Double the Complexity, Half the Time: 18 Markets, Two Surveys, One Team

Written by TOPPAN Digital Language

Situation

InSites Consulting offer a unique consumer insight ecosystem for more efficient, agile, and impactful decision making. By generating, activating, and maximizing the return on consumer insights all across the globe, InSites are proud to shape the future of more than one-third of the world’s global brands.

As one of their main providers of translation services, TOPPAN Digital Language was tasked with providing translation and proofreading for two complex multi-country, 8 and 10 market, consumer goods surveys simultaneously. Both studies had to be translated at the same time and within a tight timeframe.

Challenge

The original surveys were produced in Excel and contained cells that required translation from scratch and certain content to be proofread only. Each sentence also contained HTML code and piping code that should not be altered but needed to be placed in the correct part of the translated sentence.

The survey furthermore contained income bands that GL was asked to adapt based on local purchasing power. Moreover, the specific consumer goods types and varieties covered in the questionnaires had to be rendered in a way that would be fully understood by the local audiences.

Given the length, complexity of format and number of markets to be worked on simultaneously, it would have normally required 5 days to turn one study around, based on industry standards. However, InSites needed both studies turned around within 3.5 days, while at the same time demanding the usual top-notch quality TOPPAN Digital Language is known for to ensure impeccable data collection and quality for their end client.

The Results

As soon as the two requests came in, TOPPAN Digital Language understood time constraints and complexity. While a dedicated team of Project Managers analysed the files and worked on the quote, the Vendor Management team started to line up a roster of the best-suited translators who could start the work promptly and continue over the weekend.

By the time formal cost approval was given, the TOPPAN Digital Language team was ready to make a start with two linguists per language lined up and the multi-country Excel master sheets prepared per market so that linguists would only have access to the relevant contents and protected HTML language.

Working in teams, the linguists worked on translation and income band and terminology research. They then swapped tasks and proofread/validated each other’s work. The final step involved the QA team running our in-depth quality checks, including market harmonisation.

Given their experience in the MR life cycle and awareness of client needs, TOPPAN Digital Language was also able to quickly process several rounds of client additions and changes post-delivery. They were all delivered in record time and the client sent enthusiastic feedback.

You guys have done a great job! Thanks for all your help and for being so responsive and quality focused. We really appreciate it.

LANGUAGE QUALITY MANAGER, INSITES CONSULTING

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Written by TOPPAN Digital Language

This article was co-written by our team of in-house experts, who bring deep industry knowledge and hands-on experience to every insight shared.