• What is transcreation? 
• What’s the difference between transcreation and translation? 

• How does transcreation differ from localization? 
• When is transcreation the right way to go?

What is transcreation?

Transcreation refers to a freer approach to translating texts that takes the culture of the target market into account. As the term indicates, it combines the act of translation with the creation of new copy. Transcreation is often the method of choice in international marketing and the translation of advertising material. It’s useful in more than just creative campaigns, however; this approach can benefit any type of communication that can affect the image of a company or an individual.

The concept of transcreation is nothing new. Language service providers have been offering this service under different names for years. Whether it’s “marketing translation”, “creative translation”, or “cultural adaptation”, the goal is the same: coming up with copy that engages international audiences as effectively as the source material does in its original market.

The demand for this type of service has grown tremendously in recent years. Due to the ongoing process of globalization, more and more companies are developing an interest in creating international texts, translating their advertising, or localizing their websites. People are also becoming increasingly aware of the notion that cross-cultural marketing requires a more creative translation approach.

iWhat’s the difference between transcreation, translation, and localization?

These three terms are often used more or less interchangeably. But what exactly does each of these services involve? At the end of the day, they all attempt to make content accessible to foreign audiences. Where they differ is in the amount of nuance in their respective approaches.

Translation

The translation process is about converting a text into another language while remaining as true to the source as possible. The texts involved typically contain a large amount of information, but aren’t designed to win the reader over – think technical documents, medical reports, user manuals, white papers, and the like. Here, translators need to have technical knowledge of the field in question and the ability to reproduce the tone and style of the original material.

Localization

Localization takes translation a step further. Besides taking on the language of a given target market, it factors in cultural aspects and other local characteristics, from units and measurement and the way prices are quoted to appropriate metaphors and the colors chosen for layouts. Meanwhile, the translator ensures that the text content meets all the expectations of its intended audience.

Consider this example: A company wants to take an ad campaign designed for the United States and localize it for the European market. The U.S. version includes a reference to the Super Bowl – which is quite the spectacle in American football, but more of a niche interest across the pond. After conferring with the customer, the translator therefore replaces the reference with one to a sporting event that draws a similar amount of enthusiasm in Europe: the World Cup. This helps the campaign resonate better with its new target audience.

The localization process also takes culture-specific associations into consideration to avoid negative perceptions. In Japan, for example, chrysanthemums are a symbol of happiness and prosperity. They would have a very different effect in an ad campaign in Italy, however, where they represent death and mourning. An awareness of such stark differences in meaning is essential in global marketing.

Transcreation

The third and most nuanced level is transcreation. This service is best suited to content that really needs to be compelling and emotionally evocative. Instead of adapting existing text as in the case of translation and localization, the creative simply uses the source material as inspiration to write new content of the same level of quality for international marketing and advertising purposes. Since this frequently involves changing the structure of a text or the less important parts thereof along with the language itself, the source and target material can end up being quite different. The only thing they both need to convey is the same underlying message.

A good transcreation is on par with content written by a native speaker in every respect. For those who do this type of work, insights into the home and target markets at hand are just as essential as technical expertise and linguistic finesse. Transcreation specialists also need writing skills similar to those of marketing and advertising experts who work in one specific language. Their job is to present a source text in a new form that will engage the intended audience on an emotional level.

In the case of our Super Bowl example, a transcreation would go further than localizing the sporting event in question. The entire campaign might be realigned to elicit feelings of fun and excitement in the target group in a different way.

Meanwhile, there’s another difference between translation and transcreation: In projects of the latter variety, the customer is usually provided with several proposals for certain elements – especially taglines, headlines, and slogans. They can then make the final decisions and retain control of their campaign’s creative direction.

When is transcreation the right way to go?

As a general rule, if you want to impress, convince, or motivate your target audience, transcreation is what you need.

Here are some examples of content that benefits from a more creative approach to translation:

• Press releases 
• Corporate brochures 
• Websites 
• SEO content 
• Subtitles 
• Social media posts 
• Direct marketing mailings 
• Newsletters 
• Articles in periodicals and trade journals 
• Job postings 
• Résumés and job applications 
• Product catalogs 
• Posters and flyers 
• Presentations and speeches

Examples of successful transcreation campaigns

Many international marketing campaigns have succeeded because some wise soul made the decision to forgo a literal translation. The slogan used by the German candy company Haribo offers a well-known example. You might have to trust us on this, but the direct English translation – “Haribo makes children happy, and adults as well” – isn’t quite as catchy as the original German (“Haribo macht Kinder froh, und Erwachsene ebenso”). Instead, the company opted to let its translators get creative with the jingle, which eventually resulted in “Kids and grown-ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo”. This captures the same sing-song quality of the German version while retaining the enjoyment-for-all-ages message.

