For procurement leaders in regulated environments, localization QBRs serve as formal audit-ready documentation of:

• Compliance verification with industry-specific regulations (FDA, EMA, MHRA, etc.)
• Risk mitigation protocols implemented across all target markets
• Documentation of corrective actions taken to address previous quality incidents
• Validation of linguistic validation procedures for patient-facing materials
• Standardization of processes across multiple departments and global markets

Unlike typical vendor reviews, QBRs in regulated industries function as formal governance mechanisms that create auditable trails of oversight—essential during regulatory inspections.

Industry-Specific KPIs That Matter to Procurement Leaders

The most effective localization KPIs for regulated industries focus on risk reduction, compliance assurance, and total cost of ownership:

1. Compliance & Risk Metrics

• Regulatory submission acceptance rates by market and document type
• Terminology consistency percentage across product lines and submissions
• Compliance deviation tracking with root cause analysis
• Audit-ready documentation completion rates

2. Process Validation Metrics

• First-time-right percentage for regulatory submissions
• Change management efficiency (implementation time for terminology updates)
• Process adherence scores across different document categories
• Deviation investigation closure rates

3. Cost Containment & Efficiency

• Total cost of ownership analysis (including revision cycles and regulatory delays)
• Workflow automation adoption rates and resulting time savings
• Resource allocation efficiency across therapeutic areas/product lines
• Technology integration ROI measurements

4. Strategic Partnership Indicators

• Process standardization progress across markets and divisions
• Knowledge transfer effectiveness scores
• Continuous improvement implementation rates
• Cross-functional alignment measurements

Ciklopea’s Approach: Governance-Focused Localization Management

As specialists in regulated industry localization, Ciklopea implements a procurement-friendly approach to QBRs and KPIs that emphasizes:

• Audit-Ready Documentation: Our QBR process creates inspection-ready trails of all localization decisions and quality controls.
• Compliance-First Technology: We integrate regulatory terminology databases and compliance checks into every workflow.
• Risk Categorization Framework: We stratify content by regulatory risk level to optimize resource allocation while maintaining compliance.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Our systems integrate with your quality management and document control systems for seamless traceability.

The Procurement Advantage

For procurement professionals in regulated industries, implementing structured QBRs with Ciklopea delivers tangible benefits:

• Simplified vendor consolidation with demonstrated compliance expertise
• Reduced regulatory submission cycles through first-time-right processes
• Documented due diligence for all localization activities
• Standardized processes across global markets and therapeutic areas/product lines

Take the Next Step

If your organization requires demonstrable governance of localization activities that will withstand regulatory scrutiny, let’s discuss implementing a structured QBR framework with compliance-focused KPIs.

Contact our Team for a consultation.

The post Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and KPIs in Localization: A Strategic Approach for Regulated Industries appeared first on Ciklopea.

It’s true: basic translation is now freely available to anyone with an internet connection. But as with many “free” digital services, the question isn’t only about cost—it’s about value. Just as social media platforms offer free access in exchange for data, the real value in language services lies beyond mere word conversion.

The Human Element: Crucial for Quality and Context

While machine translation has made impressive strides, it still lacks the nuanced understanding that only human experts can provide. At Ciklopea, we leverage the power of technology while ensuring that skilled professionals guide the process. Here’s why this matters:

1. Contextual Understanding: Machines excel at processing data, but they struggle with context. Our human experts ensure that the intended meaning and impact of your message is preserved across various languages and cultures.
2. Quality Assurance: Free tools can’t guarantee accuracy when it comes to important communication. Our team provides the necessary oversight to catch and correct errors that machines might miss.
3. Cultural Adaptation: Effective global communication requires more than literal translation. Our experts adapt your content to resonate with specific target audiences, considering cultural nuances and local preferences.

Project Management: Our Core Strength

For over two decades, Ciklopea’s core business has remained consistent: expert project management. In the realm of language services, this means:

• Coordinating complex, multifaceted translation projects
• Ensuring timely delivery without compromising quality
• Managing resources efficiently to optimize costs
• Providing a single point of contact for all your language service needs

Embracing Technology for Enhanced Services

While our foundation remains strong, we’ve expanded our services to meet the evolving needs of our clients:

1. System Integration: We help you seamlessly integrate translation processes into your existing workflows and technologies.
2. Engine Training: Our experts fine-tune machine translation engines to improve accuracy based on your specific industry and content types.
3. Data Management: We assist in managing and leveraging your linguistic assets to improve consistency and reduce costs over time.

