prevent confusion Finally, confirm that your partner’s with one other more effectively.
and misunderstanding. language skills are such that you can Toon does not find it especially
communicate regarding problems critical that her team meet everyone
DO make use of your mlv’s skills and needs. Competent translators involved with a project. It is more
in project management may not always have the best personal important to her that certain key
DON’T let contact with transla- communication skills or be entirely members know each other. In particu-
tors harm your project comfortable in spoken English (or lar, it is important for the translator and
whatever language you use to com- the linguistic reviewer to know how to
municate). You need to consider this reach each other to resolve problems.
and realize that language barriers may Often, a reviewer can provide impor-
double or triple management time on tant guidance to a translator, while the
some projects. latter can explain why specific texts
are translated in certain ways.

Checking Quality and

Resolving Problems
Checking quality can be formal or informal, comprehensive or targeted, systematic or ad hoc. Choosing appropriate methods for quality
assurance will help provide a better picture of the quality of the localized material and identify problems. In addition, quality testing will
help isolate problems that can “break” a localized product before it is shipped to end users. When you do find problems, knowing how to
resolve them and prevent them from recurring is vital to long-term quality and cost goals
1. What quality assurance methods Linguistic review is often carried out at from translation errors. If there are such
are appropriate for my project? various stages, so confirm your partner’s cases, identify them in advance and plan
There are a number of ways to check the method for integrating changes back into to pay special attention to these areas.
quality of a product, ranging from the linguistic resources so that problems are Testing should put a high priority on
informal read-through of a document to not repeated in future releases. finding missing text (i.e., text that was in
formalized metrics of evaluating accu- If you need formalized information the source but which is missing in the
racy. Not all QA methods are appropriate on localization accuracy, or a basis to localized version) or untranslated text.
for all projects. compare the work of various gilt solu- By the same token, be aware of cases in
In general, quality methods can deal tions providers, the LISA QA Model 3.0 which text should not be translated to
with linguistic quality, functionality and (see the section on additional resources) make sure that “fixes” don’t end up creat-
cosmetic issues. Of these three, function- is an ideal tool since it provides you with ing problems.
ality issues are usually the most critical, a formalized method for evaluating qual- Stylistic problems may be major or
while linguistic quality can range from ity that was developed specifically for the minor. You may assign a high priority
minor annoyances to vital problems. localization industry by LISA. to stylistic fixes for marketing material,
Cosmetic issues are not as serious, but but a very low priority for little-used help
should still be fixed if time permits. DO select appropriate qa evalu- text. In addition, stylistic fixes can be
Functionality testing for localized ation methods time-consuming to fix with little tangible
product versions is most critical for soft- DON’T leave qa methods unspeci- result. In some cases, companies set the
ware or products that rely on localiza- fied amount of time that can be spent on sty-
tion directly for their functionality. In listic review in advance in order to force
the case of a large piece of farm equip- their reviewers to prioritize their quality
ment, for example, functionality testing 2. What should my QA testing focus improvement efforts.
of localized versions would likely be less on? In the end, what you choose to empha-
critical. Making the most of your QA effort size in your QA testing will depend on
Quality assurance for linguistic test- requires understanding where to focus your priorities and needs.
ing can refer to everything from review, time and resources. Certain areas will
up to and including formalized tracking require more attention than others, but DO focus your efforts on areas
of translation errors and problems in a too much attention can actually be coun- that matter
database. ter-productive when it wastes resources DON’T waste time on fixing style
in pursuing changes that add minimal where it doesn’t matter
Which ones should I use? value to the product.
At a minimum, you should always per- As a matter of highest priority, develop
form a linguistic review and spell check testing methods that will capture the 3. Can I conduct functional testing of
on your localized products. In most cases, most serious errors, such as missing neg- localized versions?
this will be included in the process your atives (e.g., press the red button instead of Functional testing of localized software
gilt partners have established, but you don’t press the red button) or translations and hardware is vital. Any time you make
should always confirm the type of review that inadvertently present inaccurate or a change to a product, you introduce the
provided. Linguistic review should con- dangerous material (e.g., keep all metal possibility of “breaking” the product.
sist of a read-through by a native speaker objects at least .24 meters from the scan- Proper internationalization will help
of the language you are localizing into, ner versus at least 2.4 meters from the minimize this possibility, but it cannot
as well as a detailed examination of any scanner). Testing should focus on cases eliminate the problem. Understanding
“problem areas” that may have been in which safety is at stake, or in which what changes are likely to cause prob-
identified during the localization process. damage to property or data can result lems will help focus your testing efforts.

Functional testing is thus an essential 4. Do my quality checks represent DO establish a way to receive
step in gilt quality assurance. While it how my product will actually be native language feedback
may not be as comprehensive as func- used? DON’T wait to implement feedback
tional testing of the source version, When developing quality checks for a procedures until a product
functional testing should verify that all product, verify that the tests will ade- has shipped
aspects of the localized product work as quately represent how the product will
intended and do not cause problems. It be used. Tests that abstract features of the
should be carried out as soon as practi- product and present them in isolation may 6. Who will pay for correction of
cal since it may reveal problems that will not catch problems that usage-based test- problems? What sort of problems
take time to resolve. ing will find, or may incorrectly flag prob- should we try to resolve?
You need to pay special attention to lems that aren’t really there. Good testing Payment for correction of problems
areas where language or locale plays regimens will focus on realistic scenarios, has the potential to be one of the most
a major role. For example, if you are not abstract notions of quality. contentious issues in a localization proj-
localizing a graphics package, tools for Testing needs to represent real world ect. Before asking your partners to pay
drawing are less likely to be impacted by uses of the product, and to emphasize for changes, confirm that the problems
localization than are those dealing with those aspects of the product that are most are indeed their fault. Often, problems
type or language. likely to impact the user experience. One in localized versions can be attributed
Together with your partner, devise a major error in a highly visible and impor- to problems in the source that are not
test regimen to verify functionality of the tant part of the product will create a nega- apparent until the localization process is
localized versions. Identify those areas tive impression concerning the product carried out. Because problems are almost
that are likely to be impacted by localiza- quality that perfect localization in other always more expensive to resolve after
tion and pay special attention to them. areas will not eliminate. Testing should the fact, advise your gilt partners of any
In some cases your partner partner may focus on ways in which people will use problems as soon as possible, and make
need to conduct functional testing (e.g., your product for typical tasks. it a matter of policy to address problems
if it involves special linguistic knowledge As with functional testing, make sure reported by your partners immediately.
that you do not have in-house), or out- that the quality checks take into account While you can and should expect your
source testing to a third party. locale-specific concerns and needs. For partners to pay for their mistakes, you
In developing your testing regimen example, graphics originating in an Eng- cannot expect them to pay for your mis-
work with a knowledgeable testing expert lish source document may well need to takes.
to ensure that the tests provide adequate be examined much more closely in an In addition decide in advance what
coverage of needed test cases. Arabic localization than in a German sorts of problems should be fixed.
When designing tests for localized one; right-to-left patterns will force rever- Although perfection may be the goal,
versions, carefully consider what tasks sal of some graphics in Arabic, where no limited resources dictate that you will
end users will consider important, as well changes will be required in German. probably not be able to resolve all prob-
as typical hardware, software, systems lems. In addition some problems may
extensions, etc. with which the product DO use realistic tests to deter- require changes to many different prod-
will be used with. For example, does mine quality uct components, so it may make more
the software work with input methods DON’T forget about locale- sense to wait for a subsequent release to
and encodings that customers may use? specific concerns implement these changes. You should
What about non-standard extensions or keep a list of all changes and required
system additions that might be common steps them so that you can easily track
in their markets? (Custom input meth- 5. How will I find out about prob- their status and avoid losing them over
ods or type-handling extensions are quite lems in localized versions? time.
common in Asia, for instance.) Research If a user discovers a problem in a local-
how your product will be used to deter- ized version of the product, how will DO plan what sorts of changes
mine what tests are appropriate. Keep in you capture the user’s feedback? If local you will make
mind that the tests may vary by market. distributors are responsible for support- DON’T expect your partners to fix
In many cases the best option will be to ing localized versions, establish a pro- problems you created
work directly with testing partners in the cess for them to send feedback directly
target locale who are familiar with locale- to you. If customers are going to pro-
specific concerns. vide feedback directly to you, establish 7. How will I disseminate correc-
a method of dealing with feedback in tions/changes to users after prod-
DO carry out adequate func- their language(s). Whatever methods are uct shipment (e.g., if an update is
tional testing used, make sure they are in place before required)?
DON’T assume that what works in the product ships. If you discover a problem after a prod-
the source will work for uct has shipped that requires a fix, have
localized versions a plan for disseminating the correc-

