Newsletter - Features
GALA Members Respond to the Evolving Industry
Some observers see an evolution taking place in the localization industy. The trend is toward a convergence of sorts of intersecting areas such as localization technology, global marketing and branding, international relations, and knowledge sharing. Members share their thoughts on this evolution.
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Kevin R. Bolen Chief Marketing Officer Lionbridge USA |
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“We are definitely seeing a similar convergence trend. I think that
the desire to blend services and technology into one collaborative
effort between client, vendor, and translator has existed for some
time but the tools and processes to enable this did not exist until
just recently. As our industry begins to truly leverage the
Internet, this kind of real-time synergy can be achieved. Through
on-line portals and the use of web services connectors, clients can
engage with their vendor. With workflow and web-based language asset
management tools, project managers can connect teams of translators
and control these parallel efforts to provide a more consistent
message. These systems also enable the retention and application of
knowledge from each party, enabling greater scale as new resources
learn from and instantly leverage the contributions of their
predecessors. This real-time collaborative environment will be necessary to respond to the changing nature of global content. As the internet and other digital distribution channels become more pervasive, our clients are leveraging these tools to provide content in a more timely manner. From marketing to on-line help, our work is becoming less about the “large release” and more about managing the pace and volume of change on a daily basis. Without the underlying systems and professional practices of those engaged to manage this volume, supporting clients in this new “real time” environment would not be possible.” |
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Michael Kemmann Managing Director ADAPT Localization Services Germany |
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“There is a certain tendency towards a convergence of translation /
localization and related services already, and in my opinion, it
will grow. From my company’s particular perspective, I see the
biggest opportunities in a closer integration of authoring and
translation processes and tools. And, after all these years,
internationalization issues in software localization projects are
still commonplace, though they have moved on from the simple
troubles of the earlier days like hard-coded date formats to more
sophisticated issues, e.g., a software structured in ways not yet
supported by any available translation technology. In both cases, a
kind of convergence between the different fields would help to save
time-to-market and cost. Given the importance of these parameters,
it would surprise me not to see this happening more and more in the
future. For service providers, it will probably mean that they have
to specialize much more than many of them do today.” |
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Jaroslava Flodrova Executive Manager Skrivanek Translation Services Czech Republic |
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"From our multi-language vendor perspective, we can confirm this
trend in the localization industry. It is first of all caused by the
fact that these areas are very much symbiotic. To approach new
markets for clients, we must adapt not only the product itself, but
all the marketing and company thinking. Consequently, in the
localization process, application of localization technologies and
certain activities require the client's involvement. Therefore, it
is essential to "train" the clients and to help them understand what
is covered by or hidden in the process and where various
difficulties might appear. Also, vendors make great changes in their
service strategies and seek to cover the process as a whole, not
just the linguistic aspect. For example, they develop their own
technologies, prepare clients' marketing texts intended for
individual markets, etc. As the localization business is first of
all about know-how, knowledge-sharing is a key aspect for new growth
and development. Associations are playing a significant role by
promoting knowledge-sharing among experts, creating standards,
communicating trends and expertise to target clients for the benefit
of both. At the same time, we can see the trend of universities that
are beginning to include educational courses on project management,
software engineering and other localization process activities in
their programs. Thanks to this evolution, our industry can be
expected to start running as any other sector with sufficient
qualified support and the “mystery” of localization disclosed to the
general public." |
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Nobushige Yamane Founder & CEO Yamane Documentation Inc. Japan |
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“In the past 15 years, I believe the main driving force behind
localization has been Microsoft as well as other prominent software
companies. And following their business plans, the way of order
placements from MLVs to SLVs such as us is somehow inappropriate for
the lack of experienced human resources. However, as companies like Dell, Google and Amazon are gaining ground, and many MLVs have been subject to mergers and acquisitions, a sort of evolution is taking place! The key word, I think, is "diversification" in the marketing style of the source clients to other countries. In terms of Japanese localization, many clients understand that the rate of localization into Japanese is high because of high employment costs and the complexity of conversion from single-byte software to double-byte, including Kanji, Katakana, Hiragana, and so on. Companies need to be able to turn around even the largest of job requests in 6 months or less. I think that many Japanese vendors will be challenged to maintain quality with the quick transaction speeds demanded these days. I myself am very excited in the recent situation!” |
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Phil Shawe CEO Translations.com USA |
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“One of the ways Translations.com differentiates itself in the
marketplace is by continually striving to provide a more complete
solution to our clients. In recent years, as a result of listening
to our clients, we have expanded our service offering to include:
globalization technology, document management, technical writing,
multilingual staffing, and multicultural marketing. We believe the
convergence of related services in the localization industry is
inevitable, and we are of the mindset that providing a more complete
overall solution provides a foundation for maintaining and building
stronger client relationships.” |
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