tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91356808452603030522024-03-08T03:04:16.001-08:00Smith's BlogCommentary on Welocalize and the translation and localization industry.Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-82407413563788589662013-06-07T04:52:00.000-07:002013-06-07T04:52:05.571-07:00Welocalize #8 in Latest Top-100 LSP List<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was very happy to see Welocalize climb again in CSA's annual <a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/AbstractView.aspx?ArticleID=5505" target="_blank">Top-100 LSP ranking</a>.<br />
We ranked #10 in 2011 and climbed to #8 in 2012. <br />
<br />
Continuing to grow any company is a big challenge. Some one asked me recently, "how do you do it?" The answer is talented people working very hard to overcome the growth challenges with creative ideas and drive. Everyone is a star when things are going well. One of things I learned while I was in the first Gulf War was that the mettle of true character comes out when facing adversity. This is where I am most proud of the Welocalize team. I have asked them to take on many difficult challenges and associated sacrifices over the years, and they have always found a way to succeed.<br />
<br />
<br />
All the best to them, our clients and our vendors. This recognition is yours.<br />
<br />
Smith</div>
Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-48461378039407111212013-03-08T11:03:00.001-08:002013-03-08T11:03:59.362-08:00Excellent 2012 Results<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2012 was an exciting year for Welocalize. We made great progress in our key initiatives and saw our revenue grow by 16% to $125 million. We also grew to over 600 people worldwide across 12 offices.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />One of our top initiatives is to nurture and protect a unique culture. I believe a unique and rewarding culture is the lifeblood of a successful company. It is the way we create enthusiasm, attract talent, attract clients and support my vision for revolutionizing the way our industry services its clients. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />To support this, we successfully transitioned Tim Delbrugge into his new role of CAO. I have asked Tim to manage our culture initiatives worldwide. Several of these culture initiatives resulted in great success. The sense of enthusiasm, trust and unique team spirit was palpable in 2012, and we will continue to invest in our culture in 2013.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Another top initiative for us is Operational Excellence: driving out waste through innovation, practical standardization and automation. We invested approximately $4 million into automation systems and technology in 2012 including new GlobalSight releases and connectors, machine translation, strong advances in our internal project accounting and management system called Falcon as well as translation tools such as the open-source OmegaT.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />I feel more strongly than ever that we have the people, process and systems to achieve new and exciting things in our industry. I want to thank our clients, staff and vendors for a wonderful year!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smith</span><br />
</div>
Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-59526243922175367372012-12-12T14:16:00.002-08:002012-12-12T14:16:45.899-08:00Has anyone seen Rip Van Winkle?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
One fine autumn day in New York’s Catskill Mountains Rip Van
Winkle shared in what was a bit too much liquor. It was offered in a seemingly innocuous way
by a group of silent, bearded men playing nine-pins in a hollow along the
mountain path. Making himself
comfortable under a broad shade tree Rip soon dozed off. When he awoke after what seemed like a short
nap – his beard had grown below his knees and the world had completely changed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have you seen any similar long-bearded, Rip Van Winkle types
wandering the floors of Localization World?
I could swear I saw him quietly manning a vendor booth or two with a
neglected gaze! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, it would not be too hard to wake up one day in this
industry and see that the standard practices of the past no longer applied to
the work of the day. For just as in the
Rip Van Winkle parable, what has fundamentally changed in our industry is time
itself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Where has the time gone?
Oh to pine for the days of localization projects measured in months, but
anything measured in months now seems as outdated as Y2K. Regardless of location, language or culture –
we expect everything from basic information to entertainment “now”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Any content, any language, any device, anywhere in the world
instantly is the rule of the day. There
is enormous pressure on the “Clients” in our industry to compete at this level
globally, however many historical, cumbersome and walled-garden “Vendor”
offerings are simply not up to the task.
There has been ample discussion on the topic, but who is really doing
something differently? Well here is a
Welocalize example of something very different.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a recent three-month period for one of our clients
Welocalize delivered:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Over 19 million translated words<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Over 36,000 projects<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Average project size of approximately 500 words<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Average project duration of 48 hours<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Average quality score of 98%<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is continuous localization or what some call “on-demand
translation” at its most challenging. Delivering
small chunks of 500 words or less at large scale, high speed and high quality
requires a new way of thinking in our industry. There has been a lot of discussion across
our industry about “translation in the cloud”, “crowdsourcing” and “agile
localization”. These are valid concepts
but in and among themselves only buzzwords.
Looking at the challenge from a broader perspective what is needed is a holistic
supply solution that can deliver at scale through open collaboration and
extensible automation. Clients, language
service providers and translators must all be able to connect seamlessly and
automate three key business processes:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Project accounting<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Project management<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Workflow creation and management<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A “walled garden” approach does not address this challenge
effectively. This is our philosophy at
Welocalize – doing things differently leads to something extraordinary – and it
is my vision to revolutionize the industry around innovations that support
continuous localization or “on-demand translation”. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is an open call for those in the industry who share the
same vision to join Welocalize in open collaboration to re-shape the way
translation services are performed and delivered across our supply chain. We are actively connecting MT tools, CAT
tools and TMS tools to create an innovative and automated supply chain. Give us a call if you would like to
participate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-27381929934413182402012-10-10T15:01:00.000-07:002012-10-10T15:01:05.351-07:00Welocalize Continues to Lead Open Collaboration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:DocumentProperties>
<o:Revision>0</o:Revision>
<o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime>
<o:Pages>1</o:Pages>
<o:Words>321</o:Words>
<o:Characters>1830</o:Characters>
<o:Company>Welocalize</o:Company>
<o:Lines>15</o:Lines>
<o:Paragraphs>4</o:Paragraphs>
<o:CharactersWithSpaces>2147</o:CharactersWithSpaces>
<o:Version>14.0</o:Version>
</o:DocumentProperties>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>JA</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
<w:UseFELayout/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="276">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]-->
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt;">Welocalize has been championing open
collaboration for many years now. We feel that interoperability across
the translation supply chain is key to gaining efficiency and predictable
scalability. Translation word rates have reached their lower limits
putting even more pressure on reducing total cost through automation of
logistics and administration across the supply chain. Here are some of
the things we have been working on lately.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.tauslabs.com/interoperability/taus-translation-api" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">Translation Services API</a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">in collaboration with TAUS: We need to be able to do more than pass
common files across the supply chain.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">We
need to be able to directly connect different translation support systems and
tools.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Most interoperability efforts for
translation processes have focused on file formats. This made sense when
systems were not interdependent. In today’s environment, where services are
increasingly hosted in the cloud, web APIs offer the ability to simplify the
process while allowing a complex task to be broken down into several small and
simple requests.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Collaboration on the open source </span><a href="http://www.omegat.org/en/omegat.html" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">OmegaT translation memory tool</a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">: We have been
developing the OmegaT tool to run MT productivity tests for several of our key
accounts. Our objective is to develop additional functionality as a MT productivity evaluation tool and a platform to gather other MT metrics (confidence
scoring, automation scores, MT vs. fuzzy matches, error type analysis and
correction submission). We are also working on inte</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">grating the OmegaT editing tool as a
translation/post-editing workbench connected to </span><a href="http://www.globalsight.com/" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;" target="_blank">GlobalSight</a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="http://www.cvent.com/d/2cqwdj/1Q" target="_blank">LocLeaders Forum</a></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">: we have been hosting LocLeaders Forums with our
clients and vendors for several years now, and they have proved to be very
worthwhile for all attending. Our next
<a href="http://www.cvent.com/d/2cqwdj/1Q" target="_blank">Forum is October 17<sup>th</sup> in Seattle</a>.
