I’m not going to wax on about the team, roles, process, ceremonies, and such. Rather, I hope this helps you understand how the Agile process impacts translation and internationalization. I’ll start comparing the historical way translation has been done versus what the opportunities and challenges are if your organization is, has, or plans to embrace Agile translation.

The Traditional “Waterfall” Method vs the “Agile” Method

Traditionally, products emerged through the “waterfall” method. The product is envisioned and designed, specs written, team assembled, stuff built, an intense round of testing, then repairing, and finally documentation and translation. Initial releases are usually monolingual – developed in the principal language of the company – and internationalization, localization, and multi-language character set support were considerations for future releases.

About 20 years ago, Agile was hatched. Agile is based on embracing continuous change – product versions are released rapidly, with small incremental changes. Remember the early versions of Windows? Updates were few and far between, deeply tested, and slowly rolled out – sometimes a year elapsed between minor releases. Now we get Windows updates, silently, weekly – rapid release. Printed documentation has also gone the way of the dodo bird. In part, documentation had to shift from print to accommodate Agile’s rapid release – being impractical to print and ship documentation to users monthly.

Agile vs Waterfall Method

The Waterfall Methodology (traditional) vs. Agile Methodology (continuous).

What translators are experiencing is, instead of getting a final draft of content (user, service, or marketing documentation), they get a latest draft, possibly as often as every three weeks. Translated work is expected in days as opposed to what often would have been weeks, months if you include in-country review of translations.

The good news is, even though Agile doesn’t come close to specifically addressing rapid, iterative translation, there are core tenants of Agile that will help – ceremonies, specifically End of Sprint demonstrations.

What is a Sprint?

The development team sets a cadence for their work, called a “sprint”. It is a window of time to get some work done. Sprints are typically three weeks long, possibly two or four. At the beginning of a sprint, the team themselves choose the work they feel they can complete within the Sprint. At the end of each Sprint, the team formally demonstrates what they’ve accomplished (working features), ideally including a few customers. The Sprint demo is a useful (repeating) moment for the technical writers (and by extension the translators): they can use the demo to get started on their work for what was completed.

Modern Day Translation is Leaning Towards the Agile Method

Does translation effort really need to adjust? In my opinion, yes, you need to embrace this is going to be an ongoing collaborative effort, not a single undertaking. Translators need to connect with the people writing the documentation as it is being done and get invited to the Sprint demos. The goal is to be part of the team. To “see” what is coming and to translate in as quickly as possible without impacting quality.

To review, engineering has (or is) making a transition from a historical, waterfall way to something called Agile. Agile revolves around these small rapid releases, which, as I’ve noted, has had a big impact on translators, technical writers, localization, and even database schemas. – the people at the backend just before release. The shift is not an easy one.

What is a translator or Language Service Provider (LSP) to do? My experiences tell me, kind of in the following order…

• Use Translation Memory (TM) technology to your strategic advantage. Find services that use it, or deploy it yourself. TM, amongst other things, is a tool that a human translator uses during the translation process to conduct the localization. The TM ensures translations are consistent across projects.
• Your people need to be personalities that thrive on interaction. They are going to be involved, over a period, working directly (or nearly) with the development team. A closet recluse who was great at pure translation is going to find this difficult. Get people who are good multi-taskers and can juggle a few projects at a time.
• Scheduling will be odd at first. However, as time goes on, a rhythm will emerge. Your first thought on scheduling needs to be: “How soon can I get started?” rather than “When is the final draft available?”
• Have your translation team interact with your team members, even if only a little bit: they now are part of the team. Facilitate direct communications, not through a lead or handler, or a manager.
• Pricing is important to all, and with Agile, it is all about delivering value through service. Track, measure, and bill:
  • Time the translation partner spends interacting and gathering content and time attending the team demos and the occasional standup. This is likely in 15-minute increments once or twice a week.
  • Then there is the usual calculation for the cost per unique and leveraged words. This is where the Translation Memory comes in big.
• Lastly is status reporting. With Agile, progress is measured in a variety of ways, none of which includes percentage of work done – because the work won’t ever be done. Reporting needs to be open, less formal, and very transparent. The key is to report daily – whenever translation is blocked by something, anything, big or small, internal or external.

Consider your situation. The desired release schedule. Ask questions. How does your translation get done today? Is it done rapidly enough for the release schedule – could it be? How does the initial documentation get tested – which leads to how does the translation get tested? How connected are your translators to the development team – what tools do you use? Are you leveraging Translation Memory? How are versions of content and translation stored?

About the Author

Gordon Varney has been an Agile practitioner for 20+ years, is a certified Senior Scrum Master and Product Owner, has led Agile teams and transitions at seven software shops, and coached a number of other organizations. All of those organizations faced Agile-based translation challenges required for rapid releases.

The post Agile Methodology in Translation Projects: A Guide to Success appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Plus, how will your employees uphold the company’s expectations if they can’t understand these documents? Translating your human resources documents can also protect the company from claims that the employee did not understand their rights and responsibilities.

But how do you find credible human resource translation services that you know will translate your HR materials accurately with a reasonable turnaround time?

