KTM Ensures Professional Brand Through Consistent Language

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2 KTM Ensures Professional Brand Through Consistent Language Premium Provider in Motorsports Segment Makes Corporate Language a Top Priority THE PROBLEM After the Husqvarna Motorcycles brand had become part of the KTM family, the global market leader in the off-road competition segment ultimately entered the premium segment. With the increasing importance of a consistent corporate language, KTM started a project to introduce a solution to check and manage terminology as well as a central translation management system. THE SOLUTION Since 2011, KTM uses the Acrolinx platform to check terminology, spelling, grammar and style against pre-defined rule sets. During the selection process, the Acrolinx platform stood out with its great performance, which for KTM is crucial when checking large amounts of data. 2

3 Modifications of terminology often face resistance from other departments, especially if the proposals are only coming from the technical documentation department. Therefore, we moved this task into a neutral department that is not directly involved in content creation. Today, KTM considers corporate language a top priority. We are particularly grateful for the Acrolinx integration with Excel because it is the application we use the most when creating content. Alexandra Hanischläger Head of Translation & Terminology Management at KTM By optimizing content with a platform for corporate language, KTM builds a professional brand, market credibility and customer retention. Accordingly, corporate language at KTM has been moved from the technical documentation department to a new team inside organizational development. Revenue growth and increase of staff clearly demonstrate that business has gone extremely well for the off-road and street motorcycle producer in the last few years. KTM s products are distributed via 31 sales subsidiaries and 2 joint ventures in Dubai and New Zealand, to more than 2,000 independent dealers and importers worldwide. With Husqvarna Motorcycles being integrated into the KTM family, the global market leader in off-road racing has ultimately entered the premium segment. This development has put new responsibilities on the company s agenda, such as a consistent corporate language. A corporate language features consistent terminology and style, explains Alexandra Hanischläger, Head of Translation & Terminology Management at KTM. 3

4 You can t sell a premium product with nonsense. It doesn t suit our professional ambition if the product on a flyer has one name, in the user manual another and in the dealer portal yet another. Terminology Checks and Translation Management Go Hand in Hand Since 2011, the company has used the Acrolinx platform to ensure the quality of their content. While the discussion about terminology was initiated by the technical documentation department, a companywide project about master data management confirmed that corporate language and translation management at KTM needed more attention. Since product names in the master data, bike descriptions for the website and catalog copy are managed in several systems, departments often had service providers translate content twice without even realizing it. To improve this situation, KTM wanted to implement central platforms for translation and terminology management simultaneously. Organizational Development Takes Charge of Terminology and Translation Management The person in charge of terminology and translation management is Alexandra Hanischläger, a certified interpreter and solicitor, who had begun her career at KTM in the technical documentation department. She started leading the new Translation & Terminology Management team in January Modifications of terminology often face resistance from other departments, especially if the proposals are only coming from the technical documentation department, she explains. Therefore, we moved this task into a neutral department that is not directly involved in content creation. Today, KTM considers corporate language a top priority. In the selection process, Acrolinx stood out from the competition in terms of performance and scale, which is crucial to check large amounts of data. Moreover, the decision makers at KTM were impressed by the constant development of the Acrolinx platform and the fast and reliable support, which made the decision easy. 4

5 With Acrolinx, it is really easy to define stylistic rule sets for different user groups. There is a simple dropdown menu with checkboxes to activate the appropriate rules for each area. Michael Arnold, Technical Writer at KTM Seamless Interaction With SDL Products KTM manages terminology and translations with SDL Trados, WorldServer and MultiTerm. However, even the best terminology management system is a toothless tiger if you can t control it, says Alexandra Hanischläger. This is why Acrolinx and SDL products are interconnected, with Acrolinx checking terminology, spelling, grammar and style, and MultiTerm managing and maintaining the terms. MultiTerm exports the updated database to Acrolinx on a daily basis so that Acrolinx always refers to the latest terms. Once this step is complete, the content is transferred to the translation management system if necessary. In addition, the term databases are multiplied for use in the Acrolinx platform within technical documentation, PowerParts and marketing. Acrolinx and Austrian SDL partner Kaleidoscope have jointly developed an interface for this process. The interplay between Acrolinx and MultiTerm is fantastic because Acrolinx is working invisibly in the background, Michael Arnold, Technical Writer at KTM, says. You don t even notice it. Now it just takes one click to check the content in any given document. An important step to establish a powerful terminology database was the appointment of terminology commissioners who discuss and release new terms. With Kaleidoscope s terminology workflow solution quickterm, the status of each approval process 5

6 is traceable within MultiTerm. The terminology committee consists of members from all the relevant departments who have the necessary know-how to introduce a sustainable term base. Errors in User Manuals Compromise Credibility The first department to use Acrolinx was technical documentation. Here, the platform is connected to KTM s editing system via an existing integration, allowing writers to optimize content in terms of grammar, style and terminology. Additionally, the Acrolinx platform provides real-time feedback during the writing process, helping writers to continuously improve their writing style and adapt to KTM s rule set. Without software support, it would be almost impossible to remember the spellings of hundreds of product names. Checking terminology inside the editing system is just one of several items on KTM s agenda. As mistakes in user manuals compromise the company s credibility, spelling, grammar and style are equally important. Now, employees from the marketing, tuning and technical documentation departments check these standards within tools such as Adobe InDesign and Microsoft Office. We are particularly grateful for the Acrolinx integration with Excel, Alexandra Hanischläger says, because it is the application we use the most when creating content. The company also considers integrating the Acrolinx platform with KTM s dealer portal and other editors. For applications that can t be connected via existing integrations, KTM uses the Acrolinx Desktop Checker. The range of content being checked and optimized with Acrolinx includes user manuals, repair and assembly instructions, catalog content for tuning parts, press material, advertising brochures and digital communication content. With Acrolinx, it is really easy to define stylistic rule sets for different user groups, Michael Arnold says. There is a simple dropdown menu with checkboxes to activate the appropriate rules for each area. According to Alexandra Hanischläger, the benefits of Acrolinx can easily be seen in lower costs, 6

7 resulting from the integration with the central translation management system. More important, however, is that Acrolinx significantly adds to KTM s professional and trustworthy public image. The Company Based in Mattighofen, Austria, KTM develops and produces race-ready off-road and street motorcycles. In addition to its KTM-branded vehicles, the company has also been developing and producing motorcycles under the HUSABERG brand since After the successful acquisition of the HUSQVARNA brand in 2013, these vehicles are marketed as Husqvarna Motorcycles again. As global market leader in the off-road competition segment, KTM started developing street motor bikes in the 1990s. Today, the company is offering an attractive and comprehensive product range of off-road and street motorcycles. For more information, visit 7

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