Please join us!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Smith<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-8184251264411171622012-08-15T07:01:00.000-07:002012-08-15T07:01:09.032-07:00A New Way to Collaborate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Consolas;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Consolas, monospace; font-size: 12px;"></span></span><br />
<div>
In June, I attended the Localization World conference in Paris. In conjunction with the the event we also conducted our own vendor conference as well as a client conference, and with strong representation from both our clients and vendors, we decided to do something unique this year. I am not sure it has been done before. It was certainly the first time we had ever done it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The experiment began with the challenge of finding a taxi in Paris during the morning rush hour. The long line of available taxis we saw conveniently waiting in front of the hotel the day before had vanished. Not a taxi in sight! Ten minutes passed and still no taxis. And thus began our Paris Metro experience. Taking the Metro is no problem, but trying to coordinate a large group of people in getting on and off of packed trains, at the right stop, without losing anyone – was a true challenge in logistics. The feeling was strangely familiar to managing a large translation project.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once we arrived and got settled in the conference meeting room (everyone made it), I kicked-off our first ever combined Client-Vendor summit! I started by thanking our staff, clients and vendors for the excellent achievements we have made so far this year:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
* Revenue in the first half up by 12.4%</div>
<div>
* 4 upgrades to GlobalSight and 10 new GlobalSight clients</div>
<div>
* Machine Translation Innovation: We are developing our own automated MT scoring tool (beta already running) </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I then discussed our new format for the meeting. We have been conducting separate client and vendor summits for years, but this was the first time we had ever combined the two meetings. Our clients and our vendors suddenly found themselves sitting together in the same room. Yes, many of our client’s reviewers quite often meet our translators, but this was something different. For an entire day, the Welocalize staff, our clients and our translators met together and discussed key business challenges that we each face at our unique points in the supply chain. The result was outstanding with one client telling me “it ended too soon”!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of the really interesting sessions was during a panel comprised of both our clients and our translators. Antoine Rey, our Sr. Director of Europe & Asian Sales, Lyn Carroll, our Sr. Director of Global Vendor Management, and myself moderated a series of questions put to the panel. The following question sparked an interesting debate: how necessary is a client review step in the translation process?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The client review process can be very expensive. I have heard some clients say they spend up to 20% of their budget on this step while I have heard others say they have eliminated the step entirely. Why are there opposite opinions around such an important question? We put it to the panel. One client on the panel informed us that they had stopped doing the review and suggested that time spent on creating a better upfront process produces better quality in the end, and that what they found to be more useful was “allocating more time and authority for the translator to do their job properly.” The opposing view on the panel was also interesting. This client pointed out that their review feedback was not intended to be critical but was intended more specifically to help educate the translator on the language that is unique to that client’s products.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think both points of view are valid depending on the maturity of a translation program. Naturally, a program that has been running for years will have experienced translators who have learned to “speak the language of the customer.” In addition, much of the actual translation itself may become less and less new words, and a large and reliable translation database lends itself to greater confidence in eliminating the review step.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think that what is most important in delivering “quality” is structuring a translation program around a candid assessment of the “maturity” of the program. Naturally, new programs require additional steps and time to fix the bugs in the program. Some of the steps become unnecessary as the translation supply chain gains more experience. This necessary experience comes from patience and investment during the inevitable highs and lows of a translation program life-cycle, and the strongest partners are those you can count in either case. I want to thank those partners, clients and vendors alike, who have helped us create a truly unique company in our industry and for your willingness to try new things such as this combined summit. I want us to innovate together wherever possible!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Smith</div>
</div>
Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-22191183836910875372012-04-09T07:17:00.000-07:002012-04-09T07:17:22.109-07:00Vision for 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">We have very exciting things going on at Welocalize this year, but this would not be possible without the incredible hard work everyone put in during 2011. 2011<b> </b>marked the greatest single-year expansion in the company’s history. The pace of change, the dedication of our partners and staff in working long hours to keep up and the support of our clients in trusting us to take-on increasing volume and complexity – were all at the greatest levels I have ever seen.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">To put it into perspective:</div><ul style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 18px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Revenue Record: $24 million added (39% growth)</li>
<li style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Hiring Record: over 100 new staff added</li>
<li style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Merger Record: three, with Park being our largest ever</li>
<li style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Word Count Record: 400 million</li>
<li style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 1px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 2px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Language Record: 115</li>
</ul><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Our revenue climbed by 39% to $83 million, and it is amazing when you consider it was one word at a time. We moved an enormous amount of words around the world at a dizzying pace with a supply chain of over 10,000 people.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">I am also happy to report that we made significant progress towards my vision of being the On-Demand translation leader. This means delivering services at a competitive price and with minimal inconvenience to clients with large and complex ongoing day-to-day demands. On-Demand translation is the shift towards continuous translation as opposed to episodic projects. It is characterized by tight integration with IT systems, “right now” deadlines, and a high level of automation.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">All of these developments have positioned us for an outstanding 2012, and we began the year with an exciting announcement: our merger with Park IP.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Park IP is the leading patent and legal translation firm in the USA. Our plan is to continue to expand the breadth of translation services we can offer and this addition of Legal translation services fits perfectly.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">In addition, this merger now takes us over $100 million in revenue! This is a major milestone for our staff, clients and partners, and I want to thank all of you for your support.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Now I want to describe what we have planned for 2012. All of us on the leadership team are more enthusiastic than we have ever been about the company’s prospects to deliver a superior continuous localization (On-Demand) service built upon a strong foundation of Operational Excellence. There is a positive buzz in the company and around our industry about the great things going on at Welocalize. We are evolving rapidly and leading a transformation in our industry around continuous localization.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Given the rapid changes in the world related to On-Demand content being available on any device, anywhere in the world and in any language – an enormous opportunity exists for Welocalize to be recognized as the continuous localization (On-Demand) leader in our industry. We have built a company that is able to increase velocity, increase quality and drive out waste like no other in our industry. Our rally cry for 2012 is to DRIVE OUT WASTE!</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">A strong culture and meaningful values create an enduring company. This is also at the heart of our growth plans. We are big believers in Patrick Lencioni’s work and program to build a “healthy company”. We are even referenced in his <a href="http://tablegroup.com/oh/" style="color: #cd4927; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">new book</a>, “The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business!” Investing in our culture and satisfaction of our people remains a top focus for 2012.</div><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Thank you again for all of the support. I am very proud of what we have all accomplished together.</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;">Smith</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><div style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div></span></div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-83594783229663645092012-02-09T11:38:00.000-08:002012-02-09T11:38:57.947-08:00Welocalize & Park Merge to Form $100 Million Company<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">Hello Welocalize Community,<br />
</span><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">I have exciting news! I am happy to announce our merger with a company called <a href="http://parkip.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">Park IP Translations</span></a>.</span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Combined, we are now over $100 million in sales with 12 offices and nearly 600 people worldwide!</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />
<br />
