Translation Service Case Study: Automobile Manufacturing
The world-leading automobile manufacturer featured in this case conducts its manufacturing operations with fifty-two overseas manufacturing companies in twenty-seven countries and regions. Senior management in departments such as inventory control, parts, technology, robotics, assembly, training and IT must communicate with their global divisions and partners on an on-going basis.
Sometimes, information to be shared with international divisions can come from one language and it must be translated into multiple languages and then edited to conform with each region. All cases are different and vary in terms of complexity, expediency and the methods and media in which the information is relayed: printed memo, technical manual, email, and letter, for example.
The content is invariably complex so translators must have detailed knowledge of the subject matter. But they also need to know about even the slightest regional differences, the nuances in language and culture between one version of a language and another. Because languages have a distinct habit of evolving, Mexican Spanish isn’t the same as Latin American Spanish, which isn’t the same as Spanish in Spain.
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
So imagine the brief. Here is a robotic systems manual in Japanese. First translate it into English for the UK plant and English for the US plant. That’s two translations, not one. Then, there are some marketing materials to go with the manuals. We need them from Japanese into Spanish for the Mexico City market and Spanish for the Madrid showrooms in Spain. In both cases, there are subtleties that only truly professional linguists can identify and accurately translate accordingly.
TWO BRANDS BUILT ON RELIABILITY
As a motor, systems and robotics manufacturer, this automobile manufacturer has hung its hat on one word: reliability: A quality that is reflected as one of ASTA-USA’s chief principles.