The Ciklopea Advantage: Technology and Expertise

At Ciklopea, we don’t see technology as a threat but as a powerful tool to enhance our services. Here’s how we create value:

• Efficient Processing: We use advanced tools to handle large volumes of structured bilingual data quickly and accurately.
• Human Oversight: Our experts review machine outputs, ensuring context is correct and the final product meets the highest quality standards.
• Strategic Guidance: We advise on the best approach for each project, balancing speed, cost, and quality to meet your specific needs.

Ready to Enhance Your Global Message?

Keep your message from getting lost in translation—partner with Ciklopea for translations that combine human expertise with technological efficiency. Whether you’re launching products on new markets, managing international legal documentation, or building global customer relationships, we ensure your message resonates exactly as intended.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help you communicate effectively across languages and cultures. Let’s make your global communication goals a reality.

The post Why LLMs Aren’t Ready to Replace Human Translators appeared first on Ciklopea.

We believe the changes we implemented will have a positive impact on user experience and make Ciklopea’s unique selling points clearer.

Ciklopea uses a personalized approach to provide our clients with customized solutions.

The improved texts on the solutions pages, based on our experience and knowledge, are available at the following links:

Localization

Translation

Translation and Localization Consulting Services

Check them out and let us know what you think!

The post Improved information on Ciklopea’s language solutions available appeared first on Ciklopea.

In this article, we take a closer look at the major benefits of terminology management in translation and localization projects.

Ultimate Consistency

The most obvious benefit is the consistency of terminology across translations into any given language. A carefully built and regularly updated termbase is an additional way to ensure that your business message will remain the same on different markets. Note that almost every translation vendor will gladly accept their clients’ termbases, glossaries, and style guides, as consistency is in the best interest of all involved.

Saving Time and Money

A company-approved, well-defined termbase will save translators and proof-readers a lot of time and help speed up the project. Remember – time is money. Termbases and glossaries mean less stress for everyone and smoother workflow, and they inevitably result in fewer working hours or new words to pay for.

Every LSP will gladly accept their clients’ termbases, glossaries, and style guides, as consistency is in the best interest of all involved.

Quality Control

The quality of the final translation will always depend on the linguistic quality of the source material. A termbase can also be understood as a pre-translation quality control tool that will help maintain quality during the translation process, and, naturally, that of the final translation.

Faster and Better Proofreading and Validation

The percentage of possible errors or inconsistencies in translation done using termbases and translation memory is considerably lower, resulting in faster and better proofreading and validation of the final translation by proofreaders, project managers, native speakers of the target languages, or any other party involved.

Benefits to Corporate Image and Identity on the Foreign Market

These benefits are, among other things, a result of consistent translation and localization, however, good terminology management is a prerequisite to consistency. Accurately and consistently translated and properly localized corporate messages on foreign markets are simply priceless, as they help create an image of a company that truly knows its business, respects its customers or clients, and is able to adapt to various cultural and linguistic environments seamlessly.

The post The Benefits of Terminology Management in Translation and Localization Projects appeared first on Ciklopea.

There are several reasons for this, ranging from the decades-long misconceptions about the powers of MT, lack of insight into what a professional translation is (and isn’t) and finally, lack of understanding of the true value of professionally translated and localized product / service.

Can’t read it – won’t buy it

There is a very good reasons why the world’s biggest companies whose top positions are seemingly eternal, from Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google to Coca-Cola and Disney, invest heavily into translation and localization of their products and services every year.

These companies are so big that it’s hard to imagine the contemporary world without them, and yet they are fully aware that potential customers are more likely to opt for a product or service presented in their native language and in accordance with their culture and this is why, in addition to all the multi-million global marketing campaigns, they also invest in professional translation of their products and services.

Simply put, a seller must speak the buyer’s language and translation costs are justified by the global presence stretching from New York to Beijing and from Moscow to Rio.