tions/changes to end users. The methods Expert Advice
used will depend on the nature of the
localized product. For example, a local-
ized website will probably just need to
be changed with no further notification
E ric Nicod, Localization Project Man-
ager at Logitech, advises that qual-
ity must be systematically checked at
require updates to all related materi-
als: marketing, support, help, etc. Even
if a change is a good one, you may
to users. Software may require patches all levels in all activities by following need to delay making it until it can
and/or new versions, which can often be documented processes. In the case of be systematically implemented. Don’t
distributed via a company website or on an ISO-certified company like Logitech, rush to make a change that will create
cd-rom to registered users. Embedded quality assurance steps must be in more problems than it solves, or which
systems may be more difficult to update, place for all activities. Even companies results in confusion for users.
and the need for updating (via firmware, that do not have a formal certification,
for instance) should be considered from
the earliest design stages.
When you do release a fix, notify
should carriy out QA on a systematic
basis.
At Logitech, the vast majority of soft-
A lison Toon, Translation and Local-
ization Manager at HP, points out
that localizers “are the garbage col-
individuals who reported the problem ware QA localization activities are car- lectors at the end of the line. Not only
directly so that they can implement the ried out in-house, including functional do we have folks pulling out bugs
fix. testing. Functional testing is a must from the development phase, we
prior to release of multilingual versions also find bugs in the quality of the
DO have a plan for change dis- of software or other products. English source language.” Therefore,
semination The first question in dealing with good communication with content
DON’T neglect change needs in the changes or problems is whether or not creators is very important. Providing
product design phase they should be fixed immediately. It is guidelines to prevent problems, and
not worth delaying the delivery of more discussing them can have significant
than sixteen languages just because impact. For example, helping content
there are problems in one (at long as the creators understand that they cannot
problems are not serious). The financial keep changing text after it has been
aspects can be handled after the fact. delivered for localization will (1) help
It is vital to specify deliverables in maintain text consistency with lin-
writing so that there can be no mis- guistic resources, and (2) lower costs
understanding as to what is required. to implement changes (including the
If, despite planning and your best cost of re-translation).
efforts, something should go wrong, Understand the priorities for bug
document the problem and provide fixes. Critical translation errors abso-
proof that delivery was not according lutely must be fixed immediately, e.g.
to plan. Do this before going to your “do not” translated for “do.” More sub-
partners to talk about financial adjust- jective problems (such as preferences
ments. Obviously, you don’t want to for different wording) can be put off,
pay for deliverables that were never and may not even be worth fixing. The
received, or which arrived with serious process for fixing translation errors
problems, but you need to document should be the same as for other bugs.
exactly what went wrong if you expect Make a distinction between what
compensation. is a localization problem and what is
If changes are needed after a a source problem. Feedback will often
product has been released, prioritize indicate a problem in a translated
them and decide to disseminate them. version, when the translation itself is
Some changes are critical and may fine, and the objection is really to the
be sent to users directly as patches, underlying message of the source lan-
or distributed via the Internet. Other guage. No matter how well a message
modifications may be low priority and is translated, if it is inappropriate for a
can wait until the next major release of specific market, the translation will be
theproduct. Also plan for the fact that perceived as problematic. Figure out
changes or fixes to a product ususally what the real problem is and then fix it.

Localization Project Bill of Materials
The Localization Project Bill of Materials provides a comprehensive listing of common localization-related services and items required for
localization projects. While individual projects may require other items, this list will includes project components that must to be covered
to ensure a quality result. Note that not all columns or items apply to each line item.
GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate

1. PROJECT OUTLINE:
Description
Start date
Deadlines
1.1 GENERAL INFORMATION:
Software / On-line help (OLH) / Documentation translation
Revision or new translation
Source and target languages
Mixture of European / Asian / E. European languages
Difficulty of source test
Electronic or hardcopy source text
Source word counts provided (s/w, OLH, doc)
Formatted or text source files
Localization kit provided
Number of software test cycles required
Previous reference material
Computer-assisted translation (CAT) / machine translation
(MT) tools to be used
File management
Localized product ported to different hardware platforms
Numbers of copies (documents / software) required
Support client is willing to provide to partner
(resource, personnel)...
Training on partner site:
Hardware / Software set-up
Training time
Training materials
Travel
Living expenses
Training on customer site:
Hardware / Software set-up
Training time
Training materials
Travel
Living expenses

GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate
Glossary provided or to be created:
Tool to be used
Source terms supplied, including definition
Abbreviations
Context supplied
Hotkeys identified
Glossary maintenance:
Source terms supplied
Electronic master supplied
Context supplied
SOFTWARE Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate

2.1. SOFTWARE:
Translation of software Wordsw
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Length restrictions
Are hotkeys identified
Editing and Proofing of Software Words:
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Provide size and time of file creation
Is it possible to produce a printout and limitations?
Testing of Software:
Hardware / Software to be used
Third party localized software to be used
Test plan available (if for English, can it be used in another
language?)
Test script available
Test script preparation and execution
Localized version functional testing:
Hardware / software to be used
Third-party localized software to be used
Acceptance criteria of test suite
Identification of RC Files:
Bitmaps - SHG files...
Hotspots
Resizing
Engineering support during localization provided.
lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective 2

SOFTWARE Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate
Tools to use:
Developed in-house
Proprietary
Licensing issues
Reusability
2.2. SOFTWARE ENGINEERING:
Special requirements
Hardware to lease
Software to buy
Software install
Tools install
Technical support
Test build / Compile
Merge with previous version (one or several)
Extraction / alignments
Localized version build / compile
Build environments - validation
Localized version bug fixing - resizing
Localized version help - integration
Bug tracking follow-up
Final media generation
Define design alternatives/re-engineering
Development of tools required for project. (Who will own
them?)
Field testing
Change as requested by customer
HELP and DOCUMENTATION Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate

3.1. ON-LINE HELP:
Translation of on-line words:
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Glossary supplied
Length restrictions
Jumps and links identified
Editing and proofing of on-line words:
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Is it possible to produce a printout?

Linguistic testing of on-line help:
Hardware / software to be used
Test plan available
Text script available
Screen captures provided?
Software to be used
Location identifiers - list of screens
Source screens provided
Proofing
Screen creation required
Compilation:
Compiler to be used
List of compile errors (in source) provided
Document compare for updates
Formatting/clean-up
Graphics insertion
Engineering support during localization provided
Leveraging OLH vs document translation
3.2. DOCUMENTATION:
Translation of documentation words:
Hardcopy supplied
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Glossary supplied
Length restrictions
Index entries
Manual entries or markers
Cross-references
Manual entries or markers
Author alterations
Editing and proofing of documentation words:
Hardcopy supplied
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Glossary supplied
Page make-up:
Hardcopy supplied
Style sheets
Supplied
To be created
Fonts
Table of figures provided?

PDF file generation:
Hardcopy of source files supplied
Generate PDF files
Test PDF Files
Printout and QA PDF files
Documentation screen capture:
Provided
Hardware / software set-up
Process
Any art creation
Consistency checking of documentation vs. software:
Hardcopy supplied
Hardware / Software to be used
Number of words
Number of leveraged words
Previous doc versions available
Updates planned during translation
Software source available
Index creation:
Index markers to be translated
Index markers to be created
Index to be mocked up
Manual generation
Table of Contents (TOC) creation:
Macro supplied
Tools for TOC QA supplied
Manual checking
Print specification sheet preparation:
Changes as requested by customer:
OTHER Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate

4. OTHER:
License agreements:
Legal translation
In-country legal proofing
Legal agreements:
Warranty notices:
Legal translation
In-country legal proofing

OTHER Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate
Packaging material:
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Media material:
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Voice over:
Editor to be used
Platform to be used
Special voices required
Estimated project management days:
Job specification
Change management
Change management as requested by customer
Travel:
Transport
Accommodation
Expenses
Project hardware costs
Project software costs
Project font costs
Media costs
File (labour and phone costs)
ASDN
E-mail
Modem
Leased lines
Communication costs
Courier costs
Extra volume costs
Currency loss

