When multiple departments are involved, it makes things so much easier to have a TRSB project manager on the case to coordinate requirements, ensure uniformity, and make sure everything is delivered on time.
About the client
Our client was a Canadian Crown corporation with extensive coast-to-coast operations. All of its communications had to be in both English and French.
Background/challenge
The client had major translation requirements, primarily in human resources, finance, and sales. The texts were varied in scope and subject matter and included accounting, management, and HR systems, as well as Salesforce materials, SAP terminology, and miscellaneous documents. For HR, there were some 80 e-learning modules to translate. File formats included Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and XLIFF.
Outcome
Identify the work process: When the jobs began to arrive from different departments, TRSB was quick to note that they were interrelated and should be treated as a single, coordinated initiative. Deadlines were tight, the content was a challenge, and volume was high. For maximum efficiency, decisions had to be made about work tools and methods, file management, turnaround times, and more. TRSB took the lead, contacting all those involved so that needs could be identified.
Put forward solutions: It became clear from the scope of the job that two full-time translators would be required. To facilitate communication, the translators were provided with client email addresses so they could be in direct touch with the client’s in-house resources via Teams as required. The translators were also provided with access to OneDrive and a shared Excel master file so they could get right to work on texts as soon as they were available. All of this was a great time saver.
Offer technical support: After more than 800 individual jobs and a million words, everything turned out so well that the client has now asked for TRSB’s help with SAP training simulations. This second project will entail much more than translation as many of the modules are interactive, and all of them require updated French screenshots.
Provide ongoing advice: More than anything, this whole project has highlighted TRSB’s important advisory and coordinating role:
- Set up and hold project kickoff calls
- Confirm language preferences and develop project guidelines and glossaries
- Discuss and decide on work processes such as postediting and tool use
- Prioritize work as required and set delivery schedule
- Hold regular update meetings to solicit and provide feedback
- Suggest money-saving strategies based on workload analysis
- Suggest and coordinate companion services such as subtitling, voiceover, and digital accessibility
- Provide statistical reports for budget-tracking purposes
