Software Localization

GlobalizeMe has experience in a wide range of software suites, languages and cultures and our specialization in multilingual software localization and translation projects is the reason why major international companies turn to us for their foreign language projects. They know that first impressions and sustainable quality are crucial for success and they rely on us to meet their objectives.

Our winning combination of in-house project/account managers and freelance software translation specialists has convinced SAP to make us an official SAP partner for software localization.

Here are some of the software localization services we provide:

On-site UI localization – we provide software translators and reviewers for a number of international companies. We have resources for on-site work available in a number of countries and languages. All deployments are carefully planned and all legal aspects – especially with regard to social security issues – are fully covered.
Off-site UI localization – this service can be provided in all languages. We work with skilled and experienced local teams, all of which are composed of freelance specialists. Due to the set-up of these teams, we can flexibly meet all deadlines and requirements. Careful quality management is an important factor as software localizations in the various languages of a project are often used to produce documentation such as contextual help at a later stage.
On-site and off-site UI testing – many of our most experienced resources have tested software for a number of large (ERP) software companies. Consequently they appreciate the importance of adhering to the methods and tools defined for a project. All work will therefore be carried out strictly according to your company's procedures and all suggestions will be properly logged and, once approved, implemented.
Off-site translation of help and documentation – this usually constitutes the bulk of the work, where stiff deadlines are a relevant factor. This is why we work with expandable teams, where senior translators tutor junior auxiliaries on-the-fly. Staggered deliveries and incremental spot check procedures allow us to carry out your project to perfection. All delivered files have been translated, thoroughly proofread and, if required, published using DTP tools. All you have to do is select a service level and leave the rest to us.

GlobalizeMe has excellent ready-to-go teams in a number of countries.

Procedures

Before a team gets started, its members receive a hand-off from the project's project manager specifying all of the project's details. Members are expected to work independently but also to communicate well. Queries will be submitted promptly and processed immediately, terminology and translation databases will be swapped and consolidated on a regular basis and deliveries will be staggered in order to solve a maximum number of issues at an early stage and improve quality from the very start. Although we prefer our clients to assign a technical contact for queries, we filter our queries before we submit them in order to take as little as possible of the assigned contact's time.

The schedule below is typical for most software translation projects.

Seq.	Step	Description
1	Translation and proofing of the software strings	This work is done by the team's senior translators and proofreaders. If a live system in the source language is available, this will be used to check the correctness of the translation. The translated software will be incorporated into a translation memory to be used for subsequent translation tasks. The quality of the software must be perfect before anything else is done.
2	Resolution of all remaining queries for the software	If any queries remain outstanding, they will be solved at this stage. The software will be finished when delivered and no queries will be taken along to the next step of the procedure.
3	Testing of the software	If possible within the given time frame, the software will be tested first to ensure labels are not too long, descriptions match the screens in which they appear, etc. Any required amendments will be implemented before the translation memory is built and Help and/or documentation files are translated.
4	Distribution and translation of the help / documentation files	This involves the entire team. The various topics will be allocated to translators with a maximum of experience and know-how in the respective areas. Translators will be given access to the operational software, if available, or an export of the translated strings in all other cases. Queries, memories and suggestions will be exchanged every 24 or 48 hours depending on the size of the project and the number of people involved.
5	Spot checks	Quality spot checks will be carried out regularly to improve the quality of the work as it evolves.
6	Language proofing	As the files are finished, they will be proofread in order to delete any remaining errors and in order to guarantee maximum consistency among the various files.
7	Pre-delivery	If the client wishes the unformatted documents to be returned, this is the final stage of the actual translation process. If DTP is required, the files will be sent to the DTP department and a copy of the files submitted to the client.
8	Desktop publishing	This is the stage when all files are converted to the format specified by the client and the lay-out is improved.

GlobalizeMe has a proven record of excellence with several major software companies. Feel free to ask us for references.