For businesses and enterprises, translation and localization projects can get overwhelming with documents, team members, and project managers are all over the place working on excel and spreadsheets. Translation management systems (TMS) steps in to manage translation projects, and keeping everyone on the same page in one comprehensive system.
Read below to get the full picture of what a TMS is, what it does, and how to choose the right one for you.
What Is a Translation Management System?
Translation management systems (TMS) refer to a platform that allows for translators, editors, managers, and clients to supervise translation projects from one place in real time.
The main function of the TMS is to facilitate project management, however, they also have useful integrated translation tools like Translation Memory (TM), glossaries, term bases, quality assurance (QA), and Machine Translation that help edit and automate translation
In a nutshell, TMS does two main things: translation management, and translation editing.
The benefits of a translation management system
TMS is made for companies that manage tons of files and rely on team collaboration on projects. It is a tool made to ease the process, save time and effort, while at the same time achieving productivity and accuracy.
Let’s take a look at some of TMS benefits:
Storing of Linguistic Assets
Assets in a TMS refer to many things such as: translation memories, and term bases. They store these in one place.
What is a translation memory, you might ask…
Translation memory ( TM ) is a database of previously attempted translations that are stored in pairs of source and target segments. It is very useful in the process of translation automation.
We recently published a comprehensive article on Translation Memories that you might find useful.
A Term Base is quite similar to TM, but it is dedicated for terminologies. It is a list of terminologies that the translator can check if they want to be consistent with certain terms they use throughout the document.
Project Managing
TMS is a valuable tool for project managers because it allows them to assign tasks, view progress on each project in real time, and check met or passed deadlines.
Saving Time Through Automated Tasks
One of the primary goals of TMS is to reduce unnecessary efforts, especially repetitive ones that could be automated by the machine. TMS saves time for all team members by being able to do that.
Automated tasks could be anything from providing a segmented version of the source text for translators that is free of untranslatable elements, as well as attempting repetitive translation either by the help of translation memory or machine translation.
Running Quality Assurance
Translation management systems come with a quality assurance benefit that is responsible for spell checking and grammar checking.
What can I do with a Translation Management System?
Supervise and Monitor Translation Projects
As a project manager or a client you can oversee all aspects of the project in real time. TMS allows for the collaboration between PMs, translators, linguists, and editors.
Store Translation Assets:
A big part of the TMS can store, and manage content like glossaries, and translation memories. These have a role in maintaining translation consistency.
Segment Translation Files:
TMS aids translators by automatically segmenting the source text into smaller chunks of phrases and sentences to make the process more user-friendly and error-free.
Integrate with Other Tools:
Some translation management systems allow for the integration with other tools like content management systems (CMS), it also has the ability to connect with other tools like WordPress.
Manage Costs:
TMS tracks costs associated with translation projects.
read more about translation costs per word count rate
What are some common features of translation management systems?
With the above being said, let’s sum up the top TMS features:
- User set up and interface: file format support and scalability that allows different file sizes.
- Team collaboration tools.
- Editing assistance tool: like glossaries, and guidelines.
- Automation features: machine translation, term memory, quality , and translation memory.
- Visual context: This is needed when translating video subtitles that sometimes rely on context to achieve more accuracy.
The value of a TMS for global organizations
Translation management systems are crucial for organizations. Imagine having to deal with tons of files, and navigating projects individually over separate project managing platforms? TMS provide a shorter work around!
Firstly, translation management systems have been proven to increase turnaround, allowing for finishing projects and meeting deadlines. Consequently, TMS could contribute significantly to increased revenue.
Moreover, they come in handy when trying to minimize costs.
How is that?
When a project has many repeated segments in the source text, translation memory could take care of those depending on its reservoir of previously translated segments, which means less effort for the translator and minimized costs for the client.
TMS bring different employees in one easy-to-navigate interface.
Lastly, TMS are scalable because they deal with different file formats and sizes. They are suitable for individual use, small businesses, and large companies.
Kinds of Translation Management Software / How to Choose
TMS come in so many different shapes:
There are several types of Translation Management Systems (TMS) available, each with its own features and functionalities. Here are some common types of TMS:
Cloud-Based TMS
This is one of the most favorable types of TMS. It is hosted on remote servers and can be accessed online at any time.
On-Premises TMS
On-premises TMS is installed and operated on the company’s own servers and infrastructure. Although it is great for companies, yet some avoid it for its high cost.
Open-Source TMS
As the name suggests, open source TMS are customizable. They can withstand alterations for each organization to fit its needs. Companies can also get a fully customized TMS catered specifically for them.
Enterprise TMS
Enterprise TMS is designed for large organizations with complex translation needs. This type of TMS offers advanced features such as workflow automation, integration with other systems, and scalability to handle large volumes of translation projects.
Free TMS
Freemium TMS offers basic features for free, with the option to upgrade to a premium version for additional features and functionality. This type of TMS is suitable for small businesses or individuals with limited translation needs.
How to Choose your TMS
The type of translation management system you choose depends on several factors:
- Volume of language assets.
- The number of language pairs and regions that need to be included.
- The number of persons or parties handling the project on the system.
- Requirements regarding brand tone, diction, and style.
- The number of platforms and mediums that require localization such as: websites or applications.
Fast Trans TMS and how it will help you
If you are on the hunt for the suitable TMS for you, contacting a reputable translation company that has years of solid expertise with TMS can save you lots of effort and money.
Fast Trans could not miss out on the monumental features of the translation management systems along with various translation software tools that maximize translation productivity.
Get in touch with us to know more about TMS we use in our projects, or we could help you decide on purchasing the suitable one for your business.
