What’s the best way to save on your company’s translation costs? (Hint: it’s not, “find a cheaper translator or use an overseas dealer.”) If you don’t want to lie awake at night wondering what your translated documents actually say, stay with proven professionals. Instead of seeking out cut-rate translators, take control of your part of the process. You are in the driver’s seat when it comes to translation costs.
Here are SH3’s 8 top tips for reducing translation costs when working with a professional translation firm.
#1. Be brief
The standard method of pricing translation is to charge by the word. The more words, the more it costs. Reducing content lowers your costs. Remember these three words: edit, edit, edit.
#2. Recycle content
If certain portions of your documents never vary (for example, the warranty or the “How to Get Help” section), translate them once and store the translation for future use.
#3. Discover translation memory
Professional translators use translation memory to store and retrieve translated sentences, which results in cost savings and faster translations. Technical manuals with their repetitive nature are an ideal candidate for translation memory.
#4. Keep revisions to a minimum
Alterations add time and expense to the translation process. Revisions are often necessary but if you can limit them, you’ll be rewarded with savings.
#5. Avoid minimum charges
If you have several small translation projects, group them together and wait until documents are finalized before submitting to the translator. This will help avoid incurring minimum charges for small or one-off translations.
#6. Avoid rush charges
Rush charges for a professional translation can run from 25-50% of the total translation cost. Quality can suffer too. Whenever possible, plan ahead and work with the translator to avoid rush charges.
#7. Consider the source
Translators work with your source files to extract the text, translate it in a translation-memory environment and then replace the text in its original format. If your source files were created in FrameMaker, InDesign or XML, these programs are the most translation-friendly. Source docs created in PageMaker or Quark and sometimes even Microsoft Word (where complex formatting is involved) are not as translation-friendly and require more manipulation. This adds to the cost.
#8. Simplify the layout
Translation into many European languages can add 25-50% more words. This can result in layout challenges, like trying to put a quart of milk in a pint bottle. Keep in mind: the more intricate the layout, the more time required to duplicate it in a second language. Simplify the layout and save money.
There are many ways to lower translation costs and all are within your control. By following these 8 tips, you can be assured you are doing everything you can to save on translation without sacrificing quality.
Being at the Farm Equipment Manufacturers Association’s Spring Management Clinic in Biloxi reminds us of the importance of agriculture on the food supply and economy.
Also insightful was Russell A. Meade’s presentation on exporting farm equipment to China, a vast country that’s modernizing its agriculture and will need new equipment.
Wherever in the world that farm equipment ships for in-country use, SH3 translations goes with it. For more than 20 years, SH3 has translated required documents like operator manuals and safety decals for agricultural machinery. A great example of this is in our case study for Valmont Irrigation. SH3 translates Valmont’s equipment operator manuals, decals and marketing materials into 11 different languages. By working closely together, we’ve been able to help Valmont achieve substantial savings on translation costs.
That said, it’s farm equipment that works the land and ensures wheat and corn and other crops make it through every stage from planting to harvesting to market. For farm equipment manufacturers that sell their equipment around the world, SH3 is the translation partner ensuring equipment translations are accurate and high quality.
Guest Blog Post By Lindsay Shannon and Scott Shorter of Concera Media
The term keyword gets thrown around a lot in the world of Internet marketing. But keywords should not be limited to marketing professionals. Technical writers and product support professionals need to be aware of the importance of keywords, especially when posting documents on the web. Keywords can be used for document titles, descriptions, images, links and more.
Why do keywords matter? To ensure that current and prospective customers can find your information online. Whether customers are searching for thermal remediation product specs or technical translation services, a Google search will lead them to your information if you’ve used the right keywords.
Image provided by Advanced Web Ranking
Where to Begin: Keyword Wrangling
For any marketing strategy, online or offline, it is imperative to know your audience. Start by creating a target list of phrases from the following free sources:
- Compile a list of 15 to 20 keyword phrases (less than three words) that you and your peers use to describe your business.
- Take a look at a competitor’s website to get some ideas.
- Look at Google Analytics reports for keywords that send users to your website.
Getting Serious: Advanced Tools
If you’re competing with lots of other businesses for the same keywords, it may be worthwhile to use a dedicated research tool like Wordtracker.com. It shows you how many searches are made for specific keywords and helps you prioritize and organize your results.
Get Organized
After doing your research; prioritize 15-20 of your most relevant and important keywords to be the basis of your site targeting. Now write your content for each page using good search engine optimization tactics (that’s a topic for another day).
It may sound like a lot of work – it is – but it’s worth your time. To read the entire article, find it in the Winter 2012 edition of the SH3 Transletter.
Americans love March Madness—that time of year millions fill out their NCAA brackets and tune in the games. We spice up our vocabulary with “slam dunk,” “full court press,” “air ball,” “fast break” and other basketball terminology.
Here, in Kansas, where SH3 has its offices, excitement is at a fever pitch since the Kansas Jayhawks are in the Final Four. It’s interesting to note the University of Kansas’s connection to Dr. James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball. Basketball is also a sport enjoyed around the world with professional teams in Europe and Asia and will be on display at the XXVIV Olympic Games this summer in London.
Wherever basketball is played, translation occurs. Players, coaches and staff have to speak the local language to be a part of the team and contribute. That’s not unlike what we do at SH3 when we translate documents and help manufacturers conduct business in international markets.
Like basketball, for international business to succeed, you have to communicate on the local level.
American equipment manufacturers keep America working. To encourage our government to support those manufacturers, SH3 has teamed up with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) in its I Make America campaign.
When our country’s equipment manufacturers do well, we all do well. The employees of SH3 are proud to play a supporting, yet essential role in American manufacturing. For more than 20 years, we’ve translated documents for a diverse list of companies, encouraging and supporting their international sales efforts.
Watch our video, “Bridging the Language Gap – I Make America,” and discover how much we value American equipment manufacturers and how it directly impacts our mission.
Join us by adding your name to the growing list of supporters at I Make America, and tell Congress to take action!
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