Industry Ethics: Questions for Clients

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Introduction • Questions for Service Providers • Questions for Clients • Model Contract
 

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Is localization quality an aspect of work that is important to me and am I willing to pay for it? How do I perceive the value of localization (something that has to be done or as an important selling point on a global market)?

You need to determine what your quality expectations are and what you are willing to pay to achieve them. You also need to decide whether your expectations and your budget match. It is unfair to your suppliers to expect them to provide what you are unwilling to pay for. This is a fundamental ethical issue because many potential ethical problems result from trying to cover a mismatch between expectations and what you are willing to do to obtain them. Understanding the role localization plays in your organization, and the value placed upon it, will help you select appropriate partners and keep valuable business relationships.

How do I / does my company determine the value of localization (e.g. budget, local/global market)? Is there something we are forgetting?

You can help prevent a mismatch between your expectations for localization and the reality of your results by understanding the localization process and what is involved in obtaining the results you want. It is your responsibility to be an informed consumer who knows what to expect of your suppliers and what you will have to pay a premium to obtain. Knowledge of the localization process and its value to you and your organization will help you appropriately allocate resources and work with your partners in a fair and equitable manner. Many ethical dilemmas can be prevented by being knowledgeable about business practices and methods, and making sure that your actions accord with industry best practice.

Should I attempt to have my supplier reduce rates by telling them that “there are others out there” even though I know that these others don’t make the grade and would never be chosen as our supplier?

Keep in mind the maxim “you get what you pay for”. Obtaining low prices under false pretenses will only result in poor quality and ill will if your subterfuge is discovered.

Should I tell my supplier that I am looking for a long-term relationship to get discounts even though I know I will ask for tenders the next time around?

Making false statements to obtain discounts is always a bad idea. In the long term such tactics will also generally lead to increased costs as service providers decline to deal with you. Long term relationships also lead to increased efficiencies that can result in substantial savings that will likely outweigh any short-term savings in per-word rates you may obtain by claiming to be looking for long-term relationships. It is in your best interest to pay fair rates for the results you want to obtain.

Can I expect my supplier to deliver quality results if I know that the rates I am willing to pay are well below competitive market rates?

Again, you get what you pay for. It is in your long-term best interest to pay a fair price for quality results. That said, if your supplier agrees to deliver quality results at an unbelievably low rate, this is a business decision to be made between you and your supplier. Remember, however, that competitive market rates are competitive for a certain level of service. Significantly lower rates may indicate that the service provided does not compare with the service of others in the market (or it may simply mean you have found a good deal).

If I know the quality of a previous translation I am using for leverage is poor, should I tell my supplier and ask that it be done properly for a fee or should I hide it?

Open disclosure of problems will result in better results and, generally, lower cost, than failure to disclose problems. Your suppliers will recognize the source of problems and bill you for the cost of fixing them. Hiding problems will only create ill-will with your suppliers. In addition the quality of your localization project will suffer; disclosing the problems will allow your suppliers to take steps early on to help improve quality.

Can I expect my supplier to correct previous translations at little or no cost?

Any work a supplier has to undertake (other than correcting its own mistakes) should be paid for. How the supplier and you may agree to handle this or pay for it is up to you, but correction of linguistic resources must be paid for and the supplier must be fairly compensated for time and effort. Correction of previous translations is a time-consuming task that must be taken care of to avoid future costs and quality problems.

Should I be up-front with my supplier about production delays, translation sequence and updates?

Quality can only improve when your supplier can plan ahead to meet your needs. It is also fundamentally a matter of fairness to let your suppliers know about issues such as delays or revisions that will affect their ability to provide service in a timely manner to you and their other clients. If you try to conceal problems and, as a result your supplier loses money by making or keeping resources available, you will create a bad relationship. The more lead time you can give your suppliers to make adjustments, the easier it will be for them to provide quality resources for your project and, ultimately, to deliver quality results.

If the supplier detects errors caused by our developers, should we pay to have them fixed?

Ultimately this is a question for you to decide in terms of your localization needs. Not all problems need to be fixed (or, indeed, can be fixed, given finite resources). Knowing where to focus your efforts will result in improved quality and business relationships. Ultimately, if you decide to fix problems your developers caused, you are responsible for the cost of fixing them, whether that means going back to your in-house developers and having them fix the problem, or paying your suppliers to fix them. If your errors will negatively impact the ability of your supplier to complete its job in a timely and efficient manner, you should generally have them fixed.

Can I expect my supplier to implement changes I make to the project as part of general services (i.e., without additional charge)?

You cannot assume that your supplier will implement changes you request free of charge. That said, most suppliers will implement reasonable changes as part of the localization process, provided they are notified about them early on and can make the changes without extensive delay or effort. If your changes require retranslation or considerable effort on the part of your supplier, you should expect to pay for them. You should make your suppliers aware of any forthcoming changes as soon as possible to prevent wasted effort on their part and to allow them to allocate resources in the most efficient manner. Doing so will help minimize costs associated with changes.