Don’t worry! This is your Ultimate Guide on how to find a Professional Human Resource Translation Service to translate anything – from employee manuals and handbooks to codes of conduct and company policies.

Step 1: Determine what human resource documents you want to translate.

A professional translation agency can complete the translation process with any file type, format, software or platform available. Whether you’re translating PowerPoints or Word Documents, PDFs, video files, captions, training courses, or employee surveys, the format you work with shouldn’t be a problem for your translation agency.

If you find yourself getting stuck, a great translation service will also provide advice and be a resource you can consult with on the best way possible to tackle your translation projects. They will be able to answer any questions you have during the translation process.

When quoting your project, a translation agency will need your source documents and materials that you want to be translated.

Types of Human Resource Documents that Can be Translated:

Human Resource’s Mandatory Paperwork at the Start of Employment

• Employment contracts. If your industry uses contracts for employment, translating these documents may be a legal requirement.
• Employee manuals and handbooks. Many company policies and codes of conduct are included in the manual. Translating employee manuals can critically help a company’s multilingual employees.
• Insurance documents. Make benefits accessible for all employees by translating employee benefit policies.

Human Resource Training and Safety Materials

• Compliance documents. Certain industries might have compliance documents that employees must be able to read and understand (this includes other languages).
• Workplace safety documents. Material safety data sheets, evacuation routes, and other safety documents should be translated to ensure safety is thoroughly understood.
• Training programs and videos. Translation is not just for paperwork! Don’t forget to provide access to any multimedia like videos, slide decks, and audio recordings.
• Performance review materials. Help them get the maximum understanding of feedback from their performance review and translate their copy.

Day-to-Day Tools for Human Resources

• Tip sheets and planning tools. Any resources that make it easier for employees to perform their job duties should be available to everyone.
• Guides for managers and employees. Employee development materials and guides should be translated for both parties.

Corporate Communications (Sometimes for Human Resources or Internal Marketing Department)

• Corporate websites. From the website content to the user interface, websites should be translated for all employees (as well as any markets you do business in!).
• Company-wide emails or memos. Anytime communications are sent to employees, these should be translated for all to understand.

Again, your translation agency should be able to handle any file type or format that you work in.

Step 2: Five questions to ask a potential translation agency.

When selecting a translation agency service to translate your human resources documents, there are a few crucial questions you should understand and ask your potential translation agency. You should feel more confident in moving forward if your translation agency can answer these questions.  Plus, you can always ask for a sample translation!

Do you have ISO Certifications?

You’re looking for a company that will deliver services in accordance with ISO Certifications 9001 (Quality) and 17100 (Translation). Learn more about why you want an ISO-Certified Company here.

Do you use machine translation?

Ideally, your translations will be completed by human translators, but some companies use machine translation, which is notorious for making errors and bad translations. You’ll want to do the following:

• Ask more questions to ensure they have proofreading and revision processes to catch any errors.
• Ensure that pricing reflects that Machine Translation is being used, and not a human translator.

Do you include proofreading and revision in your translation process? What is your translation, revision, and proofreading process?

Not only should your translation agency include proofreading and revision as part of their translation workflow, but they should also:

• Ensure that the translator and revisor are two separate people. Just as you shouldn’t proofread your own work in English, your translator and proofreader should be two separate people.
• Look for how they will resolve any errors you find in the final translation. The translation agency should have a policy to resolve any errors that occurred during the translation process quickly.

Are your translators Subject Matter Experts in human resources, and are they located in the country where the target language is spoken?

Your translation agency should try to pair your translation project with:

• the language and
• the topic being translated. If you’re translating complicated medical instructions or a binding legal contract, you want to ensure that the crucial message is translated, not just word-for-word. And by ensuring the translator is located in the target country where the language is spoken, you’ll get a Subject Matter Expert in the language (resulting in the most accurate translations).

What is the turnaround time for the average translation project?

Project turnaround times depend on the number of words you’re translating, the number of languages, if it’s simple document translation or if you need voice-over for videos. But your translation agency should be able to let you know if your project will take days or weeks.

Step 3: The translation agency should provide a project quote and Project Manager.

Once you receive and approve a quote, it’s time to start the project! Good translation agencies will provide a dedicated Project Manager.

Ultimately, you’ll save time and money using a good translation company that provides a dedicated Project Manager for your translation projects. Your Project Manager takes on all aspects of translating a document once you provide them the finalized version in English.

Your Project Manager will be your single contact for all your language needs. They will organize your language team, communicate project updates, and ensure your project is delivered on time. Here is an example of what a translation team could look like for a simple document that needs translated into two languages:

As you can see a Project Manager is critical to keeping your work load at a minimum and getting the most for your investment when working with a translation agency.

The translation agency will then match your translation project with a subject matter expert (SME) who understands the content in your target language.

An SME will examine the content in English and localize the content to the target language. This is an example of an English to French document translation for a company that repeatedly used the phrase “as easy as pie” in their English onboarding materials.

Or another example of an SME…

• You’re translating human resource benefits plans, employee manuals, and employee contracts from English into Spanish
• A good translation agency will then provide you with a translation team that will include a professional translator who is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) of translation documents from English to Spanish.
• Depending on the complexity of the material being translated, your Spanish translator may also be an SME in legal jargon. This helps ensure any legally binding agreements are localized to the target language and fully understood.