Bad translation always costs more

Can you imagine paying thousands for a high-end Japanese hi-fi system and receiving user manual written only in Japanese or, worse still, in bad English? What do you think this frustrating experience would do to the brand image and future brand loyalty on the global market, even if the product quality is truly impeccable?

The answer is self-evident and this is why global companies take localization seriously and rely on professional services of established LSPs. Because, whatever the price of professional translation may be, the price of a bad, inadequate or missing translation is always higher.

Role of LSPs in global business

All through the history, language services have been an essential part of business and although we tend to believe it was the other way around, it was the economic activities that spurred the cultural ones.

Writing was invented in the ancient Sumer not because people wanted to write poetry, but for the reasons of trade and taxation. Ancient Phoenician merchants introduced the use of alphabet to the ancient Greek merchants and, in all probability, were the first professional translators as it took a good deal of linguistic knowledge to do business in the multilingual Mediterranean region.

Essentially, the things haven’t changed all that much. The role of translators remains the same – accurate and appropriate communication of meaning between the languages.

However, in the age of globalization and fierce competition, their role in business activities is even more pronounced. Today, LSPs combine linguistic expertise and advanced technologies to help companies do what the ancient merchants had to do themselves – build gateways to global market. And what is the real value of that?

The post The $64 Question: What is the Real Value of Translation? appeared first on Ciklopea.

Fast forward sixty odd years, the MT is far more sophisticated and used daily by everyone, the human translators are still very much around, as well as the Atomic Era conviction that computers will eliminate the need for translators, or even the need to learn foreign languages at all – within a few short years. But will it?

Machines can replace some translators

There are translators who understand their job as a process of replacing words from one language to another, without being much concerned about the context, meaning, style and other elements of communication (while the communication of meaning between languages is the very essence of translation), and this is the type of translators than can be replaced by MT.

Simply put, machines can replace the people who translate like machines.

Computers are logical, people are not

Earlier this year, both Google and Facebook announced their shift from statistical machine translation paradigm to a new model based on neural networks. Statistical models mine bilingual text corpora for corresponding elements, but this material usually consists of formal documents composed in a standardized language that doesn’t have much in common with the everyday speech.

Succinctly speaking, the idea is to apply artificial intelligence and mine more informal data such as social media posts, with the purpose of communicating figures of speech, idiomatic expressions, regionalisms, slang and other spoken elements accurately between the languages.

While undoubtedly a giant step forward in the MT development the impact of which we have yet to see, one thing is certain – machines are logical and process language logically, while people are also irrational, emotional and imperfect and process language accordingly.

All these exclusively human qualities and limitations form a crucial part of communication, both verbal and non-verbal. An MT paradigm that will be able to replace human translators will therefore have to be able to operate on both logical and illogical levels at the same time. We cannot know what may happen in the millennia to come, but for the time being this doesn’t seem very likely.

MT is translator’s friend

Once upon a time, translators wrote on clay tablets. Then came papyri and quills, pens, notebooks, typewriters, personal computers and text editors, CAT tools and finally MT, and the development of technology has always been there to make the translation process easier, but never eliminated the need for professional human translators.

Machine translation is here and it will be here for a very long time. The growing demand for MT also means a growing demand for MT post-editing services. While machines do and will help us translate larger amounts of text for shorter periods, the translated materials do and will require a human touch – editing by a professional linguist.

Perhaps one day we will all be flying around the universe in personal spaceships with Babel fish stuck in our ears and communicating with the fellow terrestrials and extraterrestrials telepathically and we will no longer need translators and language teachers. But that day is still very, very distant.

The post Machine Translation, Artificial Intelligence and a Human Touch appeared first on Ciklopea.

PILs are written in accordance with the set guidelines that help convey the pharmaceutical information accurately and understandably. The same high standards apply to translation and localization of patient information leaflets and other medical and pharmaceutical materials – they should be translated by specialized medical translators, in accordance with the guidelines of the local regulatory agencies, linguistic standards and culture of the target market and they must preserve the same style and purpose of professional material oriented to non-professionals.

