Translation Management Systems Add Crowd to Cloud

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Global Watchtower

Common Sense Advisory Blogs

Posted by Benjamin B. Sargent on October 5, 2009 in the following blogs: Translation and Localization, Business Globalization, Technology, Web Globalization, Interpreting, Market Data, Global Marketing, Best Practices, Supplier Business Issues
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It was a busy summer for software makers selling translation management systems (TMS). Amidst a steady rain of product updates, we hear some real thunder from crowd-in the-cloud offerings.

Cloud and Crowd Noises: Software-as-a-service and other cloud-based solutions have gained momentum:

Community translation provider Lingotek recently added an open social container inside its translation workbench, enabling users to chat and "tweet" using Twitter directly from the Lingotek software. The company will demonstrate the latest version of its SaaS translation platform at Localization World later this month.

Lionbridge will formally announce the community-focused release of its translation open (to other vendors) platform at the ATA conference, making good on its previously announced intention to bring freelancers and smaller vendors onto their heretofore closed technology offering.

Calling it the "super cloud for the global translation industry," the Translation Automation User Society (TAUS) announced that it released its language data exchange for public access.

CSOFT released its new L10NWorks community and portal, complete with dozens of free localization tools available for immediate download. Every localization shop should know about and visit this site.

The GlobalSight community passed the 1,000 member mark, and owner Welocalize released its fourth product upgrade of the year, including CrowdSight, its crowd-sourcing application.

Other Software Updates: Major and minor product releases dot the landscape:

thebigword announced LanguageDirector v2 with a new GUI and language tool updates.

Across Systems released its v5 product and is demoing the full-featured translation management platform this fall at every conference known and unknown.

Translations.com introduced GlobalLink Project Director 2.0, the centerpiece of its evolving translation management suite. Highlights include an object-oriented engine that eases the task of configuring workflow processes by dragging and dropping icons for different process milestones. Project Director’s integrated vendor management module is now included in the general release. The updated client portal gives globally distributed client reviewers the ability to review, revise, and comment on translations with an integrated glossary checker, among other features.

Expect an announcement soon from Sajan -- it scheduled its "GCMS 5.0 Release Webinar" for 13 October 2009.

SDL announced the availability of SDL WorldServer 9.1, the latest version of the Idiom product it acquired in 2008. The SDL LSP Partner Program, an outgrowth of Idiom's LSP Advantage program, now has 60 participating LSPs at the Associate level, plus 20 Advantage Plus members and three Premier partners (Alpha CRC, Lloyd International Translations, and VistaTEC).

In September, Kilgray released MemoQ 3.6 with .docx and .pdf support.

In August, Plunet released BusinessManager Version 4.4.

Business Changes: M&A, staffing, new offices, and new investment characterize the business side of the translation management sector:

U.K-based Agile Web Solutions, the technology spinoff from LTC in charge of developing Worx, opened an office in Bonn, Germany. Earlier in 2009 it had announced its office in the U.S.

Canada-based Beetext announced that it opened a European office outside London. The U.K. office will manage both pre- and post-sales support operations for most of Western Europe.

In July, Netherlands-based Language Networks, the makers of the Espresso workflow management suite, was acquired by Concorde Group BV, another translation services company.

Lingotek hired Willem Stoeller, industry maven and well-known project management guru, recently departed from Welocalize. In August, Lingotek also scored another round of financing.

Multicorpora announced CA$300,000 in funding by Canada's Economic Development Agency. The grant is intended to help the company implement its commercialization strategy to introduce its MultiTrans 4.4 software product to U.S. and European markets. Earlier in 2009, the company hired Susan Riekki-Odle as Director of Channels to lead a partnership initiative.

Sajan joined PTC’s technology partner program.

thebigword Group hired Richard Beck, a new IT Head, with responsibility for developing the company’s IT infrastructure and to continue development of LanguageDirector. He joined thebigword from CPP, a bank card protection and identity theft insurance firm.

XML-INTL’s XTM product is now featured in the open source CMS Alfresco’s Solutions Showcase. The U.K. based technology vendor is running an "Introduction to XTM" webinar on Tuesday, 13 October 2009.

The category of translation management systems continues to evolve rapidly, even in the down economy. Among the features we expect to see more of in the coming year: integrations with MT and “self-provisioning” to allow crowd participants to easily sign up for work, volunteer or otherwise.

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