Step 4: Human Resources receives the final translated documents.

The translation agency will deliver the final translation, exactly as you sent it, just in a new language! The goal is for the person reading the translated material to never know that the content was translated – just that it was written for them, in their native language.

English to Spanish Document Translation Example

It’s crucial to ensure that all of your human resources documents, materials, and communications are translated accurately and with a reasonable turnaround time.

A Warning about Machine Translation

Companies that use Machine Translation (also known as MT) can be more affordable but are often more inaccurate. They are incapable of taking tone and circumstance into consideration, which can lead to potentially damaging miscommunications. Protect both employees and your company by partnering with an expert human resources translation services firm.

Have more questions about translating for human resources that we didn’t cover? Let us know! Contact us today!

Get a Professional Translation Service for Your Human Resource Translation Materials

HR professionals can find a partner in Interpro Translation Solutions. No matter the number of items that need to be translated, the number of languages, or the timeline, Interpro has an expert team to meet your translation needs. Our proven expertise in human resources translation services quickly delivers accurate information to support your employees.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Translation for Human Resources: Tips and Best Practices appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

If you are curious about what is involved in subtitle translation, read on to learn more about how beneficial they are, how translating them can help your business, and how to ensure the job is done right.

What are subtitles?

You very likely come across subtitles at some point in your day-to-day life. You may even be among the growing group of people who watch everything with subtitles turned on. Subtitles are the on-screen text that displays the dialogue, voice-over, or audio commentary of a video. This text-based supplement is a cost-effective solution that helps people around the world understand and process on-screen content.

Uses for subtitles

Subtitles aren’t just for foreign language television shows and movies. They can be placed on just about any type of video, including:

• Video ads on social media
• eLearning content
• Organizational training videos
• Instructional and how-to videos
• Music videos

If it’s a moving image with audio, it can likely be enhanced by including subtitles.

Advantages of adding subtitles

Why go through the effort of including subtitles with your video? Let’s explore some of the most important benefits.

Reach More People

According to the World Health Organization, around 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss. Subtitles make your content accessible to those who may not be able to clearly hear the audio.

Subtitles aren’t just about making videos accessible to those with hearing disabilities: they make the medium more accessible to everyone. In fact, a 2019 study by Verizon Media and Publicis Media reported that 80% of people who use captions aren’t deaf or hard of hearing.

That’s because in today’s multitasking and mobile society, not everyone watches videos with the audio turned on. The Verizon Media study showed that 69% of people view videos without sound when in public places, and 25% view video without sound in private. A staggering 80% said that they are more likely to watch an entire video when captions are available.

By subtitling your video, you tap into an entire audience of viewers who prefer watching over listening when online.

Improve retention and engagement

Subtitles are an excellent way to make video content more engaging and informative, especially in the eLearning space. Having another medium to convey the information at hand can lead to higher retention rates over a longer period of time.

The same theory applies to video marketing. In the Verizon Media study, experts found that there was an 8% improvement in ad recall, a 10% increase in ad memory quality, and a 13% boost in brand linkage when captioning was utilized.

SEO: Search Engine Optimization

If you want your website to rank higher on Google’s search engine result pages, subtitling can help you do that too, directly and indirectly. Since Google’s algorithm can’t yet process audio or video, the transcript of subtitles allows search engines to crawl and index your video content. A higher ranking on Google leads to more website traffic, which results in increased conversions and sales.

Google also takes note of how long visitors stay on a webpage, rewarding those who keep the attention of their audience for a longer period of time. Because subtitles can increase the time a person watches a video, it indirectly impacts SEO.

However, adding subtitles isn’t enough to connect with your audiences if they can’t understand the language the subtitles are written in. This is where subtitle translation becomes important.

Subtitle translation

Subtitle translation is the process of translating a video’s audio script to another language. Videos can be subtitled in any language, giving audiences the opportunity to watch and understand, even if the spoken audio is in a different language.

Take all the benefits of source language-to-source language subtitles, and add to that the ability to connect with a multilingual audience. This is how subtitle translation significantly enhances the reach of your video content. Translated subtitles allow your video content to be understood by anyone, regardless of the language spoken in the video.

Voice-over recording is another effective video translation option, but isn’t always feasible. Sometimes, organizations opt not to use voice-over because of the increased costs as compared to subtitles. Other times, it simply doesn’t make sense depending on the type of video, such as music videos. Subtitle translation is the perfect solution in these situations.

How subtitle translation works

Although subtitles are text-based, the process isn’t as simple as replacing existing words with their translation. To get a better understanding of how subtitle translation works, it’s important to know something about subtitle formats.

Subtitle formats

Subtitles can be open or closed captioned. Open captions are integrated within the video itself, and cannot be removed or changed without modifying the source video. These are often called “burned” captions, because it is like they are burned onto the moving image.

Closed captions on the other hand, give the viewer the option to turn them on or off. Closed captions can be created with different file formats, including SRT and WebVTT.

