Karyn, All L10N vendors work with the tools you have mentioned below, but that is only a starting point. There are many more things to look for, all very important. Go to this link and download the (PDF) book called Localization and Framemaker.
http://www.bapmf.net/resources/2000_localization_FM/locindex.html It tells you in detail how to find, screen, and hire the right localization vendor for your particular job. Just because an L10N vendor can translate stuff, it does not mean they understand the technology of your product, and that is a requirement to get a well-translated docs, GUIs, etc. The book also tells you how to work with the vendor, what you need to provide to get an accurate quote, and gives a complete list of average prices for the various kinds of work that L10N vendors can provide, for 31 languages. Here is a paragraph from the book. -- Technology. Make sure that the translators who are doing the work are technically competent in the subject of your documents, as well as in Frame, Acrobat, RoboHelp, and whatever other tools you use. You may have to train them in your products or send them to one of your company?s training classes. If they don?t understand the terms (even though you?ll probably be asked to provide a glossary), the translations may be incorrect. I?ve seen some bad translations because the vendor did not understand anything about the product. This is just the same as if you hired a technical writing contractor who knows nothing about the industry you are in. Even though you will be charged by the word, the linguists do not actually translate word-by-word. They translate phrases, sentences, and ideas. They are writing to your customers, just as you are. And that is why they need to understand what you have written. -- You will probably get vendor recommendations from others on the list (there is a list of them in the book) and that is all well and good, but you will likely be a lot more satisfied with the work if you hire an L10N vendor the same way you would hire a technical writer. Hope this helps. Diane Gaskill ========================= -----Original Message----- From: framers-bounces+dgcaller=earthlink....@lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces+dgcaller=earthlink.net at lists.frameusers.com]On Behalf Of Karyn Hunt Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 10:49 AM To: framers Cc: lisa.infocus Subject: German Translation in FrameMaker Hi All, We?re in need of German translation services for our docs (an email application) and I?m wondering if any of you has found a good person/agency that works well with FrameMaker, RoboHelp and basic HTML editors (we use all three). Any recommendations on good ones are as welcome as warnings about bad ones. The latter can be as helpful as the former. Thanks muchly! Karyn Hunt _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to Framers as dgcaller at earthlink.net. Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/dgcaller%40earthlink.net Send administrative questions to lisa at frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.