Project

Skype, the world's leading VoIP provider, was re-launching its entire website in nine languages. The project, code-named "Airlift," consisted of 1,000 html and php files (more than 140,000 words) which needed to be translated into French, German, Traditional Chinese, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Swedish, Spanish, Italian, and Japanese, and re-engineered in six weeks.

Challenge
A project of this scope would normally require three months. We had to meet a six-week deadline while maintaining quality. We also had to stay closely connected with the Skype localization team despite the seven-hour time difference between Skype's offices in Tallinn, Estonia and Eriksen Translations in Brooklyn, New York.

Eriksen's Solution

Meticulous planning and a refreshing "thinking outside the box" mentality made this project a resounding success. Our Skype Account Manager took charge and served as the project lead, ensuring that everyone was on the same page at all times. With his oversight, answers to queries were universally addressed and deadlines were met. Meetings were held to envision different scenarios so hand-offs would be seamless, and checklists were created to optimize the QA process. The Skype team provided sample files which allowed us to create a thorough glossary and analyze the file structure in advance. This meant that when we received the final files, we could start the translations right away. Multiple teams of linguists were created, with one central editor per language. The editors reviewed all translations for consistency and style and online webinars and training sessions helped align all of our linguists. One project manager worked an early shift to be available during Skype's working hours, beginning at 4 am EST. A schedule for rolling deliveries was established, enabling Skype's localization team to get a head start on implementing the localized files. The review process was relatively simple and we followed our established procedure for feedback. We received XLS files with changes and these files were reviewed by our linguists. Naturally, all approved corrections are now integrated into our translation memories, which both we and the Skype localization team will continue to benefit from in the years to come.

Conclusion

The ten-person Eriksen production team, along with 46 linguists, not only met the six-week deadline but delivered more than 9,000 localized files and 1.3 million words ahead of schedule. "A special THANK YOU for your effort with Airlift. You were working days and nights on this project, and even managed to deliver it before the deadlines - you are simply the best!" Viktoria Lobaiko, Localization Manager, Skype Technologies S.A.