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Translation
Management
Systems for
Enterprises
and LSPs
TMS Options for Nine
Business Scenarios
By Benjamin B. Sargent and
Donald A. DePalma
August 2014
Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs
By Benjamin B. Sargent and Donald A. DePalma
August 2014
Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts,
United States of America.
Published by:
Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
100 Cambridgepark Drive
Cambridge, MA 02140 USA
+1.978.275.0500
www.commonsenseadvisory.com
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Trademarks: Common Sense Advisory, Global Watchtower, Global DataSet,
DataPoint, Globa Vista, Quick Take, and Technical Take are trademarks of
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Information is based on the best available resources at the time of analysis.
Opinions reflect the best judgment of Common Sense Advisory’s analysts at the
time, and are subject to change.
Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs i
Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc. August 2014
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibited
Table of Contents
Topic ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. 2 Why TMS?.............................................................................................................................................. 3
Enterprises and LSPs Rely on TMS for Productivity and Scale .................................... 3 Technology Suppliers Offer a Wide Range of TMS Solutions ................................ 5 Many Organizations Employ Alternatives to Formal TMS..................................... 7
Connectivity and Business Intelligence Needs Not Limited by Type ......................... 8 Integration Requires Connectors, Plug-ins, and Comprehensive APIs ................. 8 Business Reporting Draws on Both Translation Analytics and BPM .................... 9
TMS Market Trends ........................................................................................................................... 11 Enterprise and LSP Users Seek Different Depths of Focus ......................................... 11
Buyers and Suppliers Share Three Contrasting Production Models ................... 11 LSPs Need More Business Data than Enterprises ................................................... 12 High-Level Workflow for Enterprise, Detailed Workflow for LSPs .................... 14
TMS Evolves to Support Taylorist and Agile Work Methods .................................... 15 Taylorist Dogma Gives Way to the Agile Reality ................................................... 15 The Transparency of Agile Undermines Taylorism’s Silo Effect .......................... 15 TMS Solutions Come in Two Flavors: Open and Closed ...................................... 16 Open Systems Take Advantage of Multi-tenant Architecture .............................. 17
Nine Scenarios for TMS .................................................................................................................... 18 Enterprise Use Cases Keyed to Organizational Approach ......................................... 19
Streamlined Enterprise Best Fit: Language-Oriented TMS ................................... 20 Standard Enterprise Best Fit: Comprehensive TMS ............................................... 21 Fully Staffed Enterprise Best Fit: Language- and Business-Oriented TMSes ..... 23
Arms-Length Adoption via Captive TMS and Marketplaces ..................................... 25 Captive TMS Delivers Features for Buy-Side Language Professionals ............... 25 Retail TMS Minimizes Interactions for Business Users ......................................... 27 Marketplace TMS Creates a Level Playing Field for Buyers and Suppliers ........ 28
LSPs Add Multiple TMS Deployments as They Grow ................................................ 30 LSP Business Management Best Fit: Business-Oriented TMS ............................... 30 LSP Common Job Processing Best Fit: Language-Oriented TMS ......................... 32 LSP Dedicated Production Line Best Fit: Comprehensive TMS ........................... 33
Selecting the Right Type of TMS for Your Organization ............................................ 35 Information Sources ........................................................................................................................... 36 Related Research................................................................................................................................. 37
Technology Research for Global Leaders ...................................................................... 37 Technology Research for Industry Providers ............................................................... 38 About Common Sense Advisory .............................................................................. 40 Future Research ........................................................................................................... 40 Applied Research and Advisory Services ............................................................... 40
ii Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs
August 2014 Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibited
Figures
Figure 1: Language-Oriented TMS Functions for Enterprise Environment .................. 20 Figure 2: Comprehensive TMS Functions for Enterprise Environment ........................ 22 Figure 3: Language + Business TMS Functions for Enterprise Environments .............. 23 Figure 4: Buy-Side Interface for Captive TMS ................................................................... 26 Figure 5: Buy-Side Interface for Retail TMS ...................................................................... 28 Figure 6: Buyer and Supplier Interfaces for Marketplace TMS....................................... 29 Figure 7: Business-Oriented TMS in LSP Operations ....................................................... 31 Figure 8: Language-Oriented TMS in LSP Operations .................................................... 33 Figure 9: Comprehensive TMS for LSP Standalone Production Unit ............................ 34
Tables
Table 1: Sources of Translation Technology ........................................................................ 3 Table 2: The Core TMS Product Types ................................................................................. 5 Table 3: Primary Use Cases and Best-Fit TMS Types ....................................................... 18
Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs 1
Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc. August 2014
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Topic
Translation management systems (TMS) arose by systematizing what were
originally discrete desktop and server applications, such as translation memory
(TM), project databases, and contact lists for sub-contractors. Common Sense
Advisory first identified the parameters of TMS as a software category in 2006
(see “Translation Management Technology,” Dec06). Market dynamics have
since broadened the range and variety of solutions, and practitioners once again
express confusion as new entrants and fresh approaches compete for attention.
