sMAartletter 3/2007

Idiom Technologies, Inc. is the leading independent supplier of SaaS and on-premise server-based globalization management systems (GMS) for automating and accelerating translation and localization processes. Partners in the Idiom LSP program use the Idiom WorldServer™, a state-of-the-art global management system (GMS) that improves workflows and production processes, and speeds up delivery to customers.

MAart Agency will integrate Idiom WorldServer™ with its Microsoft Dynamics ERP & CRM system through the Business Portal. The workflow, automation and advanced translation management technology in Idiom WorldServer™ will ensure more efficient and streamlined web-based services. In more practical terms, WorldServer™ facilitates smooth communication between all stakeholders in the project. Automation of processes and the assignment of translation and verification tasks, real-time updates of terminology databases and TMs – all result in enhancing the efficiency of team-work, terminology and project management in the translation process.

An interview with Janina Kostrzewa, Quality Control Department Co-ordinator, and Piotr Peszyński, Project Manager

Nowadays, in order to remain a leader on the rapidly growing translation market, an LSP has to consistently deliver top-quality services. It requires both maintaining high quality of translation as well as constantly improving management processes and quality procedures.

Janina Kostrzewa: That’s true. Customers are increasingly interested in procuring timely, accurate and highly-specialized translations (eg. technical, legal or medical). They also expect us to maintain industry terminology data bases and use their specific terminology for certain projects. They are looking for translation suppliers who are capable of maintaining and managing specialist projects and have implemented the necessary technology to support this capability. Times have changed and professional project management is becoming a standard service in the translation and localisation industry.

What is the Quality Control Department and when was it created?

Janina Kostrzewa: The Quality Control Dept is a team of qualified verifiers and translators, quality co-ordinators and project managers. It’s been operating for over 7 years now. Our team is responsible for ensuring that the documents our customers receive are always top-quality and that projects are managed expediently, professionally and according to customer specification.
It’s worth noting that many years ago, when the Quality Control Dept was first established, it consisted of just a few translators and verifiers. Nowadays we employ over a dozen professionals, including three Coordinators and two full-time Project Managers, as well as several interns at a time.

Why has the Quality Department grown so quickly?

Janina Kostrzewa: I’d say it’s due to the rapid global changes on the translation and localisation market as well as the increasingly more challenging projects that come our way. We have to manage several highly specialised and big projects at a time and a big and efficient quality control department is just indispensable in these circumstances. The number of specialized projects we have to deal with has been doubling every year – we service central government bodies, multinational corporations and all major EU institutions. For such a big language service provider as MAart Agency the involvement of in-house translators, verifiers and project managers on these projects is simply indispensable.
One of our key projects is an exclusive long-term contract for the provision of translation services on behalf of the European Parliament and I suppose it’s easy to imagine how big and complex this project is. Apart from that, MAart Agency is currently involved in nearly a dozen other major translation projects of similar size.

How does the Quality Control Department contribute to maintaining a high quality of translation services?

Janina Kostrzewa: The operations of the Quality Control Dept involve a lot of interconnected processes that require on-the-spot co-ordination on day-to-day basis. By co-ordination I mean dealing with the organisational, administrative and terminological aspects as well as keeping a tight reign on project management and quality assurance. We employ over a dozen professional translators and verifiers who perform comprehensive verification of documents according to very strict guidelines, create terminological databases and maintain translation memories. Our team members make sure the texts are complete, correct in terms of their subject-matter and terminology used, and proper style and register has been used and, last but not least, they are readable. We also pay attention to layout and formats. Thanks to the experience, knowledge, language skills, commitment and hard work of the people in this department MAart Agency’s projects can be managed in such a timely and efficient manner.

Piotr Peszyński: As far as quality is concerned, it is no longer enough to be proficient in Word and have excellent translation skills. In order to provide high quality translation services, we have to at least use CAT tools nowadays, e.g. Transit or Trados, as well as globalisation management systems, such as Idiom WorldServer, which was recently implemented by MAart Agency.

What are CAT tools???

Piotr Peszyński: Many individual translators who deal with small projects are discovering that CAT programmes (computer-aided translation tools) are extremely helpful. The fact that the system can “remember” phrases and words which have already been translated makes a translator’s work much easier. However, when it comes to large projects that require team work, it is simply impossible to ensure consistent terminology and style without such and more advanced tools, such as Idiom WorldServer. Nowadays, CAT programmes not only facilitate our work, but are indispensable if the translation is to be professional and delivered on time.

What exactly is WorldServer?