Controlling the process…

Financial/IT case study

Fortent is a global leader in enterprise-wide risk and compliance solutions. Combining best-in-class technology with advisory services from experienced banking and regulatory professionals, Fortent provides financial institutions, government agencies, and compliance professionals around the world with a comprehensive suite of risk and compliance solutions.

In May 2007, Fortent opened its company office in Japan. Located in Tokyo, the new office delivers direct sales, implementation and support for Fortent’s Anti-Money laundering monitoring and detection systems to Japanese financial institutions. www.actimize.com

Challenge

Having received a commitment from a major Japanese financial institution, Fortent faced the challenge of making their technology available in Japan in a very short timescale. Confronted with the task of localizing their Anti-Money Laundering (AML) software, online help function, user and deployment documentation (some 500,000 words) into Japanese, Fortent chose Lloyd International Translations (LIT) as their translation and localization service partner.

The due date for the completion of the localization project: just 6 weeks!

Approach and solution

Any localization project requires close coordination, especially one of such a complex and specialist nature, with extremely tight deadlines, involving three locations and time zones – Fortent in the US and the UK, LIT headquartered in the UK with translators in Japan, and Fortent and the end client also in Japan.

Our first task was to analyse what should and shouldn’t be localized, and then put together a clear, reliable workflow to keep the project on schedule.

• Glossaries were translated and approved to ensure consistency with Fortent in-house terminology.
• A team of sector specific in-country translators, editors and proof-readers was assembled – each sharing a common real-time Fortent translation memory database.
• A review and validation process was put in place with Fortent’s local reviewers in Japan.
• LIT’s lead translators in Japan communicated directly with Fortent’s in-country reviewers, allowing quick resolution of queries - working in the same time zone.
• A separate DTP team was formed to handle all posttranslation processing, once the translated files had been approved by Fortent’s reviewers.
• Regular conference calls and status reports were scheduled, keeping Fortent continually updated on the progress of the project.

All files were routinely analysed using Translation Memory tools to identify matching text and repetitions within the project. Such methodology had a considerable cost benefit, when, in the middle of the localization process, Fortent planned to update the content of the documentation. As a result no charges were made for all unchanged text, with minimal impact to the schedule.

Essential to the successful outcome of the project was a methodical approach, making management and quality control far easier to employ. Dividing the project across teams had a measurable cost and time benefit for Fortent, with the translation and DTP teams working in parallel to deliver the project on time and within budget.

Results and benefits

Through careful planning, thorough and concise communications and the use of expert linguistic resources we were able to deliver a high-quality product on time and within budget – launching the Fortent AML best practice anti-money laundering solution into the Japanese marketplace.

Our experience of the Japanese localization project has helped Fortent’s Spanish and French localizations. Fortent are now benefiting from central control of their translation needs coupled with a dramatic cost reduction as a result of not having to re-translate content.

Kay LaBare, Fortent’s CTO comments: “This project is highly significant for Fortent. Our partnership with LIT was crucial to its success.”