When it comes to the handling of electronically Protected Health Information, the utmost care must be taken in order to adhere to HIPAA regulations regarding privacy and security measures. Here’s how the Terra team handles translation projects containing ePHI. 

First Things First 

Before kicking off a translation project containing ePHI, we typically have a call with the client to better understand their needs, expectations, and special considerations. If they have concerns about cybersecurity measures or want to learn more about the HIPAA-compliant team that will handle their projects, we will walk them through our training program and introduce them to the strong culture of compliance we promote. 

Receiving a Project 

Once everyone is on the same page and the client is ready to send their first project, they usually do it through a secure file transfer platform (of their preference) where they upload the files containing ePHI that require translation. Our team also receives an email from the client where the details of this project are included, such as language pair, word count, and deadline. 

Assigning the Project 

Next, we move on to assigning the project to a Terra account manager (AM) trained in HIPAA compliance. The AM opens the assignment email, analyzes the request, and downloads the files that need translation from the client’s platform to their encrypted devices. From there, they upload them to Terra’s secure storage platform. Then, the AM shares the project details with a project manager (PM) who is in charge of uploading the project to a secure translation tool, including only the vital instructions and information the translator needs to perform their job, and assigns it to a linguist selected from a list of already approved vendors.  

Translating & Editing 

When we’re ready to move on to the translating and editing stage, our trusted HIPAA-compliant linguist receives a notification about the assigned project and proceeds to translate it within the secure translation tool. The access this translator has to the project files is controlled, limited to view-only, and removed once the project is completed. 

After the translation is performed, the next step is editing and an editor reviews the final version, making sure there are no spelling, grammar, or formatting errors.  

Final Delivery 

After editing steps are finalized, the project is ready and the PM in charge delivers the files to the client through the client’s secure platform. The final files are uploaded to our own secure storage platform for a set period of time in case they are needed in the near future, and after that period is over, the files are deleted.  

The Takeaway 

Terra ensures a secure and compliant ePHI translation process, prioritizing confidentiality and integrity. Clients can trust their sensitive healthcare information is safe thanks to Terra’s commitment to maintaining the highest standards in handling electronically Protected Health Information. 

The post How Does Terra Handle Translation Projects Containing ePHI? appeared first on Terra Translations.

Given the growing popularity of multimedia content, it makes sense to pursue new customers in new markets using the multimedia content you already created. You know that this style of content performs effectively because you’ve tried it in your local market. While it may seem like a direct translation would make it possible to take this content to a new market, it isn’t quite that simple.

Adaptations are often necessary to connect with a new audience and to ensure that this multimedia content resonates with them. But how do you even get started? You find a multilingual localization provider—but not just any partner. You need to find a partner that will understand your business and your project, and who can help you get to these new markets successfully.

These are some of the aspects worth considering when talking to localization providers and selecting them.

1. Communication

A good localization provider should be ready to learn all about your project and not just explain how they generally do things. Pay attention to how they communicate. In the event you want to pursue a long-term relationship, communicating effectively will be key.

Are they friendly? Are they responsive? Your project and your launch are the most important thing to you, so you want to have the peace of mind that they’ll be there to support you every step of the way.

2. Expertise

In every interaction you have with a potential multimedia localization partner, assess whether they are asking you the right questions. Taking note of the questions they ask you will inform you if they know their stuff and if they have worked on similar projects before.

It’s also a good idea to inquire about their specialty fields. If you are in healthcare, engineering, or any other highly technical industry, you want to make sure the people working on the project are industry experts.

3. Project Management

Once you carefully cover the project characteristics and needs, you should analyze the project scope, workflow, and timeline of the project. You should also inquire as to who will oversee the execution. Will there be a dedicated project manager? Again—the importance of working with someone who is totally devoted to the success of your localization project can’t be stressed enough.

4. Vendor Management

Multimedia localization projects need many professionals to work together towards the success of a project. Translators, transcreators, editors, graphic designers, DTP specialists, video editors, subtitlers, voiceover actors, and voice over directors are just some of the team members you need on your side.

It’s important that you make sure that your localization partner has a pool of talented individuals available for each of the services your project will need. This will help you avoid having to look for more providers for specific services and will guarantee consistency across all your content.

5. Scalability

It’s likely your project will evolve and grow once you start seeing the results of localization. You may want to localize the multimedia content into more languages or may decide to launch new modules of an e-learning course. It’s recommended you assess whether this provider has the capability to scale in volume and target languages and if they can handle other types of content and formats. That way, when you’re ready to take your next steps in the localization journey, they can continue to support you.

