2nd of 3 articles: How to buy language translation services
Implementing a sourcing project for language translation solutions can be a complex and resource intensive process. In large organisations the spend is often fragmented and key internal stakeholders tend to have strong opinions about which translation agency to use. The first article in this 3-part Translation Solutions mini-series looked at how to get started with spend analysis, stakeholder engagement and building a compelling business case. In this article I will talk about putting together a sourcing team, how to ask suppliers the right questions and how to assess quality.
Like with all sourcing projects, it’s important that the project team has representation from those stakeholder groups most impacted by the choice of translation agency. Those are the people that will care the most and, therefore, most likely to engage with the process. In large organisations it’s also important to have an effective senior leader “sponsor” the project. The role of the sponsor is to be a leadership advocate for the initiative, as well as navigate the corporate political landscape to remove roadblocks or steer the project around them.
Slow down…
The project leader will probably be from the Procurement function with a title such as Senior Buyer, Category Manager or Procurement Manager. This person may be tempted to adopt a very quick pace to complete the project and demonstrate “savings”. This, however, would be a mistake. Due to the often fragmented spend and divided opinions in this space, it is very important to take the time to understand the root concerns of stakeholders and why strong biases exist, if that’s the situation. Taking the time to build true consensus exponentially increases the likelihood of compliance once the new translation solution provider has been selected. If genuine consensus and a plan for supporting the change are absent, all those theoretical business benefits will never become reality.
How to ask a translation agency the right questions
Asking the right questions of bidders in the tender document will determine the quality of the responses. With high quality responses you have a solid foundation for eventually selecting the right supplier. Here are a few insights that will help you craft intelligent questions:
- Knowing what types of solutions the supply market can offer. If you read the first article in this mini-series, you will already have done some initial supply market consultation to find out.
- Consensus within the project team about what aspects of those solutions would add genuine value in the translation process. Focus most questions on those aspects.
- Wording of the questions in a way that solicits complete and honest responses. Open, direct, presumptive questions which show you have considerable knowledge of a particular topic, tend to work well. That’s not just me talking – it’s scientifically proven, as a series of studies published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes show.
Define “value”
In terms of building consensus about what would add value in the translation process, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) model referenced in part 1 of this article series is a useful tool. It looks beyond the contractual cost of the service and per word rates. It factors in all the hidden costs associated with the activities required throughout the process. The example below is for illustration only to show the principle. The actual TCO analysis will likely look different for your organisation.
Though the boxes in the illustrative TCO example above are not drawn to scale, it is clear that the total cost picture is much bigger than just the per word rate charged by the translation agency. In fact, the per word rate only affects step 5. The job of the project team is to achieve the most optimal mix of quality and total costs in support of the organisation’s strategy.
Assess “quality”
Because we all have our personal preferences, quality can be subjective when it comes to translation services. Of course, if a translation contains errors that distort the meaning, it’s clear cut. But there are many grey areas where it’s not so clear, or the error is minor. When using translation samples to assess quality, it is therefore very important to use a consistent evaluation method that distinguishes between technical accuracy and personal preference. If your company has captured its preferences in a “style guide” or similar document, it’s also important to make such guide available to the supplier, so they can be taken into account when translating the sample text.
Here are some suggested criteria to use when evaluating test translations:
- Is the translated text comprehensible?
- Are messages of source and target text the same?
- Are cultural references appropriate for the target audience?
- Are writing style and tone appropriate for the target audience?
- What type of errors were made and how frequently (e.g. wrong term, omission, spelling, sentence structure, etc.)?
Using the same criteria and scoring matrix will enable more objective comparisons, even if a number of team members are involved in carrying out the assessments.
Do you need a pilot phase?
One thing a translation sample will not give you, is a flavour of how the ongoing working relationship will be. Will the translation agency deliver on time? Will they deliver on their promises? How responsive are they? How flexible are they? How consistent is their quality? A paid pilot phase, once the number of candidates has been substantially reduced, is therefore worth considering.
Next article in this mini-series talks about successfully rolling out the new translation solution in your organisation and continuously developing the supplier relationship.
Armand Brevig is the Managing Director of Procurement Cube. He speaks four languages and his diverse experience includes leading the procurement transformation of translation solutions for a global blue-chip organisation. Key benefits included total cost reduction through vendor consolidation and deployment of innovative technology, as well as risk reduction through consistent best practice processes.
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