Usability and User Experience Resources
Idea Market Afterthoughts 2005

Is something lost in translation, and if so, what can technical communicators do about that?

Activator: Valerie Rushanan, ArchiText

No two languages are identical, so something is usually lost. Minimize the loss by hiring competent translators with these skills:

• Excellent knowledge of source (often English) and target languages, and especially good writing and communication skills in the target language (language the content is being translated into).
  
  Just as technical communicators have unique skills (not everyone who speaks English fluently can write a good sentence or communicate technical information), translators need similar skills, in addition to linguistic skills.

  Many people require a translator to be a native speaker of the target language. Translators who remain in the country where the language is spoken have the greatest contact with the latest developments in the language.

• Technical knowledge

• Professional translators usually have these skills; dealers or sales people in a company’s offices abroad usually do not.

This first question is related to cultural issues.

How can technical communicators minimize cultural issues in the source content?

• No two cultures are identical; we must accept that fact.
• Instead of spending lots of time studying the target cultures and languages, technical communicators should do what we do best: develop usable content.
  • Send reviews (including graphics) to offices in other countries as early as possible in the content development cycle. Reviewers can identify cultural issues.
  • Track identified cultural issues and avoid repeating them.
• Usability testing (even when funded) is expensive. Here’s an example from a participant who had a good experience
  
  The client wanted to observe all the usability tests while they were being conducted, but it took too long. Videotaping and video editing were also time-consuming, therefore expensive. Here’s the participant’s solution:
  • The participant used WebEx (a web-based application used for meetings and demos) and gave a webcam to each user, many of whom were in different countries. This reduced the cost of testing from 70K USD to 20K USD.
  • Not much was lost from remote vs. in-person testing. In fact, users were more comfortable; they found the experience less intimidating without the observation glass.
  • Observers of the tests could join the meeting from anywhere.

How can technical communicators optimize project management for translation?

• If your company (including the offices in other countries) has an idea what the translations should be like when complete, communicate that to the translators or vendor before the project begins.
• If your international offices have already established equivalent terminology in the target languages, send those glossaries to the translators or vendor.
• If your international representatives think the length of content or level of detail should be different for a specific target market, communicate that.
• One participant whose translators were independent contractors trained them to use the product.

How should technical communicators prepare text for translation?

• Maximize consistency so a Translation Memory (TM) tool can help reduce costs. Ask your translators or vendor whether they use TM tools.
• One participant suggested using a tool to identify differing parts and sending only that to translation.
• A participant suggested using Simplified English:
  • It checks spelling and grammar.
  • You must write short, active, uncomplicated sentences.
  • You must build a terminology database.
• Alternatives to Simplified English (Google these):
  • ABREVE
  • Content Management Systems (CMS)
  • Controlled English

How can technical communicators use tools and graphics to make translation occur more smoothly?

• One participant saved graphics as .SVG files.
  • The illustrations were saved as .XML.
  • The text is separate, and is tagged as text. You can export the text to a TM tool.
    
    TM tools are the software used by human translators to create a running database of source and target language content. Translators re-use the previous translation, and the TM tool suggests possible translations for new text. This makes translation more efficient and vendors give discounts for various levels of re-use.
  • One participant suggested that it might be possible to write a script to increase or decrease the font size for translation.
  • Check with your translators or vendor to ensure their tools can handle XML before and after translation.
• One participant reports that his user studies showed that users didn’t like the back-and-forth eye movement associated with legends below illustrations.
• Allow sufficient space for text, which will usually take more room in target languages.