Automating Localization Workflow

Overview

Are you suffering from chronic "cut & paste" syndrome? Are manual operations introducing errors and eating up your localization budget? Do you feel the need for more automation? Would you like documents (or Web content) to be automatically routed to the translation vendor, and back? Would you like to automate many of the steps of the localization process itself?

Such automation capabilities exist today to some degree in various systems of various price/capability ranges. They are called "globalization management systems" (GMS) or "translation management systems" (TMS). Some are available for purchase; others are provided by the translation vendors themselves, some are leased, etc.

In order to understand and compare such different systems with disparate terminology, a generic model of automated localization workflow is described. A practical scenario is demonstrated by animating the model. The model is also used to visualize where existing industry standards apply in the localization process.

Finally, with the model well understood, a detailed evaluation framework is presented and applied to the available commercial systems. The evaluation framework covers a wide range of issues, both technical and business, relating to supported formats, translation tools, etc. The workshop concludes with an insightful discussion of the most significant, topical and current issues related to automating localization workflow.

Target Audience

This course is intended for localization managers, product managers, executives, international directors, translators and localization engineers… anyone whose budget or daily activity is impacted by localization.

Benefits

This workshop will help you understand what is involved in automating localization and help you decide whether you should consider purchasing a system or simply build a connector to existing systems.

Duration

The agenda described below is for a one-day session.

Pre-requisites

None.

Agenda

  1. Concepts: Globalization, Workflow, Translation & the Web

An overview of the basic concepts to ensure all attendees are on the same page:
globalization, translation memories, workflow, content types and repositories, CMS, GMS and the difference between the two, etc.

  1. ALW (Automated Localization Workflow) model

This section builds up graphically, item by item, a complete reference model of the localization process, starting from arbitrary source content and going through all the steps (change detection, analysis, leveraging, costing, workload management, translation, quality assurance, etc.) to produce localized content in several languages.

  1. ALW model: an animated scenario

The ALW model just built up is now animated with a simple scenario: the urgent production of a product brochure for simultaneous deployment on several country web sites. The step by step animation provides a deeper understanding of real issues that occur in actual usage of GMS or TMS.

  1. Applying the ALW model

This section uses the model to contrast existing systems. It then shows how several major technologies map to the model. Standards such as XLIFF, TWS, TMX, SRX, TBX, OLIF, GMX, etc. are mapped onto the model.

  1. ALW evaluation framework & comparisons

Each element of the model is now reviewed and evaluation criteria are specified. What functions should be available to the project manager? To the translator? How flexible should change detection be? Where is testing performed and how are bugs handled? You will be provided with a printed checklist of hundreds of questions. Comparisons of the major technologies will be presented.

  1. Significant issues

The Workshop concludes with a discussion of the most significant criteria discovered in this analysis. It presents those factors that are most likely to impact the cost, quality and ultimately success of your globalization effort.

Handouts

Each attendee will receive a workshop booklet, one slide per page, with ample room for notes, complete with table of contents and glossary. The booklet is designed to serve as a practical easy-to-use reference “book” for regular use during an internationalization project.

Pierre Cadieux

About our Instructor – Pierre Cadieux

Pierre Cadieux is a veteran with over 35 years' experience in internationalization of software, Web sites and mobile devices. He has taught internationalization at the Université de Montréal. Pierre has been technology editor for the LISA newsletter, VP Technology at ALIS and director of technology at Bowne Global Solutions.

At ALIS, Pierre pioneered the transparent handling of Arabic and Hebrew languages and created the core bi-directional technology licensed by Microsoft.

As Director of Localization Technology at Bowne Global Solutions, he carried out research and analysis on multilingual Web sites and published the first generic model of Globalization Management Systems.

Additionally, Pierre holds a B. Sc. and M. Sc. in Computer Science.

 
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