5 major points for the introduction of a Translation Management System
The market for Translation Management Systems is often quite complex and constantly changing. It is therefore often a difficult decision to acquire a new system or to change the already established one. How can one recognize a system that is suitable for one’s own procedures? Or to put it differently: What does a good TMS have to be able to do?
1) Translation Memory
A translation memory is key for a good and ongoing process improving translation.
It is thus the main requirement for a good system reducing costs of the translation and steadily automating the process.
It is important to always have total control over the texts and the collected memory. It is owned content and that should be kept that way.
The memory as well as the text belongs to the owner and not the TMS provider.
2) Compatibility
If the products have already been offered online for a while there might be an existing PIM or CMS. A good TMS should not have a problem integrating the existing system as it is meant to easy the work process and certainly not create new problems
and/or increase costs. The content should be integrated without occurring structure changes. It is essential that a TMS offers the correct filters for the existing data formats as well as the possibility to process client specific data.
3) Automatization
Generally speaking is an automatization of laborious, manual processes cutting short the time-to-market and makes the translation process much faster. This is a crucial aspect for a TMS, just as a good automatization is reducing many sources of errors.
4) Cloud based approach
Everyone should or has to be able to participate in the translation process: editors, translators, marketing staff, project managers or IT. To ensure a smooth and successful joint collaboration a web-based approach is very useful as it enables everyone involved in the process to get hold of the project at any given time wherever they are. This is how to avoid unnecessary installations or licensing problems and have a project overview whenever and wherever you want.
5) Partner independence
Your TMS should allow speedy converting your texts without any problems no matter from which supplier they are. It should not be a challenge for the system whether you are using in-house translators or a special LSP who deliver the texts. New users can be trained easily and enable a fast use of the system.