The purpose of this report is to clarify the types of TMS available today and
assist technology buyers in identifying the correct sub-category of system that
will best address their particular business case. We discuss general technology
and process innovation trends that affect technology decisions for enterprises
and language service providers (LSPs).
This report will help operational managers and tool strategists working in
enterprise and LSP environments understand the differences between system
types, how they came about, what kind of jobs they were designed to handle,
and which options they should be looking at – or not. To complete this research,
we spoke with 28 technology providers of translation management systems. In
this report, we cover:
Why TMS? We describe the role of TMS in a fragmented, globally
distributed supply chain of translation production, noting the types of
systems available and alternatives.
TMS Market Trends. We analyze how business issues in the buyer
environment are shifting the development focus for new and existing
software vendors.
Nine Scenarios for TMS. We detail the elements or functional components
needed to address nine common business case scenarios.
Information Sources. We list the companies we interviewed for this report.
Related Research. We provide links to previously published research on
translation management and related technology topics.
36 Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs
August 2014 Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibited
Information Sources
Common Sense Advisory interviewed the following companies for this report.
Across www.across.net
AIT (Advanced International Translations) www.translation3000.com
Cloudwords www.cloudwords.com
Crowdin www.crowdin.net
Easyling www.easyling.com
Gengo www.gengo.com
Glider Path www.gliderpath.com
Kilgray www.kilgray.com
Kinetic theTechnologyAgency www.thetechnologyagency.com
Lionbridge www.lionbridge.com
Memsource www.memsource.com
Ontram www.ontram.com
Plunet www.plunet.com
]project-open[ www.project-open.com
RR Donnelley www.rrd.com
Sajan www.sajan.com
SDL www.sdl.com
Smartling www.smartling.com
Sovee www.sovee.com
Star Group www.star-group.net
Text United www.textunited.com
Thebigword www.thebigword.com
Transifex www.transifex.com
Translations.com www.translations.com
Welocalize www.welocalize.com
Wordbee www.wordbee.com
XTM www.xtm-intl.com
XTRF www.xtrf.eu
Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs 37
Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc. August 2014
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibited
Related Research
This report builds on technology research at Common Sense Advisory going
back to 2003.
Technology Research for Global Leaders
We recommend the following research for enterprise technology buyers:
“TMS Users Revealed” (Feb12): Over the past decade, translation
management system (TMS) products have gone from being applications in
search of users to being an indispensable part of the arsenal of growing
companies in command of – or in search of – global markets. Which
industries, and what departments, are using these systems; why did they
elect to purchase the software; how are they using it; and are they satisfied?
“Build vs. Buy along the S-Curve for TMS” (Dec11): Companies with
internally developed technology often wonder whether they should continue
to develop their in-house TMS, or switch to a commercial solution from an
independent software vendor. This brief summarizes our current thinking on
the topic.