SRT translation

This text file format stands for SubRip Subtitle. SRT is the most common subtitle file format, and consists of four components:

• an order number
• the time that the subtitle appears
• the caption and
• a blank line indicating the end of a subtitle.

Using SRT is advantageous, because it is supported on a wide variety of platforms. However, it lacks control over certain features included with the WebVTT format.

WebVTT translation

VTT or WebVTT stands for Web Video Text Tracks. This format was modeled after – and is similar to – SRT. Although they share many of the same features, WebVTT is a more robust solution, giving developers options when it comes to subtitle placement, font, color, and format. WebVTT also contains metadata that isn’t displayed on-screen, but contains information about authors, dates, instructions, and more.

Subtitle translation process

No matter which type of text file is used, the subtitle translation process can be broken down into seven general steps.

1. Script transcription: If there is no script available, the audio will first need to be transcribed.
2. Subtitling: The transcribed script is time-coded and formatted for VTT or SRT.
3. Translation, editing, and proofreading: Once the transcribed text is available, translation can begin. This process includes the editing, proofreading, and quality assurance of the transcribed content.
4. Translated script approval: Once the translation process is completed, the deliverable is sent to the client for final approval.
5. Sync text with audio: Translated text is synced with the source audio so that dialogue and on-screen visuals are harmonized.
6. Translated video validation: The final product will be reviewed by a native speaker for clarity, accuracy, formatting, and functionality.
7. Deliver target language video: The subtitled video and/or subtitle files are delivered to the client ready for use.

Ensuring High-Quality Translations

If you’re considering adding subtitles to your video, hiring a professional translation company is the best way to ensure a high-quality translated product. Not only do language professionals accurately translate the material, but they also take special care to localize the content. This means that all text will be culturally appropriate and formatted correctly, making it easily read and understood at a normal speed without detracting from the visuals on the screen.

Professional translation services go through a multi-step process that includes quality control checks by native speakers throughout the workflow. They are aware of the challenges and obstacles commonly encountered with subtitle translations, such as text display issues, and know-how to resolve them.

Conclusion

Subtitles are a helpful tool that allows your videos to effectively reach a larger audience. Subtitle translation takes that a step further, expanding your reach to those who speak other languages. When done by a professional translation company, high-quality subtitle translations can help make your video content accessible to all.

The post Subtitle Translation: How to Boost Video Content Reach and Engagement appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Having your website available in multiple languages is more important now than ever before. While English-language speakers still make up the largest share of users on the internet, that percentage is shrinking. The language that once captured nearly 80% of content on the web has now shrunk to just over 25% of users. Translating JSON content allows businesses to connect with the other 75% of their potential audiences.

A website is much more than what you see when you type in the web address. Behind every website are pages of codes that describe everything from the layout to the format to the content on the screen. While your average website visitor may not be able to see it, a lot is going on behind the scenes. JSON is one of many data interchange formats that help to bring a website to life.

In this article, we’ll break down what JSON files are, why JSON translation is beneficial, and why it makes sense to partner with an experienced, professional translation company to get the job done right the first time.

What is a JSON file?

JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation, and is one of the most popular data-interchange formats being used today. It is a syntax for storing and exchanging information between systems over the internet, most commonly between a server and a web application, using attribute-value pairs.

Here’s another way of looking at JSON, in simpler terms.

Say your friend wants an object that you have. Mailing the item itself would be one way to achieve your goal, but that could take a while. Alternatively, you could describe that item’s attributes, which would allow your friend to recreate the same object without actually receiving it. This is how data are transmitted via JSON.

Though it was originally derived from JavaScript, JSON is actually a language-independent data format, meaning that virtually all modern programming languages support the structure in one way or another.

JSON works well for several reasons:

• Unlike other types of formats, JSON is both easily human and machine-readable.
• JSON has support for Unicode, which allows information, regardless of human language, to be transferred and displayed properly. Some formats don’t support non-Latin-based characters.
• JSON feeds can be loaded asynchronously much easier than XML or RSS.
• The syntax and parsing requirements are strict, which allows it to remain efficient, simple, and consistent.

What is JSON used for?

JSON has many applications, but one of the largest is its role in content management systems.

Content management systems (CMS) allow people to edit text, photos, and other files on websites – all without the need to possess extensive technical knowledge. In fact, more than half of all websites are built using a CMS. The user can construct their desired website using a user-friendly, intuitive interface, while the CMS applications handle coding, database queries, and back-end infrastructure. Frequently, content management systems use JSON to store and organize site content.

The JSON translation process

JSON translation involves translating the data contained in the JSON files from one natural language to another, thus making a website accessible to a wider audience. The process is similar to XML file translation.

JSON translation isn’t as simple as exporting a file and translating the text word for word. This is because JSON files contain two types of information: contextual data and structural data. Structural data should not be translated, as doing so can result in a non-functional website. It takes a skilled eye to differentiate between the two types of data and, for that reason, it is advisable that experienced professionals handle JSON translation.

Finding the right localization partner is key.

As with any type of translation project, the success in JSON translation is directly dependent on who your localization partner is. Your translation company should have skilled linguists providing accurate translations working in tandem with in-house localization engineering expertise.

