TRANSLATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Translation Management System

A project management application that automates and streamlines your localization workflow is a Translation Management System (TMS). A localization project involves several people and teams in different countries and time zones. The TMS help all the localization team members improve the quality and scalability of the translation process and reduce the time to market. 

Features of TMS: 

A standard translation management system should have the following features: 

• A high volume of translation: The TMS must allow a translator to do an unlimited volume of translation. 
• Scalability: The TMS should be scalable, and it should not break. 
• Ease of use and visual editing: The TMS is easy to use and allows visual editing. 
• Translation memory: A TMS should have a translation memory which can be used for later translations. 
• Complete control on translation: The user should be able to access to TMS system even after the paid version of TMS expires. 
• Integration with WordPress and other web engines: The TMS should be able to send the translations to WordPress and other websites. 
• Contributors account: Many people work on a localization project at a time, and a TMS provides a facility to manage contributor accounts. A good TMS should be able to create an unlimited number of contributor accounts.
  
  

How does TMS work? 

TMS work in three steps which are as follows: 

1. Upload files to be translated on the TMS: The files to be translated are uploaded on TMS and prepared for translation. 
2. Invite the team for collaborations: Invite translators and proofreaders for collaborations. 
3. Translation and publication: This step includes translating and reviewing the content in the desired language. After that, the content is published in the target format.
   
   

Critical functions of TMS: 

The TMS performs several functions, and they are as follows:

• Managing terminology: A terminology database possess a glossary of translation, branding, and related terms. The consistency of translated content is offered by terminology management. 
• Managing workflow: The TMS oversee workflow in real-time and can make the translation process efficient. An efficient TMS requires less file management, process automation, and communication facilitation time. TMS grabs new content and automatically allocates it to suitable translators. 
• Managing memory: The TMS maintains a database of previously translated words and phrases, and it is known as translation memory. Words and phrases from repositories can be reused. Translation memory saves time used in the process of translation. The TMS maintains translation memory and a streamlined process.
• Managing reporting: Robust reporting practices ensure efficient localization. Every stakeholder must be informed about the work status and the required cost and compare it with the initial position. The TMS works on a single platform, and you don’t need to send several emails and maintain excel sheets. The TMS also lets users see money consumption, localization status, and performance. 
• Managing integrated machine translation: A good TMS includes an application program interface (API) to connect to the machine translation engines. This makes the translation process faster.
  
  

Most popular translation management tools: 

The most popular translation management tools in 2022 are as follows: 

1. Lokalise: The lokalise is the most popularly TMS tool, and it provides collaborative translation, process automation, translation quality assurance, visual editing, and managing workflow localization. 
2. Transifex: Transifex is another popular translation TMS tool, and it provides quality assurance, workflow management, team management, and automation localization. 
3. Memsource: The features of Memsource include translation management, integrations to translation, machine translation, translation automation, translation memory and term bases. 
4. Smartling: The Smartiling offers end-to-end translation management, workflow management, integrations with content management systems (CMS), and a visual editor. 
5. Phrase: The phrase is one of the most affordable TMS. It has innovative automation features, translation project management, integration with third-party solutions, workflow management and environment optimization for developers, managers, translators, and designers.
   
   

Benefits of TMS to the company: A good TMS provides several advantages. 

• Automated process: The TMS provide process automation, which helps the translation team members get all the relevant data without asking for it. 
• Optimized resources: A TMS contains built-in resources like glossaries, translation memories, and linguistic assets. Due to these resources, TMS provide a productive translation. Many companies used TMS tools and reduced their localization budget by 90%.  
• Better communication: The TMS make the communication seamless among team members. 
• Enables collaboration: TMS increases collaboration between translators, departments, and translation vendors and enhances the translation process.