❖ QUALIT Y ASSURAN CE : T HE CLI ENT P ER SP ECT IV E ❖
HIGH-QUALITY TR ANSLATION—
THE NEW LOCALIZATION PAR ADIGM
ROBIN BONTHRONE & DEBORAH FRY
Underpaid, undervalued, the translator can find a way to survive—by competing on quality. And that means defining and measuring the
elusive quality of translation. Robin Bonthrone and Deborah Fry spotlight the evolution of the translation sector.
A Necessary Evil would contract with a lead subcontrac- effort—and hence, the value added is
In the couple of short years in which tor for each language pair, who in turn much more immediately apparent.
localization has gone from a handful subcontracted further down the chain. It To sum up, therefore, traditional local-
of cottages in Ireland to a global and was (and still is) not infrequent for the ization companies generally adopted a
in a number of cases a publicly listed ultimate translator to be seven or more highly paradoxical attitude to translation.
industry, its translation aspects have not links removed from the software manu- On the one hand, they regarded it as a
been the center of attention. “Strategic” facturer, and it is not uncommon in the commodity product, with reproducibility
aspects such as making money, mergers lower echelons for price to be the only and repeatability as key criteria. In other
and acquisitions, employee recruitment, driving factor behind supplier selection. words, translation was a substitution-
project management and the Internet
revolution all commanded much greater
airspace at industry gatherings. This “Translation means adding one person for every 2,000
omission, though perhaps understand-
able in an industry metaphorically trying words per day, and this is not the way to add value.”
on its first adult suit of clothes, is nev-
ertheless surprising given the fact that At a macro level, the effect of this on a driven activity in which individual trans-
translation is the largest single budget profession as heavily fragmented and lators or corporate translation providers
item in localization projects. individualistic as translation itself started were—in theory at least—effortlessly
What is more, where translation was to look like a self-fulfilling prophecy, with interchangeable. On the other, it was also
actually addressed, it was regarded as much of the traditional low end being regarded as a high-maintenance, non-scal-
definitely problematic—a source of ratio- sucked into the downward price spiral. able and irksome activity, to be outsourced
nalization efforts by large client corpora- The introduction of translation re-use if possible. In both cases, translation was a
tions and a bugbear for service providers. technologies, though driven as much by necessary evil rather than a differentiat-
As Claudio Pinkus, the former CEO of the need to ensure the repeatability and ing factor, and having the word “transla-
global service provider Bowne Global reproducibility of original content as by tor” on your business card—if indeed you
Solutions, put it at the LISA Budapest cost-related considerations, also had a had one—was not exactly regarded as the
Forum in December 999, “translation similar effect. By—naturally enough— stepping stone to a brilliant corporate
means adding one person for every 2,000 emphasizing the primacy of existing text career. (This despite the further paradox
words per day, and this is not the way to and inserting a further layer of technology that many localization companies actually
add value.” as an intermediary, translation memory made a large proportion of their money
The logical business model for such a tended to remove translators and the from translation).
low-value, non-core activity was generally creative process of translation from the
felt by both clients and service providers center of events. This further reinforced Things Fall Apart
alike to be a mixture of automation and the perceived drop in value added. Other Much of the blame for this development
outsourcing. In practice “daisy-chain” language technologies, such as machine can, however, be laid firmly at the door of
structures involving multiple intermedi- translation, have not presented the same the translation community itself. Accus-
aries evolved to handle the supply side of problem in such an acute form, since the tomed over decades to almost mediaeval
the market. Thus a client would contract human input needed has been great— working practices and a self-image that
with a large international localization except in highly controlled environments sought to set translators apart from such
agency to localize an application into that have generally themselves been the “unworthy” matters as business and cus-
numerous languages. In turn, the agency recipients of man years of consulting tomer orientation, the translation pro-

fession in the late 980s and early 990s graphical, technological, and/or domain istic. To quote Claudio Pinkus in Budapest
was a classic case of an industry largely expertise, as well as unique combinations again: “the problem is that translations are
blind, or reacting wrongly to, the changes of services and target environment (e.g. so often wrong, and there is always a risk
happening around it. The paradigm of the Web site) know-how. no matter how much effort you put into
translator as artist (i.e. only minimally a Other factors influencing this redefi- getting them right.”
scientist and definitely not a business nition are the fact that as we now auto- Of course, it is clear that in a local-
person) was extremely well rooted—and matically get “chips with everything,” the ization context “quality” will refer not
in fact actively encouraged by some boundaries between the localization and just to translation but to the quality of
academic institutions and professional straight translation models are inevitably the finished product as a whole (and the
associations, which spent more time in becoming blurred, and the traditional renewed focus of the past few years on
internecine warfare than in equipping product release model is breaking down software testing is no accident in this
their (admittedly often extremely recalci- in the wake of the Internet. While overall respect). It is also clear that, in the real
trant) members for the new world order. translation volumes (and hence senior world, cost and time to market, resource
Against this backdrop, the impact of management attention) are continuing availability, and expertise and experience
localization (and of automation in gen- to increase, the multiple target audiences can all combine to relativize quality. Nev-
eral) was to split the industry into a low and the move towards mass customiza- ertheless, the more the industry moves
end and a high end, as well as causing a tion are leading to a greater emphasis to a specialist model, the more issues
big shake-out among traditional pro- on content adaptation and personaliza- of both process quality and content (or
ponents of the latter. Unwilling to adopt
fast-moving information and communi-
cation technologies and facing growing Having “translator” on your business card—if indeed
time pressures, among other things, many you had one—was not exactly regarded as the stepping
specialist translators simply first burned stone to a brilliant corporate career.
out and then dropped out of the business
altogether, or turned to areas of work that
were less affected, at least temporarily, by tion rather than “commoditized” trans- output) quality will continue to rise on
the pace of the new developments. lation. Equally, product and content the radar screen.
Those translators who avoided the liability (and hence translation liability) The first area is the one in which the
localization trap in the 990s but who is becoming more of an issue for clients, most progress has been made. Standards
nevertheless enthusiastically embraced and hence for service providers. And, last such as ISO 9000 ff., the LISA QA Model
computing, the Internet and language but not least, as the Internet tears down and various proprietary enterprise qual-
technologies started redefining the role entry thresholds and markets become ity systems are designed to ensure that
and the image of the translator. The new more competitive, quality is emerging the workflows and processes involved in
high-end specialists are multilingual con- as a differentiating factor for both clients localization are optimized at the level of
tent providers, offering business solutions and service providers. organizational units and individual pro-
rather than “mere” translations. In fact, cedures. Adoption of such quality stan-
many of them also started adding consult- Process and Content dards in recent years has done much to
ing services to their offering, leveraging What, though, is this quality that every- professionalize and streamline the local-
their know-how and adding value to both one is now talking about? It has long been ization industry, and hence indirectly to
their own and their clients’ processes. the case in the translation industry that, facilitate the global expansion of the IT
All this will sound remarkably famil- while there is a general consensus that industry. The implemented process qual-
iar to observers of the current round of quality is something we all need, defin- ity requirements behind the simship of a
repositioning on the localization scene. ing quality—and translation quality in major software product, for example, are
One version of the “high end” is repre- particular—is a far more difficult task. something of which localizers can rightly
sented by the technically sophisticated The deleterious effects on translation be proud. What is more, on the vendor
global service providers, which offer quality of the commodity model have side, such levels of process sophistication
global reach and economies of scale certainly been identified as an issue. Thus have helped ensure corporate survival in
and are increasingly taking on the role Claude Pesquet, the former Digital Equip- a heavily competitive environment and a
of facilitators. To be able to compete ment senior executive and LISA Board market dominated by growing volumes
with these often cash-rich companies member demonstrated in Budapest that and ever-shorter deadlines.
on something approximating equal the French version of Visual Basic 6.0 However, much less progress has been
ground, and to escape the trap of work- contained a large number of “anomalies” made in the area of output quality, even
ing for “pennies for words,” many small and called for a change of heart: according if the incidence of downright howlers has
and medium-sized localization vendors to him, “being ashamed of specializing in now declined with the spread of basic PC
are repositioning themselves as specialty translation is wrong.” Nevertheless, the literacy and the increasing use of style
providers. There are many different ver- dominant mood among clients and ser- guides and standard terminologies. The
sions of such specialties, including geo- vice providers alike still seems to be fatal- latter are, incidentally, common ways