If your website is consumer-facing, accurate translation builds confidence and legitimacy in your brand. Similarly, websites that are built for internal use also benefit from clear and correct translations. Employees will be able to fully understand the website’s content and navigation, boosting inclusivity, efficiency, and minimizing frustration levels.

Effective engineering

The second key to ensuring a successful JSON translation project is coordination with an experienced engineer. An in-house expert will make sure that there are no structural changes to the file that could negatively impact a website’s integrity by erroneously modifying code. Localization engineers prepare files in a way so that only translatable text is made accessible to linguists.

Together, these two elements make for an effective turnkey solution resulting in fully translated, import-ready JSON deliverables.  The process should also include quality assurance ensuring nothing “breaks” post-delivery. Once translated files are delivered, they should be ready for immediate use.

Multilingual websites expand your global reach. Exponentially.

JSON translation may be just one component in your website’s overall translation and localization strategy. By making your website accessible to other languages, your website has increased potential to:

• Reach a wider audience and attract new customers. By offering your website in another language, you will open up your site to visitors who may not speak English, or who are more comfortable viewing websites in their native language.
• Demonstrate that you are putting your audience first. Whether you are targeting customers, association members, or employees, providing your audience with information in their native language is a great way to show that you care.
• Gain relevance in other search engines. Homegrown search engines are emerging in other countries to meet the needs and habits of their populations. Providing your website in different languages is key to tapping into these markets.

Conclusion

JSON is a commonly used data-interchange format. Thanks to its straightforward, easily readable style, it has become one of the most preferred ways to store and organize website content. JSON translation is an important element to successful website translations; which makes your website accessible across language boundaries. For an accurately translated and functional multilingual website, it always makes good business sense to partner with an experienced translation company that can provide linguistic proficiency coupled with in-house engineering expertise.

The post JSON Translation: What It Is and How It Can Help Your Business appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Rise does, nevertheless, support eLearning translation. You can export all the written content of your course into an XLIFF file, translate it, and import it back into the course with all formatting intact.

How you translate your Rise 360 course is an important consideration. While automated translation tools have come a long way, the nuances of language make using them for something as complex as an online course a roll of the dice. Idioms like “take a rain check” or “leave on a cliffhanger” confound them, and a phrase that makes perfect sense in one part of the world can be downright offensive in another.

Why is Rise translation so important?

One of the biggest benefits of eLearning is how easy lessons are to remember. But that diminishes when online learners are presented with material in a foreign language. Having to mentally translate the information as it’s presented reduces their ability to absorb and fully comprehend it.

Providing eLearning courses in multiple languages also allows you to reach more people. If you distribute online courses to a diverse group of learners with varying native languages, take a look at your LMS (Learning Management System) analytics. It should come as no surprise to see greater engagement among learners whose primary language matches the language of the eLearning course.

Ninety percent of people prefer learning in their native language. Think of the millions of opportunities you could be missing by not offering courses in the languages learners want.

What does the Rise translation workflow look like?

Many course developers choose Rise because it is easy to use. Fortunately, Rise translation is also a pretty straightforward process.

1. It all starts with your course. Create your complete course, including visuals and multimedia elements, in your primary language.
2. Next, duplicate your course and export the duplicate’s content to an XLIFF file. XLIFF is an XML-based file format that standardizes the exchange of information between tools.
3. A professional translator will translate the content of the XLIFF, save it in the same format, and send it back to you. You import the translated XLIFF into your duplicate course, and Rise does the rest.
4. To protect the quality of your eLearning course, it’s important to use a Rise translation partner that specializes in localization and to provide your translator with the original course as well as the XLIFF file.

A partner who specializes in localization will know when a phrase should be adjusted into a regional dialect to make it understandable to the intended audience. A good translation provider will also review the visuals in your course to make sure they are culturally appropriate.

How do you engage learners?

The best eLearning courses keep learners engaged with interactive elements. These complex, layered elements are far easier to translate if the translator is able to see them in action. That provides context for each layer and how they fit together to move the course along.

After translation comes validation – making sure the translation is accurate once the course is published. Again, this goes beyond just the words. You’ll want to choose a translation partner experienced in working with Rise to make sure the details you carefully planned in English still work. Publishing settings will match the English (i.e., SCORM).

For example, many languages cause translations to expand or contract. Let’s say a text box on one slide of your course is sized just right to house the word “science.” But in German, “science” is “Naturwissenschaft” – more than twice as many letters need to fit into the same text box.

Designers involved in your Rise translation project will be able to catch such issues and address them, so your course is accurate no matter the language.

Localized text changes impact timing. Slides with more text need more reading time, videos might require subtitles, and audio needs re-recording. All visuals must be timed accordingly.

A Rise translation partner who offers voiceover services will ensure spoken material, even if it uses technical language, is clear and unambiguous. Voiceovers are best recorded in a studio environment by native speakers who understand how tone, pace, and inflection can affect the meaning of content. An engineer will then adjust the timings in the course to ensure the audio and visuals are in sync.

Quality courses aren’t just about the content. The details of how the content is presented make a tremendous impact on the user’s experience and what that experience leads them to think about your company.

