ProZ.com videos » 2010 Virtual Conference On-demand videos » Translation Quality & Localization Standards by Dr. Arle Lommel

In recent years localization standards have grown in importance. This presentation covers why standards are needed (and why they matter to individual translators as well as large companies), what current standards address, and how the standards landscape is evolving. We are currently seeing a shift from standards that focus on facilitating data migration and preserving linguistic assets to standards that focus on true interoperability between tools and components in an increasingly automated global supply chain. Ten years ago projects were accessible on a human scale, but as projects become larger and larger and involve more and more translators, suppliers, content creators, etc., they are moving past unaided human capability to a realm where only standardizing workflows and automating processes will allow translators to deliver value. At the same time, these shifts in the fundamental nature of how translation is carried out are having profound implications for the notion of “quality.” This presentation will cover six fundamentally different concepts of quality and how they apply to translation. Traditionally the industry has considered only a few of these definitions of quality, but the emergence of automated translation is forcing a reevaluation of what quality is and how to apply quality metrics for translation projects. The presentation will cover some of the changes in this area that can be expected in the next few years and how they will impact the translation industry.