of trying to build in a certain degree of greater speed and assurance that come pal/senior consultant/junior consultant”
quality from the start, and other stan- with sector specialization. However, syndrome), and the motivational and
dards such as the LISA QA Model have translator training and translator profiles human resources development issues
also addressed this issue in passing. also need to be rethought, in some areas connected with this, particularly in small
Nevertheless, the more dominant focus substantially (see below). enterprises, can become real challenges.
of work up to the present has been on How do you create a culture in which you
various ex post methodologies of ana- Translator training consistently expect the best from people
lyzing and evaluating output quality. To use a somewhat old-fashioned mili- without demotivating young employees
This is perhaps understandable given the tary metaphor, new translators, like any who are still in the learning curve? And
pressing need to establish and agree on other recruits, need to acquire all the how do you retain the specialists you
“objective” criteria for translation quality skills they need for survival during their have spent three years training, especially
before doing anything else, and the dif- basic training. While many universi- when your clients can outgun you almost
ficulty of the issues involved. However, ties have made substantial progress over every time on salary, titles and other tra-
such approaches assume—or at least the past few years to modernize their ditional HR benefits?
can facilitate the assumption—that the
(translation) content received for QA is
likely to be flawed in some way, and that Quality is something we all need, but defining quality
the QA process is the primary stage for (particularly in translations) is a very difficult task.
identifying and rectifying errors.
The Quality Challenge courses, the gap between the curricula Scalability
Nevertheless, designing in quality from and real life is still too large for everyone’s Even if translator productivity can be
source is precisely the challenge now comfort in too many cases. In addition, improved, however, the fact remains that
facing the high-end sector of the transla- many universities in turn deplore the capacity is and will always be limited.
tion/localization industry. In today’s fast- basic native language skills (starting with Scalability is the name of the game, and
moving business world, the old triangular but not confined to grammar) exhibited the lack of it is why many investors are
model of “quality/price/deadline—pick by school leavers, and in at least one case currently steering clear of consultants and
any two” that service providers used to a remedial program has been set up (the other professional services organizations.
show to clients has now been replaced title of which was carefully disguised to The reason is simple: since their activities
by “consistent quality, value-added and avoid falling foul of university regula- are based on highly skilled people, growth
time-to-market,” with all three factors an tions on the purpose of tertiary educa- is limited by the availability of the latter.
absolute must. This means that the only tion institutions). This applies both in absolute terms (as
chance to achieve translation quality is to In addition, much greater sectoral everyone keeps saying, in today’s rapidly
get it right first time, not to build it in at and technological expertise will be expanding global economy there simply
a later point. required in the future. Developing cor- aren’t enough really top flight people with
However, this has significant impli- porate knowledge bases and other forms all the requisite skills around) and in rela-
cations for both translation/localization of IT support is one way of shortening tive ones. To put it in a nutshell: there are
companies and individual translators. In the learning curve here and leveraging only 24 hours in a day and once you have
particular, a number of not insubstantial existing human and written resources, billed your clients for all of them you have
challenges need to be addressed. if still a labor-intensive one. In a knowl- to change your model to continue adding
edge-driven economy, it’s not a matter value. Of course, there are a number of
Productivity of having all the knowledge yourself: ways of doing this, such as adding new
Claudio Pinkus is quite right that trans- it’s about knowing where to find it and people with different skill sets (e.g. con-
lation is not a way to add value. Despite how to integrate the people who have sultants, to the extent that you can find
the move to a value added (and hence it. The new breed of translation/content them), and/or developing new services or
not exclusively price driven) model, in adaptation providers, who have invested products.
today’s fast-moving environment, trans- heavily in recent years in domain exper-
lators will need to accomplish often tise, training and technology, are well Falling in love again
much more, and on a regular basis. This positioned to fill this gap. Nevertheless, What, then, will the effect of these devel-
requires a change in the “quota-based” ongoing training and knowledge colla- opments be on the localization industry?
mentality sometimes visible in the tion and dissemination will continue to Firstly, we are likely to see even more
translation profession (itself often a by- represent a not inconsiderable effort for mergers and acquisitions, but also more
product of or reinforced by a commod- smaller specialist shops in particular. formal, semi-formal and informal alli-
ity-based model). Obviously, language What is more, the need to transfer ances, many of them project based, as
and other technologies that give transla- knowledge within organizations, its often companies seek to tap the knowledge
tors the tools they need to do their job highly uneven distribution (often solved and resources they need for specific work
have a key role to play here, as do the in the consultant firms by the “princi- or entry into specific markets. Since

under the new model the content change
risk (having to keep abreast of the latest ❖ QUALIT Y ASSURANCE: THE CLIENT PERSPECTIVE ❖
domain-related developments in two or
more languages/cultures) passes to the
translation/content adaptation provid-
ers, a tight focus becomes necessary.
PUTTING THE QA STAMP
ON TR ANSLATION
Specialist translation and localization
companies are repositories of deep and
wide multilingual, multicultural knowl-
edge that is tightly focused on specific
industries, domains, technologies and/or
markets. By allying themselves with other
MINAKO O’HAGAN
like-minded specialists, they can effec-
tively manage both one-off projects and Can the human intellectual process of translation ever be formalized so that it can be
continuous delivery models, as required. measured and subject to objective quality control? Minako O’Hagan from the School of
Secondly, within service (sorry, solu- Communications and Information Management at New Zealand’s Victoria University of
tions!) providers, we shall see a change in Wellington examines just how far technology can bring translation into the ambit of QC.
the status of “wordsmiths” of all kinds, be
they translators and/or content creators.
With some of the newer e-transforma- QA Before IT a specialized nature. Observance of these
tion companies already giving traditional One of the unique aspects of translation rules, however, had been left to the prac-
ad agencies a run for their money in the products is that there is no one “correct” titioners’ discretion rather than to formal
area of multilingual Web sites, we are version; many variations are possible and enforcement.
likely to see more aspects of “creative” consequently, almost by definition, cli- In the era before information tech-
behavior, working environments and ents are usually unable to immediately nology (IT) played a major part in lan-
remuneration policies. (Of course, this judge their quality. Perhaps this is why guage services, QC was defined as the
also presupposes similar levels of target the concept of quality control (QC) has manual processes carried out by human
language skill, as well as the ability to until relatively recently been rather ill- translators and checkers. These included
successfully marry such an ad hoc style defined, and only loosely applied to the checking spelling, grammar and figures,
with the process-dominated localization translation business in general. as well as translation itself for accuracy
environment). Consequently, in the early 980s New and style, etc. In those days, QC was also
The upshot of all this is that special- Zealand’s professional body for transla- largely limited to the resources available
ist service providers, whether they origi- tors and interpreters found that indem- in-house.
nally came from “straight” translation or nity against loss caused by mistranslations One of the hallmarks of the quality
localization, will adopt the “high-touch” was unheard of by insurance companies issue of this era was that it was largely
model described by Claudio Pinkus in in New Zealand. Judging translation dependent on subjective judgments
Budapest, which is “founded on knowl- quality was considered something sub- made by translators and checkers, often
edge, customization and service. They put jective and controlling the translation leaving the client’s needs out of the equa-
together solutions for clients founded on process was seen (by translators) as akin tion. In this sense the language service
the belief that they (know) more than the to asking novelists to apply a formula to was removed from the real needs of the
client and (can) offer them this knowl- their writing. customers, and translators often treated
edge at a premium.” In this case, it will be
interesting to see whether the localization Controlling the translation process was seen by
industry as we know it will more or less
disappear, subsumed into the global con-
translators as akin to asking novelists to apply
tent delivery segment on the one hand, a formula to their writing.
and the global content creation segment
on the other. ❖ There had been a few quality-related their work more like academic exercises;
rules generally understood by practi- they were in pursuit of “perfect” transla-
tioners. One was that translators should tions regardless of context and the end
translate only into their native language use of the product. Such an intuitive and
or, if that was not possible, then the entirely human-based QC procedure was
resulting translation had to be checked feasible because of the volume of work,
by a native speaker editor. Another was the production time, the variety of lan-
that one should have an appropriate guage pairs, output media and also the
level of subject knowledge in order to final purpose of the translation.
undertake technical translation work of

The lack of formal QC measures also scoffed at by many practitioners. This translated work in the traditional sense,
had to do with the fact that the trans- thinking may be reflected in the long- extraneous factors such as formatting,
lation profession used to be founded held attitude of many translators towards fonts, graphics, etc. also needed atten-
almost entirely on “on the job training” MT: computers cannot undertake the tion. In this way, QC had to be extended
rather than on formal institution-based translation process, because it is only to the whole operation of translation
qualifications. In fact, the debate over possible by means of human intelligence. production rather than just the transla-
experience versus formal qualifications In other words, this human mental pro- tion process.
is still rampant today, after many special- cess cannot be formalized. With the advancement of IT and the
increasing globalization of world markets
together with enhanced translation capac-
To the delight of many human translators, the early results ity, translation work started to increase
of MT only supported the view that the task was beyond both in volume and in the variety of work
the computer’s capabilities. content, often with a reduced production
time. Under these circumstances the need
for project management and formalized
ized translation training schools and aca- At the same time, the end users of QC procedures became essential.
demic institutions have been established translations had almost the opposite and Over this period translation services
the world over. unrealistically optimistic expectations also became much more sensitive to
Because of the lack of official “mea- that MT would resolve the world’s lan- customers’ real needs, and the idea of
surements” of their skill levels and guage problems once and for all. To the “quality” was no longer always taken in
their outputs, and despite the special- delight of many human translators, how- a purist sense but in the context of cus-
ized nature and the expertise required, ever, the early results of MT only sup- tomer requirements. For example, draft
the work of translators had been cast ported the view that the task was beyond translations with a quicker turnaround
somewhat outside the norm of so-called the computer’s capabilities. at a reduced price were wanted by some
“professionals” such as medical doctors, customers for certain jobs. This supplier
lawyers, engineers, etc. This situation has QA After IT awareness in turn probably stimulated
not been helpful for either translators or In the mid 980s when IT started to more demand for translation (which
customers; the former were often under- impact on the translation business with would otherwise have gone unrealized).
cut by amateurs or had to face clients who multilingual word processing, DTP and In fact, this “information-only” transla-
expected unrealistically low rates while faxes, for example, the QC process began tion need is one of the markets specifically
the latter had to persevere with jobs of to evolve from an entirely manual and targeted by some MT developments.
less than satisfactory quality or suffer the intuitive style to one following systematic Into the early 990s low-price desktop
consequence of poor translations. Under procedures and the use of technology. MT software (sometimes called PCMT)
these circumstances, quality assurance While the computer began to be used emerged in the market, while online MT
(QA) in any formal sense in the transla-
tion industry was almost non-existent. The more computers start behaving like humans the more
By comparison, from its birth in the
950s, machine translation (MT) has
their translation quality may improve. At the same time,
worked on a totally formalized basis with they will make more human-like mistakes.
language analysis and generation rules.
Even inputs need to be regulated (by way for general job management purposes, services were also in operation. Some
of pre-editing of input text) for better specific IT tools were integrated into QC translation operators used MT systems
results. In this sense MT can be relied procedures. Electronic spelling checkers in an attempt to increase productivity.
upon to invariably apply whatever rules were used as part of standard document By this time it had become clear to both
are programmed into its software and to preparation (although not replacing a translation suppliers and their end users
output consistent terminology, etc. This human proofreader entirely) and the fax that while MT could not be expected to
environment would seem to imply that it made possible the concept of remote “in- produce perfect translation, perhaps it
would be easier to apply QC procedures country” translation and checking. This would have its place. End users might
to MT productions than to those done by also meant that some clients were able to take advantage of speed and cost fac-
humans alone. assess the quality of translation with the tors for information-only purposes or
And yet the very inflexibility in help of their in-country contacts. for first-pass translations before decid-
changing “rules” is often responsible for For the suppliers, the new IT appli- ing on the need for more precise work
poor quality outputs. Human translation cations meant a new capacity to be able by human translators. For the translation
production processes have been more or to add value to a straight translation job suppliers, some repetitive text and large-
less reliant on the individual style of each by the use of DTP, for example. This, on volume jobs in certain technical domains
translator and the mere thought of apply- the other hand, created a new area to be with a short production deadline became
ing any standardization would have been covered by QC. In addition to checking possible candidates for MT process-

