Vendor Approach

Yamagata Europe considers innovation to be a successful way of escaping from the commodity magnet that currently threatens the technical documentation industry. The development of new tools and their successful integration with existing processes enables Yamagata to operate in the high-quality niche. This strategy gives us the opportunity to offer new services, increase the quality level of the existing services and keep the cost of services at a competitive level.

In this scenario, vendor management is one of the critical aspects in our business model. Our translations are still carried out by human beings, and our observation that the highly qualified and specialised vendors are scarce and have limited capacity encouraged us to reinvent the traditional vendor approach. Adopting the principles of CRM, we defined strict procedures and innovative strategies to select, evaluate and retain our suppliers. By excelling in our vendor management approach and installing the most dedicated translation workforce, Yamagata is determined to turn the tide and effectively add value to the localisation process.

Vendor selection

Yamagata Europe's technical team established an online registration form in which translators can input their own professional details (including references and credentials), their motivation to work for Yamagata, their specialisations and experience, the technology at their disposal and their translation rates. The potentially useful profiles are included directly in our vendor database and acquire the status "on trial". Subsequently, the candidate translators are tested with the aid of QA Distiller, which provides a quick and objective evaluation method based on objective (formal) error categories that are relevant for technical translations: consistency, accuracy and correct terminology usage in the target text. Besides the formal correctness of the translation and the appropriate use of the requested CAT-tools, the communication and on-time delivery are also evaluated in the form of a matrix.
Once translators have been approved and they submit their first assignment, they become "current" Yamagata translators. They will be asked to sign the Yamagata Non-Disclosure Agreement and from this point onwards will be subject to our permanent evaluation procedures.

Vendor evaluation

Strict and efficient permanent vendor evaluation procedures are important to gain control over the quality of the translation projects we deliver on a day-to-day basis. Although opinions on how to assure translation quality are extremely diverse and industry professionals and academics cannot even agree to the definition of the term "Quality Assurance", Yamagata Europe straightforwardly chooses the product-oriented automated full review of all translations being processed.
With the aid of QA Distiller, all translation projects managed by Yamagata Europe undergo an automated scan for translation mistakes. The results of these tests, in the form of log files, are stored and used for the purpose of evaluating the vendor. In most cases they are also shared with the translator in the hope that he will correct and learn from the mistakes. Most of the translation suppliers possess QA Distiller as well so they can check their translations themselves, before delivery.

Vendor retention

Yamagata Europe values the dedication of its exceptionally high-quality translators and motivates them accordingly. We take special measures to retain our resources and establish an above-average relationship with them. Just to give a few examples: Yamagata is dedicated to avoiding administrative fuss on the translator's side and to paying their invoices quickly, vendors obtain technical CAT-tool support and free software products to streamline and improve their processes, and they receive information about what is happening at the company via our online suppliers net.