The client

ELIT Language Services is a centre of excellence for language services on the global market. ELIT Language Services was created in 2008 to serve as a centre of excellence for the provision of language services.

Since being established, ELIT Language Services has continued to grow steadily, with continuous improvement being the philosophy embraced by the whole company.

ELIT Language Services offers the European market a unique combination: a management team with unrivalled experience and a passion for perfection, the most talented interpreters and translators available in the international market, and the latest word in technology and organization in the field of language services.

Background

In response to the challenges faced by ELIT in managing translation projects through spreadsheets, HOW engaged in discussions to explore solutions for improving project management workflows. The goal was to enhance efficiency in identifying suitable translators, streamline communication, and facilitate project assignment. The current state involved manual processes, leading to delays in finding appropriate providers and communicating project details.

Former situation

• ELIT’s core team consists of 5 members dedicated to managing translation projects.
• Project details, including client information, project specifications, and potential translators, were stored in spreadsheets.
• The primary entities involved were Clients, Projects, and Providers, each requiring specific information.
• Providers were essentially translators or interpreters with defined language skills, and their qualifications were categorized based on language pairs and proficiency levels.

Problem: Slow Provider Assignment Process

• The existing workflow required ELIT staff to manually search through provider spreadsheets to identify suitable candidates for a project.
• After identifying potential providers, staff had to email each one individually with project details and delivery expectations.
• The process resulted in delays in both finding appropriate providers and communicating project assignments.

Suggested Resolution

We put forth a web application as a solution to tackle the noted challenges. This application encompasses essential features including User Authentication, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and the management of Translation Providers. It is further enhanced with a robust search functionality, utilizing parameters such as location, language skills, ratings, and status.

In addition, HOW automated the import of ELIT's extensive existing database—a task diligently maintained over the years by the operations management team at ELIT. This automation proved to be highly beneficial, not only saving the client valuable time spent on data entry but also ensuring the preservation of all prior work.

Technology Stack

The web application was be developed using Ruby on Rails, ensuring efficiency, security, and scalability.

Timeline

The timeline for the first iteration was 2 months, with milestones for design, development, testing, and deployment.

Conclusion

HOW was committed to delivering a high-quality Translator Database Web Application aligned with ELIT’s objectives.

The implemented solution addressed current challenges, enhanced workflow efficiency, and still provides room for future enhancements.