case study 2

Translation from English to 8 Foreign languages (Fabric & Care Instruction)

Customer Background: Ecolab Inc., founded by Merrit J. Osborn, is a global sustainability leader offering water, hygiene, and infection prevention solutions and services that protect people and the resources vital to life. Established in 1923, Ecolab, headquartered in Minnesota, U.S., aims to provide hygiene solutions to various industries, including food, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing.

Service:  Translation
Source language:  English
Target Language:  Brazilian Portuguese, European French, LA Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Japanese, Korean
Word count:  15000 words
Deadline:  8 working days
Delivery format:  PPT
Area/Industry:  Fabric & Care Instruction

Introduction

  • All content within the PowerPoint, including that also found in the notes section. However, the content extracted from software screenshots or blurred images also needs to be translated.
  • In the translated PowerPoint, it was ensured that terms in the Excel sheet were presented bilingually (in English as well as the translated language), and any terms that caused confusion were highlighted.

Challenges

  • The deadline seemed slightly tight, especially given the extensive formatting required for the PowerPoint due to the inclusion of numerous small and large images.
  • In certain languages, sentences tended to be longer, which made the task of fitting them into smaller images quite challenging and time-consuming.
  • Maintaining consistency with certain specific terms in bilingual format posed a challenge, as they appeared in various forms such as lowercase, uppercase, with hyphens, or without hyphens in different instances.
  • Moreover, certain terms in languages like Spanish, French, Portuguese, and Italian were typically used in their original form, yet the client requested these terms to be presented in a bilingual format.

Our solution

  • The task was delegated employing a CAT tool to ensure optimal formatting and consistency retention.
  • Project managers dedicated considerable time to the finalization of the PPT file, meticulously overseeing the formatting process to ensure adherence to instructions.
  • Several calls were conducted with the client to resolve any uncertainties regarding the terms requiring bilingual formatting, which were presented with variations within the file.
  • Our account manager attempted to discuss the deadline negotiation with the customer concurrently.

The result

The project was completed within 8 working days, meeting budget constraints and delivering high-quality translations. Our determination, commitment, and hard work enabled us to complete the project within the given deadline.

The client was left impressed by our performance, leading them to collaborate with us for future projects.

Conclusion

As the project delivery format was PPT, it involved numerous images and hence required extensive formatting efforts. In such cases, it is advisable to respectfully negotiate additional time with the client. This allows for editing and LSO to be performed directly within the actual file format rather than relying solely on a CAT tool.

Seamless project delivery helped us to satisfy our client and establish a long-standing partnership with them. Accuracy, high-quality, and thorough work often helps us to retain our clients.