What should I look for if I need external translators and internal reviewers in one workflow

If you need external translators and internal reviewers in one workflow, look for a system that supports a multi-step translation pipeline with role separation. Key things to check:

1. Role-based workflow

• Ability to assign different user roles, such as:
  • Translator (external)
  • Reviewer/Approver (internal)
  • Project manager/Admin
• Permission controls so external translators only see what they need.

2. Multi-step task routing

• Workflow stages like:
  • Source content import
  • Translation
  • Internal review
  • Final approval
  • Delivery/export
• Support for automatic handoff from one step to the next.

3. Collaboration features

• Commenting, notes, and issue flags
• Suggestion mode or track changes
• In-context preview if the content is software/web/app text

4. Version control and audit trail

• Track who changed what and when
• Compare translation and review versions
• Restore previous versions if needed

5. Quality assurance

• Spellcheck, terminology validation, consistency checks
• Ability to enforce glossary/translation memory use
• Review status and approval gates

6. Access and security

• Secure login, SSO if needed
• Separate access for external vendors
• NDA/compliance support if you work with sensitive content

7. Vendor management

• Support for multiple external translators or agencies
• Assignment by language pair, domain, or workload
• Due dates, notifications, and progress tracking

8. Integration with your existing tools

• CMS, code repository, design tools, ticketing systems
• File import/export formats you already use
• APIs or automation for handoffs

9. Reporting

• Turnaround time by step
• Reviewer workload
• Vendor performance and quality metrics

10. Scalability and flexibility

• Can it handle a simple translator → reviewer flow now?
• Can it expand to more steps later, like legal review or localization QA?

If you want, I can also turn this into a vendor evaluation checklist or recommend specific workflow setups for tools like memoQ, Trados, Lokalise, Crowdin, or Phrase.