These same principles used during writing and translation / localization processes should be applied on updates of PILs as well. PIL updates are not uncommon and may be required due to a change in local regulations, an advancement in research involving a particular pharmaceutical product or for any other reason, but at any rate the PIL and its translation should be thoroughly revised whenever there is an update.

Every type of medical documentation is highly structured as its composition follows the set pattern and terminology, which makes the application of translation asset development and management particularly useful on this type of content. In addition to reduced amounts of time, energy and money, translation asset development secures consistency of translation, which in this particular case also means staying in line with the regulatory requirements and preserving the stylistic features of particular pharmaceutical document.

Translation assets include the previously translated elements – translation memories (TM), glossaries and terminology bases (TB).

Once created, translation assets can be accessed and revised at any time. Maintenance of translation assets includes regular cleaning and updating of translation memories, glossaries and terminology bases and as such saves time and money, serves as an important layer of quality control, provides increased consistency and ensures that the reusable linguistic elements are up-to-date.

In addition to its numerous obvious benefits, professional management of translation assets preserves the integrity of PILs and similar medical and pharmaceutical documents. Their purpose of accurate, understandable and stylistically appropriate communication of drug-related information for the benefit of end users across the different languages and markets is secured, while the time and the resources required for localization are reduced, resulting in a leaner and smoother process at all stages.

The post Patient Information Leaflets: Updates and Translation Asset Managements appeared first on Ciklopea.

Although the exact figures may vary (the 80 is not always 80, nor is 20 always 20), this simple but effective rule of thumb named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto has numerous applications across different sciences and industries, but in all instances it explains the ratio of inputs and outputs. This time we focus on its application in the language industry.

The 80 – 20 Rule of Localization

We often say that translation is the central process of localization, but that it is a much wider and more complex process. And it is true – accurate translation is the very heart of localization and no localization team is even imaginable without translators.

Indeed, translation is the 80% of localization, while the 20% is the stylistic, cultural and technical adaptation that separates localization from translation.

The 80 – 20 Rule of Globalization

Localized products and services have the same features and purpose, most of the time the look and the feel also remain the same. If we apply the Pareto principle, it is easy to see why – 80% percent of global needs, habits, behavior and expectations is universal, while the 20% is dependent on the culture and environment of a local market.

Therefore, there is always roughly the 20% of any product / service that is completely localized, while the 80% remains the same.

The 80 – 20 Rule of Corporate Content

The importance of content can never be emphasized enough. However, the question of the purpose of content is even more important. Do you like websites that feature almost nothing but ads and sales information? We don’t, either.

The 80% of all corporate content should be about our users and clients, addressing their expectations and needs and providing the useful information regarding our products and services, all of this to establish and maintain a good relationship with our audience, while no more than 20% should be reserved for sales information and strict business activities.

The post The 80-20 Rules for Language Industry appeared first on Ciklopea.

Although it may be comparatively small, the language services market is in fact a sizable and a fast-growing one. It is estimated the market will reach the 37 billion USD mark by 2018, at an annual growth rate of 4.7%. At this point, there are hundreds of thousands of translation companies and freelancers offering their services, and the most sought-after one is written translations, followed by simultaneous and consecutive interpreting and software localization.

2. Professional Human Translation Costs Always Pay Off

The ability to use and understand a foreign language is not necessarily the same as knowing how to translate properly. The price of a bad, awkward or inaccurate translation is too steep, making the price of a good, professional human translation the long run reasonable and low.

3. Translation Market Trends Reflects Industry Development

An expanding industry will require more language services. At this point and as far as we can see, IT and life sciences are the two hottest topics in translation industry, the reason being these are the two fastest-growing industries.

4. Machine Translation is Never Good Enough

Sometimes it really is – an online tool may help you get the context of a foreign language text. But if we are talking about the professional translation requirements, about a product/service localization for a foreign market, then it is, to put it mildly – less than perfect and requires post editing services of professional human translators.

5. CAT is not MT

CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) and machine translation are quite different things – CAT is done by human translators using a specific software, machine translation is done by computers alone.

6. Translation is not mostly about Words

Translating word-for-word will never yield a good result. Translation is not about translating strings of words, but it is a far more sophisticated process of communicating the meanings, tones, contexts, intents and emotions between cultures and languages.