This is an extraordinary milestone for all of us, and I want to recognize the support of our clients, staff and partners in this great accomplishment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">For your information, here is a question and answer summary:<br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">Q: What does Park do?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">A: Park is one of the top providers of translation services in the legal field including patent translations, litigation support, mergers & acquisitions and contracts. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">Q: Will Park keep their name and existing team?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">A: Yes, the existing Park management and staff will remain in place. They will operate as a Welocalize subsidiary, and they will continue with the Park name.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">Q: What size is Park?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">A: They have 35 employees and approximately $25 million in sales.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">Q: What do we have planned?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">A: We plan to use our merger as a way to offer our respective clients a larger variety of translation/localization services and technology. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">Q: Are there any changes at Welocalize related to the merger?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;">A: No, there are no Welocalize changes associated with the merger other than now being able to <span style="color: black;">offer legal translation services to our clients and the addition of the Park offices and staff in New York City and Beijing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thank you again for your support!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Smith</span></div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-82655836991143364472012-01-05T12:44:00.000-08:002012-01-05T12:44:28.774-08:00GlobalSight Open Source Marks 3rd Anniversary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s hard to believe three years has gone by since we launched GlobalSight as an open source product.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time flies when you are having fun, and we have had a lot of great experiences with GlobalSight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The open source nature of the product has helped us to improve efficiency across our supply chain through open collaboration and interoperability – even with competitor’s products such as SDL Passolo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The open source nature of GlobalSight has also lead to it becoming “one of the most deployed TMSes in the market”, per a recent Common Sense Advisory blog post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have included the blog post below.<o:p></o:p></span> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want to congratulate our GlobalSight development team and say thank you to the GlobalSight community (over 5,300 strong!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We remain committed to advancing the GlobalSight feature set and expanding our community through open collaboration and interoperability.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Smith<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/Default.aspx?Contenttype=ArticleDetAD&tabID=63&Aid=2199&moduleId=390">CSA Blog Post<o:p></o:p></a></span></div><br />
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;">GlobalSight was one of the first translation management systems (TMSes), debuting in 1998 (see "</span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/AbstractView.aspx?ArticleID=2171" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The Attack of the TMS Patents</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;">," Dec11). It was acquired by an Irish language service provider (LSP), </span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/Default.aspx?Contenttype=ArticleDetAD&tabID=63&Aid=163&moduleId=390" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Transware, in 2005,</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;"> following a byzantine refinancing scheme by the two companies' backers. Shortly after </span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/Default.aspx?Contenttype=ArticleDetAD&tabID=63&Aid=497&moduleId=390" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Welocalize</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;"> purchased Transware in 2008, GlobalSight was made </span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/Default.aspx?Contenttype=ArticleDetAD&tabID=63&Aid=506&moduleId=390"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">open source</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;">. Fast-forward to May 2011, when </span><a href="http://www.globalsight.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">GlobalSight.com</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> had nearly 5,300 subscribers to the site and a total of 18,000 downloads.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;">That level of user interest putatively makes GlobalSight one of the most deployed TMSes in the market. However, from day one we've been watching for active participation in the open-source effort by developers other than Welocalize (number 18 on our </span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/AbstractView.aspx?ArticleID=1426" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">list of top 50 global suppliers</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">). Welocalize dedicated resources to renovating and updating GlobalSight, initially by replacing commercial components such as Oracle with open-source equivalents like MySQL (now owned by Oracle). Development on GlobalSight by other commercial entities and academics would prove that the open-source model was succeeding.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;">In September, </span><a href="http://www.globalsight.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=170:welocalize-nnounces-release-globalsight-82&catid=41:news&Itemid=77" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">GlobalSight 8.2</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;"> was announced with support for SDL Passolo, allowing users of that </span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/AbstractView.aspx?ArticleID=975" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">visual localization engineering tool</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> to import language project (LPU) files into GlobalSight as source files. Previously, users localizing software such as dynamic link libraries (DLLs) had to work outside the mainstream of documentation and externalized code that could be processed through a TMS. With this integration, DLL content is presented in the same context as HTML and Word files, so localizers can get the benefit of shared translation memories and terminology databases as do translators. Welocalize's Derek Coffey told us that a future release, 8.4, in the second quarter of 2012 will be able to import DLLs directly into GlobalSight, further simplifying the process. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;">More immediately, the</span><a href="" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="color: #282828;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> planned January release of version 8.3 will introduce the smart box, a client-side service that will allow for easier connection to remote software such as content management systems (CMS). For example, it will expedite file transfers between GlobalSight and the clients CMS and add single-screen project creation.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;">Support for Passolo will hopefully grease the skids for more such integrations by competitors and third-party providers, thus affirming GlobalSights open-source credentials. Elsewhere, Welocalize continues to invest in interoperability, segueing from its work with </span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/Default.aspx?Contenttype=ArticleDetAD&tabID=63&Aid=1357&moduleId=390" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">LISA</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;"> on standards to </span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/Default.aspx?Contenttype=ArticleDetAD&tabID=63&Aid=1466&moduleId=390" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">GALA</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;"> (see "</span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/AbstractView.aspx?ArticleID=2107" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Language Industry Standards as a Driver for Growth</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828; font-family: Arial;">," Sep11). As our most recent report on the TMS universe shows, there is no single tool on the market that covers every single feature and function area (see "</span><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/AbstractView.aspx?ArticleID=2156" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0046d5; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">How to Select a Translation Management System</span></span></a><span style="color: #282828;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">," Nov11). However, with these updates, GlobalSight stands to boost its score in the area of interoperability. Will competing TMSes follow suit? We'll stand by to find out.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
</div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-75540444584876374802011-09-19T10:03:00.000-07:002011-09-19T10:03:44.991-07:00GlobalSight Interoperability Progress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Welocalize has been actively supporting interoperability initiatives across the industry such as <a href="http://interoperability-now.org/tiki/">Interoperability Now</a> and <a href="http://www.opentm2.org/">Open TM2</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have also been working on practical implementations of interoperability between products, and we are happy to announce interoperability between Passolo and <a href="http://www.globalsight.com/">GlobalSight</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The products have been connected through their APIs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: black;">GlobalSight uses the Passolo API to import Language Project (LPU) files into GlobalSight as source files for translation and move them through a translation workflow. This allows the user to take advantage of existing TMs, Machine Translation and other GlobalSight features when working with content supplied by Passolo. GlobalSight updates the LPU through Passolo's API when the translation process completes.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The productivity of our industry's tools is greatly improved through interoperability, and we are excited to make this step forward.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Smith<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-44130007035176170602011-08-25T07:58:00.000-07:002011-08-25T07:58:03.379-07:00Welocalize on the Inc. 500|5000 list of fastest-growing private companies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welocalize has been investing heavily in growth, and I am happy to report that our consistent growth has been recognized once again. For the 7<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> year in a row, we have won the Inc 500|5000 award for America’s fastest growing private companies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is rare for a company to win this award for so many years in a row, and it is a great achievement for all of our staff to enable this incredible growth for so long. I know it has been hard work, and I want to sincerely thank our staff, clients and partners. Many companies grow, but only a small few grow consistently while building a strong company that stands the test of time.