Publishing in Different languages

[Alison Craig]

A caveat when making contact with the various LSPs (Language Service Providers): make sure you do a large Request for Quotation (RFQ) in order to ensure you are getting a good price for what you actually need done.

I've been handling the translations for my company for 4-1/2 years (we've have some products in up to 17 different languages other than English). Last Fall I did a large RFQ: 10 LSPs in addition to my regular LSP. They all used exactly the same FM input files, exactly the same Glossary and exactly the same Translation Memory (TM). 

Prices ranged from a low of $7,621 (our current provider) to $9,000 to $11,000 to $14,000 to $16,000.

Also, word counts varied by up to 16,000 words.

And remember, this was an *exact* apples to apples quotation for each LSP.

One last piece of advice - create a comprehensive glossary and make sure that it is translated first. Many clients don't want to pay for this as it adds a measurable cost to the job. But it also adds immensely to the quality, consistency and turn time of future jobs.

Alison

Alison Craig, Technical Writer
Ultrasonix Medical Corporation
Tel: (604) 279-8550, ext 127
E-mail: alison.craig at ultrasonix.com
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Stuart Rogers
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2010 8:03 AM
Cc: framers at lists.frameusers.com List
Subject: Re: Publishing in Different languages

On 07/06/2010 10:31 AM, Bill Swallow wrote:
> Hi Scott,
>
...
>
> Your best bet is to use a company specializing in localization
> services who can help you not only with translation but with improving
> your overall approach to your localization workflow, from template
> improvements to writing style improvements to best suit global
> audiences.
>

Further to Bill's comment about writing style, I highly recommend The 
Global English Style Guide by John R. Kohl (ISBN 978-1-59994-657-3).  In 
fact, it's an excellent resource even if you're *not* planning to 
translate your docs.

Best regards,

-- 
Stuart Rogers
Technical Communicator
Phoenix Geophysics Limited
3781 Victoria Park Avenue, Unit 3
Toronto, ON, Canada  M1W 3K5
+1 (416) 491-7340 x 325

http://www.phoenix-geophysics.com
_______________________________________________


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