
IBM streamline translation and localization costs
EQHO never scored less than 96% on IBM’s global evaluation framework! See how.
EQHO never scored less than 96% on IBM’s global evaluation framework! See how.
IBM Japan was given directives from HQ to consolidate the number of localization vendors whilst cutting costs by 20%. To complicate matters, IBM Japan needed to translate 25-million words a year, and this number was growing at annual rate of 15-20%. And with domestic suppliers having to charge premium rates to cover their costs, IBM Japan knew they had to seek an alternative solution. They needed a solution that could sustain the delivery of more translated content, whilst contributing to consolidation and cost-saving goals.
EQHO is the first ever non-Japanese offshore vendor to be selected by IBM Japan. We never scored less than 96% on IBM’s global evaluation framework.
IBM Japan needed to halve the number of vendors and reduce localization expenditure by 20%
The amount of content that required translation was increasing by 15-20% per year (25+ million words)
The pricing model of Japanese localization firms would not allow IBM Japan to achieve the cost-cutting goals
IBM Japan had to maintain translation quality
All procurement, training and project communications needed to be conducted in Japanese
An offshore production model that could efficiently manage processes from end-to-end for large, complex software localization projects
A set of customized processes that could comply with existing IBM Japan localization standards
A team of Japanese project managers and senior editorial staff to handle communications and training
A pricing model that was more competitive than in-country suppliers
After successfully completing preliminary testing and due-diligence, IBM Japan selected EQHO as their first ever non-Japanese offshore vendor. EQHO was able to leverage our 6-years of IBM experience in order to meet IBM Japan’s goals without sacrificing quality or time:
Efficiency – Japanese was used for all communications from procurement, to training and project management which made the entire process run smoother
Knowledge – the knowledge transfer from the training sessions on IBM proprietary tools, project management, and workflow processes was fully maximized
Compliance – a complete understanding of IBM Japan’s instructions and expectations allowed processes to be customized to comply with existing IBM standards
Continuity – project teams, including managers, linguists, and production-support staff, were maintained throughout multiple projects, giving more continuity and greater levels of consistency
Innovation – by selecting their first offshore vendor, IBM Japan now had a model that could be used to balance domestic providers and offshore suppliers
Costs & ROI – when compared to local vendors, EQHO was able to help IBM save on costs by over 20% in some cases, whilst giving a road-map to follow in order to continue cost-cutting and vendor consolidation