Sometimes, even brand names can be transcreated. Coca-Cola, for instance, has adopted a slightly modified trademark in China to evoke positive emotions. The brand’s Chinese characters are pronounced “ko kou ko le”, which roughly means “delicious delight”. This makes for a more attractive brand.

Unfortunately, there have been other situations in which companies failed to recognize transcreation as the ideal solution. As long as we’re in China, let’s recall the time when KFC was attempting to gain a wing-hold in the country and needed a memorable translation of its famous English slogan, “Finger Lickin’ Good”. It certainly succeeded with “Eat Your Fingers Off”, but probably not in the way it had hoped.

Tips for successful international texts

Creative translations take time, effort, and talent. The more information is provided along with a request, the better the end result will be. Just as those who write ad copy use briefings from customers as guidance in their creative process, transcreation specialists need the same kind of orientation to understand their customers’ intentions and underlying brand values, as well as the expectations of the target audience at hand. If you give them as much corresponding information as possible, you’ll save time and the effort it takes to do related research, which ultimately keeps costs down.

To ensure the success of marketing translations, these briefings should cover the following:

• Background information on the company and the project in question 
• Further information on the product or service to be advertised 
• Insights into the personality, values, and positioning of the corresponding brand 
• The desired tone of the content 
• The readership/target group the customer hopes to reach 
• The intended message 
• The planned sales channel for the text produced 
• Image material that will accompany the text 
• Explanations of specific terminology, cultural references, and image material 
• Reference materials

Collaboration is key

When it comes to marketing translations and other image-relevant localization projects, it helps when customers work closely with their language service providers. The process is more extensive than in normal translation projects, but it pays off in the end. After all, your brand’s image is one of your most important assets, and you don’t want to put it in the wrong hands.

Lexsys can help you find the right service for your next global marketing campaign. Our team is made up of highly qualified translators, localization specialists, and transcreation experts with many years of marketing experience. If you’d like to discuss how we can help you carry out international advertising and image campaigns that will really resonate with your target markets, get in touch with us today.

The answer lies in post-editing. To find out how you can use this process to improve the quality of machine translations and when the combination of MT and post-editing is the right choice, simply read on.

What is machine translation post-editing (MTPE)?

Machine translation uses translation software or an (often free) online translation service to convert text from one language to another. Unfortunately, this fully automated process seldom delivers flawless results. Stilted sentences and improper terminology are quite common, and there’s no way to tailor a text to a particular target audience.

This doesn’t mean you should write off MT tools entirely, though. With a little human assistance, you can turn machine-generated texts into usable content. This is where post-editing by a qualified language expert comes in.

In post-editing, we distinguish between two levels of quality:

1. Light PE: Here, the goal is just to make a text understandable. Style and flow are disregarded entirely, and a certain amount of typos is even tolerated.
2. Full PE: In this case, readers should no longer be able to tell that the text in question was originally produced by a computer. All aspects of style and quality should be on par with translations created by human professionals.

Post-editing can therefore be considered a combination of proofreading and translation.

What advantages does post-editing offer?

Due to the regularity of updates that need to be made available in multiple languages as quickly as possible, software is one prominent area in which machine translation is now indispensable. It would be logistically impossible to have that much text translated by people on such tight deadlines.

The fully automated translation of software documentation – without any human revision whatsoever – is actually now part of the daily routine in the IT industry. In this context, quantity definitely trumps quality.

Meanwhile, machine translation is gaining importance in other sectors, as well. In combination with post-editing, it offers a balance of quality and affordability:

• Simply put, automated translation is usually cheaper than hiring a human translator.
• Post-editing safeguards certain standards of quality.
• An MT system can translate thousands of words in mere seconds, which speeds up the process of bringing products to market.

When does it make sense to post-edit machine translations?

Is post-editing the right option for your texts? When making this decision, you should keep a number of factors in mind.