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the list of non-government language service providers recognized by <em>Inc</em> magazine:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Rank Company Growth Revenue</strong> </span></u></div><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 508px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><tbody>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1283</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">G3 Translate</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">225%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$2.8 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1474</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Global Language Solutions</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">190%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$9.9 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1517</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SignTalk</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">183%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$4.1 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1886</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Language Services Associates</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">137%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$26.8 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2230</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CyraCom International</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">111%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$37.4 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2328</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welocalize</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">104%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$59.6 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3117</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CETRA Language Solutions</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">64%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$3.8 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3202</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Universal Language Service</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">61%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$5 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3216</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TransPerfect</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">61%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$251.2 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3338</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ProTranslating</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">55%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$11.1 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3548</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">U.S. Translation</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">48%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$2.2 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3771</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Para-Plus Translations</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">39%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$2.3 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3935</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Geneva Worldwide</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">34%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$7.5 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4003</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dynamic Language Center</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">32%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$6.8 million</span></td></tr>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>
<tr><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl65" height="21" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4412</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl66" style="text-align: left;" width="254"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fluent Language Solutions</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td align="right" class="xl67" style="text-align: left;" width="64"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">21%</span></td><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><td class="xl65" style="text-align: left;" width="126"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$5.9 million</span></td></tr>
</tbody><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></table><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Regards,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Smith</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-85221407894021755692011-07-27T14:35:00.000-07:002011-07-27T14:35:16.955-07:00Debt Ceiling: OK, but what about the roof?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The US Debt Ceiling crisis </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-themecolor: dark2;"><span style="color: black;">has</span> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">created no shortage of drama over the last several months. Whether in government or in business, one simply has to pay out less than what is taken in order to stay financially solvent. Fortunately, Welocalize has not had this problem. Our revenue in the first half of 2011 increased 44% over 2010, and our earnings continued to grow and remain healthy. But like any other business or government, we have had to make tough choices. There is never enough time or money to accomplish everything on the wish list. The decision making challenge is in prioritization, and the goal should be an enduring structure with not only a stable ceiling but also a sound roof to keep out leaks. This is the kind of business we are building here at Welocalize.<u5:p></u5:p></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">High growth creates great opportunities, but growth also creates structural challenges. As an example, Ireland has endured through the perils of both. After reaching an historical high of 5.47 percent GDP growth in March of 2007, Ireland fell to a record low of -4.47 percent in December of 2008. The cause of the decline, as we all know, was a systemic failure in the financial system, and not only in Ireland. Debt knew no ceiling throughout the world; the growth was not built upon a scalable foundation and the roof caved in.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Learning from this example and others over the past 14 years, it has been my priority to make sure that Welocalize continues to grow upon a scalable and reliable foundation. We have made significant investments to ensure this. We have added over 100 staff in the past 12 months giving us a current total of 500 worldwide, and we will invest nearly $4 million this year in our technology products and infrastructure. At the core of our growth will remain our 4-Pillars: Customer Service, Quality, Innovation and Teamwork. We regularly ask our clients to measure us in our 4-Pillars, and we also use them to measure ourselves.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p> </u5:p></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Entering the second half of the year, I feel very fortunate and optimistic. Economic challenges still persist around the world, but all signs are pointing to 2011 being a great year for Welocalize. I want to thank our clients, staff and vendors. Our industry is changing, and I plan on Welocalize being a leader in that change. As President Herbert Hoover once said, “About<span class="body1"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> the time we can make the ends meet, somebody moves the ends.</span></span>”</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><u5:p> </u5:p></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Smith<u5:p></u5:p></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><u5:p></u5:p></div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-90826130618629327302011-06-02T10:51:00.000-07:002011-06-02T10:51:33.455-07:00Common Sense Advisory Correction Notice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-size: x-large;"></span>The recent ranking by Common Sense Advisory (CSA) of the Top-50 Language Service Providers listed an incomplete total for Welocalize's 2010 revenue. Although it was no fault of their own, CSA has been wonderfully supportive in helping us to correct the revenue total and agreed to issue a correction notice. Our total 2010 revenue was US$59.61 million giving us a corrected ranking of #15 in the world in their report. Here is the <a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/Portals/0/downloads/110601_Correction_Welocalize.pdf">link</a> to the correction notice on the CSA website, and I have also included it below.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Correction Notice: Welocalize</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT"><span style="font-size: small;">In May 2011, Common Sense Advisory published a ranking of the Top 50 language service providers (LSPs) in the world (see "</span><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com/AbstractView.aspx?ArticleID=1426">The Language Services Market: 2011</a></span></span><span style="font-size: small;">," May11). This report contained information about provider growth rates and revenue for both language services and technology. </span></div><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Futura Bk BT,Futura Book; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Futura Bk BT,Futura Book; font-size: medium;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Futura Bk BT,Futura Book; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Futura Bk BT,Futura Book; font-size: medium;">Description of Corrections <br />
</span></span><span style="font-size: small;">After the report was published, Common Sense Advisory was made aware that the 2010 revenue listed for Welocalize corresponded only to language services revenue, and did not in fact include technology and associated services revenue. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
Had the company’s technology and associated services revenue been included, Welocalize would have been listed as #15 in the Top 50 instead of #18, with total revenue from language services plus technology of US$59.61 million for 2010, a significant jump above the services revenue of US$44.71. Table 2, in which the Top 50 companies appear, is located on Page 20 of the report. <br />
<br />
Given the company’s prior year’s revenue of US$50.30, the company grew at a rate of 18.50%. This growth rate was more than double the average market growth rate of 7.41% as measured from a sample of 912 language service providers worldwide. This growth rate also would have qualified Welocalize for inclusion on Table 3, which language service providers that outperformed the underlying market growth rate. <br />
<br />
