Translation Management Systems (TMS)

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is a translation management system?

  In today’s global markets, businesses need an effective translation solution to reach a wider audience. A TMS is a software platform that helps streamline the translation process – allowing for collaborative work among different teams e.g. translators and project managers.
  
  A TMS provides different functions depending on the provider. By segmenting the text and later storing the source and target segments in one repository it enables recycling translated content, thus improving translation efficiency and productivity.
  
  The commonly used systems can be easily integrated into existing tools like content management systems (CMS) via API integration.
  
  Language service providers (LSP) such as Seprotec are experienced in the use of TMS tools from various providers - offering flexible solutions that are tailored to the customer’s requirements and processes.

• What are the benefits of using a translation management system?

  Translation management system (TMS) allows organizations to centralize and streamline the process of project management and content translation.
  
  This, in addition to the fact that the tool can store all bilingual data securely and confidentially only accessible for you, allowing language service providers to offer significant reductions on future translations by reusing this data, while improving consistency and speed in deliveries. 
  
  With translation management software in place, organizations can also effectively manage multilingual data and ensure consistent messaging across their content – increasing translation quality and their return-of-investment (ROI).

• Can translation management systems (TMS) be combined with machine translation (MT)?

  Yes, translation management systems (TMS) can generally be combined with machine translation (MT) to enable agile project management by automations and streamline translation process and workflows – improving scalability. This depends on the respective provider and available integrations though. 
  
  The combination of translation memory, MT pre-translation for new segments and a language specialist who revises or edits the content is a compelling solution for many customers.

• What are some features of translation management systems?

  TMS features vary depending on the provider. However, one of the core features of the tool is the ability to build a customer-specific translation memory (TM). This stores your bilingual data in such an efficient way that it can be reused in future translations, improving efficiency and consistency while reducing costs. Making it possible to reuse all or part of previously translated segments for future translation projects.
  
  In addition, common software offers the option of displaying terminology, which makes it easier to incorporate the company’s own vocabulary. Various customizable filters can also provide a basis for automatic quality assurance.
  
  However, there are also a few “out-of-the-box” translation management tools that offer features such as visual translation options.
  
  With many translation management systems available, it is important to choose the right one for your language service’s needs. Whether it is for human translation or a combination of technology and humans. A language service provider like Seprotec can consult you on the best TMS for your localization needs.