• Is the text in question meant for internal or external purposes? Translations that only need to provide information to an internal audience are often solid candidates for neural machine translation with light post-editing. If a text is meant for public consumption, however, you should consider full PE – or in some cases, professional translation right from the start (see below).
• What’s your budget? If you’re dealing with large volumes of text, many different languages, and/or a tight schedule, MT might actually be your only viable option. Remember, though, that full post-editing will take a great deal of time and could eat up the savings you were hoping to realize on the translation side.
• How complicated is your source text? Is it clearly written and easy to understand? Is the context readily apparent? Ambiguities and complex structures in your original content can be too much for MT systems to handle. Words with multiple meanings also pose a challenge to these systems, especially when the frame of reference isn’t 100% clear. For example, is the word “table” referring to surface for eating or a chart of figures?
• Does your text contain a lot of repetitions? If phrases, sentences, or even entire paragraphs come up time and again in the same exact form, machine translation can be a sensible option – even in combination with full post-editing. This is particularly true when you have translation memory databases to fall back on.

When should you avoid machine translation?

The tandem of neural MT and post-editing isn’t always enough to ensure that a text will have the desired effect on its target readership. Marketing and advertising content offers a perfect example: In the vast majority of such cases, revising an automated translation doesn’t save much time at all. Going this route can even be more involved – and thus more expensive – than going with a professional from the beginning!

As a general rule, if you want to get an emotional message across, win people over, or maintain your brand’s good image, machine translation systems simply aren’t up to the task.

Furthermore, the use of online tools raises questions related to data privacy law. These free services store the data users enter on the servers of the respective providers, after all, where it’s typically processed further. Of course, confidential information, personal data, and content under copyright should generally not be put online in the first place.

Tips on ensuring quality texts with MTPE

Have you decided to give machine translation and post-editing a shot? The following recommendations can help you increase the quality of automatically translated texts while reducing the overall costs involved.

1. Memento GIGO

The computer scientists out there will already be familiar with the axiom “garbage in, garbage out”, and the same applies to MT: The better your source texts are, the better your results will be when using automated translation.

This is another reason to make sure that your original content is as flawless and comprehensible as possible. More and more technical documentation is being written in plain language, for example, which offers advantages both to users and in the translation process itself. When you invest more time in your texts, it usually won’t take as long to translate and post-edit them.

2. Don’t lose sight of your text’s purpose and audience

With every translation, it’s important to be aware of the intended readers and how you want them to use the content in question.

• Machine translation and light post-editing can suffice for purely informal texts that are meant solely for internal purposes.
• For translations that contain key details or are designed for a more critical audience (or the general public), full PE is essential.

3. Choose your post-editing specialists with care

Post-editing isn’t the same as normal proofreading. Since computers make different mistakes than people do, polishing up machine translations requires particular qualifications and training. The keen-eyed specialists in this area are often translators, but not every translator makes a good post-editor. The requirements a sound post-editing process should meet are defined in ISO Standard 18587:2017.

Our translators are experts in their respective fields, which range from finance and technology to marketing and PR. If you’re playing around with the idea of entrusting your translations to a computer, get in touch with us. We know how machine translation can be a key resource on the path to international success, and we’ll be happy to advise you on the different MTPE options out there. Together, we can fine-tune your texts to your target audience in line with your budget and timeline.

Companies with international business connections can’t ignore social and linguistic shifts like these. The right choice of words can make the difference between success and failure in negotiations, deals, marketing campaigns, and relationships with customers.

What is politically correct language?

Political correctness (sometimes shortened to “PC”) can be traced back to the 1980s, when U.S. students who were denouncing racism, colonialism, and sexism in teaching, research, and language swelled into a movement.

This debate gradually permeated the general public, where it eventually resulted in calls for more “sensitive” terminology in everyday expressions. This meant avoiding the use of prejudicial or offensive words and figures of speech and being inclusive with regard to minorities.

The anti-racist, non-discriminatory, and gender-sensitive vocabulary that emerged is often referred to as inclusive language.

Finding replacements for racially charged terms   

More and more companies are making an effort to use politically correct language in both their external and internal communication.

There’s plenty of room for improvement in this regard, especially in IT and technical documentation. The standard vocabulary used in these fields contains a number of qualitative terms with racist undertones, such as “whitelist”, “blacklist”, and various compound words that include “master” or “slave” (“master language”, “slave report”).

According to leading software corporations like Microsoft and SAP, this needs to change. The former has declared its commitment to using non-discriminatory speech both within and outside its organization. To that end, it has also established a working group dedicated to the topic of inclusive language.