ing. Translator’s workstations and CAT back channel between the customer and QC in the translation business used to be
(computer-assisted translation) were also the supplier or the supplier and his/her driven mainly by the subjective judgment
being used in some translation offices. subcontractors? of translators and their checkers. In this
This was also the time when the local- Translators often need to ask ques- sense it was closest to the “perception-
ization business established itself in a tions regarding the text after accepting based” approach, and depended mainly
major way in the translation sector. This a job, in order to resolve the meaning of on one’s linguistic skills. This remains
new field of translation represented the ambiguous sentences, check the spelling true today as far as translators’ self-
checking is concerned. However, with
IT applications and with the translation
We were told that the translator should always aspire to sector taking on the characteristics of a
get the right translation the first time around rather than service industry, the overall QC strategy
leaving the effort to find a correct translation till later. by practitioners has now moved to a less
intuitive and more systematic approach.
Of all translation businesses, the localiza-
coordinated skills of computing and of proper names, clarify jargon, etc. Cli- tion sector may be considered the fore-
translating and in many ways started to ents may not be able to get on the phone runner that first attempted a formalized
bring in a more IT-oriented approach. to demand a delayed job to be dispatched process in QA, based on all three factors
In the mid 990s the impact of the immediately. Suppliers will require a new of “product,” “user” and “operations.”
Internet was felt strongly by the transla- QC system when a large volume of trans- This head start may be partly due to the
tion industry, bringing a new generation lation work is organized in a distributed nature of localization work, but is also
of “teletranslation,” whereby customers manner. QA for teletranslation needs to perhaps due to the “culture” of a system-
and service suppliers are linked electron- take into consideration these extra fac- atic approach inherited from the com-
ically on a global scale. Today there are tors due to the very fact of “facelessness” puting industry background combined
a large number of Web-based teletrans-
lation services in operation, including
both MT-based and human-based ser-
The long-held attitude of many translators is that com-
vices. With the former the user knows the puters cannot undertake the translation process because
trade-off between the cost/time and the it is only possible by means of human intelligence.
quality factors, and this understanding
makes the transaction mostly straight-
forward in terms of QC for translations; in their style of providing services. with relatively obvious and fast feedback
the service comes with a “disclaimer” on from the user market.
the quality of the translation. The Future of QA In the past, many attempts to quan-
While the first introduction to tele- Having looked at some aspects of how tify “translation quality” have been made
working for translators began with fax, quality issues evolved in the transla- by the world’s translation associations as
they needed to wait for today’s more tion industry, perhaps it’s time to try to well as by individual translators, mainly
mature telecommunications environ- define what we mean by quality in the with the objective of improving the pro-
ment to provide sophisticated worldwide context of translation service, and then fessional status of translators—this had
“virtual” services. The virtual service for- to explore future strategies regarding the little clear, tangible success. Today, how-
mula seems to be largely operable with quality issue in general. ever, commercial pressure more than
translation work; text arrives and departs The five categories of quality by Garvin anything else seems to be pushing this.
between the client’s and the supplier’s provide a basis for discussion: For example, the applicability of iso 9000
screens. The advantage of teletransla- standards has been a subject of debate
tion is that the customer can tap into a . Perceived: this is the ‘you know it among practitioners in recent years.
translator who may be best qualified to when you see it’ view. In the future, the translation business
take on the given translation assignment 2. Product-based: this is based on will increasingly need to apply this kind of
without being confined by locality. quality being design-oriented, pre- formalized process, treating translation as
Physical distance in human-based cise and measurable. a “product” or “commodity.” Customers
teletranslation services (which cater to 3. User-based: this is based on the ‘fit- will be increasingly looking for QA, and
wider translation needs than their MT ness for purpose’ from the client’s this will be even more true with teletrans-
counterparts) does, however, have impli- perspective. lation services in order to compensate for
cations for the quality issue. For example, 4. Operations-based: this is based their “virtual” nature. How will QA evolve
electronic links inadvertently break down on the principle of ‘conformance to and what factors will improve the current
from time to time, sometimes without specification’ i.e., error-free. model? The answer will most likely lie in
either party realizing. Also, even when 5. Value-based: i.e., ‘best value for overcoming the bottleneck of the human
it is working, the question remains: does money for a given purpose.’ process (the translation process in par-
the electronic link allow a sufficient feed- ticular) in a QA model.
lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective 3

One of the beliefs held by QC guru sistency in the use of terminology). The intelligence) scientists present their
Dr. Deming was simply to get it right the human translation process will remain research into natural language process-
first time. This motto was hammered into extremely difficult to subject to a total ing technology, I realized that the more
those of us working in a New Zealand gov- QC procedure and yet MT will readily computers start behaving like humans
ernment translation bureau in the early lend itself to such a formalization. the more their translation quality may
980s. We were told that the translator While considering how to improve improve. At the same time, they will
should always aspire to get the right trans- QA for translation services, we have to make more human-like mistakes. In this
lation first time around rather than leav- assume that human factors will always sense we will never have “perfect transla-
ing the effort to find a correct translation remain opaque. The challenge is then to tion” either by machines or humans.
till later. This advice is sometimes difficult find a way to minimize the opaque factor There will be no such thing as “perfect
to follow, particularly with the flexibility and counter it with the machine’s trans- QA” on the human side either, but by the
afforded by word processing which can parency. For example, the use of CAT very effort of scrutinizing the translation
encourage translators to put “something” or translation memory clearly assists production process for QA purposes we
down even if they do not understand the “systematizing” the human translation will come closer to finding a workable
word or phrase correctly in their first process, making it easier for benchmark- model. Comments given by translation
attempt at a draft translation. ing and achieving consistent quality. The practitioners in relation to adopting ISO
Recently I was interested to hear that extreme example would be fully auto- 9000 are that its applications may sound
a local translation firm decided to use mated on-line MT services, which can be too demanding to be realistic, but the
more experienced translators to do the subjected to a QC system. Then the ques- process of preparing for the certification
first draft and the less experienced to edit/ tion is to what extent one can afford to does help clarify inefficiency and areas for
check their work. This sounds paradoxi- remove the “human components.” improvement. In the long run this may be
cal to some practitioners, but it in fact fol- During my participation in PACLING a worthwhile exercise. Last but not least, a
lows the Deming logic. A senior translator ‘97 (Pacific Association for Computa- successful formula for QA requires input
is less likely to make errors than a junior tional Linguistics, held in Tokyo) lis- from clients. Striving for higher quality
translator; thus, by getting it right first tening to computer and AI (artificial needs to be a joint effort. ❖
time the margin of error will be minimal.
Doing it the other way around takes more
time for editing and checking and possi- ❖ QUALIT Y ASSURANCE: THE CLIENT PERSPECTIVE ❖
bly produces lesser quality work.
Looking into the future, it is inevita-
ble that MT will progressively encroach
upon the human translation process.
QUALITY ISSUES
How effectively can MT be implemented
in relation to QC and QA issues? Apply-
ing the Deming formula, perhaps an MT EMMANUEL UREN, ROBERT HOWARD &
system can be developed and specifically
designed to edit or check a good-quality
TIZIANA PERINOTTI
base translation. For example, a senior
translator does a first draft translation. Emmanuel Uren, Robert Howard and Tiziana Perinotti provide essential advice for
The text is then put through MT which American programmers involved in internationalization (I8N) and localization (L0N)
back-translates the text into the source quality issues.
language. The result is then compared
with the original text for numbers,
proper names, number of sentences Introduction & definitions ASSURANCE: Certainty, Freedom
(paragraphs), terminology, grammatical In our experience, there is a large discrep- from Doubt, Quality or State of Being
structures, etc. Further research is nec- ancy between the ways that translators Certain, Something that inspires Con-
essary to investigate how commercially and engineers view the question of qual- fidence
feasible this scenario may be. ity; translators appear to be concerned
One of the world’s MT authorities, with the accuracy of translation while The purpose of a Software Quality
Professor Nagao of Kyoto University, engineers are more concerned with func- Assurance function in a software devel-
once said that both birds and planes can tionality. An American dictionary gives oper’s organization is to help answer the
fly and yet they fly based on totally differ- the following definitions (among others): question “Is this product sufficiently error
ent principles. MT does not necessarily or anomaly free that it may be released
follow the way humans translate. In fact, QUALITY: Degree of Excellence, Degree for use?”
MT’s advantage lies in its very mechani- of Conformance to a Standard, Inher- For the purposes of this article, we
cal and systematic methods (think of ent or Intrinsic Excellence will focus on i8n issues, those features
its processing speed, capacity and con-

