There are two major misconceptions about localization (l10n):

1. localization is easy,
2. localization is cheap.

Let us dispel these myths.

Localization is not easy at all. It is a creative process that is more complicated than primitive word-for-word translation. Localizing a product is not just conveying the content of the source text. It is also a thorough job of adapting the final product to the cultural peculiarities of the target audience, observing the rules and contemporary standards of the target language, meeting the customer’s wishes and maintaining the full functionality of the localized material. The style and the format of the source document should also be preserved to the maximum extent possible. That is why only professionals should be entrusted with localization.

To ensure perfect quality, we usually involve the following experts in the localization process:

• translators
• editors
• linguists who perform quality checks
• proofreaders
• testers
• subject matter experts (SMEs)
• graphic designers (if required)
• project managers who organize the work of the team
• programmers and engineers for IT support (when needed)

The work of these specialists is included in the prices for localization. This leads us to dispelling the second myth – localization is not cheap. It is a complicated process and a quality product can only be obtained with a certain amount of investment.

The myth that localization is cheap has been largely inspired by the wide use of machine translation (MT) systems. It is true that MT makes the life of many users easier, especially if they come across texts in foreign languages only occasionally and would like to have at least some idea of what these texts are about. However, even nowadays the quality of the raw MT often leaves much to be desired. That’s why the Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) approach is on the rise in the professional localization. MTPE itself usually involves the work of the team of linguists. If you rely on MT output entirely, without human-in-the-loop, then inadequate terminology, poor grammar, and inconsistency are inevitable. These problems, however, can be overcome in the course of localization by the effort of many people using integrated software packages.

MT, like most automation technologies, aims to save time and money. Depending on the initial quality of the MT engine output and expected target text quality level, the discounts may vary. An average discount is usually within the range of 15-25% of the basic rate for the full MTPE cycle.

We are always here to help you with every project – from the translation of a small booklet or document to localization of a large software product.

Just contact us to start your localization project.

In the localization industry, it is universally acknowledged that every translation project is unique in its own way. But all projects have one thing in common: they contain specific words that should be translated consistently, i.e. terms. Careful work with terminology is obligatory to make a translation fluent and easy to read and understand. In fact, this work guarantees the success of your localized product.

We offer glossary creation services to boost the quality of your content!

Ideally, terminology work should start even before the translation process itself, as it is much easier to use correct and consistent terminology from the very beginning than to check and correct large volumes of text when the translation is already done. This strategy is appreciated for its true value and has been adopted by large companies that have already tried different ways and know the localization process thoroughly, such as Microsoft.

To extract terminology from any text, we use:

1. manual extraction. This method is used for small projects. Manual term extraction is carried out by qualified linguists who can spot terms in the text at first glance.
2. automatic extraction. This method is used for large projects. Firstly, we analyze the text with the help of a special tool* and get a list of prospective terms. Secondly, our linguists look through this list, and validate the terms. After that, we create a glossary on the basis of the final list of terms.

When the extraction process is finished, we translate the glossary (we offer glossary translation as a separate service, as well). As terminology is the basis of our future localization work, translation of a glossary is a very special and high-profile task. Only specialists in the subject area perform this kind of tasks.

The outcome of the extraction and translation stages is a glossary in MultiQA which we and our clients then manage and update. There, we:

• Add new terms
• Update existing translations and their statuses
• Share the glossary among the members of the translation team with the ability to add/change terms online simultaneously, depending on their role in terminology management
• Hold terminology discussions
• Perform terminology checks on completed translations

Contact us to learn more about terminology management!

How is “transcreation” different from translation?

Generally, translation must take into account the vocabulary, grammar, syntax, idioms, and local usage favored by the target audience, while remaining true to the source text and the context of the original document.

In other words, translation basically means “saying in other words”😊. Nowadays, a word-for-word approach to translation is considered inadequate, and the basic approach is paraphrasing. But transcreation also means paraphrasing, so how are they different? Judging from our 10+ years’ experience with transcreation, the main difference lies in the level and essence of the changes that are introduced into the target text compared to the source text. Transcreation must focus on the emotional response by readers, both in the source and target languages, and is basically about taking a concept in one language and completely recreating it in another one.

When it comes to multilingual advertising, marketing teams usually choose transcreation over translation. In fact, some of our clients do not even provide us with a source text, but instead send a brief to be transcreated in the desired target language.