SAP, meanwhile, has resolved to replace words that have racist connotations with non-prejudicial terminology For example, the terms “leading” or “source” are to be used instead of “master” depending on the context. Rather than “slave”, words like “subsequent” or “replica” are appropriate ways to describe subordinate entities. “Blacklists” are now “blocklists”, “exclude lists”, or “avoid lists”, and “whitelists” have given way to “allow lists”, “include lists”, and “prefer lists”.

Racist undertones rear their ugly head in other areas, as well. In the U.S., real estate agents and architecture firms have therefore begun using the term “primary bedroom” of late instead of “master bedroom”. People are now even taking a dim view of “scrum master”, as well, which is a relatively modern job title in agile project management.

Raising awareness of discriminatory language

The movement toward inclusive language reflects society’s greater awareness of certain subjects, from racism and ableism to the debate surrounding gender. Here, speech is considered non-discriminatory when it avoids the use of stereotypes and addresses everyone equally, regardless of the following:

• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Ethnic, national, or religious affiliation
• Social status
• Age
• Disability

Even when it isn’t the speaker’s intention, many common phrases can offend specific groups of people. What’s more, non-native speakers often lack the cultural background knowledge required to perceive the nuances in play. After all, it isn’t always obvious how language can be discriminatory. 

It’s not uncommon for news outlets in the U.S. to describe an economy as “crippled”, for example. This word may seem derogatory to people with disabilities, however, so it’s a good idea to avoid using it in figurative ways like these. 

The same applies to terms like “addict” and “OCD” (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Many people make casual use of these words in referring to excessive habits, but doing so trivializes serious illnesses. 

Words with violent connotations such as “abort”, “execute”, “terminate”, and “kill” can also evoke negative associations and should be avoided in favor of less emotionally charged terms whenever possible.

Be mindful of non-discriminatory language in translations into English

No one wants to come across as offensive or disrespectful, and that’s why finding the right means of expression for your target audience is crucial – especially in international communication. 

Luckily, there are a number of guidelines you can follow to make sure you don’t embarrass yourself inadvertently in your English texts. There are various pitfalls you should generally avoid in politically correct language, for example::

• Pronouns, titles, and other terms that are exclusively male (“chairperson” is more inclusive than “chairman”)
• Defining people by certain attributes (“a person with a disability” rather than “a disabled person”)
• Assumptions regarding gender/sexual orientation (“partner” instead of “boyfriend”/“girlfriend”)
• Generalizations of ethnicity (“Japanese” or “Chinese” rather than simply “Asian”, for instance)

You should also be sure not to describe people in terms that paint entire groups with the same brush or could be viewed as disparaging.

Leave nothing to chance – go with the experts

Politically correct communication requires a feel for the subtleties of the language at hand. Using inclusive language is an ongoing process in which constant adjustments may be necessary. This is why it’s important to bring in experts who are familiar with the modern and historical evolution of your target language.

At Lexsys, we work with native speakers who can translate your technical documentation, internal and external communications, and various other texts into English with a keen awareness of finer aspects that might put off the groups you want to address.

If having English content that’s inclusive and politically correct is important to you, contact us today.

What is a whistleblower? 

The term “whistleblower” has been popping up fairly regularly in the news in recent years. The most well-known related cases have included the revelations made by Edward Snowden regarding the United States National Security Agency and the accounting scandal that recently came to light at the financial service provider Wirecard. But what exactly is a whistleblower? 

Whistleblowers are people who report crimes or injustices, particularly at companies, public agencies, or political organizations. They are usually people who work for such entities, but they can also be job applicants, business partners, or past employees. The sensitive information that whistleblowers make public typically comes from an area that is confidential or otherwise protected. 

Common examples of whistleblower disclosures involve corruption, data misuse, or violations of human rights. 

What the EU Whistleblowing Directive requires of companies 

The directive in question went into effect on December 16, 2019. Since then, it has protected whistleblowers from being fired, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against in retaliation for their actions.  

Whistleblowers have the option of reporting violations internally at their organization or directly to the supervisory authority responsible. In certain cases – when such channels fail to produce a suitable response, for example – they can also take their concerns public. 

According to the EU Whistleblowing Directive, companies with more than 50 employees (and every company in financial services, regardless of its size) will need to adjust to a series of changes. Among other things, they will be required to set up an internal whistleblowing system that can be used to report compliance violations. The identity of each whistleblower must remain confidential in the process. 

