Do you struggle with budgeting for translations? You’re not alone. Translation used to be an afterthought, a line item tacked onto the bottom of a budget. My, how things have changed... With the flattening world comes an increased need for localized, translated product documentation. In a tough global economy, companies’ upper management are sharpening pencils and paying more attention to translation costs. This means more pressure to find ways to accurately forecast, and budget for, translations.

The trouble is, translation work has many variables that conspire to make budgeting seem like something akin to fortune telling. Project schedules, different language needs and rates, document types and translation memory leveraging are only some of these variables. The key to increasing accuracy in translation budgeting lies in the ability to minimize or lock down the variability to a predictable level.

This audio conference provides an overview of the variables that impact translation budgeting. It offers an insider’s view of how projects are priced at a translation agency and how you can maximize efficiency and work with your providers to keep costs lower and more predictable. Finally, the discussion covers concrete tips on how to create ballpark budgets for your translation projects and extrapolate for quarterly and annual numbers.

This audio conference covers:

• An understanding of the variables affecting translation costs
• Insight into how translation agencies quote projects
• Ideas for ways to work with your vendors to maximize efficiency and reduce cost
• Tips for creating ballpark budgets for projects and for quarterly and annual numbers

About the speaker:

Jason Heaton is a 10-year veteran of the localization industry, and has seen both sides of the business as a client and vendor. Jason began his career as a technical writer, then moved on to become a project manager at a small translation agency in Minneapolis. After that he joined a large medical device manufacturer, working in both the technical communications and regulatory affairs departments. Jason spent his first three years at medical translation specialist ForeignExchange Translations as an account manager, and currently serves as its marketing manager.

Who should attend?

• Labeling/Translation Manager
• Technical Communications Manager
• Marketing Communications Manager
• Supplier Development
• Purchasing/Procurement
• Vendor Relations