In many cases though, marketing experts do not know the target language, and they doubt that their message can be properly adapted to it. Thus, the overall creation process is still about slightly “polishing up” the existing translation through the efforts of copywriters and marketing editors.

The two main approaches to transcreation result in two models of dealing with the creation process:

1. Level 1 – This is close to marketing editing. Translation of the initial source text is adapted, and slightly changed where needed. It is possible to add or omit portions of text or whole phrases in order to convey the same intent, style, tone, and emotional connotations of the source language.
2. Level 2 – This is close to actual copywriting. The content for the desired target audience is created (almost) from scratch, based on a concept, brief, or an idea shared by the client.

As you see, with both level-one and level-two transcreation, sticking to the source is secondary, while in translation projects it is obligatory and omissions/additions are usually not allowed. Therefore, translation and transcreation are related processes, but they are not identical.

So if you would like to check the difference and feel the real effect a transcreated article/slogan/advertisement has on the target audience, please contact us.

To make your product more attractive for the target audience, it must “speak” a native language. Be it a character of a video game, an announcer of learning courses or a speaker who delivers a presentation of your company — we can help with that!

Our highly skilled sound engineers are able to work with any sound format using professional recording equipment and software, such as Pro Tools & Sound Forge.

We provide:

• Add new terms
• Dubbing of presentations, commercials, educational courses, etc.
• Voiceover for video games, songs, and other entertainment content
• Casting from a large pool of reliable, professional voiceover talents, their voices well known and loved by public
• Text adaptation for sound sync/lip sync
• Creation of subtitles, both laid over and embedded

For more information on sound recording, please contact us.

Translation of large volumes of text in a short period of time usually means involving several translation vendors. In this case, inconsistency and other errors are almost inevitable. If a quality translation is your primary goal and you do not know the target language and cannot evaluate the quality of the translation yourself, just send the translation to us! ITI’s Language Quality Assurance (LQA) service will help you make sure that the translation is good.

We have a large experience in performing quality checks of the translated content regardless of what is being localized:

• An app,
• a software product,
• a document,
• an e-mail to your valued customer,
• a license agreement,
• or anything else.

The third-party review/LQA service will give you a reliable evaluation of the translation.

Our principles for performing a third-party review:

• We treat all vendors whose translations we check fairly.
• We offer a clear and understandable error report and positive advice on how to improve the quality of the translation.
• We always show the severity of errors in order for you to have an objective opinion on the quality of the translation.

Our strategy

• We submit third-party review, LQAs, LQIs and similar review tasks to subject-matter experts only.
• We always check terminology consistency.
• We check the consistency of the translation on the whole.
• We always perform additional target language proofreading by highly experienced linguists in order to ensure that the text is grammatically accurate and sounds good.

Your gain

• An unbiased quality check performed by native subject matter experts.
• Guarantee that the result visible to the users meets your expectations.
• Additional proofing and correction of errors admitted by your vendor.
• Iron-clad guarantee that terms in the translation are used consistently.

Testing, or linguistic testing, is a comparison of the visual display of the original and translated versions of content, be it software, an application, or a game. Detected errors (bugs) are entered into the bug tracking system in accordance with the wishes and instructions of the customer. Some software developers, especially game developers, call this service Linguistic Quality Assurance (LQA).

How it is usually done:

• in a software localization project, screenshots of the original and translated UIs are provided by the customer and compared by testers in pairs;
• when testers are comparing UIs and reviewing the target UI, special instructions are taken into account, for example, which part of the screenshot is intended for verification (it is usually highlighted with a frame), or which bugs do not need to be registered, etc.

In game localization it often happens that instead of screenshots, the game build itself is provided, and in this case, testers take screenshots with detected errors during the testing process.

As a rule, at the stage of linguistic testing it is necessary to identify the following errors:

ITI Europe provides interpretation in various language pairs. Our main direction for interpreting services is EN<>RU, we also have DE, FR<>RU interpreters in the database.

Interpreting can be simultaneous or consecutive:

Simultaneous. Interpreting in this case is carried out simultaneously with the speech of the speakers (as a rule, a pair of interpreters work together and change each other in a special booth). This type of interpreting is suitable for conferences, training, presentations.

Consecutive. In this case, the interpreter is translating the speech. This method is suitable for negotiations.

