Case study: translation of an annual financial report

In this case study, we describe how we supported a long-standing client in the sustainable mobility sector in the translation of its 2024 annual financial report. We outline the technical challenges related to migrating the workflow to a native XLIFF format, the approach adopted to ensure quality and terminological consistency, and the results achieved.

The client

The client is a publicly listed joint-stock company based in Milan, Italy, operating in the integrated and sustainable mobility sector. With years of collaboration behind us, we have a deep understanding of its requirements for accuracy, terminological consistency, and reliability.

The annual financial report is a high-impact investor communication document. Our mandate was to ensure an institutional-quality English version, consistent with the client’s established terminology developed over years of collaboration.

The challenge

In 2024, the client adopted a new document stack, migrating from traditional Word documents to native XLIFF files exported from Workiva, one of the leading enterprise platforms for ESG data collection and management. This made it essential to preserve the document’s complex tagging intact.

The challenge was not only technical: We also needed to meet tight deadlines and ensure terminological alignment with the client’s existing document repository.

Key priorities:

• Compliance with contractual deadlines
• Terminological consistency with historical documents
• Delivery of a file ready for direct upload to the Workiva platform

The solution

Our team adopted a structured approach, combining advanced technology with specialized expertise:

• Preliminary analysis of the XLIFF files: Before starting the translation, we reviewed and tested the client’s files to identify structure and potential issues.
• Leveraging translation memories: Automatic retrieval of previously translated segments ensured terminological continuity and reduced the risk of errors.
• Final tagging quality check: The most critical phase of the process, ensuring full alignment between source and target files and complete compatibility with Workiva.

End-to-end coordination ensured execution accuracy, operational efficiency, and full compliance with client requirements at every stage of the process.

The results

The project was successfully completed, achieving all objectives:

• Deadlines met despite migration to the new format
• Translation delivered ready for direct platform upload
• Terminological consistency and quality in line with past standards

The client particularly acknowledged our ability to flexibly manage the integration of new technical formats, quickly identify solutions, and maintain precise, effective control over every project variable. This project confirmed the strength of our approach to complex financial translation projects.

What this project demonstrates

Translating an annual financial report requires far more than linguistic expertise alone. It demands mastery of technical formats, rigorous terminological consistency, and the ability to coordinate complex processes while meeting tight deadlines.

In this project, we delivered a translation ready for direct upload into the Workiva environment, preserving historical terminological consistency and meeting strict contractual timelines. Advanced technologies, consolidated translation memories, and rigorous quality assurance processes ensured that every element of the document – from formatting to tagging – was handled with precision, resulting in a deliverable that was immediately usable and fully compliant with the highest corporate standards.