Jonckers Guide to Localization Program Management

June 28, 2023

Whitepaper

Introduction

Welcome, future Localization Program Managers! 🌍🌎🌏

Congratulations on stepping into the exciting world of localization! As a Localization Program Manager, your role will be to centralize work from various key business units, such as marketing, sales, operations, production, legal, and administration. Together, we’ll dive into the essential processes, files, content, roles, and responsibilities to make your localization journey a success.

Let’s start by understanding the types of files and content provided by each business unit:

Internal Customers

Marketing 📢:

Brochures: Informative materials about products or services.
Advertisements: Campaign content for print, digital, or social media platforms.
Website Content: Text, images, and videos for the company website.
Press Releases: Official announcements for media distribution.
Social Media Posts: Engaging content for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Sales 💼:

Sales Collaterals: Presentations, sales sheets, and product catalogs.
Customer Communications: Emails, newsletters, and customer support content.
Training Materials: Sales training manuals and product knowledge documents.

Operations 🛠️:

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Guidelines and manuals for operational processes.
Work Instructions: Detailed instructions for specific tasks.
Inventory Lists: Information about available products and stock levels.

Production 🏭:

User Manuals: Instructions for product assembly, usage, and maintenance.
Packaging Labels: Information and warnings on product packaging.
Safety Guidelines: Instructions for the safe handling of products.

Legal ⚖️:

Contracts: Legal agreements with clients, partners, or vendors.
Terms and Conditions: Guidelines for product usage or services.
Privacy Policies: Statements outlining data privacy practices.

Administration 📋:

Employee Handbooks: Guidelines for company policies and procedures.
Internal Memos: Communications within the company.
Financial Reports: Documents related to budgeting and financial analysis.

“Every project is different, and being able to understand and manage each one effectively is crucial”

Daniella

Program Manager at Jonckers

Key Roles and Areas of Responsibility

Now, let’s explore the key roles and areas of responsibility for a Localization Program Manager:

Localization Program Manager:

You oversee the entire localization process, coordinating with different business units and managing localization vendors. Your responsibilities include planning, budgeting, and ensuring timely delivery of localized content.

Project Managers:

Responsibility:

They oversee specific localization projects from initiation to completion, ensuring successful execution within scope, budget, and timeline.

Areas of Responsibility:

Project Planning: Define project objectives, deliverables, timelines, and resource requirements.
Team Coordination: Coordinate with internal stakeholders, localization vendors, and other team members to ensure smooth collaboration.
Risk Management: Identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies to minimize project disruptions.
Communication: Facilitate effective communication between all parties involved, providing project updates and addressing queries or issues.
Quality Assurance: Ensure project deliverables meet quality standards and client expectations.

Language Quality Control:

Responsibility:

They ensure linguistic accuracy, consistency, and adherence to established quality standards throughout the localization process.

Areas of Responsibility:

Linguistic Review: Conduct thorough linguistic evaluations of translated content, checking for grammar, terminology, and style consistency.
Language Quality Assurance: Implement quality control processes, such as creating and maintaining style guides, glossaries, and quality checklists.
Feedback and Collaboration: Provide constructive feedback to localization vendors and work closely with them to resolve linguistic issues.
Linguistic Resource Management: Oversee the selection and training of linguists, ensuring they possess the necessary language skills and subject matter expertise.

“Quality of output is of the utmost importance. If something goes wrong at the end, the client already knows about it. So, you must make sure that the quality is maintained throughout”

Daniella

Program Manager at Jonckers

Desktop Publishers:

Responsibility:

They handle the layout, formatting, and design aspects of localized content to ensure visual consistency and adherence to brand guidelines.

Areas of Responsibility:

Content Formatting: Adapt localized content to fit the layout and design requirements of various media and platforms.
Graphic Localization: Modify images, diagrams, and graphics to accommodate translated text while maintaining visual integrity.
Localization Tools: Utilize desktop publishing software and tools to efficiently manage and process localized content.
Quality Control: Verify that the layout and formatting of localized content align with the original source while considering cultural and linguistic variations.

Technology Managers:

Responsibility:

They oversee the selection, implementation, and management of localization technology tools and systems to enhance efficiency and automation.

Areas of Responsibility:

Technology Evaluation: Assess and select appropriate localization tools, translation management systems, and other technology solutions.
System Integration: Coordinate with IT teams to integrate localization technology with existing systems, ensuring seamless data flow and collaboration.
User Training and Support: Provide training and support to users of localization technology tools, ensuring their effective utilization.
Process Automation: Identify opportunities to automate manual tasks, streamline workflows, and improve overall efficiency using technology.

Business Unit Representatives:

These individuals represent their respective units (marketing, sales, operations, etc.) and provide content for localization. They work closely with you to understand localization requirements and ensure accurate and timely file submissions.

Localization Vendors:

These are external partners who handle the actual translation and adaptation of content. You collaborate with them to define project scope, manage deadlines, and ensure linguistic quality.

Sample Workflows

Manual Workflow:

Automated Workflow:

Multimedia Workflow:

E-learning Workflow:

For examples of innovate workflows, take a look at our Microsoft and Insurance Company case studies

Microsoft Case Study

In this case study, we’ll explore how Microsoft safeguards its reputation, how their corporate culture influences communications, and what types of content Microsoft CE & S regularly translate.

