Featured Translation Project – Educational Testing Service

LSA Provides Professional Translation Services to Educational Testing Service

Language Services Associates (LSA), a leading provider of professional translation services, was recently tasked with localizing the TOEFL® and TOEIC® websites for Educational Testing Service (ETS).  These websites needed to be localized for Latin America, France, Japan, Korea and China.  The ETS Project Manager, Cornee van der Linden, sat down to answer some questions about the ETS website localization project.

Take us, step by step, through the process of completing this project.

This project involved the localization of ETS’s TOEFL® and TOEIC® websites.  Prior to project launch, we assisted and advised ETS on several internationalization-related issues regarding the overall layout and setup of their sites.  They also consulted with members of LSA’s professional translation services team on how best to handle localization of the sites in general (e.g., glossary development and in-country reviews).  It was decided that there would be multiple rounds of reviews for each language and website.

The next step involved the creation and translation of a project glossary, which was then reviewed and approved by ETS. After the glossaries were approved and finalized, ETS sent LSA all of the website materials to be localized.  We then analyzed the files and compiled a detailed cost and time estimate. Once the estimate was approved by ETS, the first phase of the project entailed the translation and editing of mostly HTML files by our Translators and Editors; they were responsible for localizing all of the HTML files using the glossary and localization kit provided. The next step was to proof and QA each of the translated HTML files, so that they could be sent to the in-country reviewers for their approval, before going live on the sites.

What challenges occurred and how did your department come up with solutions to meet these challenges?

The biggest challenge that occurred during this project was figuring out how best to handle the various terms and phrases that had to remain in English, as per the client’s request. There were a number of references to sections, videos and publications that were marked “Do Not Translate” (DNT). ETS indicated which items should/should not be localized and, together, we developed an extensive list, which was incorporated into the glossary. The language teams then referenced the glossary during the translation and editing cycles. That same list was also shared with the in-country reviewers. During the course of the project, the list had to be fine-tuned as more items were added.

What technology was used to complete this project?

The main technologies used during the localization of ETS’s TOEFL® and TOEIC® websites were Idiom WorldServer and Trados. All the translation memory and terminology management features and functionality were crucial to the overall success of this project. For example, multiple updates were received over the course of the project.  Without these tools, it would have been difficult to process these changes quickly and efficiently.

How did you analyze and format  the documents that needed to be translated?

WorldServer and Trados were also used to analyze and scope the projects. With WorldServer, you can quickly analyze hundreds of files in a matter of minutes. In addition, WorldServer is a great tool to effectively protect all the HTML tagging, and it offers an online viewer where the localized content can be proofread in a semi-final format. This feature was used to perform the final quality steps on each HTML file, before being returned to ETS.

What resources were utilized to complete this project? How did you select Vendors and get them approved?

With the help of additional team members, including our Vendor Relations Manager, LSA looked closely at its existing pool of Independently Contracted Linguists to determine who would be most qualified to localize this type of content. The next step was to ask potential candidates to provide a test translation. These test translations were sent to ETS’s in-country reviewers and, based on their input, we finalized our selection of Linguists to be utilized for this project.

LSA is ready to partner with ETS on their future needs regarding this initiative and any other professional translation services they may require.