Multimedia Production & Localization Consulting

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Need to Produce and/or Localize Multimedia Content?

Whether you simply need some advice or feedback, a quick training or workshop, or a more hands-on approach with a specialist handling things for you, I’ll use my knowledge of multimedia production & localization to help you reach your goals!

Production & Localization

I can provide support during the content creation phase (pre-production, production, post-production) and/or during the translation/localization phase.

Processes & Content

My expertise covers process-related issues (setting up proper localization processes, knowing how to best voice content and so on) and content-related issues (why isn’t the end result working as well as expected in the target market? Which ideas should we keep? How to best implement them? Etc.).

Before, During, After

I can help before a project (to define a strategy or a vision for instance), during (such as supporting content creation or the implementation of a decision) and/or after (to review, evaluate, etc.).

Customer Cases

The following are examples of customers who hired me as a consultant to help them achieve their production & localization goals.

Company: Storytel
Website: www.storytel.com
Industry: Audiobooks
Country: Sweden

Assignment

Providing Advice & Feedback on the Proper Use of Machine Translation to Translate Audiobooks

Initial Situation

Due to a very strong focus on quality, Storytel had historically relied solely on human translators to make their audiobooks available in foreign languages. However, in an effort to decrease costs, they wanted to investigate the possible use of Machine Translation.

The company was aware that such tools had limitations and also encountered a lot of resistance internally, with many fearing the shift to Machine Translation would spell the end of the company’s remarkable translation quality. And so to get a more neutral opinion, to better understand the pros and cons of these tools and to decide how to best implement them to decrease costs without losing their readers in the process, they decided to work with me.

Solution Provided

My contribution in this case was in two steps:

An initial online meeting with the person in charge of coming up with a cost-reduction strategy: I described the pros & cons of Machine Translation in a literary translation context (with a focus on the difference between fiction and non-fiction content), gave my opinion on what he had been told internally and provided feedback on the strategy he had come up with so far. Additionally, to help him narrow down what his solution should achieve and his actual leeway to get there, I challenged the decision that translation costs had to be reduced and discussed customer expectations in the book industry (in particular the fact readers purchase a book if it’s properly translated and don’t if it’s not, with very little room in-between).

A review phase where I went through a book excerpt translated by their internally-developed Machine Translation engine dedicated to literary content (which the company intended to use in their cost-reduction strategy) to evaluate its quality and usability in practice. I then shared my feedback and observations with Storytel.

Results

My input helped the person in charge clarify his options, know what additional information he needed to gather and from whom, and how to handle the opposition he faced internally. It also led him to investigate possible cost-reduction opportunities outside of translation (for instance by questioning what books to publish in the first place) and to raise internally the question of whether to continue developing their own Machine Translation engine.

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Company: Translation Bunny
Website: bunnystudio.com/translation
Industry: Localization
Country: Global

Assignment

Assisting in the Recruitment of New Translators & Proofreaders in French

Initial Situation

Translation Bunny had been working with a stable team of freelance translators and proofreaders in French over the years, but due to an increase in the number of projects received they wanted to add additional freelancers to their roster of talents. Having worked with me for some time and knowing my skills, they asked if I could assist them.

Solution Provided

Since the company already had a process to attract new freelancers, they had a pretty clear idea of what they needed from me, and so my contribution was two-fold:

Recruiting translators: I reviewed and commented on the texts they intended to ask candidates to translate in order to evaluate their skills. Then, once these were ready, the company sent them to the applicants, who sent them back translated, and I went through the submissions and provided a report on each candidate’s abilities along with my recommendations as to who Translation Bunny should work with.

Recruiting proofreaders: the company asked me to craft a proofreading test featuring various types of mistakes the candidates would have to point out and correct. To avoid having to depend on me to review submissions, I also added comprehensive explanations of the mistakes I had introduced and what a correct answer would look like, which made it possible for others in Translation Bunny’s team to evaluate submissions and identify which applicants to keep.

Results

Thanks to my contribution the company was able to find the talents they needed.

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Company: Lilt
Website: www.lilt.com
Industry: Localization
Country: United-States

Assignment

Improving the Overall Quality of the French Translations for One of their Biggest Customers

Initial Situation

One of Lilt’s major clients – a big American tech company – consistently complained about the French translations they received not meeting the quality targets. Despite having tried many solutions to fix the problem – many of which I had been exposed to since I translated some of that content – Lilt didn’t seem able to solve the issue once and for all.

Due to my good track record as a translator for that particular customer, Lilt reached out to ask if I could help them as French Language Lead – a person who would work closely with both the company’s internal Quality Department and relevant contacts on the end client’s side.

Solution Provided

The company had a basic idea of what my role would entail, and I expanded from there by adding other elements I believed were necessary, until my contribution encompassed the following:

Explaining to both Lilt and their customer the perspective of the French linguists, their work processes, pain points and some of the core reasons behind the quality issues experienced.

Reviewing existing quality improvement initiatives, making suggestions for new ones and providing feedback on implementation.

Being the interface between Lilt and their customer: explaining everyone’s position, re-aligning goals (the “we actually all want the same thing” syndrome) and keeping in touch with both sides on a regular basis to ensure smooth communication.

Results

Since taking up that position, communication between Lilt and their customer has improved, with both sides understanding each other’s frustration and objectives. Also several initiatives we’ve launched could be extended to other languages, and some of them already have a positive impact beyond the French team.

However the most important and lasting impact of my contribution is without a doubt the fundamental shift in how Lilt and their customer tackle the quality issue. Namely, we moved from a strategy based on repeating instructions and giving to linguists as much information as possible (a strategy founded on a lack of understanding of how translators work), to automatizing as much as possible and decreasing the amount of things linguists had to keep in mind or check. That, in turn, has led to improved translation quality and a more enjoyable/less frustrating experience for the translators.

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Click on one of the customer logos above to learn more about my work with them.

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