Month: August 2019

A Step-by-Step Guide to Project Management for a Language Service Provider - Portada
26/08/2019

A Step-by-Step Guide to Project Management for a Language Service Provider

Posted on | by Carolina Arriagada | Leave a Comment on A Step-by-Step Guide to Project Management for a Language Service Provider

The project management process is where Language Service Providers (LSPs) can offer the most value. Project management involves managing resources strategically and efficiently. The goal is to ensure that tasks can be completed within deadline and the clients receive quality deliverables. Resources include people, time, technology, and budget. With a systematic framework that includes initiating, planning, and executing, project management is often recognized as a core function of an LSP. Furthermore, project management allows LSPs to meet the needs of their clients and consistently deliver quality projects.

The Process

Every client and project has its own unique scope and specified criteria. The typical project management process flows as follows:

  1. The Account Manager (AM) receives the project from a client, analyzes it, and asks any questions that may arise from the team.
  2. Next, the client receives a quote. To align with requirements from ISO 17100, there must be a clear agreement on deadlines, language pairs, resources, etc. After both parties align, the AM passes the brief to the Project Manager (PM).
  3. The PM reviews the request and takes into account all instructions and requirements from the client. The PM plays a vital role in crafting a strategy and approach to reach these goals. This includes selecting the proper Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools that fit the needs of the project. The PM also decides which translators work best for the scope and if subject matter experts need to be assigned. To select the appropriate team, the PM takes into account additional requirements from ISO 17100. 
  4. After ISO 17100 requirements have been met, the PM assigns the project to the appropriate linguists. 
  5. During the process, the PM relies on project management technology to oversee every step. Terra has developed a proprietary management portal called TerraSoft. The software allows PMs to track project status from start to finish and ensure the highest quality in their deliverables. The objective is to build effective channels of communication between the linguistic team and the AM at every stage of a project. Failure to properly manage a project can result in poor quality work and unanticipated delays. 
  6. The completed project is delivered to the client by the AM. The AM keeps track of the client’s responses or comments ready to share feedback with the team.

Why is an experienced project management team important?

Regardless of size, there are many moving parts and varying degrees of difficulty to a translation project. A seasoned AM and PM are imperative for the execution of every successful project. AMs and PMs skillfully navigate and coordinate efforts so that delivery is made on time and with the highest quality. Communication is a crucial element to this coordination, therefore, AMs and PMs must be well-organized and effective communicators. 

Although more and more functions of project management are being automated as technology evolves, AMs and PMs provide a “human element” that is essential and can never be outsourced. Overvaluing technology can lead to gaps in genuine connection and no opportunity to build rapport with clients. Additionally, unlike machines, AMs and PMs develop expertise in identifying key, high-performing teams of translators, editors, and quality managers to meet project requirements.

Lastly, the AMs and PMs strategically analyze each project with a focus to efficiently maximize budget. This includes identifying repetitive text and creating translation memories for future leverage. They must also ensure a termbase is created and maintained so that it, along with the translation memory, become assets for the client and linguists. Proper maintenance and updates to these resources have a positive impact on the quality of the final project. 

Why does ISO compliance guide project management?

The ISO standard is a globally approved management process. ISO requirements are important throughout the process to properly guide the team toward the highest quality of work. ISO cultivates continuous growth and improvement through guidelines, planning, monitoring, and verifying. These integral guidelines also promote consistency and client satisfaction. Dedicated to strengthening our practice, we proudly earned an ISO 17100 Certification.

To learn more on why the ISO 17100 Certification is a valuable recognition in the industry, read It’s Official! We’re ISO 17100 Certified.

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What is the Danger of an Incorrect Translation of Medical Records?
21/08/2019

What is the Danger of an Incorrect Translation of Medical Records?

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on What is the Danger of an Incorrect Translation of Medical Records?

Caring for patients can come in many forms. And in many languages. For doctors to provide the best care possible to their patients, it is vital they have access to adequately translated medical records. A patient’s medical records contain potentially lifesaving information about their medical histories. Let’s dig deeper into why the proper translation of medical records matters so much.

What Information Does a Medical Record Contain?

Not all medical records will contain the following information. In fact, some people have none to very few medical records at all. But generally, the information below may be found while translating medical records.

  1. Personal identification information: Such as their social security number or their government-issued identification number.
  2. Medical history: Their history may include past diagnoses, medical care records, allergies, and treatments they have received amongst other information.
  3. Family medical history: A patient’s family medical history can help draw attention to genetic health concerns.
  4. Medication history: Doctors need to know about any prescription, herbal, over-the-counter, and even home remedies that a patient may be taking or have taken in the past. 
  5. Treatment history: Knowing if a patient has received a treatment, and whether it was successful or not, is valuable information for a medical provider.
  6. Medical directives: While not all patients will have a medical directive on record, it is important to understand their directives clearly if they do. Generally, this document is kept on file and details the medical wishes of a patient if they are unable to speak for themselves.

Why are Medical Records Important?

All of the information about a patient’s medical history that their record may contain are key pieces of their treatment puzzles. If any of the information in a medical record is mistranslated, patients are no longer receiving the care they deserve.

These records allow physicians and medical staff to better understand a patient’s medical history and current diagnosis. Creating a top-notch treatment plan can also be aided by the complete translation of medical records. 

If a patient is not able to communicate clearly with their doctor, which can happen regardless of a language barrier, the results of treatment can be disastrous. An unknown allergy to a medication can cause fatality. And not knowing what treatments a patient’s body doesn’t respond to can be dangerous and waste precious time.

