how to manage multilingual documentation with frequent updates

[Daniel Doornbos]

Hello Jan,

One possible solution for your customer is a Content Management System
(CMS), which manages content in a database. CMSes promise to save money
by enabling you to isolate only new or changed material, so your content
is "translated only once." 

I looked into a CMS for my company, but the extra cost of "foreign
language" modules made the proposal difficult to justify. And a CMS
requires you have to write structured documents. FrameMaker does that,
of course, but if you are new to Frame, you have to learn Frame, how to
create structured documents, and how to use the CMS all at the same
time.

The customer can also send just the new or modified text for
translation, then manually place the translated material into an
existing document. This action will save some money but it could take a
lot more time.

The benefits of a CMS notwithstanding, I think that your customer might
be better off sending the full document for translation. As you well
know, full-service translation firms like TI use tools such as
translation memory, to enable you to identify exact and fuzzy matches in
words and phrases. Then you give the customer a substantial discount for
those portions of the document. So when a previously translated document
comes in with a 20% change, you only charge the full rate for 20% of the
material. As a result, the customer is not really "retranslating all
documentation."

It is certainly possible to translate new material, then add the new
material into an existing document, either manually or using a CMS. But
when you assemble a document written in a language you cannot read, how
do you quality check the document? If you assembled the document
correctly, it SHOULD be correct. But how do you KNOW? A major advantage
of having a full-service translator prepare your documents is that the
translator can actually read and verify the final output.

Each customer must examine their resources, requirements, and the
alternatives, then determine the best solution. For my company, the
traditional method of translation is best.

Daniel Doornbos
Technical Writer
Promise Technology, Inc.
 

-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces+danield=promise.com at lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces+danield=promise.com at lists.frameusers.com] On
Behalf Of Jan Gosen
Sent: Friday, February 02, 2007 8:13 AM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: how to manage multilingual documentation with frequent updates


Hello Framers,
One of my customers is thinking of switching to FrameMaker for creating
and maintaining their multilingual user documentation (9 languages).
They will be having three to four updates per year, with 10 to 20%
changes in content. 
In order to keep costs down (= not having to retranslate (recycle) all
documentation), we are looking for an efficient (and cost saving)way to
handle this type of documentation.
 
Thanks in advance for any help you can offer. _______________________ 
Jan Gosen 

Translators International BV 

Phone	 (+31) 40 255 10 10
Fax	 (+31) 40 257 12 12	
		
	


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