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Best Practices for In-Country Review
Tatiana Harrison, VP of Sales and Operations
Client Reviews
But a poorly designed and executed review process can become a time sink, and making meaningful use of the results can require a lot of additional effort.
• Common with mid- to large-size translation buyers
• Required in some verticals
• Client review is a recognized best practice
Why Review Translations?
In-country review is a best practice in producing high-quality localized products, but not everyone has the same goals and drivers.
• Quality assurance
• Brand protection
• Regional buy-in
• Regulatory compliance
• Risk mitigation
So Why Does the Review Process Fail?
• Reviewer doesn’t have the right skills
• Timelines for review not realistic
• Reviewer doesn’t have time to spend on the task
• Reviewer doesn’t understand the importance of the task
• No defined process
• No defined scope for the review
• Lack of reference/support materials
• Reviewers change with each project
What Is the Impact of a Failed Review Process?
• Additional time and cost on both sides to resolve misleading comments
• Slipped project timelines, resulting in lost revenue
• Lack of consistency in feedback from one project to the next degrades branding and linguistic quality
• Loss of control over the corporate message
• Reduced TM leverage due to limitations in how the linguistic assets can be used
• Unfounded stress and uneasiness about the company’s translation solution
How Can You Improve The Review Process?
First and foremost:
Know what you are trying to achieve with your review process.
If you don’t have a clear objective, the process is likely to fail!
Types of Reviews – Areas of Focus
• “In-house” review
–Control brand and company messaging
–Quality check from trusted resource
• Technical review
–Ensure that technical information is conveyed correctly
–Recommended for projects that involve highly technical or scientific content
• Legal review
–Compliance with local market laws
• 3rd-party review
–Risk mitigation (e.g. regulated industries like medical)
–Checks and balances for translation vendor
When to Review – Project Stages
• Terminology review
– Happens at the front-end of a translation project
– Feedback and agreement on core terminology before the full content is translated
• Early “sampling” review
– Takes place while translation is underway
– Provides early warning of significant linguistic issues
• Translation review
– Takes place post-translation but pre-production
– Focus on content only – significantly easier to implement changes at this point
• Final review or acceptance review
– Takes place post-production, when product is presumed to be “final”
– Keep in mind that major changes at this point require significant rework
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Who Makes a Good Reviewer?
The Right Person for the Job
• Good writing skills in the target language
• Good understanding of the source language
• Can properly represent the company’s brand and voice
• Appropriate level of technical knowledge relevant to the subject matter
Other Considerations for Reviewers
• Try to use the same reviewers from one project to the next
–Promotes familiarity with agreed terminology
–Avoids inconsistent feedback and stylistic flip-flops
–Builds rapport and trust with the translation team
• “Reviewer” is rarely a full-time role
–Is the time allocated commercially realistic?
–What is the plan if the review isn’t completed as scheduled?
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Best Practice for the Review Process
Define the Scope of the Review
What should the reviewer look for?What is “out of bounds”?
• Spelling, grammar and word-choice errors
• Technical accuracy
• Branding issues
• Non-branding stylistic elements
• Legal issues
Provide a Foundation for Success
Provide good support and reference materials to the reviewer
• Approved terminology
• Style guide
• If no target-language style guide, is there one for the source-language?
• Codify language- or country-specific guidelines
• Source-language content
Define the Platform for the Review
How is the review performed and how should changes be communicated?
• On-line system that supports review
• Modification of source files (use change-tracking)
• Marked up PDF
• Marked-up hardcopy
• Overly summarized feedback
Options:
Avoid:
Define Who Has the Final Say
• Is there a rebuttal process in place?
• Is the translator allowed direct communication with the reviewer?
• If the two sides can’t agree, who has the final say?
• Do the rules change with different types of content?
• Do the rules change with different types of review or with different reviewers?
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Summary of Best Practices
Best Practices for Review
• Define the goals of the review cycle
• Identify the right reviewer(s) and use them consistently
• Define the scope of the review
• Define the process and mechanism
• Set realistic timelines
• Define an appropriate rebuttal process
• Promote direct dialog between the translator and the reviewer (in language)