Translation
Restaurant Menu App
We were first approached by an up-and-coming restaurant menu smartphone app company in Japan with a successful service catering to a Japanese audience.
With the growing number of foreign expats living in Japan, and the incoming Tokyo Olympics their next step was to localize their app for a multilingual audience.
The client was looking for a high volume of translations, short deadlines, and the highest quality.
High Volume and Quality
The client was dealing with a high number of content that needed translation. Anywhere from 100+ menu daily.
Originally outsourcing all menu translations to a large number of individual freelancers.
This resulted in extra time and trouble managing each individual’s working schedule and pace.
In addition, each freelancer’s skill level was different, resulting in inconsistency in translation quality throughout the app.
Our Solution
We created a translation team specifically for this project and allocated an editing team with a project manager.
The project manager served as the sole window between the client and translation team, making sure that deadlines were always met. In addition, each finished translation was checked by the editing team with filters for consistency and standardization.
Japan-Specific Translations
This project was a challenge from the very beginning.
The Japanese culture has a variety of food terms, ingredients, and cooking methods that are specific to Japan.
Some terms are even specific to some regions of Japan. Localizing these Japan-specific menus into a foreign language in a way a foreign audience would easily understand but not lose the cultural reference was a large challenge for the client.
Our Solution
We integrated translators and content creators in the project team based all around Japan with an extensive background in Japanese cuisine.
These food specialists worked with the editing team to create a database of translations for each type of Japan-specific food that could be understood on a global scale.
Speed Speed Speed
Over a period of just over a year, the client’s project began scaling at an incredible rate.
With more demand from restaurants, came more menus. At first the client was providing 48 hour, 72 hour and sometimes weekly deadlines.
However with the increase in number and the haste for publishing, the client was looking for a much faster output speed of 24 hours and even less.
Our Solution
We increased the number of translators into the project that were located in countries on a different timescale to Japan.
Originally, with translators only in Japan, active translation time would be between the hours of 9am to 8pm.
With more team members based overseas, translation could continue around the clock, as night-time in Japan would be morning/afternoon in countries like the U.S.
Our Solution
Results
200+ Menus Per Day
Through our ability to handle volume, the client can now always meet the daily demand. Now reaching points of 200+ menus per day.
12 Hours
By creating a free-flowing infrastructure, the client’s output speed has increased with menu translations being completed in less than 12 hours.
Quality Control
The client no longer has to spend time and resources on quality control of translations. By entrusting editing to our team, their employees can focus on sales and service development.
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