7. Translation is not Easy

We honestly wish it was. It is more often than not a very hard work involving a good deal of creativity, team work and patience in addition to linguistic and/or expert proficiency. Communicating the meaning and tone from one language to another accurately and meaningfully is rarely an easy task.

8. Quality of Translation Depends on the Quality of Source Material

Simply put – if a translator does not understand the source material, the result will be a poor translation. When good and experienced translators do not understand the source material, the problem is not about their source language proficiency, but about the quality of the source texts.

The post Busting the Misconceptions: 8 Truths about Translation appeared first on Ciklopea.

International e-Business Possibilities

While customers are traditionally more likely to purchase products presented in their own language and in accordance with their own culture, recent studies show that at least 40% of the EU citizens will not purchase goods from a foreign website. This leaves roughly 60% of those who might, but detecting where these potential clients come from to properly target and convert website hits may be a tricky business.

Look at the Analytics

Website analytics can show you where the interest for your content comes from. This is always a good place to start as it may help you determine not only the territories of your potential interests, but also the type of your content of interest in those territories. Are these the products and services you want to develop further? Is the foreign interest in your site a result of linguistic similarity or is there a genuine interest in your business? Answering these questions on the basis on analytics is a good place to start.

Consider the Real Foreign Market Potential

The real potential of a foreign market can be assessed by combining figures such as per capita GDP, number of speakers of certain language, number of internet users and other figures related to your particular business, such as cultural and legal environment and presence of similar businesses on the market.

Website analytics can show you where the interest for your content comes from.

Consider the Logistics

Shipping costs or additional fees can seriously affect prices of your products or services, as well as the entire shopping experience. Considering how to deliver your goods to foreign clients in a safe, fast and cheap way is the last, but certainly not the least important aspect to consider. Delivery methods and legal requirements of the foreign market should be carefully examined before the entry on a new market.

The post Choosing the Right Foreign Markets for your E-Commerce Business appeared first on Ciklopea.

Translation Project Management for Hire

The Managed Services model essentially functions as a joint venture of two or more companies specialized in different fields.

For example, if an organization or a company already has a translation or localization team and defined internal linguistic processes, but wants to optimize the process, reduce costs and time required for translation, it can use project management services of a dedicated LSP.

Thus, the language services provider (in this case, in the role of an MSP) manages the internal localization or translation project of another company (i.e. the client), using its own procedures, experience, skills and expertise and working closely with the client.

The clients, however, remain fully involved and the process is optimized in accordance with their requirements. Linguistic managed services can be used temporarily or they can become a regular, day-to-day service of an external localization or translation project manager working with the internal linguistic team.

The results are a faster, less time-consuming and more cost-efficient translation or localization process and more consistent, higher quality translation.

Benefits of Managed Services

The main benefits of this language services model are process optimization and the reduction of costs and time, as well as improved translation quality and consistency.

The expert language industry MSP first examines the current internal translation and localization process, detects weaknesses in the process (this may include a wide range of factors, from the translators’ expertise and their methods of work to the use of CAT tools and the creation of term bases and translation memories).

Once the existing process is thoroughly examined, the MSP suggests necessary changes, develops a new translation or localization process or updates the existing one and designs the best possible solution for project optimization.

The results include a faster, less time-consuming and more cost-efficient translation or localization process and more consistent translation of higher quality.

The post Managed Services in Language Industry appeared first on Ciklopea.

TEP process

Most translation companies offer TEP (translate-edit-proofread) service by default and this means that your translation is carried out by at least two linguists with familiarity of your project work on the translation, thus adding an extra layer of quality control. Most freelance translators do not offer this type of service.

Price and Cost Savings

Freelance translators are cheaper – that is almost always a fact of life.

However, translation companies have the required expertise and use technological infrastructure that will help not only save money, but also time and energy – in the long run. Over time, translation companies build translation memories based on your projects and the language combinations that most definitely cut costs, but also save time and ensure consistency.

Full Service

Freelance translators usually complete the translation tasks and their job is done.

LSPs, on the other hand, usually offer integrated services that include consulting, editing and other linguistic services depending on the requirements of your projects. In addition, they form dedicated teams for your projects and language combinations, ensuring consistency and high level of quality at all times.

