Top Reasons Translation Industry is Better with Translation Management System (TMS)

Businesses nowadays rely upon process optimization and cost reduction as two of the key points of success. When it comes to translation of documents, companies are increasingly outsourcing them to external translation service providers. Though this practice may reduce the costs and the processing time of the orders, the supply chain gets longer and project management expenses normally rise, as more people ─ possibly located in several different countries ─ get involved in the project and need to be coordinated.

And here comes the vital role of a translation management system (TMS) which can help to reduce this workload, while making the information exchange transparent and secure.

Therefore, we describe the translation management system as a centralized platform for creating, forwarding, and finishing translation projects, and we can say that it consists, in the final analysis, of programs that support complex translation tasks.

Is Cloud-based Translation Management System a Step in the Right Direction?

At a global business landscape, where the trend is to move to the cloud, and given that “cloud is awesome” as everybody is now saying, this latest vogue is also conquering the language services industry – where having cloud-based Translation Management Systems (TMS) is becoming the norm.

However, we can summarize the advantages of using  a cloud-based TMS in the following:

-First: A cloud-based Translation Management Systems offers businesses the flexibility they need to scale their business. No matter how many stakeholders there are, how big the files are, or how complex the workflow is, a TMS system in the cloud can address the challenges effortlessly. Having dozens or even hundreds of translators working on the same project is necessary to keep up with tight deadlines in today’s fast-paced environment.

-Second: As there’s simply no time to send back and forth different versions of the same document, therefore by adapting a sophisticated cloud-based TMS system, the translation or localization project, or both, will enjoy having all the features for setting up collaborative translation workflows and making it easier for vendors to work simultaneously on the project.  

-Third: Given the importance of the factor of budget for businesses, and while it’s true that implementing an advanced cloud-based Translation Management Systems might not come cheap at the beginning, yet, in the end it will prove to be more cost-effective – because implementing cloud-based systems reduces management costs and enables decentralized operations with decreased overheads.

-Finally: The other advantages of using a cloud-based TMS system include, but are not limited to, better connectivity, advanced security, storing information in one central location, automated feature deployment without disrupting users, automated data backup, no software installation, and 24/7 availability from any device with an Internet connection.

3 Functions of the Translation Management System 

A translation management system is an integrated solution, with each of whose pieces of fulfilling a specific function. Together, they support and accelerate the translation process. However, the 3 main features of a translation management system are as follows:

1- Translation Memory Management

When the translation volume is high, translation memories will not only save money and time but will also help maintain consistency by providing translators reference to previously translated material. Since translation management systems maintain the memories centrally and, on the fly, the process is a lot more streamlined in comparison to offline computer-assisted translation tools.

2- Terminology Management

Like translation memories, terminology databases hold translations of terms and branding. It is critical to maintain and use a terminology database to ensure consistency in branding across regions and languages.

3- Reporting

Since successful companies need to know how much work has been done, how much money has been spent and how things stand in comparison to planned outputs, a TMS system can help gather all this data easily, because all work is managed centrally through the same system.

How does the TMS System Impact Quality Management & Process?

Quality management is one of the most important steps of a translation project. So, apart from the proofreading, the quality check system provided by the translation management system is essential in order to deliver a high-quality text.

The TMS system automatically checks various quality management criteria even during the translation, such as the use of the correct formatting and the consistent use of terminology. Also, translators are alerted if they want to finish a project although not all errors have been resolved.

When it comes to process, let’s agree that one of the key benefits of a TMS system is that all parties in the supply chain are working on a common platform. By means of automation options, the processes can be streamlined. For example, a customer can automatically create projects when documents are copied to a particular folder.

What’s more, the various user groups are notified automatically when they are assigned new tasks. The communication process between the customer, language service providers, translators, and reviewers also become much easier. Without a translation management system, any questions or comments would have to be sent by email, which increases the administration overhead and impairs information security.

Contact us today to know more information about how our state-of-the-art Translation Management System helps provide you with high-quality translation and localization services at the most affordable prices.