Translation Management Plan Template

It depends on the content type. For [user-facing UI](/glossary/customer-segmentation) and marketing copy, start with human translation. Users notice awkward phrasing in product interfaces, and poor translations erode trust. For high-volume, lower-stakes content like release notes or internal documentation, machine translation with human post-editing (MTPE) is cost-effective and usually good enough. Most teams use a hybrid approach: premium human translation for P0 content and MTPE for P2 content.

For most companies, one primary vendor plus one backup is sufficient. Using a single vendor simplifies workflow, builds domain knowledge, and gives you volume leverage on pricing. A backup vendor ensures continuity if your primary has capacity issues or quality problems. If you need more than 8-10 languages, you may need a second vendor for languages your primary does not cover well.

Store the glossary in your TMS (Crowdin, Lokalise, Phrase all support term bases). Include: source term, approved translation per language, definition, context screenshot, and usage notes. Update the glossary whenever a new feature introduces new terminology. Review it quarterly with your translation vendor. A well-maintained glossary reduces translation inconsistencies by 30-50% based on industry benchmarks from [GALA](https://www.gala-global.org/).

Track three metrics. First, error rate per 1,000 words (from linguistic QA reviews). Second, customer-reported translation issues per language per month (from support tickets tagged by locale). Third, translation turnaround time vs. SLA (from your TMS or vendor reports). Use a [metrics dashboard](/analytics-guide) to visualize trends over time. Quality should improve as your vendor builds familiarity with your product.

Use a continuous localization workflow. When a developer changes a source string, the TMS automatically flags it for re-translation. Set up a daily or sprint-cadence translation batch so translators work on small, frequent updates rather than large, infrequent dumps. This keeps translations in sync with product releases and avoids the "big-bang translation project" that delays every launch. ---