MPP Linguistic Services
		Technical and legal translations en-de, fr-de & professional language services
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The linguistic services we offer cover all linguistic and certain technical aspects of your translation and localisation needs. Some of the services only make sense for large multilingual projects with several translators coordinating their efforts to deliver a large software manual in a short time. However, in general, the services we deliver are useful for translation projects of any size and scope.

During preparation of a multilingual project you may wish to use linguistic expertise to help you avoid mistakes that later, in the actual translation phase, will cost you time, money and goodwill. During translation, you want to be sure that your documents are treated by professionals, teamwork-proven specialists used to the demands of sophisticated software and complex codes. Before you go to press, you'd like to be sure that the translation you got is up to your quality standards.

These are just examples of what linguistic services can add to your documentation process.

Project Preparation - Making Your Documents Fit For Translation

Multilingual communication does not reduce communication problems. But it need not multiply source text problems by the sheer number of languages and translators involved.

Of course, you have done everything to ensure that the text you need translated into the major world languages is top quality. But is it quality for an international audience? Thus, it is a good idea to include translatability issues in your own quality control process.

You want to communicate with the world? Start communicating with your translators. We can help you talk with the people who translate your documents, because we speak at least one of their languages, and because we know from our long experience just what they need (and often do not get) to do their job:

• Definition of source document quality (readability, translatability, usability) and liaison with your technical writers to eliminate problems (units, standards, currencies, date & time, space, and many others) at the source
• Terminology research and management, validation of source text style guides, and definition of target text style guides
• Definition of the translation environment (file formats, tools for translators)
• Definition of necessary context information and identification of material to be or not to be translated (translation of software strings, GUI elements, titles of documents external to the project, source and target of previous versions, trade names, trade marks, service marks, slogans etc.)

Translation - Our Core Activity

Fields of expertise

• We are technical translation experts in the following fields: General Data Processing, Automotive, Electronics, Electric Engineering & Equipment, Telecom, Networks, Multimedia, Internet and Intranet, Databases, Business Applications.
• Other specialties include: Legal texts (e. g. contracts), tourist guides, commercial texts, games, web pages and multimedia material, food & drinks, environment.
• We do not translate (but can offer other services and refer you to colleagues) for Medical, Mining, Petrol, Cats & Dogs.

We therefore can:

• Localise and update software files and documentation, GUIs, hardware documentation (Manuals, Online Help, Operating Instructions ...) and all other files, web pages, texts, or multimedia material related to our specialties.
• Use state-of-the-art DTP software and translation tools (FrameMaker, Acrobat, Trados ...).
• Communicate efficiently with you, give and take feedback for terminology validation and linguistic or technical issues, enable translators cooperate in teams, work on-site in computer labs and salt mines, handle large data volumes for surgical interventions, and in general do the impossible.
• Deliver on time and on budget.

Quality Control

Many translation agencies promise total quality, and propose quality control procedures for the translation process. Few have the courage to tell you that output quality depends on input quality (the GIGO principle - Garbage In, Garbage Out). Try to do a search on the Internet combining the keywords "translation" and "source text quality", and you will see what we mean.

As in every quality management process, translation quality has to be planned, budgeted, and built into the authoring process from the very start. Then, output quality control can insure that you reach your total quality management objectives.

In this context, we can:

• Proofread and check translations for completeness, correctness, respect of layout, typography, style, terminology, grammar and spelling, and for more technical aspects of document production (generation of indexes, tables of contents, cross-references, etc.)
• Test software, graphical user interfaces, online help, and SGML or HTML documents for form, fit, and function

Advanced Services

• Consulting for multilingual projects (decreasing volume by lean documentation, choice of localisation agencies, layout of translation tests, choice of translators and choice of CAT software)
• Source quality control for CAT projects and localisation agencies
• Linguistic coordination of translation projects (style guides, terminology management and research, databases, and liaison with the translation team)
• Training of technical communicators and project managers for linguistic awareness (writing for translation, translatability, preparation of translation projects)

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Copyright 2007 © Manigk, Popp and Partners - All rights reserved - Last update 12/07/07.