Newspaper increases revenue and readership with ULG translation workflow

Given the magnitude of the translation project, the newspaper faced a dilemma: Manually translating the paper from Spanish every night would be too time consuming and make it impossible for editors to meet deadlines. But, at the same time, using automated translation posed questions of accuracy.

Being regarded as one of the most reputable newspapers in Spain, the newspaper needed to make sure its Catalan translations were error-free and reader-friendly. The Catalan version of the newspaper needed to be on par with the level of writing associated with their Spanish version.

On top of the issue of accuracy, the newspaper also was working on a tight budget. The economic downturn, as well as a universal transition from print to digital readership, had tightened the paper’s budget and left it with limited options for a major translation rollout.

After examining all of their options, the newspaper chose to work with United Language Group (ULG). Right away, ULG devised a custom workflow and project scope that fit the needs of the newspaper while maintaining cost effectiveness and efficiency.

ULG proposed a Machine Translation (MT) solution that utilized post editing and review by the newspaper’s editors to ensure accuracy while still meeting the tough deadlines of the newsroom.

ULG started by integrating its MT system into the newspaper’s workflow, adding the translation process to the desktop publishing and content management processes the journalists already utilized. ULG customized its MT engine to abide by the necessary terminology and style guide rules to ensure the paper had the correct journalistic style before publication.

As a measure of added security, ULG also implemented a backup engine to ensure there would be no bottlenecks in the translation process.

ULG implemented a system in which the Spanish version of the paper was edited and laid out in its necessary design format before going through ULG’s MT system. After it was machine translated, Catalan post editors reviewed the material and sent it through a final quality assurance process in which the newspaper’s editors reviewed the content before it went to the printing press.