“How to Select a Translation Management System” (Nov11): This report
describes software functions relating to 12 business needs commonly
associated with the adoption of TMS. We explain the background needed to
build a short list of technology vendors, and list 26 translation management
solutions according to a typology based on system orientation.
“Content Strategy for the Global Enterprise” (Apr11): This report describes
the content challenges faced by most enterprises, provides a typology of
content, and recommends where machine translation fits best.
“Evolution and Revolution in Translation Management” (May08): This
report examines the ERP-like factors that drive the translation management
software sector, outlines buyer types, projects market size and growth, and
details the assessment criteria that Common Sense Advisory uses for such
systems. It will be useful for anyone learning how TMS differs from other
translation automation technologies and evaluating products.
38 Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs
August 2014 Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibited
“Translation Management Takes Flight” (Mar09): This report analyzes how
organizations formulate a translation management strategy and adopt the
enabling TMS technology. It will be useful if you are formalizing translation
processes, centralizing activities, or considering major expansion of your
globalization efforts.
Technology Research for Industry Providers
We recommend the following research for LSP technology buyers:
“How LSPs Should Pay for Software” (July13): Confused by TMS pricing
models? This report explores the pricing schemes of software vendors in the
market, using data from 20 independent software vendors. After examining
the justifications for innovative models, we provide guidance to LSPs on how
to select the best purchasing option based on their operational needs.
“How Buyers Use Translation Management Systems” (Feb12): Which
industries, and what departments, are using these systems? Why did they
elect to purchase the software, how are they using it, and are they satisfied
with the results? And most importantly, how should your company, as a
provider of translation services, react to these changing needs? This report
provides insight for LSPs on the technology practices of translation buyers.
“Translation Management Systems for LSPs” (Nov11): This report provides a
detailed model for LSPs to use when selecting technology vendors for short-
listing. We’ve structured the report to help prospective software buyers think
through the functional aspects of translation management and to ensure
completeness of the resulting criteria.
“Build vs. Buy along the S-Curve for TMS” (Dec11): LSPs with internally
developed technology often wonder whether they should continue to
develop their in-house TMS, or switch to a commercial solution from an
independent software vendor. This brief summarizes our current thinking on
the topic.
“Tech-Savvy Language Service Providers” (Aug10): This report examines
LSP approaches and attitudes toward use of technology in translation
operations, exploring opportunities for both business process and language
process automation. We examine the underlying factors that push LSPs to
Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs 39
Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc. August 2014
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibited
adopt new technology, which operational challenges they seek to resolve,
and what business benefits they achieve.
“Evolution and Revolution in Translation Management” (May08): This report
examines the ERP-like factors that drive the translation management
software sector, outlines buyer types, projects market size and growth, and
details the assessment criteria that Common Sense Advisory uses for such
systems. It will be useful for anyone learning how TMS differs from other
translation automation technologies and evaluating products.
40 Translation Management Systems for Enterprises and LSPs
August 2014 Copyright © 2014 by Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
Unauthorized Reproduction & Distribution Prohibited
About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research firm committed to
objective research and analysis of the business practices, services, and technology
for translation, localization, and interpreting. With its research for both Global
Leaders and Industry Providers, Common Sense Advisory endeavors to improve
the quality and practice of international business, and the efficiency of the online
and offline operations that support it. To find out more about our research and
how to become a member:
E-mail us [email protected].
Visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com.
Call +1.978.275.0500.
Future Research
Common Sense Advisory seeks interviewees from the community of people
involved in building business applications for international use. If you would
like to be interviewed or have clients who would like to share their experiences,
please e-mail us at [email protected]. We anonymize participants
and hold all information in the strictest confidence.
Applied Research and Advisory Services
This report and other Common Sense Advisory research into the best practices of
business globalization serve as the foundation for our Applied Research and
Advisory Services including International Customer Experience Assessments,
Vendor Selection, Localization Business Process Audits, Globalization Excellence
and Optimization Assessments, and Globalization Roadmaps. E-mail us at
[email protected] for more information.
