Sometimes, as a result of international transactions, companies obtain a range of documents, which then need to be translated into another language. They often do not want to spend much money on this, as they have other, more urgent financial commitments. But what if the translation is a must for the continued operation of different systems, and they have not budgeted enough for it? Do not worry – we have a lot of expertise in this area!
Our client is a leading supplier of new and used mobile platforms, as well as maintaining the services related to them. They were founded in 1989, and was one of the first companies to offer professional sales and servicing of material handling equipment. It all began with second-hand roofing and aerial work platforms, but after more than 30 years in business they have become the exclusive distributor and service provider for many well-known and internationally recognised manufacturers of mobile platforms. While operating internationally, they often need support with translations – especially for the large technical manuals for equipment that they need to export or import.
In order to properly launch something new on the Polish market, they requested us to translate a large manual originally written in English. Although we received all the documentation by email, it was obvious that we were not dealing with a digital file, but rather the scanned contents of a traditional binder – complete with discolorations, smudges, scratches and the folding of individual pages. It was clear that we were facing a job based on old documents in traditional paper form, as supplied by his contractors, and they wanted to be able to read them in Polish at the lowest possible cost. We prepared a quote for the translation process, taking into account the maximum discounts, but the price was still too high for them. They then decided to wait, hoping that the translation would not actually be needed. After a year, though, it was clear that a translation of the documentation was essential to maintain the continued operation of the production facility. They decided to contact us again to ask if we could find an even cheaper way of delivering the job.
After a rapid analysis of the situation, we knew that the price was the main priority for our client, and in translating these imported documents we knew that they would like us to keep it to a minimum. Given this information, we offered them a solution that we felt was the most optimal for them – machine translation with post-editing by the translator. Given that the source file was a technical manual, it made perfect sense to use machine translation in this case. The tools we use are able to handle this type of text very well, and the additional verification of the text by a specialist translator guarantees that the translation is precise and fully correct. We outlined all the benefits of such a solution, including the key one of clear savings compared to traditional translation. They were very satisfied with this solution and decided to have us do the translation, which took about three weeks. When we finished, they had a Polish version of the manual, ready for further use.
Through a process of negotiations, we obtained an order with high translation needs but a low budget. Thanks to our flexibility and the various options we offer, we managed to complete a project that had seemed to be lost in the beginning stages. Demonstrating that their expectations and needs are our priority, and by presenting a range of bespoke solutions, we convinced them to entrust their project to us. Should you also find yourself in a similar situation, and are faced with the decision to translate extensive technical documentation, then we can offer you the help you need, fully adapted to your expectations – and not just in terms of price or deadline.
