Planning Tools and Tips

Word Count

To calculate the number of words or lines in a given document, click "Extras" in your word processing programme. Then click "word count". You will recieve a report with the number of paragraphs, lines, words and characters in a document. Blank spaces and pictures are not calculated into the translation price. If you wish to have diagrammes, charts or other graphics translated, then the number of words within the graphics will be added to the total word or line count in the document.

If you are translating long documents or .html pages, it might be more effective to use the WebBudget Tool to count words. WebBudget counts only the words which are to be translated, not tags or code. You can download FreeBudget, the free version of the software here.

We always check the number of words and lines in a document and provide you with pricing estimates before beginning work on translating your documents. We automatically check our translation databank for exact matches or similar texts in order to keep your translation costs as low as possible.

Save translation time and costs by remembering these simple steps when starting globalisation or localisation projects:

Effective Project Planning

Define the members of the project team in advance and share contact information with all project participants. Be prepared for questions that will arise at the beginning of a project regarding the subject matter and writing style.
Include any background information that might be of interest. To whom is the text directed? How important are aspects such as humour, tone and style to the overall objective of the task?
Create a glossary that includes any texts embedded in graphics and any words that must appear consistently throughout the document or site. This will typically be translated first and presented to you for review before work on the rest of the document or site begins. If you don't have a glossary, we can help you develop one that will of great benefit to you throughout the project life cycle.
If you have created a style guide which sets standards for formatting, abbreviations and word usage in the text, send it along to us. Again, if you don't have a style guide, we can help you develop one.
Try to present documents and websites for quoting in their entirety instead of asking for quotes for each segment as it is prepared for translation. If we understand the big picture, we can offer you optimum pricing and service.
When asking for website translation quotes, don't forget any <META> Tags that might need to be translated. Search engine users usually look for content in their preferred language first and if <META> Tags aren't translated, foreign language searches won't turn your site up in their results.
Prepare a realistic deadline. We can usually translate and quality manage 2500 to 3000 words per day. The more time we have for translation, editing and proofreading, the better the quality of your results.
Involve us in your workflow. If you are working with an editor, should we forward the translated files in CC or do you want to see the results first? Are there any aspects of your project management that we should be aware of?

Translation Memory

Translation memory tools are a set of Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools that allow translators to leverage previously translated content in order to save time and retain consistency and concordance throughout a single document or multiple documents.

Translated words, segments, sentences, phrases and/or paragraphs are stored in a database as translation units. These units can be used to facilitate the translation process for highly repetitive content. Another key feature of these tools is consistency. Across all types of media such as office documents, desktop publishing material, websites and even software, terminology is created and stored for later use. This ensures that corporate terminology is adhered to regardless of whether the nexts originate from the marketing, sales, legal or engineering departments.

At Cornillie Consulting, we use SDL/Trados translation memory and term database software. We also provide consulting and training services for customers interested in implementing effective CAT tools within their organisation.

Brand and Content Management

Global business can be complex and challenging. Simplifying the process of globalisation is the key to making global business personal. International companies derive a great deal of their value from their brands. Brand management on global level is quite challenging because it involves translating the very essence of a company into different languages, cultures, values and belief systems. However, it is quite rewarding when a brand is able to establish itself worldwide as a symbol for a certain type of product and its manufacturer. This is why we recommend using tools like BrandWizard in order to optimise the brand management process.

Ideally, when creating new content, multi-national and multi-language versions will be part of the planning process right from the start. Content and document management tools like those offered by Adobe and EMC documentum make the process of content creation and management simple and effective - whether or not content creators are thinking about their colleagues in the translation department when working. When localising software or websites, Passolo has proven itself to be an indispensable tool.

As the market leader, Microsoft offers a wide variety of solutions for content creation, management and sharing. We have extensive experience with Microsoft Office, SharePoint and the Microsoft .NET Framework applications as well as OpenSource tools such as Mambo and Plone and understand the issues involved in translating and localising this type of content.

To find out more

Please send standard requests for information and quotes free of charge to our information address.