CASE STUDY: Translation for the World’s Largest Digital Advertising Exchange

OpenX, the largest independent advertising exchange, is a leader in digital advertising, empowering over 1,200 publishers and 900 premium apps across 190 countries. Their mission is to unlock the full economic potential of digital media companies by delivering innovative ad markets and technologies that optimise value for publishers and advertisers.

However, as OpenX expanded its global footprint, it encountered significant challenges in maintaining language consistency and standardising the translation process across its diverse markets.

Challenges

As OpenX rapidly expanded, the need to standardise and maintain the quality of localised software and marketing materials became crucial. Initially focusing on French and German, the company soon needed to include Japanese, a rapidly growing market with specific demands.

This expansion presented three core challenges:

1. Consistency Across Languages:

As OpenX expanded globally, maintaining a consistent brand message across multiple languages became increasingly difficult. Each language has its own linguistic nuances, cultural references, and idiomatic expressions, making it challenging to preserve the original meaning and tone.

This challenge was heightened by the need to respect regional differences while conveying a unified global message. Without careful attention to these details, there was a risk of diluting the brand’s voice or, worse, miscommunicating key messages to different audiences.

Ensuring consistency across languages was critical to maintaining the integrity of OpenX’s brand as it entered new markets.

2. Standardising the Translation Process:

As OpenX continued to grow, the need for a streamlined and efficient translation process became clear. The challenge was to coordinate multiple languages and regions simultaneously, each with its own specific requirements and timelines.

Inconsistent translation processes could result in delays, quality issues, and a lack of cohesion in the final output. With different teams working on various projects, there was a risk of misalignment in terminology, style, and approach.

Establishing a standardised process was essential: this would ensure all translations met the same high standards, regardless of language or market.

3. Specialised Subject Matter:

The digital advertising industry is highly technical, with its own specialised language and concepts that are not easily translated. This posed a significant challenge for OpenX, as they needed to communicate intricate technical details in a way that was clear and accessible to their global audience.

Finding linguists who understood both the technical aspects of the ad exchange industry and could translate these concepts accurately was a major hurdle.

Adapting specialised content to different languages and cultures without losing technical precision was essential.

Solutions

OpenX turned to LanguageLine to address the complex challenges of maintaining language consistency, standardising translation processes, and effectively handling specialised subject matter. Drawing on our deep expertise in language support, we developed a comprehensive solution tailored to OpenX’s needs.

Terminology Management:

One of the most critical elements of the solution was establishing robust terminology management practices. Operating in a highly specialised field, OpenX needed precise terminology to ensure clarity and consistency across all communications.

LanguageLine developed a centralised glossary system capturing all key terms and phrases specific to OpenX’s industry. This glossary was regularly updated to reflect new developments in the industry and OpenX’s growing global operations.

By maintaining this central repository, we ensured that every translation adhered to the same standards, using consistent language that represented OpenX’s brand and technical requirements across all markets.

Dynamic Workflows:

Given the rapid pace at which OpenX evolves and its constant expansion into new regions, flexibility in the translation process was crucial. LanguageLine implemented dynamic workflows designed to adapt to OpenX’s changing needs. These workflows allowed for real-time updates and adjustments as new terminology emerged or market demands shifted.

This ensured that OpenX’s translations were not only consistent but also current, reflecting the latest language and industry trends.

Additionally, this flexibility enabled swift integration of new languages and regions, allowing OpenX to expand without the risk of translation delays.

Subject Matter Expertise:

The specialised nature of OpenX’s content required more than linguistic proficiency; it demanded deep subject matter expertise. LanguageLine collaborated closely with OpenX’s subject matter experts (SMEs) across various regions.

This partnership was key to ensuring that complex, technical language in the ad exchange industry was translated accurately and clearly. The input from SMEs provided the context and nuance needed to produce translations that were both technically precise and aligned with the intended messaging.

This expert knowledge was systematically captured and made accessible to all linguists working on OpenX projects, allowing for seamless, high-quality translations.

What the Client Said

“LanguageLine Solutions was instrumental in launching our company website across three regions. The LanguageLine team is always quick to respond and support us. They are a huge asset to OpenX, and we look forward to continuing the partnership.”

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