Founded in 1880, a prominent company (the Client) models, constructs, and distributes heat recovery steam generators (HRSG), and provides aftermarket maintenance and services to clients around the world. Well known for their sterling reputation as an innovator, the Client markets its HRSG technology across North and South America, as well as Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Effective use of their various products requires clear instructions (including diagrams), accurate maintenance information, and precise safety warnings. The volume of text, intricacy of diagrams, and tight deadlines add pressure to their translation projects, but working with Paragon has benefitted their bottom line by exceeding expectations and improving the quality of work, from proper translation memory management to properly formatted diagrams in our final submissions. Although we have a relatively new relationship, Paragon expects to expand our support of the Client's work to other markets and languages in which they operate.
As the durable global leader in the HRSG sector, the Client has worked in languages and markets around the world for decades. Their translation needs, which include training and technical operations manuals, require the utmost care and accuracy in order to ensure the safety of employees and that the HRSGs work properly in the target market, which was Brazil when Paragon started. These manuals include detailed diagrams and images, requiring highly precise formatting of foreign language text within the diagrams. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the Client's previous translators and translation vendors had not kept a consistent translation memory (TM) which needed to be examined/audited by both language professionals and specialists in computer-assisted translation (CAT) technologies in order to optimize their use and enhance overall savings in time and money.
The first step for Paragon was to simultaneously identify a qualified Brazilian Portuguese team and to survey the current state of Brazilian Portuguese TMs. Our vendor management team was assembled and prepared the team of qualified translators who were experts in machinery and other technical translations while our CAT specialist worked to correct TM inconsistencies, complete the TM's TermBase, and ironed out questions of language with a professional Brazilian Portuguese linguist. Our project management team combed through the diagrams in each document and created manuscripts of the images. This allowed even the diagrams to be included in the TM, and made eventual desktop publishing (DTP) and formatting by our in-house team much easier. Once our translators and editors completed their work, including communicating with one another over the best resolution to some linguistic challenges, and our DTP team finished formatting each document, a final proofreading was performed to ensure 100% accuracy and completeness. The Client was impressed with the quality of work we delivered for the Brazilian Portuguese materials, and remains confident that their products in this market will be used and maintained properly and safely.