By Sophie Ao | 6 January 2023
Client
A higher education institute in Hawaii
Background
The client, a higher education institute in Hawaii, planned to create, translate, print, and distribute multilingual brochures to help overseas students adapt to school life more smoothly.
They needed professional educational translation services from English into Simplified Chinese and Japanese, ensuring that the content was accurate, culturally appropriate, and print-ready within a tight timeline.
Problem
The client came to us with an urgent educational translation request:
They needed English to Simplified Chinese and Japanese translation and desktop publishing (DTP) for a higher education directory that was still being developed.
The translated directory had to be ready for printing within 25 days, while new InDesign pages and artworks were continuously added to a shared Dropbox folder.
In short, they required a responsive, experienced educational translation team that could keep up with a live project and support them seamlessly.
Solution
1. Preparing for Translation
- Each morning, we downloaded the latest batch of work from Dropbox.
- We imported new InDesign files and artwork texts into memoQ, a leading CAT tool, for analysis and pre-processing. Thanks to internal repetitions, the workload decreased significantly.
- Non-translatable elements such as numbers and certain fields were locked down to save time and reduce costs.
- A glossary was created for property names (universities, places, addresses) to ensure translation consistency.
- The content was then split into smaller, manageable tasks and assigned to experienced Chinese and Japanese translators to work simultaneously, speeding up turnaround time.
2. Translation, Proofreading & QA
- We handpicked the best Chinese and Japanese translators with deep knowledge of the higher education sector.
- Translators submitted deliverables daily, allowing our senior proofreaders to review in parallel.
- Feedback loops were built into the workflow: proofreaders left comments, and translators received them promptly to ensure terminology accuracy and stylistic consistency.
- After proofreading, the translations went through a CAT-based QA check to catch any remaining inconsistencies.
3. Desktop Publishing (DTP) & QA
- Once translations passed QA, they were sent to DTP specialists for layout adjustments.
- The DTP team leader and project manager conducted a thorough check before delivering files back to the client.
- Deliverables included:
- Final InDesign files
- Cultural-specific fonts for Chinese and Japanese
- Translated and edited images
- Small-size PDF previews for client feedback
The client provided feedback through PDF annotations. We updated the translation memory and made DTP edits accordingly, typically completing everything in just 1–2 feedback rounds.
4. Delivery
- Translations were delivered batch by batch, matching the client’s development timeline.
- Final print-ready PDFs were submitted to facilitate their printing process seamlessly.
Result
- The total word count dropped from 100,000 to 89,667 words thanks to CAT tool efficiency.
- The team consisted of:
- 2 Chinese translators + 1 proofreader
- 2 Japanese translators + 1 proofreader
- 2 DTP specialists + 1 dedicated PM
Together, they completed preparation, translation, proofreading, QA, and DTP for an 84-page directory in 2 languages within 20 days.
The client praised our fast turnaround, high quality, excellent organization, proactive communication, and the way we saved them time and trouble through a smart, efficient educational translation workflow.
