Global Lingo helps First Draft deliver vital pandemic courses in six languages within one‑third of the regular timing

The Challenge

First Draft developed “Covering coronavirus” training and Essential Guides but faced rapidly evolving COVID‑19 terminology and misinformation. They needed to deliver fully localized course and guides in six languages at one‑third of normal pace. The challenge included translating journalist‑focused content with newly coined pandemic jargon, across .doc, .mov, Final Cut Pro, PowerPoint and InDesign formats—totaling 70,000 words and 1.5 hours of video—for swift global journalist access.

Our Solution

• Global Lingo implemented a highly coordinated, end‑to‑end workflow:
• Agreed milestones, responsibilities and deadlines upfront in a detailed timing plan.
• Developed and reviewed a terminology glossary with First Draft’s native speakers.
• Translated pilot samples reviewed early to set tone and consistency.
• Deployed specialist linguists and a single proofreader for accuracy and speed.
• Held weekly collaborative meetings with Project and Account Management teams.
• Executed on a rolling‑basis delivery as additional languages (Hindi, German) were added.
• Trained First Draft’s team on LiveReview (Now LÉON) for in‑context translation review.
• Handled course reintegration, typesetting, subtitling, video burning, and editing.
• Created translation memory to maintain consistency and support future updates.
• Rebuilt the course in First Draft’s LMS with full Linguistic Sign‑Off.

The Result

• The first two languages were launched within 25 working days.
• All six languages were completed in just one‑third of usual time, enabling timely global deployment.
• Delivered fully built courses, requiring no further preparation before publication.
• Shared three hard drives containing all assets—docs, videos, subtitles, glossaries—for security and future reference.
• Conducted a final project recap to strengthen ongoing collaboration.