The Takeaway

You generally only get one opportunity to launch your product or service in a new market successfully. If it doesn’t go well on that first try, your brand can lose credibility and you may damage your brand’s reputation.

First impressions matter—so make sure that when you select a multimedia localization partner, they give you the confidence that they will guide you to success.

The post 5 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Multimedia Localization Provider appeared first on Terra Translations.

Here’s what a strong localization process looks like.

Step 1. Discovery and Analysis

The localization process usually starts with onboarding talks in which someone from the LSP (either the Business Development Manager, the Account Manager or the Localization Project Manager) assesses the needs of the client and strives to learn more about the client’s product.

They will attempt to find out if the client uses specific tools or has processes in place on their side with the goal of determining how these assets would integrate with those of the LSP. In case an integration is not an option, the LSP can suggest alternatives or find ways to adapt to the clients’ processes.

Before a project can kick off, the LPM must make a thorough analysis and have a clear understanding of what the needs and goals of the project are. This step is key if the localization project is to be a smooth one.

Some of the information that the LPM needs to consider includes the following:

• Language pairs
• Volume
• File formats
• Tools
• Turnaround times
• Deliverables
• Purpose of the work
• Target audience

Once all of those elements, and any others needed to begin are clear, they can move to the next step which is workflow design.

Step 2. Workflow Design

According to the characteristics of the project, a localization process can have a localization, editing and proofreading step. However, this is not always the case. It’s up to the client to determine how many rounds of quality assurance will be performed.

Nevertheless, once the process is completed, implementation comes next. Depending on the CAT tool chosen, implementation can be done automatically or manually. At this point, the client has a localized product, but the natural final step would be to perform an LQA check. This means that the LSP—or a different vendor—reviews the localized version of the product and flags any bugs. These bugs can be found in the localized text (such as a typo or missing comma), or may be bugs created after the implementation (like overflowing text). This final step is crucial to launch with the certainty that bugs won’t appear later on and cause unwanted delays.

Step 3. Learning and Adjusting

Adaptability is key. Localization processes are always complex and frequently require adjustments to accommodate changes in copy, scope, budget, and turnaround times. As a localization project progresses, it usually becomes evident which steps have room for improvement and what things need to be changed. These learnings are very important and should be documented and shared with everyone involved, as they will be invaluable for future localization projects for the client.

The Takeaway

There’s no such thing as a standard localization process because each client, project, or product is different (an app, an e-learning course, a video game, etc.). There are some steps that are shared, but the client’s unique set of needs will shape the overall process.

The post Is There a Standard Localization Process on the LSP Side? appeared first on Terra Translations.

Keep reading to learn more about how culturalization unlocks global success for companies.

The types of content that generally need culturalization

Certain types of content can especially benefit from culturalization. Creative content—such as movies, literature, video games, and apps—in particular can benefit from this process. Marketing campaigns are a good example of content that can fall flat without culturalization. Advertisements, brochures, and other marketing materials should be culturally appropriate to ensure that they resonate with the target audience. This can include any written text, audio text, images, or music included in a marketing campaign.

Creative industries are not the only ones that should be mindful of the benefits of culturalization. Culturalization takes geopolitical affairs into account as well. Businesses in any industry can easily find themselves in trouble if they inadvertently cause offense. Even seemingly inoffensive things can be interpreted as controversial political stances. For example, what you call a country or the maps you display can be considered offensive even if they seem innocent at first glance to someone not from the target culture. Not only can a blunder like this upset a new audience you want to make progress in, it can cause you to waste a lot of time and money on an unsuccessful launch.

How culturalization works in practice

Culturalization compares a company’s content goals with the style of content that would appeal to its target market—to later reconcile the two.

This is why it’s so important to hire localization and target market specialists who have experience with culturalization and who are native to the target audience you want to enter. They will not only understand the language needs of the audience but will be able to help your content be as effective as possible by guiding you toward making choices that will truly resonate.

The takeaway

When it comes to culturalization, adopting a proactive approach where the content is appropriate for the target market from the beginning can avoid damaging the reputation of the brand and increase the chance of making a positive first impression. This proactive approach can help your brand save a lot of time and money cleaning up a mess you could have avoided in the first place. You can work with a seasoned localization team to create a strong culturalization strategy that will help your business achieve your goals.

The post How Culturalization Unlocks Global Success for Companies appeared first on Terra Translations.

