I’ve answered many calls recently from localization managers complaining that their budgets are being cut, asking for advice. If you are suffering from the same symptom, here are a few pointers to consider.
Don’t panic! In a recession, it is normal to cut budgets in an effort to reduce costs. Evaluate the amount that you are asked to cut and compare it against other budget reductions within your company. If you are asked to make relatively bigger sacrifices than others, don’t be afraid to argue for fairer and more equitable cuts.
Know the priorities. Do you know what geographical areas your company depends on for making the sought after revenues? … Read More
Happy New Year! While the focus in ’08 was on major events like the U.S. presidential elections, energy prices, the economic turmoil and the crash of worldwide stock markets, in the localization industry the usual clamoring was going on.
Some in our industry argue that an in-country proof is not needed after the translation of a product is completed. I can’t disagree more. 
While in process of validating new international markets, and in an effort to reduce new market entry costs, many software publishers delegate the localization of their product to a 
The Ripple Effects of Source Change
Localization projects always take place at the end of the development lifecycle and are unfortunately often planned late in the release resulting in a very tight execution and delivery time-table.
Prudent localization teams will always try to satisfy the schedule needs while minimizing the impact on quality and cost. When schedules are tight, one typical reaction is to throw more localization resources at the project to get it done sooner. In some cases this is effective, but in many localization projects, there is a direct negative impact to cost and quality.
Here is an example where the use of translation management systems (TMS), coupled with proper planning, coordination and collaboration … Read More