Emergency Management Victoria (EMV).

VicEmergency app and website translation

Project Overview

Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) operates the VicEmergency website and mobile app, providing critical emergency information and warnings to Victorians primarily in English.

Challenges and Requirements

Recognising the need for inclusivity and accessibility, EMV initiated a project to translate static and dynamic text into languages other than English. The scope of this challenge was to translate the static text appearing on over 70 pages on the VicEmergency website and mobile app into 10 target languages.

Solution

Leveraging a team of NAATI accredited translators and rigorous quality assurance processes including back translation, LOTE took on the task of translating the static text content into Arabic, Chinese Simplified/Mandarin, Chinese Traditional/Cantonese, Greek, Italian, Khmer, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish and Vietnamese.

These languages were selected by considering the most frequently spoken languages by Victorians with low English proficiency, on advice from Tourism Victoria, and guidance from the Department of Premier and Cabinet's Multicultural advisers.

Each page\'s static text was meticulously translated into the target languages and formatted into two file types - Word and HTML. LOTE maintained the original formatting (headings, font sizes of specific text, paragraphing) as closely as possible to ensure the translated content mirrored the original English text layout and design. Hyperlinks within the text were also translated or accompanied by a short explanation in parentheses for better understanding.

Further to this, a subscription translation service was set up to accommodate any future changes to the translations. A fixed amount was set aside for this purpose, allowing EMV to draw from it as necessary. LOTE also offered a detailed overview of the project timings, budget and milestones, ensuring the delivery was in line with the project schedule.

Post-translation, community focus groups composed of members who speak the nominated languages evaluated the translations. Feedback from these groups informed the next stages of the project, ensuring the translations effectively met the needs of the diverse communities in Victoria.

The intellectual property of all translated materials was handed over before the final signoff. The translation solution was comprehensive, meticulous and aimed at achieving the ultimate goal of making emergency information accessible to all Victorians, irrespective of their preferred language.