Before we dive in, it’s worth noting that the act of localization isn’t enough to drive progress and growth for a company. However, not investing in localization can make it hard to thrive internationally. While localization can be a revenue enabler, it can’t drive revenue on its own. Going into localization with the right mindset and expectations of what it can achieve, can help you better analyze your ROI.

Let’s take a closer look at why localization can be so impactful and why it can be challenging to measure the impact of your localization strategy.

The Benefits of Measuring Localization Impact

There are many benefits of localization that companies can enjoy, but in order to convince company stakeholders that localization is an investment worth making, you need to be able to articulate clearly what their return on investment (ROI) will be. The key here is to measure the impact of your localization efforts so you have cold, hard numbers to present to stakeholders that prove your investment was worthwhile.

It can be difficult to measure the true impact that localization offers. Why? Because localization is just one factor that can lead to success when you enter a new market. There are many other factors that contribute to finding success after launch, including the suitability of a given product for the target audience and the effectiveness of the marketing campaigns—amongst multiple other elements.

This makes it challenging to determine which revenue is actually being generated directly by localization. But just because it isn’t easy to measure the ROI of localization doesn’t mean doing so isn’t necessary.

Why Measuring Localization Success is Challenging

Metrics like how many words are localized per language or the delivery timeline only show how efficient a localization project is—they don’t really illustrate the impact of localization.

This is why it can be helpful to focus on measuring the strategic metrics that specifically impact your company. There is no one set standard all companies should follow. Depending on the company or product, it can be useful to look at other indicators, such as the number of visits to localized website pages, SEO rankings in a target region, and customer experience.

The Takeaway

So many different factors contribute to how successful a product is after it launches in a new market. It would be unfair to attribute all successes or failures to localization. The metrics you need to use to judge the success of localization can vary greatly and should focus on what measures success for your company. There is no set standard to follow here, as convenient as that would be.

That being said, it is usually helpful to examine metrics that take customer engagement and satisfaction into account, especially if your company is customer-centric.

At the end of the day, the ROI you want to watch out for is how impactful your localization efforts have been on customer loyalty and engagement.

The post Localization ROI: Can You Measure the Impact of Your Localization Strategy? appeared first on Terra Translations.

Understandably, creating L&D materials in English is a popular choice for global organizations that feel they neither have the budget nor time for translations, but assuming people understand English is one thing and assuming they understand the cultural differences is another. The clash is inevitable.

While you’re likely to start with an English training program, there are a few things you can take into consideration and do in the development stage in order to make its localization easier and more cost-effective.

Choose Function over Form

Everyone loves a beautiful design, but when it comes to creating effective L&D training materials, the function must take priority over form. This is especially true when creating L&D content that requires localization. For example, adding animations can be visually appealing and add a fun flair to the L&D experience. However, when you have to localize complex design elements repeatedly, you may find those extra special touches don’t justify the cost of localization. Before choosing design elements, think about how they will affect your localization needs and if they provide enough value to justify localization.

Choose Your Layout Wisely

When you translate written content, this can affect the visuals of your L&D content greatly as other languages can take up much more or less space than written English text after translation. More often than not, other languages take up more space than English text. When choosing your initial layout, it helps to be strategic knowing that your space needs may change. Leaving a decent amount of white space in your original design can make a huge difference. While you can request that the localization specialist keep their new text concise and your designers can shrink the size of the text a bit, having more white space available to add expansive text can give you some much-needed breathing room.

Make the Choice Between Subtitles and Voice-Over

In an ideal world, you would localize all voice-over and subtitle content in your L&D materials, but this cannot be easy to pull off budget-wise as you would need to not only translate the subtitles and voice-over scripts, but hire a new narrator and record new audio content in all target languages. You may find that you need to choose between localization with just subtitles, voice-over, or dubbing to accommodate your budget. Think carefully about which format will best highlight your training materials.

Be Patient

The localization process is one that is best not to rush. To start, it can be helpful to wait until your source content is complete to provide the localization specialist with editable files. This will not only save you time, but money.

It’s also a good idea to coordinate timelines with your localization partner to ensure that the turnaround is viable and won’t require compromising quality to get the job done on time. Your localization partner will be able to advise which steps are needed to complete the project correctly and how long it should take.

The Takeaway

How can you make it easier to incorporate all of these tips into your L&D plans? Don’t leave planning the localization step for the end. If you keep localization needs in mind from day one, you’ll save money, time, and a headache.

