To ensure the success of your upcoming translation project, it is vital that we work together so everyone has the same understandings of your expectations and the services to be provided. The following is a list of questions you should be prepared to answer, as well as a preparatory checklist to be completed prior to our commencing translation work.
Project Assessment: Download the descriptive Oregon Translation Project Planner as a PDF document. Work with Oregon Translation to determine answers to these questions:
What is the language of the source text? Into which target language(s) and dialect(s) do you want the text to be translated?
What is the word count of the document(s) to be translated?
What is the subject or theme of the text to be translated?
Who is the intended, target audience that will read the translation?
In which file format(s) will you be providing source text to us? In which file format(s) will you need the translations provided?
Will desktop publishing or Web localization be needed for the translated documents?
What is your ideal timeline for completion of this project?
Please provide your complete contact information, including business hours (and
weekend/evening contacts, if necessary), as well as names/titles of the
decision makers for this translation project, in case terminology questions arise.
Project Checklist
All of your source texts in a single place. Text files, documents, database dumps, image files and fonts, PDFs -- anything needing to be translated -- should be collected, organized, and sent to our office (by email, FTP, DVD, hand delivery, or fax).
A glossary of industry or company terminology.
Every company has its own internal nomenclature (job
titles, departments, widgets). Many specialty industries use specialty jargon.
We wish to synchronize our translations with the vocabulary you and your
audience are accustomed to reading. Custom words, terms, acronyms, brands, and other proprietary vocabulary present in the source files should be assembled into a text file or spreadsheet for our reference. If at all possible, please clarify terms, brands, and proprietary words with detailed descriptions or definitions, as these will best assist us in recreating the words in the translated text. Sometimes such terminology references
take the form of previous writings or translations you have produced.
A list of file formats (text, HTML, PDF, XML, inDesign, etc.) and fonts that we will either need to use in producing your finished translations.