While working with freelance translators may be the right solution for smalleр projects and, handling of larger and more complex projects should be left to LSPs.

Volumes and TT

While freelance translators may translate smaller volumes in appropriate time, translation companies are better at handling larger translation projects, particularly under tight schedules, retaining the usual level of quality.

Conclusion

It all depends on what you are looking for. While working with freelance translators may be the right solution for smaller short-term projects and is almost always cheaper, handling of larger and more complex projects should be left to LSPs whose higher prices will definitely be justified by higher value, consistency and a wide range of additional services.

The post Which is Which: Differences between an LSP and Freelance Translators appeared first on Ciklopea.

However, there is an additional step that has to be taken to make sure that search engines on a local market take your localized website into account and to announce its presence to the local online audiences.

Having an online business localized to Spanish does not necessarily mean that search engines used in the Spanish-speaking countries will recognize your website as a local one.

For example, having an online business localized to Spanish does not necessarily mean that search engines used in the Spanish-speaking countries will recognize your website as a local one and list it among the search results.

In other words, a translated and localized website is speaking to people on the local market. A multilingual SEO strategy is required to make it speak to the search engines on the local market as well. Multilingual SEO is there to drive traffic to your website and send your business message to the local Internet users.

A multilingual SEO strategy combines programming, web design, market research, marketing and linguistic skills and, depending on the scope, may range from simple defining of keywords to full-fledged multistep projects.

While an LSP is primarily there to translate and localize your website, it may also be helpful with the multilingual SEO, particularly nowadays, when more and more LSPs are expanding the scopes of their services, including SEO.

The post Multilingual SEO – When Website Localization is not enough appeared first on Ciklopea.

Active Role in Exchange of Information

The massive amount of life sciences materials being translated to almost every written language of the world on a daily basis essentially represent an active exchange of information on the cutting-edge life sciences products, procedures and development that are constantly widening the lexical stock of the target languages, making a valuable contribution to the scientific and business arenas of the target territories.

This is particularly true when we talk about the comparatively smaller languages whose existing lexical and lexicographical heritage may be limited. In these cases, a translation company does not act as a mere intermediary communicating the message of the life sciences industry to its local customers and clients, but it also becomes an invaluable assistant to the scientific and academic communities on the local market.

LSP does not act as a mere intermediary communicating the message of the life sciences industry to its local customers, but it also becomes a valuable assistant to the scientific and academic communities on the local market.

Life Sciences and Language

Life sciences materials include a wide range of structured documents oriented to scientists, healthcare professionals, regulatory agencies, clients and patients. Success of all medical and pharmaceutical scientific and business activities on the local markets also depends on the quality of translation, clarity of language and compliance of the translated material to the target culture, professional standards and local legal regulations.

For example, documents required by clinical studies such as Informed Consent Forms (ICFs), study protocols or the materials related to product launches such as Summaries of Product Characteristic (SPCs) or Patient Information Leaflets (PILs) are written in accordance with the set guidelines and need to be translated accordingly and this is where the LSPs provide their assistance to the benefit of all parties involved in a process.

An Auxiliary Discipline

Due to the importance of its role in medical and pharmaceutical activities on the local markets, translation industry can safely be regarded as a kind of an auxiliary discipline to the life sciences. Study and improvement of the quality of life is what gives the life sciences their collective name. Accurately and precisely communicated information on life sciences from one language to another is one of the prerequisites of their global success and its importance can never be emphasized enough.

The post Language Industry as an Auxiliary Discipline to Life Sciences appeared first on Ciklopea.

The first and the most obvious benefit is reflected in the faster entry to several markets simultaneously. Users always respond better to the content presented in their first language and with this technology, it is possible to localize an online shop into several languages, including the comparatively smaller ones.

The full online store localization requires a lot of time, work and money that is not always guaranteed to return, while the localization process conducted via a translation proxy is significantly shortened on all levels and provides higher degree of financial security.

The other benefits for online stores stem from the flexibility of this technology.

Translation proxy can be used for translation of all types of websites, but the e-commerce websites provide the best example of its many advantages.