The post How to Build an Effective Global L&D Training Program appeared first on Terra Translations.

To better understand how mistakes can occur, we’re going to look at four real-life examples of brands who had major blunders occur after entering new markets. Blunders which could have been easily avoided with market research and transcreation.

Puma—2011

To celebrate the 40th National Day in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), PUMA launched a new shoe design using the country’s flag colors. This seemed like a great marketing initiative at first glance. The problem? The shoe included a respected symbol on an item that is considered very dirty in Arab culture. Puma didn’t intend to cause offense, but by not taking the cultural sensitivity surrounding this symbol into account, they caused mass offense, had to issue an apology, and needed to remove the shoes from stores.

Hiring a target market specialist who is familiar with the local culture and what is considered offensive could have helped avoid this disastrous launch.

P&G for Pampers–1970s

In the 1970’s P&G for Pampers ran a campaign in Japan that seemed really charming at first glance from an American perspective. The ad included a stork delivering diapers to a mom. Storks are frequently associated with delivering new babies to their parents in America, but in Japan folklore tells stories of newborns arriving via a giant peach floating down the river. While the inclusion of a stork didn’t cause offense, it didn’t strike a chord either and consumers simply ignored the commercial which wasn’t an effective use of marketing dollars. A skilled transcreator may have known that the commercial wouldn’t resonate and would be a bit of a flop. They could have helped create a high-quality final product.

Pepsi—1960s

Pepsi entered China using a slogan that they intended to translate to “Pepsi Brings You Back to Life.” What the phrase actually translated to? “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.” Ancestor worship is an important part of Chinese culture, so this slogan did not have the effect it intended. Not only could a transcreator with proper knowledge of the local language and culture have translated the phrase properly, but they could have ensured no major culture faux pas occurred.

Braniff Airlines—1987

In the late 1980’s Braniff Airlines ran ads on televisions, radios, and in newspapers to let everyone know that their jets had luxe all-leather seats. In the Florida market, they ran ads on Spanish-language radio stations. The result? Accidentally revealing an unintended double entendre. Their slogan for the campaign was “fly in leather”. In Spanish, this translates to fly “en cuero” which sounds like Spanish slang for “fly naked”. While some suspected this scandalous move was intended, the executive who created the ad confirmed the double entendre was in fact an accident.

Again—this could have been an easy mistake for a transcreator to catch.

We all make mistakes and that’s okay, but whenever possible, it’s very helpful to learn from the mistakes of others! Especially when you’re spending a lot of time and resources to launch in a new target market.

The post 4 Brand Blunders that Transcreation could have Avoided appeared first on Terra Translations.

Keep reading for insight into how to find a potential target audience. 

Embrace Analytics

One major perk of living in a digital world is that researching your target audience is easier than ever before. Thanks to technology we now have access to valuable analytics that can provide us with insight into our target audience. 

To start, take a look at your website and social media channels analytics to see who is spending time on your website or looking at your content. You might find that people in your region or country make up the majority of the traffic, but you may also find people in foreign countries are visiting your site and that there might be an opportunity to expand to a new target market.

For websites, Google Analytics offers a free and very powerful suite of data analytic tools you can utilize. You can see where your website visitors are coming from, where they live, which pages they visit most frequently, how long they’re spending on your site, and what their demographics are—amongst other important data. When it comes to social media, most platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn all offer free analytic tools that give you insight into who your followers are and how they’re interacting with your social media profiles. 

Tapping into the data surrounding where your audience is coming from can help you find what regions your business appeals to. Then you can create a localization strategy that allows you to better service that specific audience. For example, if your website is getting a ton of traffic from a region or country that speaks a different language than your website is displayed in, you may want to invest in localization and international SEO to attract even more visitors from that region. 

Do Market Research

Once you have an idea of where a target audience is located, you can do market research to determine if these markets are truly viable and a good fit for your product or service. You can do this by researching how a new target market differs from one you’re currently serving successfully. 

When researching a new target audience, try to dig up the following data points about that specific audience:

• Market conditions
• In-demand products or services
• Average purchasing power and income
• Barriers to entry
• Local laws and regulations
• Cultural norms
• How your business stands out from competitors servicing that audience

Determine Whether Translation, Localization, or Transcreation is Needed

If a new target market you want to tap into speaks a different language, you need to determine whether you need to pursue translation, localization, or transcreation to ensure that your products and customer communications better resonate with this new audience. Even if the new audience is in the same region as another one of your existing audiences, you’ll need to confirm whether or not the new audience speaks a different variant of the language your existing audience speaks and adjust your communications accordingly.

