Structured and well thought-out texts convince your customers and employees alike. They increase the value of your product for the customer. Your service staff and customer service technicians work more effectively because they don't have to contend with trivial enquiries and problems during operation.
We analyse your texts, structure them and use them to create modular texts. The end product consists of short and concise sentences that speak a clear language. Your investment is sustainable. You will hardly have any problems with translations – costs will be reduced in the long term. Further processing of this solid textual basis in a content management system or in other digital publication processes works smoothly. On the recipient's side, these clearly structured texts are easy to comprehend. Your customers' satisfaction with the documentation and the product increases.
By leaving the external documentation to our specialists, your experts can devote their time to their core competencies. In the meantime, we ensure that the operating manuals and instructions are available in full and on time. We scrutinise processes from the outside and act as beta readers of an instruction manual. In this way, we introduce new aspects and modern solutions.
We create a customised concept for your documentation landscape and record it in an editorial guide:
- We evaluate the existing product information
- We take a close look at your target group(s)
- We define the scope and depth of description
- We record documentation processes
- We create a structure and define the layout
- We define writing rules and build a terminology base
- We draw up a concept for the use of formats, tools and publication processes
Paper does not blush, but professional documentation will. A successful documentation project is based on standardisation. User-friendly communication works through standardised processes, layouts, texts and formats. Clear text modules are defined at paragraph or sentence level. Consistent terminology provides support at word level. Different types of information (such as headings, safety and warning notices, instructions, etc.) are put into a framework. Documentation is not a product of chance, but an elaborate composition of different elements.
The less ambiguous the context and cultural references of a source text are, the easier it is to automate the translation process. Such word lists include, among others, user interface texts or master data. Machine translation is also suitable for repetitive and structured texts that are terminologically standardised, e.g. operating instructions or reports. For contracts and marketing texts, on the other hand, MT output is less usable. Caution is advised with sensitive and confidential content.
What does a wood screw have to do with translation? A lot! You could deduce from the name that the wood screw has a wood thread. But did you know that metal screws are called "wood screw" because they are used in metal constructions? Consistency is achieved at text level with a content management system, at sentence level with authoring support and in foreign languages with a translation memory system – and at word level with terminology. Terminology management is essential for everyone to really know what you mean.
Localisation is particularly relevant when marketing software in other cultural areas. For example, reading from right to left in some cultures determines the placement of buttons and dialogue boxes on the user interface. Colours that are generally perceived as calming or "clean" in European or Western regions can quickly evoke undesirable associations in other cultures. There are also challenges such as maintaining sentence lengths and establishing context. With our expertise and tools, we facilitate the transition to your target market.
Our in-house editorial and translation management experts know your requirements from practical experience and work with a wide variety of formats and interfaces on a daily basis. Depending on the content, we convert the source texts for your added value. This ensures that only texts that really need to be translated are imported and exported. We keep an eye on any requirements from current standards and guidelines and take into account relevant text type conventions as well as the purpose and target group.
Our vendors, i.e. translators and proofreaders, are a key factor for good translation quality. Accordingly, we devote a lot of energy to selection processes and ongoing cooperation. In addition to evaluating translations in accordance with SAE J2450, we also evaluate our translators. For instance, we record response times and punctuality of deliveries. This helps us to find reliable translators and meet delivery deadlines. Our project managers build on this foundation as the central pillar between client and translator and lead the project to success with professional expertise and a good dose of communication skills.
Let's start with the language range. Do you need to have your documentation translated into 19 languages in accordance with the Machinery Directive? Of course you can contact 19 freelancers – and write to another 19 proofreaders. But how are you going to handle the linguists' queries? Finally, you would also need to check and approve 19(×2) invoices and manage the translations. Many hours fly by. Time that you could use for other tasks.
Another key advantage of outsourcing is the flexibility when handling large volumes of text. You benefit from trained project managers who have QA checks and the use of modern tools and tech solutions at their fingertips. Depending on the specialist area, we have different translators at hand to provide you their expertise.
Scripts, parsers, macros, file filters and plug-ins create smooth transitions, save unnecessary clicks, speed up processes and avoid errors. This summarises the essentials in a nutshell. The use cases vary from company to company. Let's take a look at a solution:
A system that can take care of everything does not (yet) exist. Perhaps MS Word is the lowest common denominator in some cases – if you can manage the company-wide process from content creation and management through to XML publication. Our plug-in solution makes exactly that possible.
Advantages of customised solutions:
- Cross-departmental work in MS Word with all the advantages of a content management system
- Clean MS Word and XML files at the touch of a button ensure standardisation
- No cumbersome corrections in the PDF, the reviews can be done directly in the MS Word file
By independently adopting routine processes and recurring work steps, the company can not only save on organisational and financial costs, the end user learns at their own pace, according to their capacity and also based on their existing knowledge. Thanks to digital processing, knowledge can be accessed anytime and anywhere.