that must be added to American code “First-time” fundamental errors is available for comparison. Therefore
so that it may be adapted easily for use In our experience, U.S. programmers a suspected anomaly can be verified on
in other locales. We will assume that the involved with i8n features for the first the other product. Second, resource
reader has some familiarity with Test- time can make some fundamental mis- files from different localizations can be
ing or Quality Assurance procedures as takes. Therefore particular care should swapped. It should be possible to swap
used in American software companies. be taken to verify the basics. Are strings French and German and U.S. versions of
Time and money spent up front in plan- hard-coded rather than placed in resource resource files, for example, and that can
ning and technical reviews usually pays files, are hot-keys in resource files as they assist greatly in focussing on a problem
off in the form of fewer mistakes and should be, and are dialog/message boxes area in the code.
changes later on in development. Some dynamically sized? Are extended charac- One of the most difficult tests in retro-
companies involve their best domestic ters used as word delimiters, are all char- fitted code is to ensure that all necessary
customers at the design stage and this acters imported and exported correctly, strings have been identified for transla-
may be desirable with overseas custom- do decimal tabs work, is case conversion tion. We know of no structured proce-
ers too. Keeping things short and simple correct, and does sorting conform to a dure for detecting all strings although
is a good strategy too. Part of the Quality locale’s rules? What about basic numeric, some companies do have proprietary
Engineers’ role is to play Devil’s Advo- date, time and currency formats? Do tools.
Of course, there should be consis-
tency of translation, that is in the terms
A Japanese reader would expect more graphics and less used, between the major components of
text than an American is accustomed to… Perhaps the a software product, namely — documen-
Japanese version of documentation should be re-written tation, Help and software.
rather than translated. Software Testing
“Localizability” Testing on Interna-
cate to developers and like everyone else they conform to the orthographical rules tional English version
in Marketing, International, Documen- of the target language? Spell checkers, It is possible to test whether the software
tation and Technical Support the earlier hyphenators and other third party soft- contains many of the internationaliza-
they are involved in a project, the better. ware need to be verified as do kerning tion or “localizability” features in the U.S.
But Quality Assurance engineers who and leading. Concatenated strings and version before any actual localization has
have only worked on U.S. code need to strings with two or more variables might taken place. And it is an article of Quality
verify features that their U.S. experi- ignore gender variations and plurals or Assurance faith that the earlier an anomaly
ence does not prepare them for, and it result in a sentence order that is incorrect. is found, the easier and cheaper it is to fix.
is those features that we discuss below. Printing and displaying characters for all Basically, what the testers can do with the
We do advise you to keep track of what fonts, displays and printers is basic. Can internationalized, but not localized, code
problems you find during development you input characters, parse input strings, is test whether all the additional features
and localization. Then it may be pos-
sible to figure out either ways to prevent
these anomalies occurring again or ways
The translator should be able to pass for a native of
to automate finding them in your next the target locale. Such a person can recognize if the
project. Always conduct a project post- language is from another locale (e.g., France, Quebec,
mortem with all parties involved for each
project.
Switzerland, Belgium).
Quality Engineers sometimes use
automated regression suites; there is an and are character and word boundar- work correctly. The scope of this testing
opportunity here to localize them too for ies correctly defined? Are measurement can be greatly enhanced if there is a tool
testing localized software. Some transla- scales and page sizes appropriate and is available that can:
tion tools extract and replace text strings, clip art acceptable?
handle increased space considerations, Testers need to verify that there are no • extract text strings,
merge new engineering releases with errors in these basics. • perform a pseudo-translation incor-
previous translations and pseudo-trans- porating both the anticipated extra
late. Some have versions for software, Additional testing procedures characters and insertion of additional
documentation and Help that can inter- In testing a localized product’s function- space,
act, thereby making it easier to have con- ality, a tester has two additional proce- • and then insert the pseudo-translated
sistent terminology in all three. dures when compared with testing the strings back into the code.
U.S. product. First, there is a “sibling”
product available which itself has under- Use of such a tool assists quality engi-
gone testing and whose functionality neers to test the display and printing of

characters, the anticipated sizes of menus Subtleties to pass for a native of the target locale.
and dialog boxes, string resourcing and There is an increasing tendency these Such a person can recognize if the lan-
basic functionality at a very early stage days to use the operating system’s i8n guage is from another locale (e.g., France,
in the development process, even before support. One subtle issue as a result is Quebec, Switzerland, Belgium). And of
any real translation has taken place. whether it is “alright” for i8n features to course, the translator should be up-to-
More significantly, these tests can be change with the OS or not. For example, date in the application’s terminology.
performed before a version of the code a Parisian French localization might take The conventional method for verifying
has been given out to translators. This on some German characteristics (cur- translations is for an editor or proofer (in
reduces both the amount of time and the rency or numeric formats to name two) other words, another person) to review
the translations; another method that is
It is an article of Quality Assurance faith that the earlier rarely used is to have another translator
reverse-translate a small sample back
an anomaly is found, the easier and cheaper it is to fix. into English so that the original author
can compare that with the original. A rea-
number of times that there are two dif- under a German OS even though menus sonable similarity may induce a “warm
ferent versions of the code, the one that may still be in French. So it may behoove fuzzy” in any monolingual developers.
engineers are developing and the one testers to test the application under a In certain cases, the question of
that translators are translating. And there localization of the operating system dif- translate versus re-write arises. Purely
will probably be fewer engineering cor- ferent from the one planned to see if the American examples need to be replaced
rections to make later in development, application’s i8n support overrides the by examples that are more appropriate
after real translations are re-inserted into OS’s support. to the target locale. It is entirely possible
the code. The increased pressure to produce that a Japanese reader would expect more
In the realm of text processing, test localized versions within at most a month graphics and less text than an American
the input, display and output of charac- after the completion of the basic U.S. ver- is accustomed to, so perhaps the Japanese
ters (including their order and direction sion intensifies the following predicament version of documentation should be re-
if dealing with non-European languages), for localizers. They will have started to written rather than translated.
the import and export of characters to localize incomplete engineering releases The use of hypertext adds a dimension
other applications, the processing of of the product; as bugs are discovered in that needs to be checked after translation,
multi-byte, double-byte and single-byte the basic code and corrections are made namely, are the hypertext jumps pre-
character strings, the use of concat- to the code, documentation and Help, served? Less obviously, spurious leading
enated strings and strings with embed- new engineering releases become out of and trailing blanks may be introduced
ded parameters (in particular verify that synchronization with the releases being during the translation process, hot-keys
word order is grammatically correct in translated. Merging the two can be dif- and quotation marks may be mismatched
the target language). In testing multi-byte ficult and therefore can easily introduce or hot-keys may not be unique.
strings, areas of interest include verifica- errors unless a rigorous oversight of
tion that characters are correctly deleted, resource ID numbers and a rigorous build References
that they copy and paste correctly, that transfer process is maintained. Kaner, Cem, Jack Falk & Hung Quoc
the cursor moves correctly, that searches The DTP package used for documen- Nguyen. Testing Computer Software.
perform correctly and finally that lines tation must handle all contemplated 2nd ed. New York: Van Nostrand
break correctly on the screen and in target languages. Even when it appears Reinhold, 993. ISBN 0-442-036-2.
printing. that a package does fulfill this require- In particular, see Chapter 9 Localiza-
ment, it is possible that different releases tion Testing.
Localized versions exist for different languages, thus creat- Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Win-
Localized resource files, being of a differ- ing a compatibility problem. For exam- dows: International Handbook for
ent size than the original U.S. versions, ple, the French version of a DTP package Software Design. Redmond, Washing-
are arranged differently on disks and so may be two engineering releases later ton: Microsoft Corporation, 990. In
it is necessary to test installation pro- than the Japanese version and therefore particular, see Part 7 Testing Interna-
cedures. Depending on the strength of may contain features that are just not tional Software.
your overseas organization, arrange for present in the Japanese one. One obvious Uren, Emmanuel, Robert Howard &
some beta testing. strategy is to keep everything as simple as Tiziana Perinotti. Software Interna-
An advantage to localizing in the target possible, including the requirements for tionalization and Localization: An
country is that it provides the opportunity the DTP package itself. Introduction. New York: Van Nostrand
to verify the localized product’s function- Reinhold, 993. ISBN 0-442-0498-8.
ality on more of the typical computer Translation errors In particular, see Section 4.5 “Valida-
environments than may be available in the There is no alternative to using native tion and Quality Assurance.” ❖
U.S. home office and with more localized speakers in the translation process. In
versions of third-party software. other words, the translator should be able

