CASE STUDIES

Each project presents its own set of challenges. Challenges can be as complex and numerous as the languages and cultures from which they arise including: pressing deadlines, localization issues such as conversion to a metric system or finding creative solutions to a play on words or assonance patterns equivalent to the source document, etc. As a translation agency, our role is to anticipate these challenges and ensure they’re successfully overcome. The following case studies illustrate some of these issues.

Languages: Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese
Subject: Translation of Lease Agreements, consent forms and documents for the protection of nonpublic personal information.

In addition to the usual challenges presented by legal translation, where inappropriate terminology or ambiguous semantics can lead to disastrous consequences, this project presented its own set of specific challenges. During extensive consultation with our client at the onset of the project, we were able to establish localization guidelines to not only suit our client’s preferences but also abide by the language rules of the target culture. Specifically, we addressed localization of greetings, dates and prices, as the above languages use different writing conventions. Moreover, as the template forms were to be filled out by Nissan’s employees in languages they wouldn’t necessarily be familiar with, it was essential to cross-reference all customizable information they would be completing.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the project was to find "a happy medium" to make the content accessible to the layman without failing to capture the semantic precision of the legal wording. This was particularly relevant to the Tagalog language. With its many different dialects, the choice of terminology had to accommodate these differences so that it could accurately and generically address a Tanglish-speaking audience. Filipino Americans have evolved their own standards of what is admissible, and overbearing legalese is NOT. In fact, with Tagalog being a very informal language, it was all the more critical to “tone down” the formality of the legal jargon.

Last but not least was the challenge of organizing the translation files so that our client could easily identify the forms. With over 700 files saved in 3 different file formats, it was essential to create a relevant directory and consistent saving protocols. In addition, binders with dividers were compiled for each language.