When an online story is localized via a translation proxy, it is possible to make frequent updates of the item descriptions and prices, add new items, remove the unavailable products, add the information on the item, delivery and legal terms and requests, and expand the descriptions with user reviews – in all languages, almost simultaneously, extremely easy and fast.

There will always be articles you will not be able to sell in all the markets you have entered or are about to enter. The reasons for this are different, spanning from legal regulations to cultural preferences of the target market. The translation proxy localization technology enables you to select the products that will or will not be available on certain markets.

Naturally, the translation proxy localization can be used for translation of all types of websites, but the e-commerce websites provide the best example of its many advantages.

The post Why Translation Proxy is Ideal for e-Commerce Websites appeared first on Ciklopea.

This type of translation services uses proxy servers to render multilingual versions of a website, i.e. the foreign-language version of a website is not uploaded and accessed from the same directory the main website is. Instead, the translated versions are loaded from specific services, cutting the bandwidth and maintenance costs.

The main advantages of this technology are speed, in-context reviewing, time and cost-effectiveness and reduced dependency on IT support.

The main advantages of this technology are speed, in-context reviewing, time and cost-effectiveness and reduced dependency on IT support.

First of all, it takes less time and resources to translate the website and, in most cases, it takes less time for the webpage to load. If you are about to enter a new market, it is easier and safer to use translation proxy services at least in the initial stages, as it will cost less and take less time and translation quality will remain high.

Translators are able to translate and review the content in real time and in context, enabling them to create even more precise translations and amend the changes quickly – and it also means quickly in the IT department as there is no complicated and expensive hardware and software – you are ready to go after only several minor website adjustments.

It should be emphasized that translation proxy has nothing more to do with machine translation than any other translation process – it is done by professionals who use CAT tools, just like any other quality translation.

The aspect where translation proxy can’t help – for now – is the localization of non-textual elements such as images, audio, video and other multimedia files, but it may be just the right thing for the websites whose content is predominantly textual.

See the following video to learn more about this exciting translation technology:

The post What is Translation Proxy? (Video) appeared first on Ciklopea.

Preparation is everything. If you are rolling out a product onto a new market, there are several pieces of information you should share with your translation provider to keep your project on track and make sure no unexpected delays or costs arise.

If you are rolling out a product onto a new market, there are several pieces of information you should share with your translation provider to keep your project on track and make sure no unexpected delays or costs arise.

1. What will be translated?

Devices and appliances usually have a range of buttons, some marked with symbols and some with words, and many of them have user interfaces as well. When introducing a product onto a new market, you will have to decide whether or not these will be translated into the local language. Of course, the best decision is to localize and make the product more accessible to customers in the new market, but sometimes there simply is not enough time or resources, or the market is simply too small to warrant complete localization, so you might decide to leave the interface and buttons in English. Whatever the decision, it is one of the crucial decisions you need to share with your translation team before starting any translation projects, no matter how small the project might be.

Otherwise, you might end up with a customer not being able to match the instructions in the user manual to what they see on their user interface. Or with a real-life user interface with commands, warnings, or prompts translated differently than the user interface printed in your user manual.

2. Is there a product naming policy?

Gone are the times when Shakespeare wondered what was in a name – marketing experts have been aware of the value of product names for a long time now. Even if you have made sure that your product has a name that works in the local language and has no unwanted resemblance to any other words or phrases which might make your product the butt of a joke in the new market (like the notorious “Pee Cola” drink), you still have to consider several other issues – does the local language have inflections and do you want the name of your product to appear with different word endings? Or would you rather add a modifier before the name so you can conform to the rules of the local language and keep your product name intact? If the local language uses a different script, do you want to keep the name in Latin script?

3. Are dialogue boxes expandable and are there any character limits for translation?

Although it is quite a technical issue, a timely response to this question might save you and your technicians a lot of time later on in the project. What is more, it might spare them and your customers from the frustration of seeing only half of the command on a screen or trying to understand what a string of words abbreviated to only a couple of letters really stands for.