In general, that’s how the process looks like:

• We receive a request for interpreting at the event and find out the needed details (which type of the interpreting is needed, duration of the event, required software, subject matter, etc.)
• Based on the received info, we look for suitable and available interpreters.
• We agree on the budget with the client and book the interpreters.
• We connect everyone with each other. If necessary, we also organize an online test call (so that the client could check the candidates, as well as the interpreters could ask questions about the event).
• As an agency, we ensure that the team is well prepared. We require documentation and reference materials for interpreters’ preparation in advance. We also make sure that all participants of the process know “where to be and when.” We are always communication with everyone on the project via calls, correspondence in messengers, group chats, etc.

Before the 2020 pandemic, we met with translators in the office, held briefings, agreed on glossaries, and went to events in person. Since 2021, most events are held remotely online. Nowadays, usually there is no need to travel anywhere, as there is a boom of language technology — and in particular, virtual interpreting platforms. Fortunately, our interpreters have long known all the main software products of this kind and are ready to master new tools!

Contact us for a free quote of your interpreting project.

We are proud to offer you a qualified service in multilingual desktop publishing (DTP).
DTP is the process of placing text and graphics (including tables, graphs, pictures, etc.) on a page according to a certain layout and spelling rules. Modern DTP programs allow the user to arrange the text and graphics on the screen before actually printing the document. Thus, the user can see what the printed document is going to look like.

ITI Europe has extensive in-house multilingual DTP capabilities in both Windows and Mac OS. We provide a whole range of services needed to transform the original document into the translated “ready to print” format. We can produce standard web-ready documentation, as well.

We offer:

• Print design in the main text and graphics editors: QuarkXPress, CorelDRAW, Corel PHOTO-PAINT, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe FrameMaker, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe FreeHand, Macromedia Flash MX, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, etc.
• Handling of graphic elements
• Insertion of translated text into pictures and graphs
• Design of graphics (icons, patterns, frames) according to customer’s specification and vision
• Preparation of publications for printing and mass printing

We can do:

Text-related tasks

• basic operations with text blocks: create, move, change, delete
• font selection
• linearization
• intervals between letters
• headers and footers
• tables of contents and alphabetical indexes
• work with libraries
• tables, blanks, forms, checkboxes

Graphics-related tasks

• graphic file editing
• graphic format conversion
• screenshot taking
• creation of illustrations — in any format, based on any material
• multiple layer documents
• animated graphics

Miscellaneous DTP tasks

• creation of PS files for printing and for web
• creation of PDF files
• proofing (FDF)
• printing with bookmarks and crop marks
• creation and use of style marks
• solving text file incompatibility problems
• book cover design

For every language we provide DTP services in, we know how to:

• hyphenate words
• detect missing spaces between words
• sort a subject index correctly
• retain diacritical marks when moving to another platform
• apply punctuation rules

To ensure premium quality, every document goes through internal quality checks before being handed back to the client. Contact us for a free quote of your DTP project.

Legalization usually aims to confirm that a document, related to or issued by government agencies, corresponds to the laws of a particular country or commonwealth, and includes official acknowledgement of the signature of the authority that provided the document, as well as the stamp of the competent government agency. In response to international practice, passports and similar documents do not need to be legalized, nor do documents that are directly related to commercial or custom operations (invoices, service agreements, etc.)

The procedure of legalization may vary depending on the requirements of the relevant authorities. That is why we always try to double-check with clients concerning the goal of the particular documents, and sometimes even ask for the contacts of the recipients of the final legalized documents in order to make sure that they will be satisfied.

As per The Hague Convention of 1961, documents intended for the official authorities of Convention signatories can be legalized via a simplified procedure. In these cases, there is no need to process documents by going through the entire chain of procedures, but just by putting a special apostille stamp on the document, issued by the competent authority in the country or commonwealth in which the document was executed. An apostille authenticates the signature and the title of the authority signing the document, and also the authenticity of the seal and stamp present on the document. The signature, seal, and apostille stamp are exempt from any additional assurances.

Another option that is valid for documents that already have an apostille stamp is notarization. ITI Europe has successfully provided this service for our clients for many years. Notarized translation is the official translation of legal documents. For a notarized translation, the original document, or its notarized copy, must be officially stitched together with the translation, and the signature of the translator certified by a notary. Only those translators who have been certified by the relevant institutions dealing with notary publics have the right to execute notarized translations.

The source document needs to:

• be an original or a copy certified by a competent authority
• contain the required details like the date and document number, and be concluded by a signature and a seal.

Usually, it takes about one business day to notarize a ready-made translation.

To learn the current cost for notarization services, please contact us.