What Mistranslation Can Cause

One example of the dangers of mistranslating a medical record is an unfortunate story about an English woman living in Spain. Teresa Tarry was supposed to have surgery for a benign lump in 2007. Instead, she left the surgery with 55% incapacity and believed she had a cancerous tumor. Weeks later, she discovered that the lump was not cancerous. The doctors at A Coruna’s Abente y Lago hospital misinterpreted her medical records. A translation mistake led the doctors to believe Tarry had a family history of breast cancer. Even though there was no such history. Without a family history of breast cancer, there was no need for such aggressive preventative treatment. A slight misunderstanding damaged the quality of her health and life forever.

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Terras CEO Joins Management Team for Women in Localization Los Angeles Chapter
13/08/2019

Terra’s CEO Joins Management Team for Women in Localization Los Angeles Chapter

Posted on | by Carolina Arriagada | Leave a Comment on Terra’s CEO Joins Management Team for Women in Localization Los Angeles Chapter

As a female-owned company, we feel a responsibility to support women’s careers and initiatives. Which is why we could not be more proud of Terra’s CEO Marina Ilari for her participation in Women in Localization (W.L.). W.L. is a leading professional organization for women in the localization industry. Marina was recently appointed as a part of the management team of W.L.’s new Los Angeles chapter. This new role will allow her to continue to support women in the localization industry as well as the industry as a whole. Marina is committed to the well-being of our industry, particularly when it comes to helping women succeed. 

About Women in Localization

Silvia Avary-Silveira, Eva Klaudinyova, and Anna N. Schlegel founded W.L. in 2008. This professional organization aims to foster a global community for women in the localization industry. Their mission is to provide an open and collaborative forum for women to share their experiences and expertise. Their goal is to help women move forward in their careers. W.L. began in the San Francisco Bay Area in California and has since expanded globally. They now boast over 5,000 members internationally and encourage members to connect around the world. 

Who Is Marina Ilari?

Marina Ilari, CEO at Terra Translations.

Not only has Terra’s CEO Marina always supported women’s initiatives, but she has generally contributed to the success of the translation and localization industry. For two years she has participated in The American Translators Association’s (ATA) as a Translation Company Division Administrator. ATA was founded in 1959 and is currently the largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the United States. They’ve grown to more than 10,000 members in 90 countries since their inception. Marina reflected on her new role, “I was honored to be invited to take part in the management team for the Los Angeles chapter of Women in Localization. I was particularly excited to work with the amazing four women that are part of the management team with me. We are planning some very exciting events in Los Angeles!”

Why Terra Supports Women in Localization

In order to best serve our clients and community, we believe diversity is key. We can attribute the success of our team to the wide variety of talent that we are so fortunate to work with. Currently, 80% of our staff is made up of extremely hard-working women. Supporting women is always top of mind at Terra. We were founded by women and we’ve received certification as a women-owned business by both the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Women Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). We believe that our clients are best served by a diverse team and plan to continue our efforts to support women and minorities.

“At Terra, we value and support fellow women-led businesses,” Marina Ilari, CEO of Terra. “I’ve been lucky to work with some incredible women who have been great mentors and teachers. I feel that when women get together to support each other there is nothing we can’t achieve. I look forward to promoting inclusion among all translation and localization professionals, and continuing to advance the industry as a whole.”

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Everything you need to know about Desktop Publishing (DTP)!
02/08/2019

What is Desktop Publishing (DTP)?

Posted on | by Carolina Arriagada | 4 Comments on What is Desktop Publishing (DTP)?

The greatest benefit of using a translation company over Google Translate or freelancers is the superior quality of work. This is due to the systematic process and additional oversight put in place by the Language Service Provider (LSP). An integral part of this process is Desktop Publishing (DTP). Typically, one of the final phases in a translation or localization project, DTP is the redesign of a translated document using page layout software. 

Translating or localizing does not always end with the rendering of one language to another. The translated text will often have a different sentence structure and length when compared to the original. German, for example, can be up to 30 percent longer than when translated from English. Arabic is written right-to-left, therefore, translations from Arabic require modifications to the entire layout. From typesetting to graphic placement, many projects need a redesign post-translation. Re-formatting may be necessary for brochures, newspapers, collateral materials, booklets, and manuals. 

The Process

If a document requires heavy formatting, the client will typically send the file in an InDesign or exported PDF file. Translators will work on these files by means of Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools. The tools allow them to focus solely on the text, ensuring quality in the translation and consistency in the terminology. Formatting is a focal point for the DTP specialists, not the linguists.

DTP usually falls near the end of the project management process. After a translation is complete, the project goes to the DTP specialist. The DTP specialist will import the translated text and work on the design. The goal is to mirror the formatting of the original document. They also take a look at numerical formats and ensure they reflect the local currency, time, and date. Lastly, they confirm images are appropriately localized to their target region.

Upon DTP completion, the linguist performs a post-layout review. Educated in specific rules of the target language, linguists leverage their expertise accordingly. They check for new typos, flag incorrect line breaks, and note unnecessarily truncated text. Comments made on the file, typically a PDF, indicate to the DTP specialists exactly what needs to be edited before exporting the final version.

The Benefits of DTP

In-house DTP teams are a great benefit because they add an extra layer of quality assurance in the translation process. DTP specialists are well-versed in design so that linguists can devote their full attention to localizing with the utmost accuracy. 

Additionally, DTP often speeds up a project’s timeline. Because they are highly trained in their skill set, they are able to work quickly to format a project in a variety of programs as specified by the client. This saves the client time from plugging in the translated text themselves and risking the possibility of error if they are unfamiliar with the target language. The DTP specialists can make informed design choices quickly and reduce the risk of inconsistencies.

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