product can be of higher quality than the
❖ QUALIT Y ASSURANCE: THE CLIENT PERSPECTIVE ❖ original, but don’t count on it.
Whether the product quality is ade-
quate for the targeted market should
THE CUSTOMER MAKES be part of your company’s preliminary
market analysis. Quality perception can
THE DIFFERENCE vary significantly between cultures, and

companies should definitely investigate
this before starting any localization.
A good localizer can provide valuable
feedback on your product’s quality, but
YANN MEERSSEMAN that is where their responsibility ends.
Their role is to ensure translation quality.
Clients have a key, but often neglected, role to play in translation quality. Vendors, no If you have product quality issues, they
matter how good, do their clients a disservice by taking on jobs in which they are expected should be resolved in the original ver-
to “do everything.” Poor input, working procedures and communications, and an inade- sion, prior to translation.
quate understanding of the nature of quality can all take their toll. In this article, Yann
Meersseman gives a client-oriented view of how to get the most from translation suppliers. Ensure the Language Quality of the
Original Product
The quality of a translation is measured
H ave you ever wondered why local-

ization managers can have such dif-
ferent opinions about particular vendors
•
•
Do you ensure the language quality
of your original product?
Do you give the vendor the possibil-
by its ability to render the quality of the
original product. This includes its qual-
ity of function, quality of form (lay-
and the quality of their work? How can ity to understand the product? outs, fonts, alignments, abbreviations
it be that a localizer boasting university- • Do your product and your proce- and other cosmetic aspects) and quality
grade translators, ISO certification and dures allow quality translations? of language (content and style). Since
extensive tool usage seems to do a great • Have you sold translation quality translation at its best will merely preserve
job for one client or product, but a lousy inside your company? quality, it is vital to ensure the highest
job for another? possible standards for the original.
I have worked with many localiza- The following paragraphs address these At this point, most developers will
tion companies over the years. Most are questions in more detail. reply: “Our QA department thoroughly
staffed by seasoned professionals who tests all original products and guarantees
have developed well-structured organi- Do Not Confuse Translation Quality the quality of anything we ship.” That is
zations and acquired extensive expertise. and Product Quality probably true for form and function, but
Certainly, they have their ups and downs, When you hand over your software, on- what about language?
but that does not explain the broad range line help, printed documentation, or Web Developers and QA departments focus
of ratings from their customers. site to a localizer, the implicit message is: most of their attention on functionality.
Looking back at the more than 200 “I want exactly this, but in another lan- Technical writers and documentation
localization projects I have been involved guage.” departments pay more attention to lan-
guage, but they usually intervene late in
Localization is never a goal in itself. It is one step among the development cycle and control only
part of the product. The typical organiza-
many in pursuit of a final objective. tion does not possess a function that can
globally review and correct the language
in, I can only find one satisfying answer: Strictly speaking, translation adds output of all departments involved in the
the client makes the difference. nothing to your product. Its objective is to development process. This activity only
Imagine you found the world’s best accurately transpose the nature and qual- emerges with translation, and solely on
localization service. Does this perfect ity of the original material into a target the target language side.
tool guarantee a perfect job? No. The language. Although one impacts the other, Look at how translated versions are
power to make it a success or failure is translation quality and product quality tested. Beside functionality and cosmetic
still in your hands. By selecting the ideal are very different concepts. The high- aspects, translations are mainly con-
partner, you made one important step est translation quality is achieved when trolled for:
in the right direction, but other aspects original and translated products match in
need to be considered: every respect, whether it is functionality, • accuracy,
usability, or readability. Good translations • consistency of terminology (in and
• Do you confuse translation quality preserve product quality, bad ones dete- between the user interface, help texts,
and product quality? riorate it. Exceptionally, the translated manuals, etc.), and

• writing style and readability. The people who write these texts If money was not an issue we would all
understand the product particularly well. have inhouse translators who, like tech-
Not surprisingly, translation validation The user interface is in most cases directly nical writers, would work closely with
puts a major focus on language. In fact, created by the program developers, while the development and sales teams, have
an in-depth understanding of the prod-
ucts and deliver a translation quality no
Translation adds nothing to your product. external vendor could get close to.
Note that if you hired an in-house
the target language is scrutinized in a online help and manuals are written by team of translation professionals, you
way the source language rarely is. people who spend considerable time talk- would certainly not expect them to be
I have experienced that a true language ing to developers and studying the prod- operational on day one. No doubt they
QA of the original product yields dra- uct’s functionality. Understanding the would get some product demos and
matic improvements in the majority of product is very important for producing training, have a chance to talk to other
cases. Not only do you gain in the overall texts that will efficiently guide end users departments, and spend time reading the
product quality of both the original and through the software’s intricacies. materials and understanding the com-
the translated versions, but you can actu- The role of the translator is to extract pany’s language and culture. Integrating
ally make substantial savings on transla- this information from the original text these individuals in their new environ-
tion when you use the same QA effort to and render it unaltered into the target ment would be considered essential to
analyze and reduce word volume. language. The key to successfully achiev- achieving good results.
When you have measured the origi-
nal language quality, you also have the
tools to rate translation quality and mini- It is vital to ensure the highest possible standards
mize the subjective (and endless) dis- for the original—translation at its best will merely pre-
cussions related to language. You don’t serve quality.
measure translation quality by asking if
the translated version is using consistent
terminology—you measure by asking if ing this task is understanding the prod- Working with external vendors does
translation has preserved the consistency uct. The better a translator understands, not exempt you from this integration
of the original version. the more accurately his translations will effort. You just hired the same team of
Note that localization companies are convey the original information. This professionals on a temporary basis and
experts at language QA. They have the means that translation quality is far more they won’t be very effective if you treat
people, the tools and the procedures, but dependent on the translator’s technical them like outcasts. Train your vendor’s
their focus is on target languages. They knowledge than on his language capa- team, show them the end-user view, give
would have no problem helping you bilities. Software localization is more them time to learn the concepts and ask
determine the language quality of your closely related to engineering than it is to questions. This initial investment largely
original product. linguistics. pays back on the quality side.
Unless you develop very popular
The Vendor’s Understanding of the applications (spreadsheets, word proces- Product Architectures and Transla-
Product is Key sors, etc.) or you have already translated tion Procedures Can Cause Road-
People buy software because it allows previous versions, you can be sure that blocks
them to perform tasks faster, cheaper, the vendor you selected knows close to Localization vendors work within the
better, or in previously impossible ways. nothing about your product. If at this boundaries imposed by your product
and procedures. Sometimes, this cre-
ates limitations that make it impossible
Working with external vendors does not exempt you to reach the highest level of quality. No
from integrating them into the company’s language and matter how good they are and how hard
culture, providing product training and demos, or having they try, translators can be blocked from
reproducing the quality of the original
them spend time reading your materials. version.
On the product side, these problems
The text in the user interface, on-line stage you immediately start the project occur when no sufficient enablement
help or manuals allows them to under- and impose the typical deadline squeeze, (or internationalization) has been per-
stand and fully exploit the possibilities of you can forget about quality, no matter formed. If, for example, text strings are
the tool. The text’s role is purely to trans- how top-of-the-line your vendor is. severely limited in length, the translated
mit information. Content has precedence Keep in mind that you are outsourc- version will have far more abbrevia-
over form. ing the localization because it is cheaper, tions than the original, and readability
not because it buys you better quality. will suffer. Other classic mistakes made

