A Comparison of Specifications
In this set of activities we’ll dive a little bit deeper into the topic of specifications, focusing on the structure, terminology, linguistic conventions followed in this text type. We’ll start by studying an example of standards-based translation specifications, and then you’ll find an example set of specifications for a specific industry besides translation.
Learning Objectives
By the end of these activities, you will be able to:
- Understand how specifications are organized
- Identify important requirements to define in translation specifications
- Navigate the ASTM F2575 international standard on translation
- Bring awareness of language industry standards to your professional translation work
Translation Specifications
The next page of our course website presents the example of Tranquality’s Standards-Based Structured Translation Specifications. This set of specifications was developed based on an important standard in the language services industry: ASTM F2575: Standard Practice for Language Translation.
In the activities that follow, we work with each of these resources.
Part 1: Meet the Text
Go to the next page, and review the translation specifications there. As you review, answer the questions outline below. Please surface questions and doubts to the class.
Questions for Consideration
- What structure does the document follow?
- Is any of the terminology used within unclear to you? (If so, please research the terms or ask the instructor about them.)
- Who would you need to consult with to establish the specifications defined in the document?
- How would you go about filling out these specifications?
- What challenges might you encounter as you do so?
Part 2: ASTM F2575 Standard Practice for Language Translation
As you read above, the specifications form you just reviewed was developed based on the international standard called ASTM F2575 Standard Practice for Language Translation. A copy of that standard has been shared with you privately for educational use with permission from ASTM International. Please do not share this resource outside of the class.
Note: Any instructors who are interested in teaching ASTM F2575 in an educational setting can reach out to Alaina Brandt for help securing a copy.
We’ll follow a divide and conquer approach to understanding this standard. You’ll work in teams to review a specific section of the standard and then share what you’ve learned via a discussion post in the forum.
Step 1 - Select the section you will cover
In a group of up to three people, select the section of the standard that you’ll cover. Post the section that you’ll cover to the Specifications discussion forum.
The sections that you can choose from are listed below. Unless otherwise indicated, one team may sign up for each section.
- 3 Terminology (up to two teams can work on this section)
- 5 Needs Analysis
- 6 Overview of a Translation Project
- 7 Selecting a Translation Service Provider (up to two teams can work on this section)
- 8 Pre-Production/Specifications Phase (up to two teams can work on this section)
- 9 Production Phase (up to two teams can work on this section)
- 10 Post-Production Phase
- A1 The Translation Spectrum
Step 2 - Analyze your section
After you’ve selected your section, you can analyze it with the goal of preparing a post for the discussion forum. The post that you share to teams should follow this format and respond to the questions indicated.
Here’s a template that illustrates the types of analysis that we’re looking for in your post.
Subject line: [Section Title] - Analysis by [Team Members]
Summary: Please start by giving a two to three sentence summary of the section you worked with.
Terminology: Please identify and define two or three important terms used in the section.
Analysis: Your analysis should respond to the question:
"How do you think this section of the standard informed the translation specifications presented above?"
Step 3 - Make your post and review the posts in the discussion forum
Make your post, review your classmates’ analyses as they are posted. You can comment on one another’s posts.
Specifications from Other Industries
Working through the previous activity has helped you to develop deeper insights into how specifications are written and the kinds of references that are used to ensure that specifications reflect best practices. Your assignment this week is to imagine that you have been approached to manage the production / delivery of a product or service and to design the specifications that will guide that work.
To prepare you for this undertaking, you’ll find an example of a set of specifications from another industry and present your findings to the class.
Step 1 - Start by Selecting the Industry
To get started, you’ll need to select the industry for which you’d like to develop specifications. You may not select translation, since we’ve already covered translation in detail. You may select, however, an industry related to translation, and it would make sense to choose strategically so that you’re developing your specialization in a subject field in which you’d like to or already work.
Examples of industries you could choose from include: market research, graphic design, media productions, software development, etc.
Step 2 - Find an Example of Specifications for that Industry
Next, find an example of specifications (or a specifications-like document) for that industry. To do so, you can do searches online or you can ask an LLM to generate typical specifications given the industry.
Step 3 - Analyze the Specifications
Prepare a post for the discussion forum in which you analyze the specifications you found.
Here’s a template that illustrates the types of analysis that we’re looking for in your post.
Subject line: [Illustrative Title] - Analysis by [Team Members]
Introduction: Start the post with a one-sentence introduction to the document.
What industry is it from? What specific type of service or product does it cover?
Audience: Who is the audience of the specifications?
Purpose: What is the purpose of the specifications?
Strengths: List two to three strengths of the specifications.
That is, what makes the document effective given the audience and purpose of the text?
One sentence long bullet points will suffice for this section.
- Strength 1
- Strength 2
- Strength 3
Weaknesses: List two to three weaknesses of the specifications.
That is, what would you revise to make the text more usable if you were tasked with improving the document?
- Weakness 1
- Weakness 2
- Weakness 3
Link or Attachment: Share a link to the specifications or include them as an attachment to your post.
📥 Download this Content
Find this file on our repo and download it.
🤖 GAI Study Prompts
Copy the downloaded content and try it with these prompts:
- “What is an industry for which I can find solid examples of specifications?”
- “Please generate some typical specifications for products/services in [this industry].”
- “Help me to analyze this set of specifications. Generate lists of strengths and weaknesses.”
- “What is the development life cycle of specifications? That is, how often do they change?”
- “What are the types of changes that may be made to specifications during regular revision cycles?”
- “What would be some professional resources I could consult when designing specifications for [industry]?”