When translation is done by several translation teams from different cities or even countries, the most difficult thing is to maintain a consistent style, terminology and quality. Even little differences in wording or interpretation of terms may lead to nonconformities in documentation, business materials or product interfaces.
Why does inconsistency appear?
The main reason is the difference in context and approaches. Translators need glossaries, samples, style guidelines to keep texts consistent. But contractors, especially when working with projects, do not always have access to corporate standards and examples of finished translations. As a result, the wording of the same concept may vary in different texts, and the company loses the coherence of communication. For example, in different language versions, the words “user”, “client” and “customer” may be used interchangeably. Without unified glossaries, such small things can distort the meaning and reduce the product credibility.
How to build consistency system?
Maintaining a unified style is not a one-time proofreading, but an on-going process. It includes several key components:
• creating and supporting corporate glossaries, i.e., lists of terms with approved translations and context of application;
• development of a style guide, i.e., description of preferences in design, tone of voice and structure of the text;
• using Translation Memory (TM), a database of finished translations where each approved expression is saved for further use;
• implementation of CAT systems (for example, Trados, MemoQ) that give all project participants access to the same resources, as well as speed up the translation process.
These tools allow us to make the translation independent of a specific worker and keep the style consistent in all company materials.
Contribution of an editor and a coordinator
Even with the tools available, it is important that the person should be responsible for coordination. An editor or a leading language expert acts as a consistency supervisor: they check terminology, corrects the style and ensures the logical flow of the text. The project coordinator makes sure that all teams use the same versions of databases and guidelines.
Such a structure helps not only make the style coherent, but also to maintain the consistency of the customer's texts.
What the client gets
A single translation style is a part of the brand. When the documents, instructions and marketing materials sound the same, the company looks professional and reliable.
At Titan Translate, we arrange the work of distributed teams using a single platform, unified glossaries and a quality control system.
This allows us to maintain the accuracy, consistency and awareness of the text regardless of where and who translated it.
