Once you have gotten your software or website localized, how do you validate to ensure that it speaks to the people you need it to?
What is validation?
Where translation and localization is the first step, validation is the step where you can make certain that you have accomplished what you set out to do.
For example, your website speaks to companies needing 3D printing services. You will want to make certain that it says what it said in the source language. In a less formal environment, but just as important is a video game. The source language was used to convey certain emotions and ideas. If you don’t validate it you might miss the mark.
Validation is employing subject matter experts to ensure that your website, software, or mobile app says in the new language what it did in the source language.
How to Validate Your Work?
The best way to validate your work is to employ a native firm of subject matter experts to review your work and ensure that words translated from the source language have the same meaning after translation.
Here are some examples of validations that are extremely important:
Medical – While there are many words in medicine that remain in Latin, many others will be translated from the source language to the new language. In this case, it will be important to find a subject matter expert, such as a medical professor, doctor, or medical transcriptionist to validate the translation.
Legal – As anyone who has ever been involved in a contract dispute knows, a protracted legal argument can hinge on the meaning of a single word. When translating everything from complex, custom contracts to terms and conditions on a website, it’s vital to ensure that each word retains its meaning in translation. In several famous cases, misphrased translations have caused filmmakers to lose all rights to their films in foreign countries.
Business – While your contract is vital, it’s also important to validate your marketing materials. Not only should you avoid embarrassing situations, but you don’t want a mistranslation to promise something you can’t deliver. A misunderstanding of the terms of an agreement or the usefulness of a piece of software can erode any goodwill you might have captured.
In every case, validation is an important step before releasing translated materials into a new market. In most cases, it should be done by a firm other than the one that translated the document, software, website, or app in the first place. “Fresh eyes” are always a good choice. Contact us now for more details and get your free quote.
