Quality, Timeliness and Cost are the three fundamental concepts that make up the backbone of SpanSource’s methodology. At SpanSource, process is held as the underlying structure that gives cohesion to the three stages of each project: pre-production, production and post-production. Technology is employed in a diversity of manners to aid in the translation/localization process. From diff tools to software and documentation CAT tools, to conversion utilities that assist in the prepping of files, to version control applications, among others, every resource is applied to ensure that quality and cost savings are leveraged for the benefit of our clients. Strong project management skills and communication are among the top priorities in our production cycle. Solid, well-structured project planning, monitoring and follow-up are implemented from the word ‘go’. During pre-production, analysis of either evaluation or production files is carried out to come up with the most cost-effective solution and minimize the impact of issues downstream. As a result of the assessment, projects are assigned to project managers and a project plan with a breakdown of tasks mapped to durations and resources is drawn up. Also at this time the tools to be employed throughout the project lifecycle are determined. All along the project lifecycle, communication, monitoring and status reporting take place on a project management front. From a translation standpoint, our process consists of a three-step procedure where the source text is translated by a native translator with a local flavor of the language, after which editors review the text in its entirety to check for translation errors, inaccuracies, stylistic flaws and literal translations and finally, proofreaders make sure the formatted translated document is free of errors and ready for delivery. At post-production a project audit is conducted to determine best practices and draw conclusions utilized to make improvements to our process and learn from experience.