Customer Name: Batı Anadolu Group
Customer Sector(s): Cement, Ready Mixed Concrete, Logistics, and Energy
INTRODUCTION
Batı Anadolu Group, established in 1966, operates with 7 different Group companies in various sectors, in both domestic and international markets. The most recent project commissioned by the customer consisted of the translation of the first sustainability report of the Group from Turkish into English using machine translation post-editing (MTPE) process. Since this project was a draft report, the customer subsequently revised the Turkish source text for several times, adding new content and removing some of the data from the report, while the translation process was still in progress in addition to requesting several other revisions following the delivery to the customer. Subsequent revisions in the source text after final delivery often involve a number of challenges, both for translators and post-editors alike, and they need to be addressed in a constructive and efficient manner to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.
CHALLENGES
• Since the MTPE process was used in the project, some challenges associated with the constraints of machine translation have arisen. This was the case especially in terms of translating figurative expressions, idioms, and mottos.
• The report was created in accordance with the GRI Standards and in this context, the terminology and choice of words should be consistent with those used in these Standards, including the GRI Topic Standards in particular.
• Revisions made by the customer after the completion of the post-editing process have also created additional challenges and required extra measures to be taken.
• In addition to standard content common to most sustainability reports, some of the topics deal with local practices such as pandemic management and social responsibility projects for local communities.
• As in similar projects, the report contained corporate information and activities of different Group companies in various business sectors, each requiring its own research and glossary.
• The report contains a great number of data, charts, statistics, and tables in addition to references to the applicable GRI Standards and the GRI Index. In addition, there are references to legal frameworks, laws, and regulations such as Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption.
SOLUTIONS
• As part of the MTPE process, full post-editing strategies have been used to resolve any issues following the translation process. For instance, the MT engine translated “Batı Anadolu” into English; however, the original Turkish name must be used as it is part of the Group’s name. The target text was checked for any similar issues and corrected if necessary. In terms of figurative speech and idioms, equivalent terms in the target language were chosen instead of literal translations. Mottos such as “We Give Back What We Take From These Lands” were used in a consistent manner same as those found on the official website of the Group.
• The GRI Standards and its terminology are commonly used in sustainability reports. Therefore, the same choice of words and style have been adopted throughout the report. For instance, the term “priority,” depending on the context, sometimes refers to a “material topic” as defined in the context of the GRI Standards and should be used accordingly. In case of conflicts in the terms used in the source text and those referred to in the relevant Standards, the terms used in the original GRI documents were chosen, which was further acknowledged by the customer to be the right approach as reflected in the subsequent revisions made (i.e., the customer subsequently revising the source text in line with the original content referred to in the applicable Standards). Other subsequent revisions made in the source text by the customer were seamlessly integrated into the target text by means of using the same style, tone, and terminology.
• Some revisions in the source text resulted from GRI Topic Standards referred in the target text. As these references were already provided in English, no additional revision was made in the target text in reference to these Standards even though the source text was slightly revised to be consistent with the English text.
• Sections disclosing information about the activities contributing to the local communities were translated by paying particular attention to the cultural elements of the local population. On the other hand, some elements in the biodiversity topic such as names of trees and plant species required scientific names to be used instead of their local names to provide the stakeholders of the company with factual information.
• Sustainability reports also contain corporate information, including information about the Group companies, their activities, vision, mission statement, and similar content. The Group’s official website was checked thoroughly and the same terminology was used to ensure consistency. Specific glossaries were used for individual business sectors.
• Style guides related to facts and figures were reviewed and the general principles were adopted in translating statistical data in tables. For legal frameworks, the same terminology contained in applicable regulations was used.
SOLUTION ELEMENTS
• Efficient use of the MTPE process combined with detail-oriented proofreading strategies.
• Comprehensive knowledge about the GRI Standards and good practices about sustainability reports.
• For regulatory content, using legal texts on the subject matters to validate the terms used.
• Use of relevant style guides, glossaries, and the Group’s own website content for additional reference.
BENEFITS
• Providing the customer with a consistent and accurate final product with all revisions seamlessly integrated into the target text in accordance with the GRI Standards.
• Supporting the Group in communicating with its stakeholders through this report, conveying the right messages in the right tone, free of any language barriers.
• Ensuring disclosure of factual information in the form of tables, figures, and charts to be visually appealing to the target audience.
• Last but not least, contributing to the Group’s sustainability journey from the very beginning, which could potentially set the tone for future efforts of the Group companies in their respective business sectors.
