At Tomedes, a translation services agency, Crowdin has been one of the most useful tools for all translation and localization projects. It has allowed the company to work efficiently with our ever-growing community of 20,000 native translators to provide 120+ languages and 950+ language pairs.
This article will focus on how to onboard new vendors in using Crowdin and what features are most helpful when conducting QA management.
Broadening Horizons through Translating the Contents’ Meaning
In my five years working at Tomedes, I shifted from the head of the project management team and deputy of the customer success team to the Tech and UI Localization Department. Because of this, I got to experience both client coordination and the technical quality management side of the entire translation process.
All departments in Tomedes, like customer support, vendor management, project management, technical, and QA team, work closely together to ensure that our translation agency can provide our clients with the best service.
From selecting the right vendor for the task to the type of machine Translation engine for MTPE projects, we ensure that the workflow is done systematically every step of the way.
Reviewing Source Texts and Translations with a Side-By-Side View
We look closely at the source and translated text using the side-by-side view in Crowdin and check the text quality while determining if it fits the context. We understand that the text loses its meaning with a single mistranslation of a word or phrase.
For our clients, their intentions and goals behind the translation project should be reflected in their content. If the meaning of the text gets lost, it could negatively impact their brand and reputation.
Crowdin has allowed us to closely inspect our projects, word for word, and identify any misspelling or translation errors that our vendors have overlooked thanks to automated QA checks. These checks highlight the potential error and specify which word or phrase translation to review.
See Translation Progress in Real-Time
Another feature that we appreciate in using Crowdin is that we can remotely follow the progress of our vendors and check the changes that were made while working on the project. As a remote-first translation agency, it has made it easier for us to work and coordinate with native translators from across the globe.
With the rise of the digital era, many professional translation agencies saw the potential of going remote due to easier access to the global talent pool. Because of this, since our inception in 2007, Tomedes has always been a remote-first agency.
To effectively coordinate the expanding community of native translators, Crowdin localization software has become an essential part of our translation process and strategy. Now, we can coordinate the work of multiple people and they can work on the same translation project simultaneously since everything is done online and updates happen in real-time.
Training Our Native Translators in Using Crowdin
Because we work with native translators from across the globe, we sometimes come across vendors new to Crowdin. Compared to other professional translation agencies, one of the benefits that we offer to all our vendors is that we provide training for our translators on how to use CAT tools like Crowdin.
We provide materials such as training manuals and access to the Crowdin platform for hands-on experience in navigating the tool. We guide them and explain all Crowdin features and how they can effectively use them when translating or post-editing content.
Discussing Translations and Context in Comments
For example, if they have any questions about any unknown word or unfamiliar phrase, they can leave a comment through Crowdin. We inform the vendor about it from our end, and we respond to the comment according to the client’s reply.
The same goes for our clients. If they have certain comments on certain portions of the translated text, we place a comment on that section for our vendors to go over it.
Suppose we noticed some errors or issues from our end. In that case, our vendors can check the comments we left behind and immediately correct or clarify our remarks because there were instances where the words were tagged as an incorrect or misspelled word by Crowdin. The vendor would correct it or explain that they chose this specific word for the translation as it made more sense context-wise
Translate and discuss content with translators online.
Translation Memory and Terminology Features
Another reason why we use Crowdin in our projects and why some of our clients specifically request Crowdin when we create multilingual content is because of its Translation Memory and Terminology features.
New vendors who have never used their tools are surprised by how efficient their translation process has become thanks to Crowdin. You can see the words “smart consumption meter” and suggested translation based on previous projects stored by Translation Memory from the picture above. The translator has the option to use these suggestions or not.
Vendors can navigate Crowdin, and they’ll see Terminology features. If a client has specific terms that need to be translated in a particular way, the client can generate a glossary.
As a translation agency, efficiency is absolutely essential because most of the content that we translate needs to be given back to the client within 2-3 days. Utilizing translation management tools, like Crowdin, has significantly radicalized how we deliver output to our clients without compromising quality.
How Crowdin Enhances Our Quality Management Process
Before under the Customer Success Department, I would coordinate with the client to understand their projects’ objectives and expectations. I now work closely on QA management in the Tech and UI Localization Department and do technical research to ensure our projects contain accurate translations.
Usually, when we do MTPE, our clients need translated content right away. One day we had one client who needed to translate a 20,000-word content within 24 hours. The project was for a legal document that needed to be translated from English to French.
Due to time constraints, we offered our MTPE solutions and divided the project among three native French post-editors. We guaranteed our client that the output would remain coherent and contain high-quality translations. The client agreed to our suggestion.
We consulted with our native French translators about which MT engine had the most accurate translation. After selecting one, we had the project under Crowdin as it supports several MT engines we use to configure and efficiently pre-translate the text. Its translation management system allowed dividing among several translators to be simpler.
Our expert translators did the post-editing on Crowdin, ensuring that the translated content was in-line with the context and intentions of our client. Incredibly we were able to deliver the content earlier than expected. Precisely, 6 hours before the deadline.
Due to Crowdin’s feature of configuring MT engines on their platform, workflow overview, and quality assurance checks, we were able to exceed our client’s expectations.
Final Thoughts
When working with translators who have little to no experience using our tools, it amazes them that for a tech-driven translation agency, the process still heavily relies on human expertise every step of the way. For us, when it comes to providing the best service in the translation industry, it’s all about finding the right people and having the right tools for a holistic and productive approach to creating multilingual content.
