Localization Process with FrameMaker 10

[Anton David]

Hi Alison,

Your workflow description is comprehensive!!
One thing I have to add:
You must make sure Translation memory is provided in an open format
(TMX)otherwise you are stuck to same vendor or to same tool.

Anton David
Xlated.com

______________________________________________________________________
Message: 8
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:56:43 -0700
From: Alison Craig <Alison.Craig at ultrasonix.com>
To: Joseph Lorenzini <jaloren at gmail.com>, FrameMaker Forum
	<framers at lists.frameusers.com>
Subject: RE: Localization Process with FrameMaker 10
Message-ID:
	<17474827509158478EE10BC6B977A3E30BA214046D at exchange.ultrasonix.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Joseph:


1.      When you talk about the "translator" do you mean a professional at
an LSP (Language Service Provider) or someone in-house who speaks/writes
Chinese, so you use him/her? If the latter, I don't recommend it. The
ability to speak/write a language does not a translator make. Following that
logic, anyone who speaks/writes English, can be an English technical writer
- and we all know that isn't true.

2.      This is my process for an initial translation. Subsequent
translations are almost identical but some things like creating Variable
files are already done (note that my manuals are conditionalized so there
are actually 5 manuals in one unstructured FM book files (22 separate FM
files in this book):

a.     Complete manuals

b.     Log completed manual into VSS

c.     Create a completed manual English Master file folder(s) - different
from your working folder(s)

d.     Accept all Track Changes

e.     Create all final PDFs and release English manuals

f.      Keep a copy, by product/condition, of all finished FM files that are
used to create each PDF

g.     Create a new folder(s) for translation (I do this by language as we
translate into 7 different languages at the moment - we have done up to 17)

h.     Copy a writable set of English Master files into the Simplified
Chinese translation folder(s)

i.       Create Variable files for translation files

j.       Send files to LSP for quote (including request for creation of
translation Glossary before 1st translation begins. It's also best to have
this proofed by an in-country expert before beginning the actual translation
job.)

k.     Authorize translation based on quote

l.       When the job is finished, always get a copy of the Glossary and
new/updated Translation Memory (TM) so you can change LSPs at your
discretion.

m.    When you do your 2nd and subsequent rounds of translation, the LSP
will process the new FM files and the TM with professional tools (like
TRADOS) to ensure that exact matches, fuzzy matches and repetitions are
factored into the price and job cycle, ensuring that only new or edited text
needs to be translated.

This is a quick overview of my process. Some might find steps c and f-h a
bit of overkill, but as I work with Medical Devices, we have an internal ISO
release process. We are also constantly applying to new countries for
Regulatory approval to sell our systems. I have learned the hard way that if
I cannot recreate on-demand, an exact copy of a specific manual type/release
- sometimes with new document numbers and languages codes - then things get
extremely difficult for me. I also need to be able to recreate translated
manuals with specific changes required by Regulatory bodies (the SFDA in the
People's Republic of China is particularly demanding)

Hope this helps,

Alison


Alison Craig
Technical Documentation Lead

604-279-8550 | fax 604-279-8559 | toll-free 1-866-437-9508
Ultrasonix Medical Corporation |
www.ultrasonix.com<http://www.ultrasonix.com/>