What companies need to do to ensure their compliance 

According to the new directive, whistleblowers should be able to report violations both verbally and in writing. Companies will thus be obligated to establish digital reporting systems, phone hotlines, and other such arrangements. Whistleblowers also have the option to raise issues by mail or an organization-internal mailbox. If a whistleblower prefers to meet with someone in person, this can be arranged, as well.  

As for when internal reporting systems like these will need to be in place, different deadlines have been set for companies of varying sizes: 

• Companies with 250 or more employees have two years to comply with this requirement.  
• Companies with between 50 and 249 employees have until December 17, 2023 to set up their internal whistleblowing systems. 

Meanwhile, the timely implementation of an effective whistleblowing system is important in terms of more than “just” compliance. It’s also in a company’s best interests. After all, making an internal reporting channel available can prevent problems from becoming known outside of an organization.   

In addition, the increased protection the directive offers to whistleblowers will encourage informants to draw attention to serious issues at their companies, which will then have the chance to identify risks early on and take corresponding action. Ideally, companies will then be able to avoid financial losses and damage to their reputations. 

How to avoid language barriers in whistleblowing systems 

Whether in implementing these new reporting channels or handling actual messages from whistleblowers, it’s important not to overlook potential language barriers. Companies that have locations in multiple countries and employees with different native languages will soon be required to provide their staff with the same whistleblower protection and equal access to all the components of their reporting systems. 

This means every component has to be made available in the necessary languages, which involves everything from translating online platforms and automated answering services to providing personal interpreters for one-on-one meetings. 

In some cases, the information reported also needs to be translated into various languages. Furthermore, translations may be required to communicate with employees from other countries as part of related investigations. 

Finally, the results of these inquiries may have to be translated into different languages, as well.  

Protecting information at every level 

In all these language services, confidentiality is a top priority. Communicating the information at hand without distorting it in any way is equally important, and it takes linguistic proficiency – along with legal expertise in some cases. At the same time, cultural insights and a keen sense of the finer points of language are also key, especially when it comes to increasing people’s willingness to cooperate. Even slight nuances such as the difference between the terms “investigation” and “internal review” can affect how forthcoming employees will be. 

At Lexsys, we have experienced translators on staff who specialize in a variety of subject areas. Our compliance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation is also ensured because most of our translators meet at least one of the following criteria: 

• They live in the European Union 
• They live in the European Economic Area 
• They live in a country for which an adequacy decision has been adopted by the European Union

For translators who live in other countries, we make use of the EU’s standard contract clauses and risk assessments in line with Schrems II. 

To guarantee secure transfers of data, we always use our own customer portal. This means our customers can rest assured that their confidential information is in good hands.

Are you ready for the EU Whistleblowing Directive? 

We’d be happy to help you set up an effective whistleblowing system at your company. You’ve also come to the right place if you need language support in meeting the requirements of this new directive or for related ongoing investigations. Why not get in touch with us today to set up a free consultation?

In this article, you’ll find out what makes a good project manager, what qualifications and soft skills they need, and what particular abilities are required in the field of translation.

What are soft skills? 

In modern work environments, area-specific expertise is no longer enough to guarantee a project’s success. These days, social, methodological, communicative, and interpersonal competencies – also known as “soft skills“ – are necessary along with business qualifications and technical knowledge. 

In contrast to “hard” skills (which describe the qualifications typical of a given profession), soft skills relate directly to an employee’s personality. For example, many project managers are now expected to be able to: 

• Work as part of a team 
• Work independently 
• Stay organized 
• Assert themselves 
• Handle an increased workload

General competencies project managers need to have 

While the success or failure of a project depends on the abilities of all those involved, the project management skills of the person in charge are particularly crucial. Guiding projects toward the desired results is a big responsibility that not everyone is up to shouldering. That’s why the list of requirements project managers have to meet is long indeed – and soft skills are among the most important, no matter what the industry. 