by developers are shortcuts and system with other activities to achieve the final • Make sure your primary customer
values that cannot be changed. Don’t objective. feels comfortable with the vendor
expect users to be overjoyed when they Localized products are usually passed you have selected.
are required to type a “Q” to trigger a on to sales and distribution. Regional
command that starts with an “L” in their offices, distributors, affiliates, VARs, and • Give your primary customer sign-off
language. other direct/indirect channels are the authority on the target language ter-
A lot has been said and written about primary customers. They are also often minology.
product enablement and it is encourag- the first to express judgments on transla-
ing to see how this subject has picked up tion quality, and sales will suffer badly if • Produce an initial pilot translation
momentum in the past few years. How- their impression of the localized product and have your primary customer
ever, the choice of putting in the effort is negative. comment on it.
remains strongly dependent on each Regardless of how well you organize
particular business case and the deci- your projects, subjectivity towards lan- • Always implement the changes sug-
sion not to enable can be perfectly justifi- guage and translation is something you gested by your primary customer
able. However, the impact on translation cannot get rid off. Pass and repass trans- or make sure he understands and
and the resulting loss of quality between lations among reviewers and you’ll never accepts why it cannot be done.
original and translated versions has to be stop making corrections. If you want to • Keep your primary customer
understood very clearly. avoid nasty arguments at sign-off, you informed regularly of the project’s
On the procedure side, it is important better start selling the quality of your status.
to realize that the closer the translators project on day one.
get to the end-user view of the product, Selling translation quality to your pri- Too many times, I have experienced
arguments about translation quality that
had little to do with translation. The
Translators should have everything ever published about inherent subjectivity of language is used
a product, a hotline to a product specialist and a running as an opportunity to mask problems of a
version of the original. totally different nature. Unless you have
been selling quality all the way, you and
your vendor can get caught in the middle
the better the quality will be. The follow- mary customers can be achieved by: of something you will not be able to con-
ing recipe for serious trouble is still amaz- trol.
ingly popular: extract all the strings from • Setting the right expectations.
your software, put everything in a single • Getting your primary customer Conclusion
file (preferably in alphabetical order) and involved from the very start of the It is clear that not all vendors produce
send it without any other information project. superb quality and that not all customers
to your favorite vendor for immediate get the translated products they deserve.
translation. As discussed earlier, translation quality However, vendors are far from having
There is no way you can do a decent and product quality are different con- full control, and customers have a major
job under these circumstances. As said cepts. Your primary customers must role to play.
before, understanding is the key to trans- understand that localization is not an As a customer, you will positively
lation quality and nobody can make exercise in fixing anything they might not influence translation quality by
much sense out of a pile of words and like in the original version. If they have
strings without a minimum of context. serious concerns about some aspects of • Clearly understanding what transla-
Translators should have a maximum the product, these should be resolved tion quality is.
of cross-reference possibilities, all the before further work gets done. In paral- • Ensuring the quality of the original
manuals and information ever published lel, if for architectural, procedural, or any product.
about the product, a hotline to a product other reason you anticipate a noticeable • Training your vendors.
specialist, a running version of the origi- loss of quality in the translated version, • Enabling your product and develop-
nal, and—whenever possible—the ability you should communicate this and either ing efficient procedures.
to build and run the translated version. obtain acceptance or the means to look • Selling quality internally to your pri-
for alternatives. mary customers.
Translation Quality Needs to be Sold Involving your primary customer in
Internally the process is equally vital. It is much Performing these actions will allow you
Localization is never a goal in itself. It is easier to reject a product you have never to clarify the often confused discussions
typically part of a company’s objective to seen before than one you have actively around translation quality. You will also
maintain or increase revenue in a partic- helped produce. Consider the following gain the ability to rate your vendors with
ular market. It is one step among many, actions: a lot more confidence and accuracy. ❖
and has to be carefully synchronized

❖ Q UAL IT Y ASSURAN CE: THE CLIENT PERSPECTIVE ❖
Additional Resources
The following references provide additional information on topics discussed in this Best Practice Guide, as well as general language,
internationalization and localization information.
• LISA Website (http://www.lisa.org) contains a wealth of information, much of it free to the public. LISA members enjoy access
to presentations from LISA Forums and Conferences, as well as access to the archives of the Globalization Insider.
• The Globalization Insider (http://www.localization.org) is LISA’s monthly newsletter on globalization, internationalization,

localization and translation (gilt). Containing articles by industry thought leaders, the Globalization Insider provides timely and
relevant information on all aspects of gilt.
• LISA Workshops cover a variety of topics, including QA and Internationalization. For a current listing of LISA workshops, visit
http://www.lisa.org/events.
• The LISA QA Model 3.0 (http://www.lisa.org/products/qamodel.html) is designed to help you manage the quality assurance
process for all the components in a localized product, including functionality, documentation and language issues. The quality
metrics and procedures incorporated in the QA Model 3.0 are the result of a collaboration between LISA members, localization
services providers, software and hardware developers, and end-users. Their “best practices and recommendations,” along with
a basic statistics model, have been compiled to help you streamline your company’s product localization quality assurance pro-
cess.
• The LISA Education Initiative Taskforce (LEIT) Bibliography (http://leit.lisa.org/bibliography.html) contains an extensive list
of localization-related books and other resources, and is a good starting place for investigation of specific topics.
• Software Testing and Internationalization (http://www.lisa.org/interact/2003/swtestregister.html) by Manfred Rätzmann and

Clifton De Young. (Available as a free download from LISA.) This book will transform how you view testing methodologies and
procedures. It introduces the reader to essential concepts and approaches used by practitioners in the software testing arena,
while also taking into account the realities of low budgets and real schedule deadlines. It is in this context that the specific needs
of small, agile project teams are covered in detail. After walking through the methods most commonly used for testing software,
you will know why these very practices are no longer practical for many projects. This books also outlines the steps involved in
planning, implementing and evaluating tests of modern, object-oriented software and provides an assessment of currently avail-
able methods so that you can choose the right testing procedures for your development project.
• The ASTM Consumer-Oriented Guide to Quality Assurance in Translation and Localization (http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/
SoftCart.exe/database.cart/workitems/wk2953.htm?l+mystore+owiz3733) identifies factors relevant to the quality of lan-
guage translation and localization services for each phase of a translation project and is designed to provide a framework within
which the participants in a services agreement can define the specifications necessary to arrive at a product of desired quality to
serve the goals of the consumer.
• IBM E-Business Globalization Website (www-306.ibm.com/software/globalization/index.jsp) presents information on global-

ization of e-business, with links to non-ibm information and language-related topics of general interest.
• International Organization for Standardization (iso) (http://www.iso.org) provides standards in a variety of areas, includind
iso-9000 (for Quality Assurance). iso Technical Committee 37 develops and maintains language-related standards.
• Free Standards Group Open Internationalization Initiative (http://www.openi8n.org) is dedicated to providing free and open
standards related to internationalization.
• The Unicode Consortium (http://www.unicode.org) is a non-profit organization founded to develop, extend and promote use
of the Unicode Standard, which specifies the representation of text in modern software products and standards. The Unicode

Consortium website contains information relating to the display and use of many different languages, and is a good starting point
for learning more about concerns relating to specific languages.
• w3c Internationalization Activity (http://www.w3.org/International) contains information on web-specific internationaliza-

tion and localization issues from the World Wide Web Consortium (w3c). While much of the material is quite technical, adher-
ence to w3c guidelines and suggestions helps ensure that web sites can be easily localized with quality results.
• i8ngurus.com (http://www.i8ngurus.com) contains links to numerous articles and pages dealing with internationalization.
• Termnet (http://linux.termnet.org). Founded in 980, the International Network for Terminology serves as a business forum
for international cooperation between companies and organizations and institutions dealing with the practical and commercial
aspects of terminological data, methods and tools.

The Localization Industry Standards Association
7 Route du Monastère • CH-1173 Féchy • Switzerland
Tel: + 41 (21) 821 32 10 • Fax: +41 (21) 821 32 19 • [email protected]

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Localization Industry Standards Association

Why Do GILT Service Providers Support LISA?

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

preparing for localization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

selecting appropriate partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

linguistic resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

working with partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

checking quality and resolving problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

LOCALIZATION PROJECT BILL OF MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

GLOBALIZATION INSIDER ARTICLES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

high-quality translation—the new localization paradigm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

putting the qa stamp on translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

quality issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

the customer makes the difference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

lisa best practice guide: quality assurance - the client perspective 

• A series of questions about gilt quality in six broad areas:

• A listing of additional resources for readers to explore topics in greater depth.

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Assessing needs (SLV), or do I want to handle my 2. Is there a single person within my

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A lison Toon,Translation and Localiza-

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Preparing for Localization

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DO make sure documents and Expert Advice

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❖ QUALIT Y ASSURAN CE: THE CLIENT PERSPECTIVE ❖

Selecting Appropriate Partners

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7. How important is physical loca-

DO determine where your part-

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DO plan to maintain your lin-

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Working With Partners

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Checking Quality and

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GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate

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SOFTWARE Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate

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HELP and DOCUMENTATION Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate

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OTHER Yes/No/NA Rate Quantity Rate

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