Case Study 03 | IT Translation
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With two weeks until launch, a global IT company needed an efficient, creative solution for localizing more than 14,000 words.
This leading IT company with a corporate education initiative needed to localize interactive learning objects into six European languages. The e-learning was originally built out for primary-level school children, and were not designed with the process of localization and its requirements in mind.
The languages the client requested included Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Europe) and Spanish (Europe).
Chapter 1
Timing was an extremely critical portion of this localization project. The source content involved 14,270 words that needed to be localized and completed within a strict turnaround time of 12 working days.
Because the learning objects were originally created in Adobe® Flash® with some JavaScriptTM and ActionScriptTM components, all the translatable content needed to be extracted, translated and then correctly placed back into each part of the course.
Chapter 2
The key to handling this project successfully demanded using both the right resources and the right processes.
As part of ULG’s standard initial project scoping procedures, the “Russian Doll” nature of the learning objects included in the project was quickly identified. Various content was buried deep in the numerous file formats and embedded in extensive coding. ULG’s localization engineers confirmed that there was content in the Flash files that needed localization, as well as in JavaScript and ActionScript files.
ULG instituted a specific process to address the diversity of file formats, to ensure that quality control standards were maintained throughout the translations. The files for this project were particularly complex in that they contained hidden elements - white text on white background and elements that were either invisible or not immediately visible.
For the source content embedded within the Flash files, ULG employed a proven Flash text extraction technology. The extracted text was independently verified by a localization engineer since Flash files can be created in many different ways, making automatic text extraction difficult and cumbersome.
A second text extraction tool was created to handle the specific task of extracting embedded content from ActionScript files.
Finally, the JavaScript files were prepared for translation using Alchemy Catalyst TM, a visual localization environment that supports every aspect of the localization workflow.
ULG assigned localization engineers with extensive Flash experience to the initial text extraction. The engineers diligently documented every action taken in the project instructions in order to ensure that the post-translation phase would also be as smooth as possible.
At every step of this project, team members verified that all text was present, localized and corrected in all the learning objects, as verified against the English version of the training. ULG’s linguistic testers and quality control specialists were also instructed to do a full walkthrough of all of the training on a specifically set up test bed in the ULG in-house lab.
This allowed testers to view the source and target content side-by-side on localized operating systems. ULG’s online proprietary defect tracking system was used at every step of the project to efficiently handle any bugs that were found. Each bug could easily be tracked, assigned to the appropriate resource to fix, and regressed and closed by the person who originally logged it.
Chapter 3
Because of the efficiencies ULG was able to bring to this complex translation request, the project was completed on time and within the client’s budget.
For companies with an international presence, it can be costly not to plan ahead when it comes to e-learning initiatives. If e-learning content is not designed with localization in mind, modifying, translating and localizing content after the fact can result in higher costs, longer turnaround times and lower quality of the final localized versions.
However, in this case, ULG’s in-house expertise, effective scoping techniques, relevant tools and tried-and-tested processes combined to deliver high quality, fully functional localized versions of this e-learning product on time and on budget for the client’s 44,000 users.