Successful project leads across a variety of sectors are known to share the following eight key competencies:  

1. Leadership
   Project managers need to be able to motivate their teams and get them committed to achieving common goals. 
2. Problem solving 
   Whether it’s interpersonal conflicts or obstacles in a particular endeavor, good project leads know how to deal with critical situations and find appropriate solutions. 
3. Communication 
   Plenty of studies have shown that communication is one of the most important determinants of a project’s success. Clear instructions and prompt feedback are considered especially crucial in this regard. 
4. Cultural awareness 
   Insights into the cultural backgrounds of team members and other partners helps avoid misunderstandings and resolve conflicts. 
5. Optimism 
   Good project managers see challenges as opportunities. This type of optimistic attitude aids them in getting a handle on stressful situations and meeting the expectations of their customers and teams even when under pressure. 
6. Credibility 
   Professional experience and expertise are key factors in a project manager’s ability to gain the trust of his or her team. 
7. Digital savvy 
   Successful project leads are always on the cutting edge when it comes to modern project-management methods. They also use digital resources to optimize their workflows. 
8. Openness to different systems and platforms 
   Project managers typically deal with complex system landscapes and have to be able to adapt to new programs and processes on a regular basis.

The field of translation requires special project-management skills 

Project managers play a critical part in the translation industry, as well. No agency could function without them: They serve as liaisons between customers and translators and are involved in virtually every step of the translation process. In many cases, a project manager is the customer’s first point of contact and the last person to check the quality of a translation before it’s delivered. 

Making sure that a translation project goes smoothly generally requires a broad range of experience and expertise. Meanwhile, customers aren’t the only ones whom project managers need to keep happy; the same applies to the translators who provide their services to the agency in question. This is often a balancing act that takes tact and a knack for negotiation. 

Project management skills that customers expect from an agency’s employees 

Companies tend to place significant demands on translation agencies they are trusting to ensure their international success. Customers like these expect clear explanations, timely deliveries, and pertinent information as soon as it becomes available. Project managers frequently have to open customers’ eyes to the finer points of the industry, as well. This might relate to the advantages of a professional translation or the differences between language services like transcreation and localization, for example.  

At the same time, customers simply rely on project managers to find the right translator for the job at hand. Not every translator can produce a particular translation; along with knowledge of the target language, the person needs to specialize in the subject in question, whether it’s medical or marketing material. 

And when problems arise, who’s expected to jump in? You guessed it – the people who intermediate between translators and customers. Unfortunately, different time zones often make it difficult to discuss solutions in a straightforward manner. That’s when project managers sometimes have to make decisions on their own to keep projects on track and ensure the customer’s satisfaction. 

Skills that translators expect project managers to have 

Translators have their own list of characteristics they associate with good project managers, and soft skills are once again close to the top. The following competencies are particularly appreciated: 

• Realistic expectations: Good project managers respect limits and understand when translators turn down jobs because they don’t have time or the necessary qualifications. 
• Feedback: Translators appreciate project managers who pass on not just criticism, but compliments, as well.  

• Respect for one’s time: Not all the details of projects are relevant to translators. Effective project managers filter such information down to what’s essential before forwarding it. 
• Empathy: Translators are obviously people, not machines, and they think highly of project managers who show an interest in them and respect them as colleagues. 
• Selling skills: The value of quality language services isn’t always readily apparent. Good project managers thus also have the ability to convince customers of the advantages of a professional translation, which helps in negotiating fair compensation for translators. 

Given the many expectations project managers face, it’s basically impossible for one person to meet them all. It’s more the right combination of project management skills that enables project managers to really gel with their customers and team members. When everyone involved knows what everyone else expects of them, it makes people more willing to accommodate one another – and that’s a key factor in any successful partnership. 

Do you consider synergy an important part of your projects? At Lexsys, the teamwork that takes place among our project managers, translators, and customers is vital to what we do. Our experienced project managers will be right there with you every step of the way, from an initial cost estimate to the final delivery of your translated material (and beyond, if necessary).  

Get in touch with us if you want to put your international projects in dependable hands. You can count on our project managers at Lexsys to offer advice and support as we fine-tune your contracts, online content, technical documentation, and other materials to your target markets. 

The concept of giving instructions is as old as humanity itself. Indeed, even our earliest ancestors taught their fellow tribe members how to whittle spears, hunt wild game, and turn pelts into clothing. They also depicted such processes on the walls of caves – producing the first form of technical communication. In a way, these primitive Stone Age paintings serve as a model for creating and translating technical documentation today. By imparting their directions in a clear and concise manner, they embody the ideal instruction manual.