The future of learning is now

In 2019, Research and Markets predicted the eLearning industry would be worth about $325 billion by 2025 – almost three times what it was worth in 2015. And that was before COVID-19 sent our lives online. The pandemic condensed a decade of digital transformation into a matter of two years.

Online learning is no longer the future of training and education, it is the present. Savvy businesses are making the most of it by creating digital courses to train their workforce and educate their clients.

Rise 360 is a great tool for creating these courses. It’s easy to use, even for people with little to no course-building experience. The ready-made templates pull courses together fast, and its media optimization and fully responsive design keep your assets functional and high quality.

To fully maximize your investment in eLearning, don’t limit your Rise course to a single language. As of January 2020, only about a quarter of online content was in English. There are 854 million Internet users in China, 149 million users in Brazil, and 118 million users in Japan. Rise translation unlocks millions of opportunities for your course to reach people in the language they know – and learn in – best.

The post Rise Translation: Easier and More Important Than You Think appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

The main features of XML include:

• Ideal for handling data with a complex structure or atypical data
• Allows for the description of data using mark up language
• Allows for the interchange of data between systems by using a text-based format
• Human-friendly and computer-friendly format
• Handles data in a tree structure having one-and only one-root element
• Excellent for long-term data storage and data reusability

XML’s roots actually go all the way back to the 1970s, as it was developed to be a lighter version of the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML).  Now, many years later, XML has itself spawned associated technologies such as Extensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), Document Type Definition (DTD), XML Schema Definition (XSD), XPath, and XQuery, to name a few.  Today, XML is commonly used to exchange data over the Internet.

As a markup language, novices may at first confuse XML with HTML, but the resemblance ends at the markup syntax.  HTML has strictly defined tags, whereas XML is extensible, and the tags are user-defined.  This extensibility is the source of XML’s power: the familiar syntax allows the files to be read by virtually any computer system, while the definition of the tags conveys the needed data to the program which requires it. Since it is plain text, XML can be read by humans, although it is not typically intended to be without its Stylesheet.

XML files are natively encoded as UTF-8, so they support any character set that can be entered electronically. This makes the XML format ideal for natural language translation, as many non Latin-based characters are not supported in traditional ASCII encoding. In fact, XML is often used in software localization by placing User Interface (UI) strings in a resx file, or in a “strings.xml” file.  These techniques allow a program to support multilingual UI without having to recompile the source code, and additional languages can be added at any time by simply adding a new string file in another language.

Although XML is an ideal file format for translation, not all translators can work with XML files.  Structural data inside the tags must remain untouched, as must some elements and attributes.  When translating XML files, it is imperative that translators process only translatable content. Some translation tools come with ready-made filters which define what needs to be translated and what needs to remain intact. Additionally, tools will allow for customization of filters as needed.

The following is a brief example of English (source) extracted from an XML file, followed by the same content having been translated into Russian, German, and Simplified Chinese:

English

Russian

German

Simplified Chinese

Using XML to exchange information has become universally popular, and XML translation is the process by which the information contained within XML files is converted into any world language, regardless of character set. Interpro is experienced and knowledgeable with XML formats, and provides turnkey XML translation services that ensure XML content will be correctly localized and fully functional.

The post The Versatility of XML in XML Translation appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

You may have contracted for event interpretation services in the past, or perhaps this is something new that your organization is going to need. Either way, it’s critical for you to understand the basics of event interpretation. This blog shares:

• What event interpretation is
• What the benefits of working with a company that offers a turnkey interpretation solution are
• What are the latest event interpretation trends

Let’s get started!

What is the Difference Between On-Site and Remote Interpretation?

There are two types of interpretation: on-site interpretation, and remote interpretation. Understanding the key similarities and differences between these can help you determine which interpretation option best meets your needs.

On-site interpretation takes place at the physical location of an event. Interpreters are present to communicate the presenter’s spoken information from one language into another, and vice-versa. This requires the use of a soundproof booth, allowing interpreters not only to hear what needs to be interpreted, but also to witness the speaker’s delivery.

Conversely, remote simultaneous interpretation (RSI) does not require an interpreter to be in the same room as the speaker and audience. Instead, audience members use headphones to listen to the speaker and hear the information in their own language, in real time.

One of the biggest advantages of RSI is that it eliminates the need for interpreter travel expenses and the use of special equipment. It is also a tech-savvy and innovative solution for organizations that are interested in being at the forefront of the latest technology.

Both interpretation styles are effective at ensuring that the linguistic needs of a multilingual audience are met. Engaging the services of a professional interpretation service provider can assist you in making the best decisions when planning your event.

Event Interpretation: Interpro’s Value-Add

Interpro offers a turnkey solution that organizes your workflow from start to finish. Working with a professional service provider eliminates guesswork and closes gaps. Our team understands each step of the interpretation process. From event logistics and technology needs, to language translation and special day-of considerations, our experienced team will help you plan, troubleshoot and succeed.

These benefits are obvious, but there is always room for improvement. Following these guidelines will help make the entire process as smooth as possible for your organization.

