Translation Bureau Benchmarking and Comparative Analysis - Final ...

Translation Bureau Benchmarking and Comparative AnalysisArea ofFocusClassifiedDocumentsKey ObservationsThere is capacity within the private sector to provide translation of securedocuments. The sole commercial language service provider thatparticipated in the study can provide services for Top Secret documents.This service was viewed as an investment that was necessary to secure workof this nature and there was no associated additional cost.The remaining organizations rely on senior translators and adherence tointernal security policy when managing the translation of securedocuments.Social MediaThere is little evidence of the use of translation for social media.Responsibility for translation rests with the content creators, which istypically the organizations’ communications function.OperatingModelAll the organizations leverage a hybrid model that provides contingentcapacity to meet additional demand. The exact blend of in-house vs.outsourced resources varies.1.4. ConclusionSome predominant themes have arisen from the work that we have carried out in conductingthis study. While this is not meant to be comprehensive, the following are key themes forconsideration by the Bureau.1. Enhancing the Bureau’s contribution to innovation. Our studies and interviewsexposed a lack of significant investment in the translation industry. The Bureau has anopportunity to examine the appropriate level of investment in activities that define andmeasure quality standards, as well as the further refinement of translation tools andtechnology.2. Measuring and refining the Bureau’s contribution to ensuring a continuingsupply of quality translation professionals. The Bureau is Canada’s largesttranslation service and does play a role in developing programs that encourage Canadiansto consider becoming a translation professional.The Translation Bureau plays a leadership role in the Canadian linguistic service industry. Ithas made significant contributions to building industry capacity in Canada as witnessed by theuse of Termium by Canadians and its efforts to attract new linguistic service professionals intothe industry. Based upon our discussions with the comparator organizations and from thereview of literature pertaining the global linguistic industry, the Bureau is not immune from thepressures on costs to delivery its services and the prices its clients are willing to pay.Page 7 of 43