Standardizing AgencyDepartment Forms: Foreign Language Content

1
Standardizing Agency/Department Forms Foreign
Language Content

• Vingette CMA User Group Meeting
• June 1, 2006

Prepared by Julie Lewis, Department of Human
Services
2
Authors Background

• Lived in Colombia, South America as a foreign
  exchange student during junior year of high
  school
• Continued studying Spanish at Oakland University
• Bilingual in Spanish working with migrant and
  Spanish-speaking clients in DSS/FIA/DHS for over
  31 years
• Co-facilitator of the DHS Spanish Language
  Proofreading Workgroup
• My many DHS hats include
• Online Manuals statewide liaison
• Forms and publications Print Coordinator for
  Family Support Services
• Web and Language Content Editor for DHS

3
Spanish Best Practices

• What Remains in English
• Proper Names and Titles. Certain proper names and
  titles always appear in English only, or in
  English followed by the translation in
  parentheses. Use the telephone book rule to
  decide what remains in English If the word or
  phrase would appear in the telephone book, it
  remains in English. Example Business names and
  titles of government departments or agencies,
  such as Department of Human Services, remain in
  English.
• Document Titles. The official business title of a
  document is the English title. For example, when
  referencing the document in another document, the
  English title should be used, followed by the
  translated title. Documents that are entirely in
  a foreign language may use the translated title
  only.
• Document Formats
• The translated document should use the same
  formatting as the English document. Examples
  Sentences formatted with bullets paragraphs that
  appear in a box numbered sequences.
• Page breaks should occur in the same place in the
  translation as in the English, even if its in
  the middle of a sentence.
• Reason Easier for an English speaking
  person to follow along if there are questions.

4
Best practices continued

• Combining Terms or Sentences
• Terms. When separate terms are used in the
  English document, do not combine them in the
  translation. Examples Terms referring to
  financial accounts such as checking/draft,
  savings/share.
• Sentences. A sentence in the source document
  should be a sentence in the translation (a
  sentence is a sentence). Do not combine
  sentences.
• Dictionaries. Create a dictionary that contains
  the exact translation that is to be used for
  certain words and phrases that have special
  meanings in the context of your department
  documents. Example DHS has an English/Spanish
  electronic dictionary in Word of DHS-related
  terms and other words that the Spanish
  Proofreading Workgroup struggled with as they
  must be used in a policy context. This
  dictionary is available upon request from
  lewisj4.
• Consultation. Provide a contact person who can
  provide assistance if all or part of an English
  document does not make sense to the contractor,
  or if they have any other questions. This person
  should be able to either resolve concerns or
  provide the name of a contact person who has
  detailed knowledge of the topic.

5
DHS Glossaries

• Glossaries. English glossaries containing
  definitions of policy-related terms are available
  for your reference on the DHS public web site at
  the following links
• http//www.mfia.state.mi.us/olmweb/ex/prg/glossary
  .pdf Public assistance program terms (Food
  Assistance Program, Medicaid, Family Independence
  Program, etc.)
• http//www.mfia.state.mi.us/olmweb/ex/prg/glossary
  .pdf Social work program terms (Adoption, Child
  Protective Services, Foster Care, etc.)

6
Translation vendors

• DHS has a list of Pre-Qualified Translation
  Vendors for at least 14 identified languages
• Requirements include translation, proofreading
  and creation of a PDF document
• For a copy of the list, contact Linda Rose,
  Office Services Manager at rosel_at_michigan.gov

7
Spanish Content e-Michigan
Alphabetical except where there are characters or
numbers not always the easiest way to find
things if you dont know the exact title.
8
DHS forms in numerical order
Spanish titles follow the English titled form/pub
Exception The department mandated that
the primary applications remain at the top of
list.
9
Use Release Date and Priority to place forms/pubs
in numerical order
Note Use the same release date for all
forms/pubs.
Use the form number as the priority number,
foreign language forms increase the priority
number by one.
10


Release Form
Form Name Asset ID
Content ID Date Priority
Note Author maintains an Excel spreadsheet to
facilitate updating information.
11
Keyboard and HTML for special characters in text

12
Questions or comments

• Please feel free to contact me
• Julie Lewis, Specialist
• 517 241-7084
• lewisj4_at_michigan.gov