It’s that time of year when reviews and predictions dominate news shows, blogs, and even Twitter. One that we follow closely is Common Sense Advisory’s annual predictions, posted in the analyst group’s blog, The Global Watchtower.
http://www.globalwatchtower.com/2009/12/09/predictions-2010/
In a nutshell, the analysts at CSA predict the watchwords of the localization and language industry in 2010 will be centralization, consolidation, community, and diplomacy. These words ring true in our work already, and we definitely agree that our clients will be seeing the impact of these central themes over the next 12 months. Specifically, we agree with the following trends:
Big buyers of language services will centralize their processes: We have seen this happen with a few key clients in our life sciences industry for whom purchasing of translation services has been centralized through procurement. Flowing all translation through one department allows a company to achieve economies of scale by giving larger volumes to select vendors. In turn those vendors are able to build translation memory and glossaries more rapidly, ensuring consistency throughout materials and lowering the price for previously translated line segments.
Buyers and suppliers will find that “it takes a community”: These words have never rung more true than as we enter into 2010. In the translation world, technology provided by companies like Kilgray (MemoQ), which has been a McElroy partner since last year, allows translators to work on large projects in a group—as a community. Translators are able to simultaneously update glossaries and translation memory to increase consistency. Quality is maintained by one lead translator who monitors the updated translation memory, allowing clients to receive a product that meets their quality standards in a much faster time frame.
Technology suppliers will consolidate, formally and otherwise: With the fast-growing popularity of companies like Plunet and Kilgray, a technology race has developed in the translation world: The goal is to create a dream system that encompasses a workflow management system, client portals, translation memory, OCR capabilities, financials, Salesforce, and so on and so on. These features will automate many processes, allowing for instant access to quotes, faster turnaround times, lower costs in terms of project management, and greater consistency in translation memory.
Language service providers will specialize and fragment: Well this isn’t exactly new for McElroy—this has been our practice for over 20 years! We specialize in high-quality technical translation by using expert project management and desktop publishing for the legal, life sciences, energy, and technology industries!