World Trade - October 2008 - (Page 48)

GLOBAL STRATEGIES The Hidden Costs of ‘Free’ Translation Why using overseas distributors to translate marketing and product materials can sometimes send the wrong message. BY JEFFREY JORGENSEN I n the global marketplace, companies need to reach customers in many nations who speak different languages. One solution to this problem has been for foreign distributors—entities that sell client products—to translate U.S. manufacturers’ product materials at minimal cost or free of charge. At first glance, such offers often seem enticing as companies seek to control costs in today’s challenging economy. But is this really such a good deal? As you decide whether or not to use distributors to translate your content, remember they often do not have the expertise and credentials to conduct professional translations. Even if the “translator” is a native speaker of the target language, that person may not be fully versed in such things as the correct grammar of the target language or idiomatic expressions. The alternative is to use a professional language service provider (LSP) to translate content. With an LSP, you should expect the translator to have experience in the discipline of translation, be highly knowledgeable in the grammar of the target language, and be accredited by the American Translator’s Association (ATA). For example, the following text is found in an English installation guide: Slide the feeler gauge between the rocker arm and the valve return spring. A distributor might translate the text into Portuguese: Deslize o calibre de lâminas entre o braço de balancim e a mola do retorno da válvula. But when the text is translated back into English, the meaning has changed. 2008 The feeler gauge is placed between the rocker arm and the valve return spring. Here are some issues to consider: Time and Resources When a distributor’s staff translates documents, staff is pulled from their normal duties. If the distributor’s sales staff does your translation, consider the opportunity costs. In other words, you can lose revenue because salespeople are translating your manuals instead of selling your products. When the distributor’s engineers handle your translation, production on their projects could be affected. The amount of time it takes for a distributor to translate is usually far greater than the typical turnaround time of a qualiﬁed LSP. Installation, operations, maintenance or repair manuals—which often contain hundreds of pages— have taken from six months to one year for distributors to complete. Yet, a 300-page manual should take 12 to 14 weeks for an LSP to translate and desktop publish. Not only is the distributor’s time not used effectively, but the time your staff spends on translation projects increases when you use distributors to translate. Your staff may also need to spend time creating glossaries of terms for your distributors and working with your distributors on explaining “American English” terms with which a qualiﬁed LSP translator is already familiar. While your distributors may be native English speakers, if they are located in Europe, New Zealand, or Australia, chances are they are not as familiar with American English terms used in your content as a certiﬁed translator would be. For example, in the UK, the “hood” of a car is known as a “bonnet.” Professional translators are aware 48 WORLD TRADE OCTOBER

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Trade - October 2008

World Trade - October 2008 Contents Tune Up Your Supply Chain Globalization: The Real Competitive Threat Supply Chain Watch Tradewinds Shippers and Providers Collaborate to Take on a Challenging Economy Tweaking the Supply Chain to Optimize Value and Minimize Cost Supply Chain Software Morphs Into Enterprise Management Can Warehousing Really, Truly Be Strategic? Everybody is Global Between the Devil and the Deep The Hidden Costs of ‘Free’ Translation Blowing Smoke

World Trade - October 2008

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