The post How to Find a Potential Target Audience appeared first on Terra Translations.

While at first glance it may seem like these 500 million people speak the same exact language, each of these countries (and sometimes smaller regions within them) speaks the Spanish language a little differently. They often share the same grammar structure, but can have major differences when it comes to vocabulary or pronunciation.

In order to determine which Spanish variant is the one that would best suit your audience, you should think beyond the language and focus on the target audience you want to address. 

Ask Yourself the Right Questions

It’s time to interview yourself on how well you know your audience. Before you choose a Spanish language variant to translate your content into, ask yourself the following questions to gain some much needed insight into which Spanish variant they speak. 

• Where is my audience based? Once you determine where the base of your audience lives, it’s easier to identify the Spanish variants you need to use. If it’s a specific country, like the United States, then you need to translate into the US Spanish variant. There are as many variants as countries that speak Spanish, so it’s important to nail down the correct variant before you begin the process of translation.
• Am I trying to target a broader audience? If you want to target people in Colombia, Perú and Chile, por example, LATAM Spanish may be more suitable as it’s a more neutral variant that everyone will understand. It’s all about identifying that unique audience you want to target.

If you’re still not sure who your audience is yet or where they live, take some time to do some research so you can narrow your focus. Between conducting market research and looking at your web analytics, you should be able to gather enough information about your target audience to determine where they live and what Spanish language variant they speak. 

How to Navigate the Different Spanish Variants

Despite the many different Spanish variants that exist, translating content for Spanish speakers does not have to be a daunting task. Here are some key pieces of advice to keep in mind when it comes time to translate your content into Spanish.

• Be natural. Always aim to make your message sound natural to the people living in your target locale.
• Keep things neutral. When you must reach a wide audience of Spanish speakers originating in different locales, a non-localized, neutral variant is the most practical choice.
• Get nuanced. While it’s great to keep your language neutral when serving a wider audience, when targeting a highly specific audience, consider a localized message that includes regional nuance.
• Find the right translation partners. Work closely with your translation company, and discuss your audience and intent. A good translation agency will help you pinpoint the right form of Spanish for your audience.

The post What Spanish Language Dialect Do I Need to Translate Into? appeared first on Terra Translations.

Incorporating continuous localization into their workflow can help localization teams work faster, communicate better, and make less mistakes.  

Keep reading for more insight into what continuous localization is and what the benefits are.  

What Is Continuous Localization? 

Continuous localization is a type of translation workflow. With this specific workflow, you integrate translation workflows into the agile software development process. 

Under continuous localization, the translation team localizes the content in small batches which makes continuous integration easier. The localization manager and the translation team will have visibility into the development process during continuous localization. Because of this they are then able to easily discuss any translation issues that arise with developers. This allows the localization process to happen in lockstep with the development cycle.  

Throughout continuous localization, developers are encouraged to exchange ideas with the localization team—which they are able to do because continuous localization makes them more aware of localization issues and makes it possible for them to take the proactive steps necessary to minimize risks. 

What are the Benefits of Continuous Localization? 

Overall, the streamlined workflows between translation and development teams that occur because of continuous localization can lead to a lot less frustration for the team, less reworks, a higher quality final product, and a faster delivery. Let’s look at a few advantages associated with continuous localization.  

• Simultaneous release. Continuous localization makes it possible for development teams to work on products for different locales and in different languages at the same time. Working parallel can speed up the multilingual development process and can shorten time to market, which is especially helpful if a business wants to launch a product simultaneously in multiple countries. 
• Seamless collaboration. The localization team is able to work closely with developers to better understand the constraints of the user interface. This makes it easier to ask questions about the context and create accurate and high-quality translations while avoiding reworks.  
• Shorter development cycles. Because continuous localization can make workflow faster by leading to less back-and-forth between developers and the localization team, it’s more obtainable to stay focused and on track which leads to shorter development cycles.  

How Is Continuous Localization Relevant Today? 

To thrive in today’s increasingly global society, companies need to expand their global reach while balancing scaling needs. Trying to launch their products in multiple new markets leads to a lot of localization needs and can create a major bottleneck problem.  

High quality localization is a time-consuming process and is quite complex. Introducing continuous localization into their localization process can make it easier for their team to communicate, to streamline their workflow, and to complete projects faster and with fewer errors made.  

The post What Is Continuous Localization And Why Is It Beneficial? appeared first on Terra Translations.