Future Trans, the ISO 17100 certified language services provider with a worldwide reputation for high-quality translation & localization projects, was approached by an American online social media and social networking service titan ─ second to none across the globe!
The client has requested that we take a highly complex project with awesome challenges ─ including big volume, multiple languages, limited budget, tight deadline, and difficult-to-find talent resources.
Though the client’s requirements were the toughest and most daunting we’ve ever faced, Future Trans rose to the big challenge through gathering together with our extensive hands-on expertise, human capabilities, state-of-the-art technology tools, and our passion for success.
And, we delivered on our promise!
Project Summary
- Client: An American online social media and social networking service company, regarded as one of the big four technology companies around the world.
- Service: Translation into multiple African languages
- Discipline: Social Networking Service Company
- Volume: 5 million words
- Timeframe: 60 days (phase 1)
- Work Level: Mega translation project in 14 languages (first phase).
Challenges:
- The target African languages are very difficult when it comes to hiring resources.
- Connectivity: Because the client had already asked that the translation should be done on a special tool, so our mission was to ensure that the selected resources were always versed in the language pairs assigned to them, and each had a good internet connection and a working laptop.
- Resources Commitment: After we started the actual work, we faced a lot of difficulties in dealing with the African vendors, as many resources were unexpectedly withdrawing from the project after confirmation.
- Very Low Rate: The rate was at first very low. Then after 2 months, the client further lowered the rate (and made a decision to carry out the project via freelancers), and so the big challenge was for us to meet the client’s low budget.
Solutions
- Resources: We used an effective staffing plan (by our talent management team) for around 1 month and a half to find the qualified talents who would carry out the mega-project with all its complexities.
- Resources Commitment: Our talent management team exerted remarkable efforts to find replacements for the resources who withdrew, and managed to handle the project smoothly till the end.
- Project Managers: We allocated a huge number of PMs to manage the project, with each project manager handling a maximum of one or two languages; so, they could efficiently manage the resources and control the translation quality.
- Quality Assurance: To address the project’s complexity, we leveraged our multi-phase quality assurance process, with a view to absolutely controlling the final project quality.
- Low Rates:
–We negotiated with the resources and set agreements with them on the low budget set by the client.
–Then, we convinced the client of the tough nature of the project, advising them against the freelancers’ option, and finally managed to hammer out a midway deal on the rates.
–Then we re-negotiated the new lowered rate with the resources until we finally agreed on a settlement. - Internet Connection: We were keen to select the resources that have a stable internet connection, and we had a lot of backup resources to help whenever we have emergencies.
- We provided many training sessions for the resources to train them on the client’s online tool.
Accomplishments
- We translated about 5 million words in 14 African languages in 60 days ─ with the highest-quality, the fastest turnaround possible, and, most importantly, within the low budget set by the client. With this, we exceeded the expectations of the client, who is now placing us top on the list of their language services vendors.
- Moreover, the complexity of the project and our approach to handling all challenges helped us pick up a good deal of new expertise in how to meet the requirements of mega translation projects in a way that provides full satisfaction to clients.
- The client has now started with us round two for the project and is adding more and more challenging languages.
