Manufacturing is a worldwide endeavor. For this and other reasons, more companies turn to manufacturing translation services to ensure that their message is being communicated to a worldwide audience. Clearly, taking steps to guarantee that your message is accurately communicated is a vital part of expanding your reach and client base.
But there is another, perhaps bigger, challenge facing the manufacturing industry. Today, the process of converting raw materials into finished products often involves multiple countries, locations, and languages.
As industrial manufacturing companies increasingly expand into international markets, it becomes increasingly challenging to coordinate all the communication and instruction points along the way.
To compete in today’s globally connected world, manufacturing companies need a language service partner who really understands the challenges of not just technical translation, but also how to ensure the flow of information is seamless, fast, and accurate. In this blog article, we discuss key criteria you may want to consider before choosing an LSP for your manufacturing translation services.
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Tip #1: Language Industry Experience
While any quality-conscious business will consider the level of experience of an LSP, this tip bears emphasizing when it comes to technical translation. The need for clear and accurate translations is especially important in manufacturing, engineering, or science. And because of the technical nature of the text, in most cases, it’s not sufficient to use a native speaker. You will also want professional translators qualified in specific subject areas.
Here are some questions to ask:
- How long has the LSP been in business?
- Who are the key personnel you’ll be working with and what are their work histories?
- Are there current clients you could talk with or testimonials to read?
Although there’s not necessarily a direct correlation between years in business and quality of service, the odds are good that LSPs that have been around longer have a better understanding of the industry and can guide you as your business grows. Established players in the area of manufacturing translation services with strong testimonials are likely to be solid choices.
Tip #2: Accreditation
Pay attention to any relevant accreditations that your prospective LSP has attained. If your LSP is a member of an organization like GALA (the Globalization and Localization Association), that’s a good indication that they are committed to upholding industry-wide values.
Tip #3: Manufacturing Translation Experience
Not all translation types are the same. If you’ve used an LSP to help your company with a marketing project, for example, that doesn’t mean you can expect the same quality of work for technical translation. Make sure your contact at the prospective manufacturing translation services provider can speak to the specifics of your project and you are comfortable that their experts understand technical translation requirements.
Tip #4: Sample Project and Sample Translation
Often the best way to gauge the quality of the work you’ll receive is also the simplest. If an LSP is serious about delivering on what they promise, they should have no trouble sharing a sample translation or walking you through a previous project as a sample to give you a sense of what you can expect.
Here’s an example of what a sample project might look like:
A Sample Project:
At Alpha Omega Translations, our expert linguists and translation professionals regularly complete technical translation projects for manufacturing companies in need of adapting their instruction manuals, manufacturing documents, patents, and other multilingual projects.
Manufacturing equipment and software is often used by people around the world who need to understand all of the instructions in order for devices to work properly and to ensure the safety of everyone involved. For this reason, manufacturing companies commission Alpha Omega Translations to complete translations (along with review, quality assurance, and proofreading) of their technical manuals.
Recently, Alpha Omega completed an instruction manual translation for a world leader in industrial weighing and automation. The manual was to provide information about a product upgrade.
Key info:
- Because of the project scope (over 150 pages), our client delivered original files for translation in several pieces over the course of two months.
- Most of the text was in Word and Excel, along with some CAD drawings and supporting files in PDF format.
- Our experts collected all of the files and used specialized tools to streamline the data into a single, consistent, user-friendly file format.
- Then our layout experts took over the work of rearranging the files and content (text and images) into an appropriate, source-based template.
Some of the PDF files turned out to be problematic. Regardless of some small snags along the way, our team of specialists dealt with all the issues and succeeded in completing all the work on time and to our client’s full satisfaction.
Sample projects and sample translations are an important part of the hiring process because it will help you decide what level of knowledge of the industry, products, and practices you require. This is also important because it gives you the chance to gain valuable insight into their approach to work and any possible red flags before you commit to an expensive and lengthy contract.
Tip #5: Dedicated Project Management
Finally, as you consider what kind of LSP is best for your manufacturing translation services, you’ll want to bear in mind that for any large translation or localization project, several individuals will be involved throughout the process.
At Alpha Omega, we believe strongly that having a dedicated project manager is crucial to keeping your project on track. That’s why we assign two dedicated project managers to each client project. Project managers decide how best to organize workflow, assign tasks, and set up milestones. Insisting on a project manager with your LSP also means you will have a clear point of contact for status updates or any questions that may arise.
At Alpha Omega Translations, we understand the challenges companies face when operating globally. For this reason, we tailor our manufacturing translation services to our clients’ needs and business structure. Whether you are a global business seeking integration across business units or a mid-size manufacturer looking for the right partner to support you on your global journey, we have a solution for you. Request your free quote today!