FW: Scope of translation of manuals

[Maritza van den Heuvel <MaritzaV -at- stt-global -dot- com>]

Maritza: I've just been requested to scope the translation of all our
end-user material into German. I have a fair idea of the actual translation
load involved, since I've been a translator longer than I've been a
technical writer, but I'd like some input based on experiences with similar
projects, especially with regards to typical problems experienced and
documentation management issues.

This is the scenario:

1) There are approximately 700 A4 pages of text to translate, with about 300
- 350 words per page.
2) Translation will be done on-site by a qualified, accredited translator
with IT/localisation experience.
3) As technical writer for the company, I will be overseeing the translation
project. This includes managing the material, the resource's time and
providing technical feedback where required. However, I'm officially on loan
to development for 2 - 3 months to write system specifications for our
upcoming release. The system specifications take priority at all times. I'm
also responsible for a couple of other business areas that need my attention
on a continuous basis.
4) Additional SME input will be readily available.
5) Translation will be done in our single-source authoring tool which has a
plug-in to handle seamless localisation. The translator, however, will
probably have no previous experience with the tool, implying a learning
curve of about 2 weeks to achieve a minimum level of proficiency.
6) Since I'm not a mother-tongue speaker of German and won't be able to QA
the translations, all translated material would require checking by an
editor/proofreader, most probably an outsourced freelancer.
7) The application being documented is a sophisticated, multi-author
e-learning tool, the Dreamweaver of this kind of tool, as opposed to
FrontPage.

Bearing all this in mind, what would you say is a realistic and/or feasible
timeframe to complete the project? Of course, Business Development/Sales
wants it as quickly as possible, but I've been given room to pace this as I
see fit to ensure quality and to avoid derailing other current projects.

Your insights and input will be most appreciated!

Regards,
Maritza

***
Maritza van den Heuvel
Technical Writer
 
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Software Training Technology (Pty) Limited
http://www.stt-global.com 
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