The implication is that an internal testing team can do all the same work within a much more advantageous framework. This is because the internal testing team “by design” has direct access to the product development team and does not generate any additional communication or cost overhead.

Further discussion covered (1) the details of the software testing process, (2) whether or not one needs experienced translators to perform the testing (of course not, in my experience), (3) and the particular tasks usually covered during multilingual testing. However, if you vivisect the multilingual testing process in all its miniscule details, you will certainly not find anything that cannot be done internally. Although quite a sophisticated task, testing is by no means rocket science. Everything that outside testing contractors do can surely be done internally – assuming, of course, that testing is one of the client’s core competencies.

Personally, I do not have the least doubt that if an internal testing team has all the tools, the processes, the experience and an adequate number of people, then certainly internal testing is the most efficient way to go.

However, we know for a fact that multilingual testing is still being regularly outsourced. Why?

My simple answer is that one of the components listed above is usually missing. Though not typical, there are some cases when internal teams encounter problems due to a lack of experience. However, we must assume that adequate skills, tools and processes are available on both sides to ensure a fair analysis. Therefore, we must conclude that the only reason to outsource is due to a lack of internal resources. Every sensible company is watching its expenses, and it is very rare that there is a large, in-house team just waiting for the next project peak. Financial constraints inevitably bring down in-house team size.

This is why, when the project peaks arrive, project managers quite often face a desperate need for more resources. And these resources are required instantly – there is no time to hire and then train people to build a team that inevitably has to be downsized afterwards. And IF these resources are reasonably available from a language services provider, outsourcing becomes the natural choice.

The need to expand instantly by way of purchasing extra resources from experienced outside service providers is the one and only reason to outsource – for many activities, be it household construction or multilingual testing.

 
Serge Gladkoff
President
Logrus International