1. A Project Manager is key to a successful event.

One of the major benefits of working with a professional interpretation company such as Interpro is having an experienced Project Manager running the show. Your Project Manager understands the scope of work from one milestone to the next, and sees to every detail in order to ensure that the entire event runs according to plan. Additionally, your PM serves as the main point of contact between the interpretation team and your organization as event preparations unfold.

An on-site PM interacts directly with event participants, and helps facilitates support and other communications throughout the course of your event. Having on-site project management and technical support is crucial, whether interpretation is delivered on-site or through RSI. Attendees’ needs are met personally and promptly – delivering impeccable customer service – and the interpreters are allowed to focus on the task at hand, all a testament to your organization’s level of professional service and client service.

2. Don’t forget support materials.

As you plan your event, it is only natural that the focus be primarily on the content each speaker will deliver. However, it is also important to consider support materials as early on as possible. That means determining the type of ancillary visuals and other reference materials that each speaker will use, such as workbooks, pamphlets, brochures, or handouts.

Providing these reference materials to the interpreters as far in advance as possible allows for effective preparation, and ultimately higher quality interpretation. This is yet another way to guarantee an optimal event experience for your audience.

3. Get the layout in advance.

Content is the heart of your event. What is shared may very well make a lasting impact on your audience. In addition to focusing on the “what” side of preparations, you need to consider the “where” for event interpretation engagements.

In fact, doing an advance site visit of the venue to see the rooms and spaces that will be used is extremely beneficial as the number of rooms and attendees can have a direct impact on the scope of your interpretation project. Communicating the details concerning your venue from the onset is crucial.

It is also worth noting that having the interpretation in one room is usually ideal. If multiple sessions requiring interpretation run concurrently, the number of interpreters and on-site representatives needed will increase. A concurrent schedule will also require involve additional technology considerations, as well as more space.

4. Not all booths are created equal.

For on-site event interpretation engagements, two basic types of booth options are typically available:

• Soundproof booths
• Tabletop booths

Soundproof booths are full-size, fully enclosed booths used to provide complete sound insulation. These booths enable interpreters to efficiently perform their job without interfering noises from external sources. Tabletop booths feature an open back that provides partial sound isolation coverage. More portable than soundproof booths, tabletop booths accommodate two interpreters, but do not provide the same level as soundproofing as do soundproof booths. Both, however, are suitable for a wide variety of event settings.

5. Two heads are better than one!

This old adage certainly applies to interpretation. As interpreters are paired by subject matter expertise and experience, working as a pair, they are able to seamlessly take turns interpreting what the speakers are saying.

More importantly, since simultaneous interpreting demands so much concentration and effort, most professional interpreters can only work effectively for periods of 20 minutes or so. After that, they need to hand off to a second interpreter and rest before they can start again.

6. Logistics are important.

The method of interpretation is going to influence your event’s logistics. For example, for on-site interpretation, space needs to be configured to accommodate interpretation booths. For RSI, high-speed internet connection speeds and reliability are absolutely essential for handling increased traffic, and pre-show testing is highly advisable. Working with experienced professionals will help you to understand the logistical requirements necessary to ensure a successful outcome.

Final Thoughts

Event interpretation can contribute to your event’s overall success, delivering your content to multilingual audiences in the language they best understand. With so many critical details and moving parts to be on top of, choosing a turnkey solution with a professional interpretation service provider such as Interpro is a logical choice. You focus on planning your event, and let Interpro focus on helping you make the desired impact on your event’s attendees.

The post Event Interpretation: 6 Key Tips for Success appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

There are two equally critical components involved in software localization: the linguistic component and the technology component. Professional software localization addresses both aspects in order to ensure that the final deliverable is a product that developers are anxious to share with their target audiences around the world.

Software Localization: what’s important to know

Software localization is not merely a sophisticated synonym for software translation. Rather, software localization addresses both: 1) natural language translation as well as 2) localization of the complete User eXperience (UX). It results in a product that enables a user to work in his/her native language, along with local cultural references region-specific functionality.

Software localization is not a trivial task. Working with a company that offers a turnkey solution – such as Interpro – will streamline the process. Your organization may not be familiar with all the nuances involved, so let’s discuss five must-know factors that will have you feeling confident about the software localization process.

1. Expertise offers flexibility

Professional software localization companies grow their expertise over the years. That knowledge and skill-set extend into the technology. In today’s digital age, it is vital to have a thorough understanding of current programming languages and the platforms they run on. By cultivating this knowledge, professional teams are able to provide their clients with software localization services for an extensive range of programming languages and file types, functioning on a multitude of operating system environments. That means that your software can be web-based, desktop, mainframe/mid-range, or mobile.

Additionally, localization professionals know that the terminology deployed in the user interface (UI), Online Help system, and online and printed support materials must all be consistent in order for the application to be used effectively. After an in-depth review of the literals comprising the UI, a glossary is created based on key terminology. This glossary offers continuity across all product components, crucial in avoiding confusion or even user error due to inconsistencies.

2. Context truly is king

We are often told that content is king. No matter how regal the content is, without context, translating words in a vacuum can result in a meaningless concept, or even worse – just flat out wrong translation. Without supporting context, the translation may even prove to be offensive to the user.