In addition, while Welocalize did not appear on our first ranking published in 2005, which was based on 2004 revenue, the company did appear in subsequent rankings starting in 2006, and has appeared every year since its first appearance. Therefore, the company qualified to be mentioned on Page 21, under the bullet titled, "Perennial Performers." </span></span></div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-80245439641744978682011-05-16T14:05:00.000-07:002011-05-16T14:05:29.965-07:00The Multi-Screen Opportunity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Multi-Screen Opportunity<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is the biggest driver of growth in our industry right now? I believe it is what I refer to as the “multi-screen” opportunity. Let me explain. In the past, accessing many forms of content was cumbersome and slow. Finding what you wanted in a printed manual took a long time. Renting or buying a video required a trip to the store. Accessing various forms of content required specialized devices, and connecting these devices was either challenging or nor possible. These factors contributed to limits in growth and subsequently growth in the translation industry to support multilingual versions of that content and its underlying applications.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But this has all changed, and the change is accelerating. The TV, the music player, the phone, the game console, these devices are all converging in exciting ways all over the world in nearly every language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Content is now doubling on the internet every 18 months, and millions of new users are becoming connected every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus, the way they are accessing information is changing.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can’t remember the last time when I referenced a hard copy version of content to answer a question. Like many people, I just Google it. And I Google it from any screen: my desktop, laptop, phone or TV – and even more so now, my iPad. The convenience is great, and it is not just content; I am using more and more applications on a variety of screens. What I am looking for in both content and applications is simple: a great user-experience supporting anything I want, on any device, on-demand, at any time of day and at any place in the world. And I am not alone. Look at video as an example. I recently read that 25% of video is already viewed on mobile devices and internet-enabled televisions, and that number is growing rapidly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This change as it relates to our industry is centered on two main themes: in a cluttered world with myriad choices, quality content is king, and people will pay for a better user experience on their devices. Higher quality content and a stronger economic underpinning mean one thing to our industry – more words to translate! The challenge is how?<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Given the momentum in convergence across the information technology spectrum, our industry risks being left behind. Our technologies must also begin to converge. Our user experience must become simpler and on-demand. The quality and speed of our services must progress through collaborative innovation.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are a variety of innovation efforts being lead by our associations such as <a href="http://www.gala-global.org/">GALA</a> and <a href="http://www.translationautomation.com/">TAUS</a>. I recommend getting involved. Change is afoot. Greater adoption of <a href="http://kv-emptypages.blogspot.com/2010/05/are-there-any-standards-in-translation.html">standards</a> and <a href="http://interoperability-now.org/tiki/">interoperability</a> benefit all of us in the industry. If we don’t innovate together, we risk missing an enormous opportunity for our industry as a whole.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Smith<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-29225262731493676742011-03-14T11:18:00.000-07:002011-03-14T12:34:55.826-07:00The Tragedy in Japan<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Many people have been asking me about our team in our Tokyo office, and I am happy to report that they are all safe. Thank you so much for the well wishes. Our people in Japan really appreciate the support.<br />
<br />
We heard from Shinji, our Manager in Tokyo, throughout the weekend, and I have included our last update from Shinji below.<br />
<br />
Our primary concern is the safety our colleagues, clients and their families. <br />
<br />
Regarding our work: No data has been lost, but obviously the timing of some deliverables will be impacted. Everyone in our company will do their best to support our colleagues in Japan as they manage through the aftermath of this disaster. <br />
<br />
The company has provided assistance through a donation to the Red Cross. If you feel you would also like to offer support please visit the Red Cross website or any other reputable support organization of your choice.<br />
<br />
To our colleagues and clients in Japan, stay strong, be safe and our thoughts are with you.<br />
<br />
Smith<br />
<br />
Last update from Shinji:<br />
<br />
There have been aftershocks almost every half hour since the big one hit us, and we expect this to go on for a while. We honestly don’t know what to expect, how safe it is to go back into the city area, or what. There is also a warning/forecast of another 7.0M aftershock (70% chance) predicted to happen, but when no one knows. <br />
<br />
Because of all the devastation and nuclear reactor explosions, energy, gas, electricity, etc are nearly depleted. In order to help the situation of energy, surrounding regions will be having a schedule electricity outage to save and share this energy. Although the heart of Tokyo (also the heart of Japan basically) will not be affected by this power outage for obvious reasons (there would be literal chaos), there are still concerns of being able to use public transportation. <br />
<br />
Therefore, some staff may not be able to make It to work, and some deliveries may be affected. We will do our best to work this out of course, but your patience and understanding is well appreciated. Although we are all ruthless at work, I know we all have hearts ;-) <br />
<br />
</div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-40755653149675690842011-02-27T08:30:00.000-08:002011-02-27T08:32:46.272-08:00Welocalize Joins Center for Next Generation Localization<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Centre for Next Generation Localisation (<a href="http://www.cngl.ie/index.html">CNGL</a>) is a dynamic Academia-Industry partnership with over 100 researchers developing novel technologies addressing the key localization challenges of volume, access and personalization.<br />
<br />
<br />
I am very excited to have Welocalize become an Industry Partner with the CNGL. It is an organization whose Mission is “to revolutionize localization via breakthroughs in automation, composition and integration”, and this is exactly in line with our goals at Welocalize. We are looking at ways to revolutionize the way localization services are performed and delivered across the translation supply chain.<br />
<br />
Specifically, we will be working together with the CNGL on the interoperability challenge in the translation supply chain. Our goal is to create a working demonstration of standard data exchange across a content management system, connected to a translation management system, connected to a data cloud, a machine translation engine and a translators workbench.<br />
<br />
The era of the walled garden is over. New, open ways of performing and delivering translation are emerging, and we plan to work closely with the CNGL to lead beneficial change for all.<br />
<br />
Smith<br />
<br />
</div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-85279007885432386262011-01-13T12:35:00.000-08:002011-01-13T12:35:34.176-08:00The Standards Question: Guest Blog on TAUS siteI was recently asked to be a Guest Blogger on the TAUS website. My post is on the topic of standards:<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.tausdata.org/blog/2011/01/the-dark-side-of-standards/">The Dark Side of Standards</a>: Why the lack thereof is significantly undermining both business prosperity and social progress around the world<br />
<br />
Please click on the title above to have a look.<br />
<br />
SmithSmith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-65335191328643029562010-12-14T13:39:00.000-08:002010-12-14T13:41:38.980-08:00The Changing Localization Industry Tide<div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><span class="style141">We recently celebrated Thanksgiving here in America, and Welocalize surely has much to be thankful for this year.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><br />
</div><ul><li><span class="style141">Riverside Partners has invested $34 million to support our expansion plans</span></li>
<li><span class="style141">We now have an outstanding team located in the United Kingdom through our merger with Lloyd International Translations (LIT)</span></li>
<li><span class="style141">Q3 marked another great quarter for Welocalize with sales increasing 32% through September over the same period in 2009</span></li>
<li><span class="style141"><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span class="style141">GlobalSight now powers translation matching for the 2.7 billion word TAUS TM super-cloud</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;">Not only is the Riverside investment a great vote of confidence in Welocalize, it is a great vote of confidence in our industry. While many industries around the world are still struggling from the recession, we are fortunate to be in an industry that is growing at a double-digit rate! The credit for this great news goes to our staff, clients and translation partners all around the world.<br />
<br />
The changes happening in our industry are equally exciting. The quality process is becoming more community oriented; there is a strong groundswell for openness and technology interoperability, and collaboration across competitors is growing in order to best serve client needs. On top of all of that, content on the internet is doubling every 18 months. Someone is going to have to translate the ever increasing volumes of this content – which means amazing opportunity for all of us!</div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><span class="style141">I want to thank our clients, partners and staff for all that we have achieved this year, but we have even more great things to come! My vision for the future is one where our products and services enable any content, on any device, in any language – at any time. The “always-on” world in which we live is requiring “on-demand translation” in order to keep up with the increased pace and volume of content demanded by end-users the world over. I believe our industry is still coming up short in creating an easy-to-use multilingual end-user experience, and we want to revolutionize the way translation is performed and delivered. I see the revolution primarily being fought at two points in our supply chain which I call the first mile and the last mile.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><span class="style91">The “first mile” revolution in our supply chain is at the point of connecting with translators. We need to make it easier for translators to be an integrated, productive and profitable part of our supply chain. I don’t think we will be able to keep pace with the changes in the world until we bridge this first mile gap in our supply chain. We need to make it easier and cheaper for translators to deliver quality work on time. Translators should be able to select an inexpensive or even free tool of their choice and have it easily connect to any other tool in the supply chain. Translators should be able to openly collaborate on a shared platform – even across competing multi-language vendors. We need to enable translators to be more efficient and more profitable. Otherwise, the number of high-quality translators in our supply chain will decline.