Not all changes are created equal. Changes such as adding files to a project prior to its start date or replacing files that have not yet entered a workflow will require adjustment of estimates, but generally will not cause problems for your supplier or result in cost increases for the remainder of a project, while changes to text after a project has begun, especially systematic changes that affect many locations in a project, can create major problems for your suppliers and will almost certainly result in your being required to pay change fees.

It is your responsibility to deliver projects to your suppliers in a final form—changes should be the exception rather than the norm. If you consistently find yourself requesting changes of your suppliers after projects have begun you need to examine your own processes to identify problems. Examining your own process for problems will not only make your suppliers happy, it will also help you identify problems that may be creating additional expenses in other areas. If you consistently request changes you will find your suppliers less willing to work with you over time.

Can I ask suppliers to participate in a selection process if I am reasonably sure of staying with my current supplier?

You may request quotes from suppliers (they understand that quotes are not in any way binding), but you should not ask suppliers to participate in selection processes that will require them to spend substantial time or money if they do not stand a chance of obtaining your business. Even if you believe you will stay with your current supplier, you owe it to those in your selection process to at least evaluate their proposals and references. Suppliers will know if you have checked their references and done due diligence. If you do not do due diligence these suppliers will be unlikely to regard you seriously in the future if you do need their services.

Can I expect potential suppliers to perform sample projects at their own cost prior to any decision to use their service?

Generally you should not expect a potential supplier to perform any sample work at their own cost unless (1) you are seriously considering them as a service provider, (2) the scope of the sample project is reasonable, and (3) you have made the nature of the sample project and its role in the selection process clear. You should never expect potential suppliers to provide sample projects to you unless they stand a reasonable and fair chance of being chosen in your selection process. Requesting sample projects from suppliers that do not stand a reasonable chance of being chosen is unfair and wastes the suppliers’ time and resources. In addition you should never use real projects you would normally pay for as sample projects in order to avoid paying for them. Sample projects should be carefully chosen to provide a basis for evaluation of quality and work.

If I am dissatisfied with the performance of a supplier and am asked to provide a reference for the supplier, what can I say about my experience to the supplier’s potential clients?

Generally you will not be asked to provide a recommendation for a supplier you are unhappy with (it isn’t in the best interest of the supplier to have unhappy customers serve as references), but if you are contacted about your experience you are best advised to only provide factual and substantiated criticisms in order to avoid potential liability. You may be best advised to decline to serve as a reference: the supplier’s potential clients will understand that you are unhappy without you saying anything about the supplier. (At the same time, if you are unable to serve as a reference for some reason that has nothing to do with your satisfaction with a supplier, make sure that you explain this to those seeking references so that you don’t send the wrong message.)

What criticisms may I direct at my supplier and under what circumstances? What criticisms may I mention to other parties?

Positive criticism that will help improve the supplier’s performance on future projects is always a good idea, provided it is factual and specific. Before making criticisms, however, you need to be make sure that the criticisms are not the result of your own actions or source material; source material should be put to the same standards as their localized versions—it is quite common for problems in localization to be the direct result of undetected problems in the source. You should grant your supplier the opportunity to respond to criticisms prior to taking any action based on them. In many cases problems arise because of factors out of a suppliers’s control (such as corruption of electronic files), or miscommunication between supplier and client.

At the same time, if you are involved in a large project that will be delivered over time, it is your responsibility to examine the first deliverables in a timely manner and return criticism/comments promptly to your supplier so that needed adjustments can be made in the project before they cause downstream problems or require expensive (and preventable) rush fixes. If a supplier makes mistakes that you could have prevented by diligently managing your side of a project, the blame and responsibility are at least partly your own.

Any criticisms should have an objective basis. If you did not provide a style guide up front, you cannot complain when a vendor fails to meet your stylistic ideals. Evaluation of translation quality can be very subjective and translations can be endlessly modified, so agree with your partners on the ground-rules for evaluation before a project begins.

You should also consider using a formal quality metric (like the LISA QA Model) to gain a verifiable picture of project quality in addition to the subjective evaluation of reviewers. If you receive complaints from third parties such as consumers, you should independently verify them prior to complaining to your supplier. Often complaints about localization will be highly subjective, and one individual’s criticism may simply reflect his or her opinion; if multiple sources make the same criticism, however, you can generally assume the complaint represents a real problem.

As a matter of courtesy you should never pass on criticisms of a supplier’s work to other parties without first providing the supplier with a chance to rectify the problem. Often a supplier may not be aware of a problem (and would appreciate the opportunity to fix it) or may be able to help you identify an internal source for the problem.

Criticisms should not be made to third parties except in appropriate circumstances. For example, references are commonly asked about how suppliers have dealt with problems, and a factual discussion of a problem and its solution is appropriate in this context, as is your candid (and subjective) opinion of a supplier’s performance.