Using simple terms to describe complex processes is an art form in its own right. It becomes even more important, however, when the resulting documents then need to be translated into several foreign languages. A good technical translation agency knows how to facilitate this workflow. Lexsys, for example, relies on collaboration between its technical writers and translators in optimizing technical communication for the international market. This tandem offers plenty of advantages – for both your company and those who use your products.

How technical writers and translators complement one another

Whether it’s for a cell phone, an app, or a coffee machine, user information is usually required in multiple languages in the age of globalization. Operating manuals and other forms of technical documentation are an essential part of not only safe product use, but the international movement of goods, as well. The need for such documents has grown considerably over the years, and the information involved is more diverse than ever.

Creating product documentation in a manufacturer’s own language is the job of technical writers. Technical translators then handle the task of rendering this technical documentation in the languages of other target markets around the world. The more these two teams work together, the better the end results will be – and that goes for both the original user instructions and the translations.

Technical writers typically remain in close contact with corresponding development teams and are familiar with the products they write about. As a result, they can sometimes slide unwittingly into writing instructions that assume a certain amount of basic knowledge a layperson may not have. Translators, on the other hand, are usually external service providers who don’t have practical experience with the products in question. This makes them better at putting themselves in a first-time user’s shoes, and they can thus provide technical writers with useful feedback on instructions that need to be more specific or easier to understand.

Technical writers, meanwhile, are a key point of contact for translators when they run into spots that need further clarification. When the two sides work together directly, it’s possible to get questions answered more quickly and avoid bottlenecks in communication.

Hallmarks of good technical documentation

One of the most important principles of technical writing is the need to keep things simple. By making instructions as clear and understandable as possible, technical writers enable people to make safe and effective use of their products.

To fulfill the simplicity principle, good technical writers focus on the following:

• Easily understandable language: using terms appropriate for the target group at hand; avoiding technical jargon whenever possible
• Clear sentence structure: formulating concise sentences without complicated clauses
• Precise and consistent terminology: avoiding ambiguous words; using the same terms throughout a given text to prevent misunderstandings

A communication model of this kind not only aids end users in their understanding; it also makes life easier for translators tasked with making product documentation accessible to foreign markets.

Why technical communication turns out better when teams work together

Having technical writers and translators collaborate optimizes the process of creating technical documentation in a variety of ways. Ideally, this cooperation starts even before the actual writing and goes on to include every step up to the point a product’s documentation is published in multiple languages.

Terminology

At the beginning of a project, translators and technical writers should join forces to compile the technical vocabulary that will be required in the languages in question and create terminology databases that are accessible to all those involved. This ensures consistency in describing important concepts and minimizes follow-up questions.

Quality

In many cases, translators are the first people to read a text. The translation process then often reveals questions or problems that can be avoided by making slight changes to the original wording. Furthermore, minor mistakes or inconsistencies in technical documentation sometimes don’t come to light until this work begins. By providing for additional quality control, close collaboration between writers and translators helps improve documents in all the languages at hand.

Efficiency

Having a direct line of communication between technical writers and translators can save a considerable amount of time when questions arise. Imagine, for example, that an operating manual needs to be translated from English into German. The text contains variables that require a different article (der, die, or das) in German depending on the word replaced in each case. Without knowing which word was substituted by a given variable, it’s impossible to construct a grammatically correct sentence. However, this problem can be solved in no time simply by consulting the author.

This cooperation also offers another advantage in that it enables technical writers to submit product documentation for translation in phases. By speeding up the translation process, this ultimately results in a shorter time-to-market.

All these aspects show how teamwork quickly pays off in creating international product documentation. If you need assistance with technical writing, translation, or the entire process, feel free to contact us. Our native-language experts will be happy to provide you with proactive support you in creating both internal and external technical documentation.

Today, however, you won’t find many laughing about machine translation (MT). Indeed, the past several years have seen it evolve from a primitive solution for emergencies into an alternative that has to be taken seriously in the translation market. This hardly means that human translators should start looking for new jobs, though – or that you’ll be able to leave your own translations to Google or DeepL in the future. 

In this article, you’ll learn about the kinds of texts that are suitable for machine translation and which should be entrusted to a living, breathing expert. To find out which method will best meet your needs, simply read on. 

Machine translation continues to improve 

Thanks to huge strides in artificial intelligence and computational linguistics, the performance of machine (or automatic) translation solutions has advanced significantly in recent years. In early 2018, specialists from Microsoft Research caused something of a stir when they claimed to have achieved parity in Chinese-to-English machine translation – meaning that their results were indistinguishable from those produced by a human. 

