There are many definitions of localisation. In terms of websites, we mean transferring one language version into another language including all the changes which are necessary to make the user feel that they are looking at a site which has been designed for their own language and culture.

For example a visitor to the French version of your site would see all text including error messages, buttons etc in French, the currency transactions would be in Euros and telephone numbers would use the international code. News items would be selected for their relevance to the target market. The whole site would appeal to the French market and would not be simply a French version of a site originally created to appeal to the US or UK markets.

Efficient and successful localisation depends not only on the appeal of the front end of the site, but also the back-end development of a database architecture which allows the site owner to make changes across all the languages quickly and easily.

It also requires the technical knowledge necessary to display different code pages and character sets including double byte characters.

We understand technical, business and marketing issues involved in localisation of sites and will provide all the assistance you need.

Q: What quality control do you have?

We have had ISO 9001 certification since 1996 and no non-compliances in any of the audits!

Our Quality Management System covers all our services.

If you need more information, please Contact Us

Q: How do you run big translation projects?

RLI has been a leading player in the translation industry since 1989. Specialising in large multi-lingual projects we provide translations of printed and electronic documents for many industry sectors.

The key elements of RLI's approach to running big translation projects are:

Project management structure appropriate for each individual project
Project control tools
Quality management processes
Transparent contractual arrangement stating clear division of responsibilities for the project between the Client and RLI
Translation memory and configuration management tools
Version progress tracking processes
Continuous communications with the Client, using a wide range of tools, including fax, telephone, e-mail and FTP sites, depending on the nature of the project.
Internal administrative checks according to ISO 9001 approved systems at every stage of the project

Q: How do you run large training programmes?

We take the external administration of the courses off your hands.

We will deal with:

Initial Client Needs Analysis interviews to ensure courses meet the Client's needs
Initial language assessments of students to ensure their compatibility with the groups
Continuous assessment and attendance monitoring of each student
Reporting to the Client on various indicators of student progress during and at the end of courses
Use of electronic CRM system to support programme and class management
Administrative processes according to ISO 9001 at every stage of the programme

Q: What are memory tools?

These are software tools which help to maintain consistency of translations and improve speed of turnround. By analyzing your documents in small segments in the original and target languages, the memory tool can recognise when the same piece of text appears again later in that or any other document. This is particularly useful for technical documents which undergo regular updates. They are also used for maintaining and building complex glossaries.

They are NOT translation software (which transfers one language into another without understanding the context and therefore results in many errors.)

Q: Why can't I just tell visitors to translate my document into their own language using automatic translation software?

It is very tempting to assume that "foreign" visitors can either read English anyway or could press on the automatic translate buttons which exist on the web if they want a translation.

To answer the first point: yes, some visitors will be able to understand your site. But if they have a choice between buying from a company which makes it easy for them to understand the offering and feel comfortable within a familiar environment and one which appears not to care that the user might be struggling, which will the user buy from?

The assumption that the user will click on the translate button is very high risk. Firstly, why would they add to the cost of their visit to the site by spending the time required to translate? Secondly, do you have a product or service which is so unique that you can rely on them wanting to read your site rather than moving onto the next one on their list of hits?

Thirdly, and most important of all: you have presumably spent a large amount of time and cost designing and writing the English version of the site so that it is appealing both in terms of visual design and content. An automatic translation ruins the visual appearance of the site, will only capture the main content (not text in frames, gifs etc) and the words are only a "gist" rendering of your text. This means that the user may not be able to understand what you are saying at all (particularly if you have a technical product) and at very best you will get translations which are very difficult to understand.

Some recent examples taken from websites translated in this way:

From a French site, the words for "To order a brochure" were translated by machine translation software into English as "To control a book"
A translation company's German page, which offers advice about creating good translation copy, was translated as "Here are some considerings on the manner of obtaining the translation of quality which you need". Hardly designed to give the prospective client confidence!

Q: Why does my document have strange boxes instead of letters?

Although it is now much easier to work with different language character sets than it was a few years ago, there are still times when another language does not display properly. It may be that you have not activated your language option in Windows. Or you may have tried to open a Mac document on a PC (or vice versa). (try checking the origin of the file). Or you are trying to use a customised font which does not have a version containing an extended character set. (Try opening it in a standard font such as Times New Roman)

If you have a particular problem file, contact us and we will be happy to advise.