Insurance Case Study

An insurance company seeks to expand globally by breaking down language barriers, but it’s not an easy task. To achieve this, a reliable language services company like Jonckers with cutting-edge technology and translation expertise can help.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Now, let’s focus on some important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor:

General KPIs

Translation Turnaround Time:

Measure the time taken to complete translation projects.

Localization Quality:

Monitor translation accuracy and adherence to style guides.

Cost per Word:

Track the cost efficiency of localization projects.

On-Time Delivery:

Ensure that localized content is delivered within agreed timelines.

Customer Satisfaction:

Gather feedback from internal stakeholders on localization quality and support.

Language Specific KPIs

Let’s expand further on language-specific KPIs, including volumes by language. These KPIs help you assess the impact and effectiveness of your localization efforts for different languages:

Translation Volume by Language:

Measure the volume of content translated for each target language to understand the distribution and workload across languages.
Analyze the translation volume trends over time to identify potential growth areas or changes in localization needs.

Translation Turnaround Time by Language:

Track the average time it takes to translate content for each language.
Identify any discrepancies or delays in translation processes specific to certain languages.
Monitor improvements in turnaround time to ensure efficient and timely delivery of localized content.

Quality Metrics by Language:

Linguistic Quality Evaluation by Language: Conduct language-specific reviews or evaluations to assess the quality of translations and identify areas for improvement.

Customer Satisfaction by Language:

Gather feedback from customers or target audience in specific languages to evaluate their satisfaction levels with localized content.

Language Market Reach and Impact:

Market Penetration: Measure the extent of your market presence in different target language regions or countries.
User Engagement by Language: Analyze user engagement metrics, such as website traffic, conversions, or customer interactions, specific to different languages.
Revenue by Language: Track revenue generated from specific language markets to understand the business impact of localization efforts.

Language-Specific Terminology Consistency:

Glossary Adherence by Language: Monitor the adherence to approved glossaries and terminology databases for each language to ensure consistency.
Terminology Feedback by Language: Gather feedback from in-country reviewers or subject matter experts regarding terminology accuracy and appropriateness.

Localization Efficiency by Language:

Efficiency Metrics: Assess the efficiency of localization processes, such as translation memory leverage or reuse, for each language.
Resource Allocation: Analyze the allocation of translation resources based on language volumes and identify opportunities for optimization.

By focusing on language-specific KPIs, you can gain insights into the performance, market reach, and quality of your localized content across different languages. These metrics help you allocate resources effectively, prioritize languages, and improve the localization process to meet the specific needs of diverse target markets.

Remember, language-specific KPIs allow you to tailor your localization strategies and make data-driven decisions to drive success in each language market. Embrace the linguistic diversity and leverage these metrics to continuously enhance your localization efforts! 🌍

Business Unit KPIs

Business Unit-Specific KPIs:

Marketing:

Content Engagement: Monitor the performance of localized marketing content, such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and social media interactions.
Market Reach: Measure the expansion of the target market and the increase in brand visibility through localized marketing campaigns.

Sales:

Conversion Rate: Track the percentage of leads generated from localized sales content that result in successful conversions or sales.
Revenue Impact: Evaluate the revenue generated from localized sales materials and assess the impact on overall sales performance.

Operations:

Process Efficiency: Measure the time and effort saved by implementing localized standard operating procedures (SOPs) or work instructions, resulting in improved operational efficiency.
Error Reduction: Monitor the decrease in errors or misunderstandings due to accurate localization of operational content, leading to smoother processes and reduced rework.

Production:

Product Usability: Assess the usability and user experience of localized user manuals, packaging labels, and safety guidelines, measuring the reduction in user complaints or support requests.
Compliance Adherence: Track compliance with local regulations and standards through localized production-related content, ensuring legal requirements are met.

Legal:

Compliance Accuracy: Evaluate the accuracy of legal translations to ensure that localized contracts, terms and conditions, and privacy policies align with local laws and regulations.
Legal Risk Mitigation: Monitor the reduction in legal risks and disputes arising from accurate localization of legal content.

Administration:

Employee Engagement: Measure employee satisfaction and engagement with localized internal communications, memos, and employee handbooks.
Cost and Time Savings: Assess the reduction in time and resources required for administrative tasks due to efficient localization of financial reports and other administrative content.

Remember, the choice of KPIs may vary based on your organization’s objectives and priorities. It’s crucial to align KPIs with the specific goals of each business unit and the desired outcomes of localization initiatives.

By tracking these business unit-specific KPIs, you can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of localization efforts and make informed decisions to improve processes and drive success across your organization.

Remember, as a Localization Program Manager, building strong relationships with key business units, effective communication, and attention to detail are crucial to success.

Best of luck with your new role, and may your localization adventures be filled with global success and cultural understanding! 🌐🚀

For further information on this subject, take a look at A day in the life of a Localization Program Manager: The Quality Control Maestro in Translation Industry

Localization Program Manager: The Quality Control Maestro in Translation Industry

Welcome to the ever-evolving field of translation, where technology innovation meets precision in a vast and competitive market.