Month: March 2023

HOW-TO-BUILD-AN-EFFECTIVE-GLOBAL-LD-TRAININGPROGRAM_PORTADA
21/03/2023

How to Build an Effective Global L&D Training Program

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on How to Build an Effective Global L&D Training Program

Many global businesses adopt an English-first approach to learning and development (L&D) training for their employees. Whilst English is a widely understood language, it’s important for businesses with a global workforce to remember that a strong understanding of the English language is not a guarantee for every single worker they employ.

Understandably, creating L&D materials in English is a popular choice for global organizations that feel they neither have the budget nor time for translations, but assuming people understand English is one thing and assuming they understand the cultural differences is another. The clash is inevitable.

While you’re likely to start with an English training program, there are a few things you can take into consideration and do in the development stage in order to make its localization easier and more cost-effective.

Choose Function over Form

Everyone loves a beautiful design, but when it comes to creating effective L&D training materials, the function must take priority over form. This is especially true when creating L&D content that requires localization. For example, adding animations can be visually appealing and add a fun flair to the L&D experience. However, when you have to localize complex design elements repeatedly, you may find those extra special touches don’t justify the cost of localization. Before choosing design elements, think about how they will affect your localization needs and if they provide enough value to justify localization.

Choose Your Layout Wisely

When you translate written content, this can affect the visuals of your L&D content greatly as other languages can take up much more or less space than written English text after translation. More often than not, other languages take up more space than English text. When choosing your initial layout, it helps to be strategic knowing that your space needs may change. Leaving a decent amount of white space in your original design can make a huge difference. While you can request that the localization specialist keep their new text concise and your designers can shrink the size of the text a bit, having more white space available to add expansive text can give you some much-needed breathing room.

Make the Choice Between Subtitles and Voice-Over

In an ideal world, you would localize all voice-over and subtitle content in your L&D materials, but this cannot be easy to pull off budget-wise as you would need to not only translate the subtitles and voice-over scripts, but hire a new narrator and record new audio content in all target languages. You may find that you need to choose between localization with just subtitles, voice-over, or dubbing to accommodate your budget. Think carefully about which format will best highlight your training materials.

Be Patient

The localization process is one that is best not to rush. To start, it can be helpful to wait until your source content is complete to provide the localization specialist with editable files. This will not only save you time, but money.

It’s also a good idea to coordinate timelines with your localization partner to ensure that the turnaround is viable and won’t require compromising quality to get the job done on time. Your localization partner will be able to advise which steps are needed to complete the project correctly and how long it should take.

The Takeaway

How can you make it easier to incorporate all of these tips into your L&D plans? Don’t leave planning the localization step for the end. If you keep localization needs in mind from day one, you’ll save money, time, and a headache.

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14/03/2023

What is a Localization Kit and Why Is It Useful?

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on What is a Localization Kit and Why Is It Useful?

By 2022, it’s projected that more than half of worldwide internet users’ primary language will be a language other than English. In today’s extremely global world, companies who want to expand their reach and compete in global markets need to localize their products. To effectively localize a product, a localization kit can be the first step toward success. Both the client and the localization team will benefit from a well-rounded localization kit which will make the entire process more seamless from the beginning. Keep reading to learn what a localization kit is, what it contains, why it matters, and who should prepare it.

What is a Localization Kit?

A localization kit is a set of files and documentation that makes it possible for an outside party to localize a product and it includes any materials required for localization.

Localization kits not only contain the materials needed to prepare a proposal (which includes a proposed cost and timeline) for localizing a product, but they also house any materials the localization partner needs to get the job done.

An effective localization kit will have everything the localization team requires to do a great job and should have clear documentation that outlines how they can use the contents of the localization kit.

What does a Localization Kit Contain?

Typically, localization kits contain the following assets:

  • Previous translations and their originals in order to ensure consistency across glossaries and to make project management easier.
  • The client’s preferred method of the directory structure, delivery method and dates, and any file naming conventions.
  • A monolingual glossary that clarifies any technical, trademarked, or abbreviated concepts.
  • The client’s language list which focuses on the target country’s language and regional dialects.
  • A contact list that makes it possible for localization vendors to quickly identify which parties are responsible for all areas of the project.
  • Information pertaining to the purpose, function and vision of the product.
  • Potentially a translation memory (TM) and an assessment of the current quality of the TM. That is, whether it should be followed strictly, or if it shouldn’t be trusted blindly.
  • References like screenshots and video demos.

Why are Localization Kits So Important?

Localization kits benefit all parties involved in a localization project. The client will enjoy a faster turnaround and higher quality work and the localization team will have all the resources they need to do their job well—without having to ask the client unnecessary questions.

Localization kits also help clarify the expectations of the client in an organized and efficient way which helps the client save time and money while avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings as all parties involved will be aware of the scope of the project, limitations, and expectations before getting started. A good localization kit also makes it possible to anticipate potential challenges and avoid them.

Who Should Prepare a Localization Kit?

The localization kit should be created by the client and provided to the localization vendor so they will have all the necessary files and details about the project they need to get started.

When a manager prepares a localization kit, their efforts can go a long way towards avoiding future roadblocks.

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08/03/2023

Making Progress for Women in the Language Industry

Posted on | by Jacqueline De Marco | Leave a Comment on Making Progress for Women in the Language Industry

At Terra, we’re proud to be a women-owned company and to have 72% of all leadership positions occupied by women and non-binary individuals and throughout our company. Overall, we have a 73% representation of women. Which is why celebrating International Women’s Day is so important to us, as is working towards gender equality and women empowerment in the translation industry and beyond.

Some of the Challenges Women Faced and Continue to Face

The UN has defined one of their main Sustainable Development goals as striving to “Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life.”

While you may think numbers in the localization industry are better because the vast majority of translators are women, we still see that leadership positions are mostly held by men. According to Nimdzi, only 17% of the companies featured in the Nimdzi 100 ranking are women-owned or women-run.

Knowing the challenges women historically faced and still face today is an essential step towards awareness, which is necessary to fuel action. In particular, there is still a lot of work to be done in regard to:

  • Gender gap in salaries
  • Gender-based discrimination (being a mother for example, can lead to less fair career opportunities for women)
  • Lack of women representation in leadership positions

Improvement has been made in these areas, but there’s still a lot to do if we want to work towards true equality. According to BoardEx data, only 5% of CEOs are women and 19.2% of corporate leadership team members are female. About 28.2% of board members are female, the study found. However, many of these women were appointed to non-executive roles, which are often centered on board oversight rather than real decision-making power.

What Can We Do to Support Fellow Women?

We’ve come a long way. But the truth is that the progress we’ve seen throughout history is thanks to the contributions that other women have made through the years. So, we encourage fellow women in the language industry to look for local organizations, so they can learn more about the different initiatives and how they can help them reach their goals.

These are a few of the organizations Terra supports:

  • Women in Localization: This nonprofit organization has a mission to foster a global community for the advancement of women and the localization industry by providing networking, education, career advancement, and mentoring opportunities to women in the localization industry.
  • Women in Games: Women in Games aims to build a fair, equal and safe environment that empowers girls and women to join and thrive in the global gaming ecosystem.
  • Chicas en Tecnología: This non-profit organization in Argentina works to reduce the gender gap in technology in that region by motivating and training the next generation of women leaders in technology.
  • Enterprising Women Magazine: A national and global magazine for female entrepreneurs that celebrates achievements by women and provides valuable resources.

These organizations are ones we are proud to support, but there are many others doing good work in this space. Spend some time researching where your volunteer efforts can make the most impact.

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