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><span class="style141">There is also a revolution happening in the last mile of our supply chain. I describe the last mile as the connection to actual end-users of the translated content. The same lack of interoperability in the first mile of our supply chain limits our connectivity in the last mile to end-users. Community technologies are bringing buyers and sellers ever closer together in other industries and improving the user experience. However, in our industry, the traditional translation quality/review process rarely includes end-users. Instead, the process is limited to a closed loop of linguistic review by additional linguists. Yes, this step is necessary, but until we know the true value perception of end users it is hard to determine the appropriate budget for this step by language. This closed loop of translation QA is being perpetuated by what I call the </span><a href="http://welocalize.blogspot.com/2010/10/welocalize-vs-sdl-debate.html"><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;">SDL “walled garden.”</span></a><span class="style141"> Until we can create open and seamless connections at both ends of our supply chain through open APIs and standard data exchange protocols, we will not achieve the necessary interoperability to improve time, cost and quality.</span></div><div style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 12pt;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 12pt;"><span class="style141" style="font-family: inherit;">I describe our current supply chain as a series of black boxes of service providers and tools that are disconnected from each other. I think our industry has reached a state of maturity where it is imperative to open and connect the boxes and create a better user experience for each constituency in the chain. The result will be time, cost and quality improvements, and all boats will rise on the changing industry tide.</span></div>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-51036630485698879172010-11-24T09:27:00.000-08:002010-11-28T20:43:54.597-08:00Riverside Invests $34 Million in WelocalizeI am very happy to report that Riverside Partners, a prominent Private Equity firm based in Boston, has invested $34 million in Welocalize to support our exciting growth plans. Not only is this a great vote of confidence in Welocalize, it is a great vote of confidence in our industry. While many industries around the world are still struggling from the recession, we are fortunate to be in an industry that is growing at a double-digit rate! The credit for this great news goes to our clients, staff and translation partners all around the world.<br />
<br />
The changes happening in our industry are equally exciting. The quality process is becoming more community oriented; there is a strong groundswell for openness and technology interoperability, and collaboration across competitors is growing in order to best serve client needs. On top of all of that, content on the internet is doubling every 18 months. Someone is going to have to translate the ever increasing volumes of this content – which means amazing opportunity for all of us.<br />
<br />
My vision is for Welocalize to support its clients by enabling any content, on any device, in any language – anywhere in the world. We plan to use the Riverside investment to support this vision. Specifically, we will invest in our 4-Pillars:<br />
<br />
<b>Quality</b>: expanding our QA staff and investing in the acquisition of quality oriented translation providers around the world<br />
<br />
<b>Customer Service</b>: expanding both our staff and our locations worldwide to increase in-time-zone responsiveness and personal touch<br />
<br />
<b>Innovation</b>: investing in innovative products across the translation supply chain in order to positively transform the user experience for translators, service providers and clients<br />
<br />
<b>Teamwork</b>: investing in the expansion, training and support of our worldwide staff<br />
<br />
I want to thank our clients, staff and worldwide translation partners for helping to make this exciting development happen.<br />
<br />
SmithSmith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-4031765989757692822010-10-11T12:51:00.000-07:002010-10-11T12:51:16.390-07:00The Welocalize vs. SDL DebateI want to thank Keith Mills, the CTO at SDL, for participating in the debate. Keith is a sharp guy and great CTO. SDL is lucky to have him. I also want to thank Jaap Van der Meer for hosting and moderating the debate.<br />
<br />
<br />
I hope Keith enjoyed the debate as much as I. Our contrasting viewpoints were very interesting and thought provoking, and we also had some points in common! Kirti Vashee has written an interesting summary of the debate in his <a href="http://kv-emptypages.blogspot.com/2010/10/highlights-from-taus-user-conference.html">blog</a>.<br />
<br />
Let me begin with the views we had in common. We both agreed on the changes happening in the marketplace. The volume of content is growing; the complexity of rich-media is growing; the number of languages requested by clients is growing; clients are demanding ever-faster delivery cycles, and machine translation is creating growth opportunities for all rather than cannibalizing them. I described my “vision” for addressing these challenges, and Keith described his “practical” ideas for doing the same. It was interesting to me that our answers were characterized as “practical” vs. “visionary”, because I believe both are necessary to solve any challenge. A vision describes the shape of things to come, and a mission describes things to be done within the context of the vision in a “practical” sense. Yes, we have a vision at Welocalize, but we are also on a mission to move beyond optimization of the traditional translation supply chain towards truly collaborative innovation.<br />
<br />
My vision for the future is one where our products and services enable any content, on any device, in any language – at any time. The “always-on” world in which we live is requiring “on-demand translation” in order to keep up with the increased pace and volume of content demanded by end-users the world over. I believe our industry is still coming up short in creating an easy-to-use multilingual end-user experience, and I believe that a lack of interoperability has created critical breaks in our translation supply chain at two major points which I call the first and last mile.<br />
<br />
This interoperability concept is where my views and Keith’s began to diverge, primarily because of our different business models. I described SDL’s business model as a “walled garden”, and the Welocalize business model as an open, interoperable supply chain. <br />
<br />
SDL currently owns the first mile in our supply chain. I used a railroad analogy during the debate to describe SDL’s brilliant purchase of Trados. Trados is still the preferred tool of translators and with Trados on the majority of translator’s desktops, SDL effectively owns the railroad tracks into those translators and is able to levy a “tax” on the words transported on the tracks in the form of licensing fees. Absent the purchase of Trados licenses, APIs and/or SDL professional services, there is subsequently no way to interoperate with the station at the end of the tracks (the translator’s workbench). In addition, because translators are typically isolated in a “desktop workbench” world rather than a networked “community”, knowledge is not efficiently shared and quality suffers. <br />
<br />
I don’t think we will be able to keep pace with the changes in the world until we bridge this first mile gap in our supply chain. We need to make it easier and cheaper for translators to deliver quality work on time. Translators should be able to select an inexpensive or even free tool of their choice and have it easily connect to any other tool in the supply chain. Translators should be able to openly collaborate on a shared platform – even across competing multilanguage vendors. We need to enable translators to be more efficient and more profitable. Otherwise, the number of high-quality translators in our supply chain will decline.<br />
<br />
Interoperability is also limited by the SDL walled garden in the first mile connections between content management systems and various translation management systems. Once again, absent the purchase of SDL licenses, APIs and/or professional services, there is no way to connect the systems and enable efficient interoperability. Both client and vendor should each be able to choose their preferred translation management system and content management system, and those systems should be able to pass data back and forth. A large amount of time and money is lost because there is currently no easy way to link these systems. <br />
<br />
However, three companies are endeavoring to change this fact. Welocalize, Andra AG and Kilgray are currently collaborating within the context of the <a href="http://interoperability-now.org/tiki/tiki-index.php">Interoperability Manifesto</a> to enable data exchange across tools and will open source the results. This is in addition to the connections being created between open source content management systems, GlobalSight and the <a href="http://www.opentm2.org/">Open TM2</a> workbench from IBM. A seamless data round trip across tools is the goal, and these reference implementations are demonstrating how it is possible.<br />
<br />
The last mile in our supply chain is also broken. The same lack of interoperability in the first mile of our supply chain limits our connectivity in the last mile to end-users. Community technologies are bringing buyers and sellers ever closer together and improving the user experience. However, the traditional translation quality/review process rarely includes end-users. Instead, the process is limited to a closed loop of linguistic review by additional linguists. <br />
<br />
This closed loop of translation QA is being perpetuated by the walled garden. Until we can create open and seamless connections from end-users into the translation systems that we use, we will not be able to optimize our supply chain to the needs of the end-users.<br />
<br />
During the debate, I described our supply chain as a series of black boxes that are disconnected from each other. I think our industry has reached a state of maturity where it is imperative to open the boxes and create a better user experience for each constituency in the chain. The result will be “practical” time, cost and quality improvements, and all boats will rise on the changing industry tide.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kv-emptypages.blogspot.com/2010/10/highlights-from-taus-user-conference.html"></a>Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-3696301532414912802010-08-22T11:02:00.000-07:002010-09-08T09:10:02.834-07:00On-Demand TranslationI want to thank all of our clients, staff and partners very much, because Welocalize had its best quarter ever in Q2 2010! In addition, Welocalize reached an interesting milestone recently. The majority of our work, currently 52% and growing rapidly, is now what we call on-demand translation. <br />
<br />
We categorize the work we do for our clients in two ways: on-demand and traditional. Traditional localization we describe as the classic, project-based work that our industry is most accustomed to seeing. This type of work is driven by release cycles of varying lengths usually measured in months. Once a project is completed, we wait for the next release, translate what has changed and close the project.<br />
<br />
Our on-demand segment is quite different. What was once a process of opening and closing a project has now become opening an always-on pipe between ourselves and our customer; what was once issuing a purchase order has now become billing against an open PO for the quarter or year; and what was once a release cycle of months is now measured in days or even hours. This open pipe and open PO create wide ranging challenges in reporting and configuring the supply chain. Load balancing, production accounting across the supply chain and quality are a few of the most immediate.<br />
<br />
