Online Translation - The Future??
It is fair to say that most small to medium sized GILT (Globalization, Internationalization,
Localization and Translation) companies have professional looking and informative
brochure web sites. What is interesting is that more and more of these companies
are now following in the footsteps of the industry giants and revamping their sites
to facilitate online translation services.
The service to which I am referring is not machine translation, but an automated
online translation service where the user supplies all project criteria such as
materials (which are uploaded), personal details, project details, expectations
etc. online. Once all requirements have been supplied the user is given an immediate
quote onscreen and an estimate date\time of completion. Once billing and payment
information has been entered by the user they will receive an automated response
via email, confirming the transaction while a corresponding mail is sent internally
to the company's project manager with all the project details.
It is then up to the project manager to assign the project to a translator before
emailing the final product back to the client, or making it available by other means
(ftp\managed server) depending on the projects size.
All very straightforward.
Some companies are now furthering the automation of the process. Based on the criteria
of the project entered online the translator(s) will be selected automatically from
a database. An email is sent to the translator, requesting their services, and they
will have a certain amount of time to respond, before the project is offered to
the next most suitable translator. Although based upon a complex IS system the obvious
advantage here would be bypassing the bulk of project management costs and administration
tasks.
To give the user an extra sense of satisfaction it is also possible for the client
to track the status of their project via a personalised login to the company's extranet.
So it seems possible to automate the entire process, cut out the middlemen and make
a reasonable profit, and if this is the case then why aren't more companies doing
it? Maybe it is only a matter of time but the general feeling within the industry
is that despite the obvious advantages to the system, customers remain unconvinced
of having their translations completed without any human contact.
Presently, few companies offer this kind of service. It started with Bowne Global,
Berlitz (who are now one and the same) and more recently SDL have entered the fray.
Understandably, market leaders such as these are equipped to offer a complete range
of services, therefore leading the way. It also is good to see that smaller companies
in the UK such as K-International and The Big Word are also moving into this area.
As more and more companies realize the potential in this and begin to offer the
same service it is my feeling that it will become the industry standard for translation
services. Optimistic surely, but not inconceivable.
By Steven Forsyth. Copyright © 2004.
Localization Specialist
Published by lexicool.com, February 2004.