Client Profile
proALPHA Software GmbH is a German provider of business software for Small and Mid-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) with the strong focus on the manufacturing, trading, and service industry.
Currently, proALPHA employs more than 1.7 thousand professionals working in 49 offices and can count more than 7 thousand SMEs as clients and partners. Studio Gambit has been handling software and website localization projects for proALPHA since 2014.
Challenges and Solutions
| Deadlines | Solution |
| As usual, time was of the essence. Maybe even more than usual as we have inferred that proALPHA’s Team might have had a few less-than-perfect experiences with localization in the past. This is why the client seemed just a teensy bit nervous about tasking a localization agency with big volumes to a tight deadline. | One of the reasons why we relish lively communications with our clients is the ability to address the issues as they come up and solve what we can immediately. This is what happened with regards to the deadlines here. One of the turning points of our relationship was a call during which the client had the opportunity to see exactly how we work and decided to trust us with a larger quantity of work to be delivered step by step to strict deadlines. |
| Tool | Solution |
| proALPHA’s CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) tool of choice is Across and the client is loyal to the point of exclusivity. We also know that various options and functionalities are version-dependent in Across and even an experienced CAT user may find it difficult to get some Quality Assurance checks done properly. | Luckily, we make a point to know and use most of the commercially available CAT tools on the market, and Across happens to be one of them. We have used Across as mandated, and tailored workarounds to make necessary Quality Assurance checks. This, alongside providing plenty of technical help to the individual translators, ensured that proALPHA get their deliverables on time, all the time. |
| Terminology and Technical Issues | Solution |
| proALPHA’s team was all about the terminology and with good reason. We were asked to translate UI (User Interface) alongside with related documents and online help. Everything had to be extra clear and consistent while applying in-context variations where appropriate. The material provided by the client was also full of technical subtleties that also had to be reflected in its translation. | Nothing to it, at least for us – a dedicated Language Lead was assigned by Studio Gambit to take care of any localization issues for the client. This role included making sure client-specific linguistic and technical instructions are implemented, solving any questions from translators and escalating them to the client if necessary. It also required intensive hands-on tutorials for translators until they all knew how to proceed with appropriate terminology, technical guidelines and style in mind. All this in Across environment, of course. |
Conclusion
With all pain points taken care of, the work on this complex project went as smoothly, as if it were done by a well-oiled machine. proALPHA was happy with our results, and we have since been on the receiving end of their further projects.
Quick Facts
Language pairs translated: German – Polish, German – Romanian and German – Bulgarian
Specialization fields: materials management, sales and procurement, service, production, financial accounting, fixed asset accounting, cost accounting, data exchange, web and mobility
Project types: ERP software localization, online help translation, website localization
Number of translated words (German-Polish) till May 2022: 659,908
