Translation Project with over million words

Introduction:

DCC is a Top 100 company around the world. They specialize in data collection and processing involved both machine learning and human in the loop. They would like to have a test of machine translation. Thus, before this test, they need to collect enough language pair translations with native linguists support. We CCJK, as an ISO and ATA certified Translation and Localization Company, are their reliable partner on any language solutions. Therefore, we customize the following unique language solution for DCC.

Cooperation process:

The project was started from November 15th and needed to finish translation before December 7^th because of Christmas holiday. Thus, only with 17-day, we accept this challenge of 5.8 million words translation. The project included translation of English <> French, BR-Portuguese, and Russian. Before December 7^th, we deliver all translation files back to our client in quality.

Challenges:

We have got ready for all challenges. However, when it comes, further more unexpected occur. Below shoes you in details,

1. The project requested us to provide large amount of language pairs in different aspects, thus, the source files were randomly choose from different kinds of materials. There are situation of wrong words, incomplete sentences and illegal contents.
2. Time is no doubt another big challenge with up to 5.8 million words. The translation process includes both translation and proofreading process. So you can tell why we want to take a day into two in every moment.
3. Another difficulty for us is how to have enough resources and making sure all resources are qualified. And to reach the best efficiency between all people is another question.
4. The requirement of the translation is different from usual project, which requests to give one official translation and another non-official translation. Thus most linguists think it time-consuming and challenging to support in a short time.

Solutions:

This is indeed a great challenge to our team. Based the challenges, we come up with the following customized solutions.

1. We establish a special team to support this big project. Before starting the translation, we draft detailed plans to make clear responsibility of each person. From PMs, RMs to different linguists and even engineers, everyone is committed to reach their own small goal so as to reach the final target. We would say the seamless coordination between all people us is one of the key to the final successful achievement.
2. As the source files cover different kinds of fields like marketing, IT, technical, etc, it requests a higher standards of linguists’ knowledge and experience. He/she could not only be one field elite, but a versatile talent. Thus, with support of our diligent resource managers, linguists’ resources are under good management and they all play good roles in different kinds of translation. Learn together and grow together!
3. Though we are in need of huge translation resources, we never lower our standards of selecting translators. Before official cooperation, a time limited translation test is a must. Only who those reach a 4/5 score could be passed to next selection step. After translation test, he/she will work with at least 5 translation tasks within 1K words. In this process, random check is continued. For those who have any complaint or score lower than 3, he or she will never be arranged jobs. Usually this process will last for two weeks. But to support in this project, our resource mangers shorten it into 2 days. Only those who passed two phrases get a chance to work on the big project. And thanks to this strict process, we did not get any complaint or feedback about the translation quality in the whole project.
4. Mature project manager is also one key to the smooth translation process. There are up to 20 project managers in the project and each of them need to communicate at least 30 linguists every day. When you see their project plan and record, you can’t tell how professional they are as all details are focused. Project guideline is 100% sure to be transferred to linguists before translation.
5. One key we must share is the QA system. In this batch delivery is implemented. Apart from this, we establish a QA team to accelerate the machine and human checking process. Afterwards we will ask client to give a quick check, too. With confirmation by both parties, TM and terminology about the beginning 20% translation are established. This does save time in the rest 80% translation.
6. For better communication, apart from email, we use several apps to support. One is Wechat. With group establishment, both text and voice messages benefit transferring instruction, update and unexpected situation explanation. And other two are Skype and Whatsapp. We use both apps to communicate with linguists to reach instant message. In this way, we even tackle down time difference problems.

Feedback management:

As there are many details to keep consistent in big projects, we indeed receive some feedbacks and most of them are punctuation consistency, and file font format. We took positive attitude towards all questions and problems. And we focused on coming up through effective solutions to this feedback at once and have them update within a working day.

Conclusion:

We are glad to hear from client that they are very satisfied with our service in this project. Though it did not go smoothly and there is progress to make, we did show our strength and considerate solutions to our client, which increase their confidence on our team. We learnt a lot from this project and we continue to offer our client with customized language solutions from then on, from simple translation project to voice-over project. Even small project with only dozens of words, we take it seriously to build up a long-term cooperation with our client.

We are not selling to you but helping you. That is how we keep trust relationship with all of our client!