CASE STUDIES

We are delighted to be working with ExtraMile Communications to enable one of its clients to engage with an international audience. ExtraMile approached LKT on receiving a request to translate social media posts into French and Dutch for a client who wants to let its followers on Twitter and LinkedIn know about its presence at international trade fairs and exhibitions.

Every project has its own specific challenges. We didn’t find ourselves setting up and managing teams comprising multiple translators and revisers or dealing with awkward software formats – or even, rolling back the years, copy-typing from paper!

However, when the first tweets were translated, the character count of the text in the target languages exceeded Twitter’s limit of 140. Consequently, the translators had to set about adapting the posts so that they would stay within the limit imposed but – crucially – not lose any of the impact of the original message. This was achieved using a variety of techniques, such as abbreviations and word substitutions. Our expert translators were able to deploy their skills to add value to the “core” translation service provision.

Timescale is another challenge posed by the social media setting in which the posts are to be published. Because social media is such a fast-moving communication channel, posts often need to be turned around very quickly to remain topical. ExtraMile receives content approval from its client towards the end of the day on Thursdays and the translations must be delivered by the end of the day the following Monday. We have to make sure that the necessary resources are readily available as the deadline cannot be pushed back.

Commenting on the work completed by LKT so far, Amelia Eckersley, ExtraMile’s SEO and Copywriting Assistant, said: “Our client is pleased with the quality of translations and we appreciate your ability to continually turn around content at such short notice.”

LKT looks forward to continuing to work with ExtraMile to help its clients reach out to global markets and tap into the huge potential they offer for growth and success.