The shift to on-demand translation is being driven by the amount and the form of new content being produced. If our customer’s products are always-on and available on any device, anywhere in the world, at any time of day, in any language - naturally our service must change to meet the same requirements. This shift has been going on gradually for quite some time. Project automation with point solutions is steadily being replaced by process automation with enterprise solutions. This type of shift is common in industries as they scale. Vertical integration, supply chain automation, just-in-time delivery – advances and best practices in these areas drive competition in both manufacturing and service industries alike, and the trend is accelerating rapidly in our industry.<br />
<br />
In order to keep pace, a Translation Management System such as GlobalSight becomes critical. However, the system alone is not enough. Interoperability, extensibility and standard data exchange across systems in the supply chain becomes essential in order to achieve the necessary reporting requirements and on-demand velocity.<br />
<br />
The increase in this velocity is amazing. Welocalize grew 24% through June of 2010 with our on-demand segment growing at annual pace of 133% since 2007. Our GlobalSight community has grown to over 4,000 members, and we have plans to double our GlobalSight development budget. The combination of our GlobalSight “pipe” and our InSight business intelligence engine is driving our ability to continually increase velocity and be the on-demand Translation leader. We have some exciting new announcements around our development efforts still to come in 2010, so please stay tuned!<br />
<br />
SmithSmith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-14939160004855257732010-07-26T11:52:00.000-07:002010-07-26T11:52:27.303-07:00Why Did Welocalize Join the Open TM2 InitiativeFor information on why we joined the Open TM2 initiative, please follow this link: <a href="http://www.lisa.org/globalizationinsider/2010/07/open_tm2.html">http://www.lisa.org/globalizationinsider/2010/07/open_tm2.html</a><br />
<br />
I have also included the interview below.<br />
<br />
Smith<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>What is it about the Open TM2 initiative that motivated Welocalize to get involved?</strong><br />
<br />
<br />
Most translators use some type of translation workbench tool. Most clients use some type of content management tool, and most vendors use some type of translation management tool. To make it even more interesting, add machine translation tools, authoring tools and a variety of content types. Now combine all of those users and their various tools and try to pass the content type you want translated between each of them, and tell everyone they have half the budget, time and staff to do it!<br />
<br />
Yes, I have exaggerated a bit to make a point, but the basic elements of this challenge are what I am hearing from clients, vendors and translators. Traditional methods across our translation supply chain are just not up to the task of the now always-on velocity of end user demands.<br />
<br />
In order to increase velocity across the translation supply chain, we need to increase automation which implies more integration, interoperability, extensibility – and standards. We are by no means the first industry to confront this challenge, so why not borrow what has worked elsewhere. At the heart of every sophisticated and mature supply chain is a consistently followed set of standards. As Craig Barrett, former Chairman of Intel, stated, "The world is getting smaller on a daily basis. Hardware, software and content move independent of, and irrespective of, international boundaries. As that increasingly happens, the need to have commonality and interoperability grows. You need standards so that the movie made in China or India plays in the equipment delivered in the United States, or the Web site supporting Intel in the United States plays on the computer in China." <br />
<br />
<strong>What sort of progress do you think has been made in the area of standards, and what work remains?</strong><br />
<br />
Unicode has probably been the most successful standard related to our industry. Unicode specifies a standard for the representation of text in just about any language across software products and systems. Before Unicode, there were hundreds of different encoding systems, and they often conflicted with each other. The significant problem was potential corruption in the passing of text representation data between different encodings or platforms. Thus the Unicode Consortium was formed, and to its credit, Unicode now “enables a single software product or a single website to be targeted across multiple platforms, languages and countries without re-engineering. It allows data to be transported through many different systems without corruption.” <br />
<br />
Other standards, such as TMX, have not been as successful. We need to understand why this has been the case? As Bill Sullivan, IBM Globalization Executive, stated, “There is a recognized and growing need for standards in the localization industry. Despite our best intentions, however, standards themselves can often be vague and open to multiple interpretations. What is needed are reference implementations and reference platforms that serve as concrete and unambiguous models in support of the standard.” <br />
<br />
This is the work that remains. We need to demonstrate more tangible benefits for adhering to a standard in typical use case scenarios and integrations. How can a client easily integrate the translation assets of an acquisition? How can a client plug-and-play what they deem as the best tool components? How can a client change tools? These are the simple questions I hear. To get closer to the answers, the Open TM2 Steering Committee is working on a Joomla (content management), Open TM2 (translator’s workbench) and GlobalSight (translation management system) integration. The goal is to develop a viable data exchange standard which works seamlessly in this 3-way environment and then extend it to other integrations in the translation supply chain.<br />
<br />
LISA will document and publicize the resultant standards. However, neither the Open TM2 initiative nor LISA alone can make the greater vision a reality. As the Unicode initiative demonstrated, broad participation and support across the industry is necessary to achieve success. The Unicode Consortium includes corporate, institutional, individual, NGO and public sector members all collaborating with a unified purpose.<br />
<br />
<strong>What is different about the Open TM2 initiative?</strong><br />
<br />
Open source and “free” are often found in the same sentence. Yes, there is no charge to download an open source product such as Open TM2 or GlobalSight, but there is a cost associated with support, training and customization to specific needs. Open source is not a “free lunch”, but it is an opportunity to engage, integrate and customize at a much deeper level and at a faster pace. The result is potentially a product that is more suited to one’s needs, more easily integrated with other products and a lower total cost of ownership. But what you get out of it is subject to what you put into it. As an ancient Chinese proverb reads, “Talk does not cook rice.” We need people willing to take action. These concepts apply to all open source projects. <br />
<br />
What I think is different, and exciting, in this Open TM2 initiative is an increasing alignment of broader interests. Industries typically do not change significantly until the market forces them to change (look at the American auto industry). I think there are some market mega trends in play right now (cloud computing, mobile computing, social computing, open source) and those who don’t adapt to these trends will quickly be left behind. The “translation project” as we knew it traditionally is rapidly morphing into on-demand translation. SimShip is rapidly morphing into SimStream (simultaneous streaming releases). Translation tools and platforms are rapidly morphing into “mash-ups” (combinations of different tools with the sum benefits being significantly greater than the individual benefits). The translation service on the whole is rapidly morphing into a utility inside a broader and more deeply integrated global content supply chain. RFPs now have pages and pages of interoperability, integration and optimization questions. And according to Gartner, "The number of open-source projects doubles every 14 months. By 2012, 90% of companies with IT services will use open-source products of some type.”<br />
<br />
So, I think the timing is right. Many, certainly not all, clients, LSPs, tool providers and translators alike are realizing that it is in the best interest of the supply chain as a whole to collaborate to achieve something on the scale of what was achieved with the Unicode standard. “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo EmersonSmith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-81197866060985182822010-07-09T09:49:00.000-07:002010-07-09T09:51:22.864-07:00Open TM2 Interview with John YunkerI was recently inteviewed about the Open TM2 initiative by John Yunker from Global By Design. The interview can be found <a href="http://www.globalbydesign.com/blog/2010/07/08/translation-memory-goes-open-source-with-open-tm2/">here</a>. I have also copied it below.<br />
<br />
<strong>Translation memory goes open source: An interview with Smith Yewell of Welocalize</strong><br />
<br />
Posted on July 8th, 2010 by John Yunker<br />
<br />
Translation memory helps companies re-use previously translated text, improving consistency and potentially saving money.<br />
<br />
But translation memory requires using translation memory software, which has for years largely meant using SDL Trados software.<br />
<br />
When a company hires a translation agency and requires that they use translation memory — not only must that agency have Trados software, but so too must the freelance translators — who are often located all around the world. This is a nice business model for SDL, but it has been a pain point for translators and agencies for years.<br />
<br />
For agencies, the more acute pain point has been that SDL not only sells TM software but also sells translation services. Nearly every translation exec I have spoken to has openly asked for an open-source alternative to Trados.<br />
<br />
Well, now we have one.<br />
<br />
IBM has partnered with LISA (Localization Industry Standards Association), Welocalize, Cisco, and Linux Solution Group e.V. (LiSoG) to launch an open source project that provides a “full-featured, enterprise-level translation workbench environment for professional translators.”<br />
<br />
It’s called <a href="http://www.opentm2.org/">Open TM2</a> — and it’s basically a scaled-down version of what IBM has developed and used internally for years. I haven’t used the product yet and there’s understandably quite a bit of work involved to get this software to a point where it’s easy for translators, agencies, etc. to consume.<br />
<br />
I’m not prepared to say Open TM2 is going to put an end to Trados. After all, Linux didn’t exactly put Windows or OSX out of business. But I am excited to see it out there in the world. Open source keeps software vendors on their toes. I’ll be very curious to see if developers embrace the code, and what they come up with.<br />
<br />
To learn more, I interviewed one of the partners behind Open TM2, Smith Yewell, CEO of Welocalize.<br />
<br />
Here is what he had to say:<br />
<br />
<strong>Q: Why did IBM decide to open source its software in this fashion? What does it hope to gain?</strong><br />
