Streamlining Multilingual Translation Projects

A multilingual translation project spanning 40 markets demanded precision and coordination. For a global insurance provider supporting one of the world’s largest software companies, Divergent Language Solutions ensured legal accuracy, consistency, and regulatory readiness across every translated document, all while maintaining defined legal terminology across diverse languages and writing systems.

Client Profile

A global insurance provider supporting one of the world’s largest software companies was to undertake a large-scale international launch of their client’s latest product, requiring translation into 40 different languages.

Centralization is Key to Control

With a new compliance professional leading the account, the company faced a history of fragmented translation practices. Regional offices had previously used separate agencies across continents, creating inefficiency, inconsistent terminology, and spiraling costs.

Recognizing the need for order, the client brought all translation work under one umbrella. Partnering with Divergent allowed them to centralize project management, ensure consistency across every deliverable, and keep all stakeholders aligned from start to finish.

The project’s complexity extended beyond languages. Three internal departments (compliance, IT, and legal) were heavily involved, alongside outside counsel firms in multiple countries. Each wanted oversight of translations in their jurisdiction, and each had unique review preferences.

This meant Divergent needed to establish clear communication channels, standardized documentation, and consistent review procedures to maintain accuracy and efficiency across the entire workflow.

Leveraging Proven Processes and Proactive Collaboration

Having navigated similar global translation projects, Divergent implemented a structured plan to eliminate confusion and maintain transparency:

• Separate source files were created to enable easier tracking and version control across languages.
• A standard file-naming convention with country codes was introduced to streamline organization and prevent misdelivery.
• Terminology glossaries were developed in collaboration with outside counsel to ensure shared understanding and reduce post-translation revisions.
• A hybrid approach for untranslatable expressions (keeping official English terms alongside local equivalents in parentheses) ensured global consistency while maintaining local clarity.
• And, most importantly, defined-term management became a cornerstone of quality assurance.

Defined terms (those capitalized legal expressions) carry immense weight in global documentation. Yet, languages such as German, Japanese, and Arabic lack capitalization rules that provide visual distinction in English.

Divergent’s solution? Every defined term in the English source files was both capitalized and bolded before translation. This ensured that, regardless of language or script, reviewers and end users could easily identify these terms and maintain a consistent understanding across all versions.

This standardized approach not only reduced ambiguity but also minimized legal risk, enabling the client to move forward with confidence across all jurisdictions.

Results

By centralizing the project under Divergent Language Solutions and applying disciplined processes, the client successfully launched their global initiative on time and within budget. The approach reduced review cycles, strengthened consistency, and provided a scalable model for all future international launches.