4. What date, time, and currency formats are supported, and which measurement system do you use?

Keep in mind that dates and times are written differently in various parts of the world. Some will write the year first, some the month, some the day. Some will use the 12-hour scale, some will use the 24-hour scale. Also, although widely used, the metric system is not the only system of measurement in the world. You might want to add some inches, feet, or elbows to your meters when localizing your product to save the locals the frustration of picking up a calculator. Or you might do away with them to avoid confusion in markets using the metric system.

5. Does your font support various character sets?

The perfect font for your user interface, operating instructions, or user manual might not be the best choice for all local markets. Languages that use Latin script use a range of letters that might not be supported by every font. It is good to check this before you start a translation project so you do not end up spending hours adding lost diacritics to your documents.

The post 5 Things You Need To Share with Your Translation Provider When Localizing a Product appeared first on Ciklopea.

We have also included a list of questions you should ask your prospective translation agency. This article, however, features a list of questions a truly professional and experienced translation company should ask you as its prospective client.

If your potential translation provider asks you some of these questions, it means that you are dealing with a company that truly knows the business.

The importance of client input during the translation process can never be emphasized enough. Good translation agencies are aware they are not omnipotent, and will always ask their clients for suggestions.

1. Can you tell us more about the translation audience?

The tone, style, and form of the translated documents may vary greatly depending on whether the translated materials will be used internally by the client’s company or by a specific wider audience. Good translation agencies are always aware of this and will ask for this info.

2. Do you want the translation reviewed by a native speaker?

The services of linguists who are also native speakers of the target language are usually required as the final level of quality control. Good translation agencies employ native linguists and offer this type of review.

3. Can you provide earlier translations for consistency with new ones?

This is crucial, especially where ongoing projects are concerned. To ensure the highest level of consistency, good translation agencies will gladly consult previous translations provided by other LSPs.

4. Do you have your own glossary, style guide, or preferred terms?

Every business has its own lingo. To ensure the highest level of consistency and clarity to the target audience, a good LSP will always ask for a list of specific terms to be used throughout the document.

5. Are there any terms that should be avoided?

Certain terms may be unusable for legal or marketing reasons in specific territories. Good LSPs understand this and ask about this before the project starts.

6. Do you use CAT tools and which do you prefer?

CAT tools have been around for quite a while now. Some clients will use them while others will not, and some will require specific software for their projects. Good translation agencies offer a variety of solutions and ask for the client’s preferences.

7. Do you have a TM of previous translations and do you want a TM of the new translation delivered?

Just like CAT tools, TMs have become a norm, and good translation agencies will gladly use existing ones and deliver new ones.

8. Do you need additional services, such as DTP or localization of non-textual elements?

Almost every professional translation agency is also a localization vendor, and can provide an all-in-one solution for complex localization projects.

9. Can we contact you during the translation in case we encounter ambiguous phrases?

The importance of client input during the translation process can never be emphasized enough. Good translation agencies are aware they are not omnipotent, and will always ask their clients for suggestions.

10. What were the positive and negative aspects of working with your previous LSPs?

Good LSPs will always want to learn about your previous experiences with other translation agencies – both to continue their own good practices and to avoid the mistakes of others.

The post 10 Questions Good Translation Companies Will Ask You appeared first on Ciklopea.

While searching for Internet and SMS codes and acronyms, we were stunned by the amount of those we didn’t know. Many of us would laugh and say that these acronyms are all well known, but they would probably also be stunned by the sheer amount of acronyms they have never heard about. For those who would like to test their knowledge, we have created a list divided in three sections, from the more to less common ones. The definitions can be found at the end of the article.

We could say that SMS and Internet communication looks like a collection of encoded messages.

In case you couldn’t guess the meanings of the acronyms above, do not worry, they are created at such an amazing speed that it’s impossible to track their development. The most striking thing about the acronyms is that more of them are created every day and that anyone can create them. Good luck with creating the new acronyms and encoding the existing ones!

*The acronyms explained:

aka = also known as

b/c = because

brb = be right back

B4 = before

FYI = for your information

2moro = tomorrow

cu@ = see you around

atb = all the best

ayor = at your own risk

bil = boss is listening

btdt = been there done that

gtg = got to go

cid = consider it done

f2f = face to face

afaik = as far as I know

bhl8 = be home late

cul = see you later

hand = have a nice day

kwim = know what I mean

ttyl = talk to you later

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