Valeria Sherstoboeva, the manager of Logrus IT’s translation department, talks about how our company works, what software localization is, and why it’s so important.
Can you tell me a little about your company, Valeria? What does it do, and how long has it been around?
Logrus IT on the linguistic services market for more 30 years now. First and foremost, we handle translation and localization. We’ve got several translation units for managing projects, each with its own specialization (video games, software, and technical documentation). Our linguistic teams translate into our main languages (Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Chinese, and Korean), and our QA team runs technical assessments. We also have testers, sound recorders and directors, and our own sound recording studio.
In addition to translation and localization, we can create content such as videos, texts, designs, and e-learning courses.
Do you prefer working with freelance translators or in-house employees?
We work with both. If we have a large project with a tight deadline, we scale our production processes and bring in freelancers. But in order to maintain a consistently high-quality output, we choose our providers with care and have all materials evaluated by our in-house editors.
Tell me a little about your approach to linguistic quality assurance.
We have a strong focus on LQA at our company. The primary steps we employ when translating a text include editing, proofreading, and automated QA checks via a special utility called AssurIT. It’s a proprietary solution that helps us find various technical errors, avoid typos, and ensure consistency in our translations. Our program has a wider range of functions than similar software on the market.
We also offer separate LQA services. Our LQA specialists check translations for mistakes related to grammar, spelling, punctuation, readability, comprehensibility, and the proper presentation of informational content. Using special metrics, we can also determine how the target audience will react to visual and audio content. All our LQA is handled by native speakers.
Our LQA methodology is based on the “Quality Triangle,” which was developed by Logrus IT’s CEO. A number of articles have been written about it, and its core principles have been defended at industry conferences.
Can a translator become an editor?
In our industry, people tend to think of translators as slightly “below” editors. Of course a translator can rise to the rank of editor – many of our editors used to be translators. In order to be an editor, you need to have mastered not just a foreign language, but also your own. You need to be able to find unnatural expressions and have an excellent sense of style.
How long have you been translating software, and who are some of your clients?
We’ve been working on software localization projects ever since our company was founded. One of our main clients is Microsoft. We’ve localized multiple versions of Windows and MS Office for them into 20 languages. We’ve also handled term management, style guides, and LQA for Microsoft. In addition to Microsoft, we also work with Kaspersky, Logitech, Samsung, LG, and other IT and software giants.
Which languages do you currently translate software into?
We’re usually hired to translate into EFIGS, a group that includes English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish (both European and Latin American). Another popular group is CCJK, which includes simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. We’re also asked to translate software into Brazilian Portuguese quite often. But we don’t stop there – some of our largest clients have hired us to localize their products into 70–80 languages.
What is software localization, and why is it so important?
Localization is more than just translation. It involves preparing software to be released in a new market. It’s an approach to translation that takes the target audience and region into consideration. I’ll put it this way: the localizer’s highest goal is for the user to forget they’re using localized software. There shouldn’t be any kind of friction at all. Menu items, reference materials – everything should be perfectly intuitive.
In addition to localizing the software itself, we also translate marketing materials, which are absolutely necessary when launching a product in a new market. A lot of requirements and nuances come into play there too. Unlike reference materials, marketing texts need to preserve their advertorial nature. They need to get users’ attention by employing all the richness of the target language.
How does the software translation and localization process work?
Translating and localizing software is a very complex, multi-tiered process. It’s made up of a number of steps, each of which involves working closely with the client. Generally speaking, the process looks like this:
We also offer additional services such as localization testing. This is a special kind of LQA in which we examine how well the software meets the linguistic and cultural demands of the target country or region. Testing enables us to identify and eliminate problems such as excessively long strings, untranslated fragments, and noncompliance with regional standards related to alphabet, fonts, dates, times, and currencies. We also make sure all dialogs, pop-up windows, and other elements display correctly.
How is the cost of software localization determined?
Several factors can affect the cost of software localization. They include the translation’s subject matter, deadline, target language, additional services (graphic design, voice over, testing), whether or not translation memory is available, and the quality of the content (stylistic and terminological consistency).
What is translation memory software? How does it affect the cost of your services?
A translation memory file is basically a database that contains previously translated text segments. We use it to significantly speed up the translation process, which reduces the cost because it means that some of the words don’t have to be translated again.
What do you do if the client has to make frequent changes to their software with little notice?
We offer agile localization for this exact scenario. During agile localization, we translate small text fragments within about 12–24 hours of receiving them, whether it’s on weekdays, weekends, or holidays. We have a special cloud-based platform that allows us to quickly and efficiently interact with clients and resolve issues. If a client has their own agile process, we can also integrate into it. For example, we can efficiently extract and process required strings from the client’s content management software or version control programs.
Let’s say an application has been localized and released in a new market. What happens now? Do you handle feedback from users?
We sure do. Every time software we’ve localized is released, we painstakingly analyze the audience’s reactions. We read posts, overviews, and user reviews about the release, and we selectively gather opinions before sending them to the developer. We don’t usually get very much feedback about the localization itself, of course. But in our business, the absence of feedback is a sign you’ve done a great job.
And to make the user experience even better, we suggest that our clients make use of our tech support services. We offer tech support in English, Russian, Chinese, Turkish, Kazakh, and Korean.
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