Managing the translation process effectively is important for every multilingual website owner . Companies that translate a large volume of content need an effective workflow to deliver quality translations. Most companies still use traditional translation workflows. Although proven, this approach has limitations in terms of effectiveness.
This article will discuss the steps in a traditional translation workflow, the challenges that arise, and how to create and automate it to improve translation efficiency for your business needs.
What is the translation process?
A translation workflow is a series of steps that cover the process of translating content from start to finish. These steps start with the preparation and review of the content to be translated, the translation work itself, and end with the delivery of the completed translation.
Translation workflows can involve as few as two steps (translation and publishing) or even more, depending on how extensive your translation efforts are and how many people are involved in the process.
The time it takes to complete a translation can also vary. In general, more complex translation workflows tend to result in higher translation quality. However, there are ways to improve translation quality while spending less time and effort on translation work.
For now, let’s discuss the traditional translation process that is still widely used in business.
Step by step in the traditional translation process
Once you understand what a translation workflow is, you also need to know how a traditional translation workflow works step by step. The stages are divided as follows.
Document preparation: Determine the scope of the translation (blog posts, landing pages, contact forms, website). Then select the target language and develop a writing style guide to maintain the brand’s tone of voice. After that, create a list of specific terms along with their translations. At this stage, it is important to clearly define the content that needs to be translated and the languages it needs to be translated into. The style guide and glossary help ensure consistency and accuracy throughout the translation process.
Document review
Once the documents are ready, they will be sent to the translator to check for the complexity of the content. The translator will assess whether the content is within their area of expertise. They will also check that all necessary materials, such as a style guide and glossary, are included. This step helps ensure that the translator is prepared to handle the project effectively.
Document Translation: The next step for a translator is to translate the content from the source language into the target language. Translation services may also perform back-translation to check for accuracy. During the translation process, the translator may ask you for clarification or additional context if needed. Back-translation, where a second translator translates the translated material back into the source language, can help identify any potential inaccuracies or misinterpretations.
