Going Global

The US-based technical publications group produces documentation using US English as its baseline. They write both the core-product documentation and the custom documentation that describes the special features that the OEM purchased. Both the core-product and the custom-feature documentation constitute a deliverable that goes to the UK OEM. Another deliverable that the US software company has agreed to provide is the translated documentation. Because the UK OEM uses UK English as its baseline, the US American documentation must be translated into UK English. Other target languages include: French, Italian, German, and Spanish (FIGS); Japanese; Chinese; Arabic; and Finnish.

The translations into other languages use the UK English as a baseline. Writing the documentation in the UK is not an option, since the key subject matter experts are in the US. In terms of sequence, the US English is written first, then it is translated into UK English, which is then translated into other target languages.

The US-based localization manager for the software company is frustrated. Because of the requisite US-to-UK English translation, the other translations take too long. This process is complicated by the hierarchical structure of the publications department, which slows down the communication process when the localization manager needs access to the original writer to answer a question for the translators; the over-commitment of technical writers, who move quickly to the next project (another OEM-customization) as soon as the last one is complete; poor upper-management support, due to their lack of understanding the linguistic, cultural, and organizational issues; and the frequent upgrades to the core software and the customizations that make documentation maintenance a challenge.

The localization manager feels strongly that in order to address the company's strategic goal, time-to-market, she needs to get the US writers to write in what she calls "Global English." (Global English here means Controlled English.) This way she can treat the US and UK versions of English as "just another language." Her cost/benefit analysis also supports a controlled English strategy.

Issue

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