While the team’s bold statements should be taken with a grain of salt, there’s no question that the quality delivered by machines is fulfilling ever higher expectations. This is mainly due to the fact that modern translation programs are capable of processing tremendous amounts of data (i.e. text) in just seconds. As a result, their output now bears little resemblance to the meaningless hodge-podge of words typically churned out by translation software a mere decade ago. In some cases, they actually do come impressively close to the work of a human translator. 

The quality of the text produced fundamentally depends on the type of machine translation applied. Here, we differentiate among three different approaches: rule-based, statistical, and neural MT. 

Rule-based machine translation

This method analyzes the source text and restructures it in the target language based on linguistic and grammatical rules, as well as dictionary templates. While its results are consistent, they can range from useful to somewhat silly depending on the text and language pair at hand. 

Statistical machine translation 

Statistical systems “learn” how to translate by analyzing massive sets of data. The translation itself is then performed based on bilingual text corpora that provide statistical probability models. The results have a certain flow, but are less logical. 

Neural machine translation 

Neural machine translation (NMT) relies on complex neural networks. In this approach, associations are produced for each individual word based on those adjacent to it. The more training material a system receives, the more accurate its translations become. 

While NMT is still relatively new, it’s becoming increasingly popular. And it’s not just private users and frugal companies that are taking advantage: More and more professional translators are using the natural-sounding output NMT can quickly provide as a way to increase their own productivity. 

When does machine translation make sense? 

Automatic translation can be worth a look in certain situations. If you want to translate texts for internal use, for example, and the information itself is more important than how well it’s presented, a machine translation tool might be just what you’re after. 

Here are some possible candidates for MT: 

• E-mails with colleagues abroad 
• Foreign-language press articles that you only need to boil down to the essential information 
• User-generated content such as reviews or comments on blog posts (a bit of post-editing is advisable to ensure comprehensibility) 
• Product information that only provides basic data (here, full post-editing is a good idea to make sure that all the key content has been properly adapted to the target market in question). Not to be confused with product descriptions, which serve more of a marketing-oriented purpose! 

These example applications all require prior deep-learning training of the MT solution used in order to produce accurate results in the context at hand. 

What are the limits of machine translation? 

Just because someone speaks a language doesn’t mean he or she is good at writing it. The same applies to computers. By the same token, not everyone has a knack for blogging, writing copy, or crafting bestsellers. This is why texts that need to meet a certain standard of style – to evoke emotion or win the reader over, for instance – aren’t a good fit for a machine. Technical content featuring complex sentence structures and specialist jargon also requires a human touch. 

Take a phrase like “tighten our belts”: While AI is getting better and better at making sound assumptions based on context, a translation program won’t always know whether a company’s revenues are down or waistlines are actually involved. Problems can also arise when key terms need to be translated differently within the same document. The German word Anfrage, for example, can mean “request”, “inquiry”, or “query” in English. An MT solution without the capacity for memory might not be able to determine which translation is appropriate in each case. 

Meanwhile, there’s something else machine translation lacks: cultural insight. Particularly in the field of marketing, it’s important to account for the local idiosyncrasies of your target market. Imagine a U.S. manufacturer of spider spray wanted to advertise its product’s effectiveness against black widows and brown recluses in Europe. It could save itself the trouble of translating this message into one language, at least: These species aren’t common in Germany! An experienced translator would bring this to the company’s attention and perhaps suggest some poisonous pests that are actually prevalent in the country. 

Post-editing to ensure quality 

So far, we may have given you the impression that machine translation has no business handling content meant for PR purposes, but that isn’t exactly true. With relatively little effort, the raw translations produced with such solutions can be refined into texts that hold up to public scrutiny. This type of post-editing is an interesting option for companies because it sometimes enables them to avoid considerable costs. 

Human translation can get expensive, after all – especially when large amounts of text are involved. This is where post-editors come in: These qualified translation specialists have in-depth knowledge of a particular language pair, which enables them to polish machine-translated texts to a shine. At Lexsys, our post-editing experts will leverage their extensive experience in translation, proofreading, and revision to ensure that your machine-translated texts read like they were written by a professional native speaker. 

Whether you’re already making active use of MT or are still weighing up the pros and cons, we can help you transform your texts into appealing translations without stretching your budget. If you’d like to learn more about how we can meet your needs, contact us today to set up an appointment.