Lack of context is often the result of the limited amount of space available for literals on a UI screen or panel and makes for one of the supreme challenges inherent in software localization. Indeed, it is not uncommon for literals to consist of one or a few letters. “OT”, for example, can be either “Overtime” or “On Time”, depending on the context. When context is lacking, so may be the translation. Software localization professionals are accustomed to working with this kind of limitation and can utilize their experience to handle this problem.

3. One size does not fit all

Working with a company having a software localization practice, such as Interpro, offers another key benefit. Decades of experience combined with our personalized approach to providing a better localization experience, we can adjust our approach to fit any client situation. Whatever the development methodology your organization has adopted, be it waterfall, agile, or something in between, we can accommodate you.

Being able to adapt has numerous benefits. When software updates are released to global markets, we keep up to match your pace and your delivery requirements. We understand cycles and sprints, and boast a skilled localization organization to optimize the process workflow. This flexible environment along with our Client-First emphasis allow you to stay on track with your business goals and objectives.

4. Quality Assurance is key

Your software application is a global product. Rather than delivering components on a piecemeal basis, you need to ensure that your product launches are in sync with your business plan. That means that you need to deliver quality, and you need to deliver it fast. Professional software localization delivers on both fronts.

Quality Assurance (QA) is essential. Although each phase of the software localization process (e.g. glossary development, translation, editing, proofreading) has built-in quality controls, a final assessment of the localized product gives us an opportunity to uncover and address any remaining issues that may have somehow slipped through the cracks.

What are we looking for when we QA a localized software UI? Some of these areas include verifying that:

• each literal and system message have been translated accurately and consistently,
• the length of on-screen content has not been exceeded, and
• graphical images, color choices, symbols and layout are culturally appropriate.

Overall, the quality assurance phase in a software localization process ensures that the final product reflects the look and feel of the source language application, while being adapted for the target locale.

5. Validate functionality

Software validation is without a doubt the most important component in the software localization process, especially for a first-time localization project. What good is a perfect translation if the functionality of the localized product does not mirror that of the source application? As part of the localization process, software validation ensures that, in the target language application, application functionality is identical to the source language functionality.

During software validation, a software localization specialist who is a native speaker of the target language tests product functionality using a client-provided test script and test data. Results are shared with the software developer, and any anomalies are isolated, resolved, and retested until fixed.

The benefits of a well-executed validation should be considered as when a bug or an inconsistency is detected, it is addressed and resolved before product launch, saving time and money, and most importantly, preventing damage to your brand.

Software Localization ROI

Your organization has most likely spent significant resources developing, marketing, and supporting your software application. Localizing your product, when done correctly, allows you to increase revenue, market share, and user satisfaction by providing a product that is relevant in multiple geographies.

The post Software Localization: 5 Points to Consider for Your Next Project appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Back to the devs. The developer (in an English-speaking (a G8 country at least)) has to get out of the mindset that what she/he sees and lives every day is not universal. Since they think what they experience is “normal” (date format, character sets, language direction, length of words) they hard code formatting and text strings, and allow a certain amount of room for titles and phrases.

Developers (or leaders of developers) frankly only do this once, maybe twice, then they realize that the up-front effort to accommodate either localization or translation is small compared to the effort to retrofit the code. Do it right (supporting localization and translation) the first time. It really is as simple as that. Inexperienced folks will push back, hard, especially due to the cost and extra testing effort.

There is a next step, but that is absolutely the first one: recognize the need and address it from the get-go. The second step is a choice of “how” you will support localization and translation. There are a number of methods/architectures. There is no industry-standard way or best practice guidance. It depends on your development language(s), your target (translated) languages, your database structure and configuration, whether or not switching on the fly is supported, your browser or app, whether you are dependent or not on an OS locale or language, what the expected UI speed is, and so on and so on.

Like most things software based, ultimately you will be heavily influenced by your leader’s past experience, frankly whether relevant or not. Some people like Michelin tires, others Continental, others Pirelli; some summer and winter, some all season. Senior staff, architects, forums, and consultants may or may not agree. The kicker is, once you choose a method, you are stuck with it (for all practical purposes).

So, writing software – any software? First question is, will Product Management *ever* want to support multiple locales and or languages? And I mean *ever*. The default answer must be yes. Then you need to decide how you will support that, at the beginning. Don’t do one or the other; do both at the same time. Otherwise you will be back in the code doing the other one someday. Choose a locale and language other than your own to test with if you are using English as the base; French is often a good second choice for locale and language. Bear in mind, though, it is not the extreme situation – Simplified Chinese, German, and Hebrew will push your database and UI to their limits.

Then all you can really do is start externalizing strings. Do a bit, test, do a bit more. Choose certain modules or isolatable areas of the code/UI that you can do first – rather than believing you have to do everything all at once.

Make sure you document your choices of architecture, tools, string format, and so on. Everyone needs to follow the same method. Changing your architecture or technology is ok, as long as you do it for good reasons, early.

And that gets the code ready. Then testing begins and that is a whole other story.

The post Software Localization vs. Software Translation: What’s the Difference? appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.