Stanley Black & Decker, a global leader in industrial tool and household hardware manufacturing, operates in more than 40 countries, making effective communication a major challenge. Before coming to Smartcat, they needed high-quality, multilingual documentation and training materials to maintain a sharp and consistent message in all global markets.

When gaps emerged in their video localization and production, the company chose to partner with Smartcat. In this brief case study, learn how Smartcat’s translation platform transformed their training materials to better guide their end-clients, generating higher quality, faster delivery times, and lower cost in the process. 

Overview of Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker, a titan in tools, hardware, and industrial equipment, has a legacy that spans over 180 years. The company as it stands today resulted from the 2010 merger of two iconic brands: The Stanley Works, founded in 1873, and Black & Decker, established in 1910.

With operations in over 40 countries across five continents, Stanley Black & Decker’s global presence is immense. They produce videos, documents, safety advisories, and training materials in multiple languages.

These materials aren’t just necessary—they’re the foundation of the company’s global strategy. By delivering training and resources in customers’ native languages, Stanley Black & Decker strengthens customer relationships and ensures that the brand’s message remains consistent worldwide.

The Challenges: Inefficient In-House Video Translation at Stanley Black & Decker

Creating comprehensive video training tools and materials is essential for success in global markets. However, the organization encountered several challenges and inefficiencies along the way, including:

Diverse Global Markets

Stanley Black & Decker needs accurate translations because it operates in many countries. Each region has its language, cultural context, delivery style, and subtleties, all influencing customer expectations and affecting the quality of translations.

Complexity of Technical Content

The organization produces specialized tools and products that require technical expertise, and its manuals are filled with industry and brand-specific terms. This adds a layer of complexity to translations, which must accurately convey this terminology across all target languages while ensuring accuracy and consistency. 

Time and Resource Constraints

Each Stanley Black & Decker product has its own training materials. These must be accurate, meet the brand’s high standards, and be ready for the product’s market release. Balancing translation quality and efficiency is no small task. Taking extra time to ensure accuracy can delay product launches, while rushing to meet deadlines may compromise quality.

The Solution: Smartcat AI Video Translation Solution

Smartcat analyzed Stanley Black & Decker’s existing solutions and identified the needs of the tool manufacturer’s eCommerce team. The objective was to boost translation turnaround rates while maintaining translation quality. Smartcat’s solution: advanced AI human translation workflows.

Customizable AI Translation Workflows

Smartcat discovered that Stanley Black & Decker’s existing systems were overly dependent on manual processes, causing delays and inefficiencies. Smartcat integrated a customizable AI translation workflow into the company’s tech stack to address this. This new system combines AI-driven voice over translation software with human language expertise, resulting in faster, higher-quality translations.

Multilingual Content Management

By partnering with Smartcat, Stanley Black & Decker tapped into a marketplace of over 500,000 vetted professional translators, enabling them to efficiently handle translation tasks across multiple languages simultaneously. Smartcat also implemented a Collaborative Translation Management System (TMS), centralizing all source content to ensure every translator could collaborate seamlessly using the same material.

Quality Assurance Measures

One of the most significant areas of improvement identified was the lack of a quality assurance process. To address this, Smartcat and Stanley Black & Decker introduced an adaptive AI solution that learns from the brand’s source materials and previous translations to ensure consistency and high quality. 

After the AI does its part, human reviewers validate the work, ensuring everything matches Stanley Black & Decker’s brand voice and meets their standards for accuracy.

The Results

With Smartcat’s AI-based automated project management system, Stanley Black & Decker has benefited from improved translation speed, optimized spending, and high accuracy.

Cost Savings

Thanks to Smartcat, Stanley Black & Decker slashed their translation costs by 50-70%, depending on the original material types and languages. The company has also benefited from a two-week reduction in audio and video translator turnaround.

Enhanced Accuracy

With Smartcat’s translator Marketplace, AI tools, and automated project management, Stanley Black & Decker now ensures flawless translation quality across all its materials. Smartcat has unified the tool manufacturer’s approach to training material translation while setting and maintaining quality assurance standards, allowing teams to even check incognito history to ensure nothing is missed during the review process.

Speed Improvements

Switching to Smartcat’s system has allowed Stanley Black & Decker to produce complete translated learning modules and quizzes in six languages within days instead of weeks. The company has also reported more positive feedback from the European eCommerce team, which was able to translate more web pages, product descriptions, and features.

These results show that Stanley Black & Decker was able to penetrate new markets and showcase new products in other languages more efficiently.

Transform How You Reach Global Audiences With AI Video Translation

Clear communication is the cornerstone of success in today’s competitive global market. Stanley Black & Decker’s journey proves that overcoming translation challenges is not just important—it’s essential! With advanced tools like AI audio translators, they didn’t just improve their training materials; they expanded their global reach.

Ready to boost efficiency and ensure exceptional quality? Combine AI with human expertise to forge stronger connections with your customers worldwide. Take a page from Stanley Black & Decker’s book—adopt cutting-edge strategies and watch your business thrive globally.