By Liz Elting
Business 2 Community - September 18, 2012
Your company has an eye on attracting global consumers and it’s time to step up your game with translated and localized outreach. How do you choose a language services provider (LSP) to help you reach your goals? Some companies offer the kind of localization support your business needs; others offer support that may not meet your company’s specific requirements. Start by using the following points:
1. The size of your business
Think about what your company needs and your budget. Do you want a provider that can handle all of your multicultural language needs across the business? For example, do you require your provider to have experience with translating copy and reviewing photos or images to be sure they don’t have negative associations locally? If so, consider vendors with offices in local markets and access to a wide pool of specialized language resources. That kind of reach will make the enterprise translation process much easier to manage.
2. The workflow process
Look at how vendors will structure your account. Will you get a dedicated project team that will get to know your specific preferences and offerings? Who will lead it, and will they be available around the clock? How will the project management process work, and will it include an internal review process, if you want one?
3. Quality control
LSPs should be able to confirm their expertise with plenty of external certification, like International Organization of Standardization (ISO) certifications, which work like quality guarantees because they require third-party evaluations. You can also assess the quality of an LSP’s work by asking questions about outsourcing, staff expertise, and the vetting process for freelancers, the use of machine translation and related tools to reduce cost, and whether or not they create style guides and glossaries for each client.
4. Technology access
Do they have a track record of successfully using translation memory and a combination of machine translation and human expertise to lower costs? Ask your potential vendors about their experience using technology and whether they can offer you a portal that provides a simple way to upload, track, and download projects. You can also ask questions about the vendor’s ability to support third-party or internal technology resources as part of the everyday workflow process.
The success of your multilingual outreach rests in large part on your selection of the right LSP. To make sure the vendor you choose is a good fit for your business and its needs, ask questions focused on technology use, budget expectations, quality control, track record, and human expertise.