Bill Sullivan can answer this question better than I, but as he stated, “Freelance translators are the backbone of the localization industry. These translators have longed for free and open translation tools to increase their productivity. There is a recognized and growing need for standards in the localization industry. Despite our best intentions, however, standards themselves can often be vague and open to multiple interpretations. What is needed are reference implementations and reference platforms that serve as concrete and unambiguous models in support of the standard.”<br />
<br />
In my opinion, productivity and standardization go hand-in-hand. By releasing Open TM2 as an open source product with a standards-based, data-exchange goal, not only is there potential for increased productivity – flexibility and freedom of choice also increase.<br />
<br />
<strong>Q: And what do you hope to gain from this effort?</strong><br />
I like to use the mobile phone analogy. I can travel just about anywhere in the world, turn my phone on, and it works. This is possible, because competing carriers and hardware manufacturers collaborated to be able to offer that seamless user experience across global networks and handset protocols. Consider the user experience in our industry. There is really no ability for a client to turn on a translation supply chain and have it work out of the box across various content types, tools and translation vendors. The clients I speak with are demanding that this change.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.globalsight.com/">GlobalSight</a>, <a href="http://www.joomla.org/">Joomla</a> and <a href="http://www.opentm2.org/">Open TM2</a> are being used to demonstrate an example of a seamless data exchange based upon a set of standards. LISA will play an important role in documenting and sharing these standards so that they can be applied uniformly to other integrations. To put it simply, we need a variety of tools to be able to talk to each other in an automated way. This is where I think we can improve time, cost and quality results and greatly improve the user experience. Ultimately, I expect Welocalize to gain an increase in productivity, interoperability and freedom of choice in configuring the best set of tools for each client’s unique translation supply chain needs. If we can get under the hood, we can tune the engine; otherwise, it is becoming increasingly difficult to gain time, cost and quality advantages from the old way of doing business.<br />
<br />
<strong>Q: Who is going to use this software? And what software will it replace?</strong><br />
Many translators are already using TM2 in delivering work to IBM. I expect Open TM2, as its features grow, will appeal to more translators as a desktop workbench. This is only an initial release of the open source product, and there is much work to be done. But the potential is there to collaborate and improve. Ultimately, I think Open TM2 has the potential to replace the Trados desktop workbench.<br />
<br />
<strong>Q: When you talk open source, stability and support are common pain points. Who will be actively supporting this effort?</strong><br />
The members of the Steering Committee are currently supporting the effort, and the goal is to build a community which can support itself. This open source initiative is not unlike others, what one puts into it will determine the benefits one can pull from it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a company create a business model to offer Open TM2 support. Support, training and customization are typical services that bloom around open source initiatives.<br />
<br />
<strong>Q: What would stop a technology company from taking the source code and creating a competitive TM product?</strong><br />
It is an open source product, so there is potential for companies to build a business model around the product. However, I doubt that will be a proprietary fork of the code. The appeal is an open source product with growing standards compliance, not yet another proprietary product. What is more likely are support, training and integration services. Anyone investing in the product naturally expects a return, and the better the return, the more healthy and diverse will be the community. I think that is a good thing. Competition drives innovation. However, if we can’t get the standard data-exchange protocols right, productivity across the supply chain will continue to lag the increasing velocity of change in the marketplace. Rapidly evolving time, cost and quality demands already exceed what the traditional translation supply chain can deliver.<br />
<br />
<strong>Q: The source code is available now but documentation is lacking. What is your timetable for launching a more translator and agency friendly product.</strong><br />
I think the first step for the Steering Committee is to take the feedback that is already coming in about the product, good and bad, and use that to set priorities, responsibilities and a timeline. The idea is sound, but it must be tested in practical use and refined according to what the market really needs. Translators have the answers to many challenges in our supply chain, they are just not asked very often.<br />
<br />
<strong>Q: How will this software be integrated? Is there is a goal of integrating it with the open source GlobalSight CMS?</strong><br />
Content creation, translation, workflow and performance metrics reporting – there are many systems and tools for accomplishing each of these requirements. However, very few of them can pass necessary data in an automated way. A lot can be accomplished with web services and open APIs, but widespread integration possibilities can only be realized with a critical mass actively using an industry-supported data-exchange standard.<br />
<br />
In order to demonstrate this possibility in a live use case scenario, Joomla, GlobalSight and Open TM2 will be integrated with the resultant standards published by LISA. I think additional standards organizations will also need to participate to gain wider understanding, agreement and adoption. If enough of the industry’s thought leaders and leading practitioners get behind this standard data-exchange and tools integration challenge, I think all boats will rise. Without it, the industry will never be able to approach the growing volume of content which current production and cost models can’t support.Smith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-15175354988721671322010-06-28T07:49:00.000-07:002010-06-28T07:49:19.005-07:00Welocalize and IBM Partner on Open-Source Translation ToolsWhen I buy a product at Walmart it is scanned at the check-out counter. At that moment, the entire supply chain it took to produce that product is alerted; another product is moved into the assembly line, and the new product is on the shelf the next day. This is an enormous logistical challenge, and Walmart achieves success through very sophisticated automation systems and standard supply chain integration. Walmart is able to achieve such a high level of supply chain automation and integration, because very early in their history they convinced their suppliers to standardize the hand-offs in the supply chain around the most optimal way to produce what a customer wants, in the format they want, where they want it and at the best possible price. I am beginning to see clients in our industry requiring their translation vendors to do the very same thing.<br />
<br />
Collaboration, integration, standardization and cooperation are all the hot buzzwords today. Why? Because clients are realizing that vendor silos are limiting their ability to achieve enterprise-wide objectives around time, cost and quality.<br />
<br />
<br />
The Walmart supply chain is one built to support the movement of products, but what does the same set of challenges look like when it is a movement of digital information?<br />
<br />
The translation industry is reliant upon a digital supply chain. We move words around, and the consumers of these words expect the latest and greatest instantly on the device of their choice in a simple and easy way. We can thank cloud computing, the iPhone, Google, Twitter and Facebook in large part for creating this new level of expectation.<br />
<br />
This new expectation has a massive impact on our translation supply chain. The age of the “translation project” is waning and new age of the “translation utility” is waxing. Translation as a utility is a concept describing an always-on, on-demand, streaming translation service. Machine translation (MT) might come to mind first, but I see MT as just another important productivity tool in the translation supply chain. It is the configuration and integration of the supply chain tools and vendors to achieve “translation as a utility” which is the next frontier, where the biggest challenge lies and where the real value is created. Perhaps a Walmart of words or a FedEx of words will emerge?<br />
<br />
Supply chain automation requires standard inputs and outputs. Otherwise, the systems and hand-offs between various vendors in the chain breakdown. The translation industry is suffering from this problem. The supply chain has not kept pace with the rapidly growing need for translation as a utility. Interoperability, extensibility and flexibility across systems and tools is currently limited. But this is beginning to change.<br />
<br />
IBM announced today the formation of a partnership to work towards solving these challenges. In partnership with LISA (Localization Industry Standards Association), Welocalize, Cisco, and Linux Solution Group (LiSoG), IBM will offer an open source version of IBM’s TranslationManager/2 (TM2) to be called OpenTM2.<br />
<br />
“There is a recognized and growing need for standards in the localization industry. However, despite our best intentions, standards themselves can often be vague and open to multiple interpretations. What is needed are reference implementations and reference platforms that serve as concrete and unambiguous models in support of the standard.” acknowledged Bill Sullivan, IBM Globalization Executive. Mr. Sullivan suggests, “Freelance translators are the backbone of the localization industry. These translators have longed for free and open translation tools to increase their productivity. Our expectation is that by providing OpenTM2 in the open source environment we can enlist the aid of this army of dedicated users to bring OpenTM2 even closer to the realization of a flexible open platform to mature data exchange standards our industry desperately needs." Please see Kirti Vashee’s <a href="http://kv-emptypages.blogspot.com/2010/05/are-there-any-standards-in-translation.html">blog</a> for interesting read on this topic of standards.<br />
IBM, Welocalize and the other partners are working to make this open platform a reality. Our first reference implementation will be a standard integration between a content management system (Joomla), a translation management system (GlobalSight) and a translators workbench (Open TM2). The Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA) plans to document and publicize the standard data exchange format to be utilized in the reference implementation, and these standard data exchange protocols will be expanded to include additional implementations until a standard, extensible and interoperable eco-system is formed. It is an ambitious goal, but market forces are driving the change, and I believe we will see the change through.<br />
<br />
SmithSmith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-50078869675146552312010-05-28T15:10:00.000-07:002010-05-28T15:10:18.276-07:00What has stayed the same, and what has changed?The fundamental business drivers in our industry have not changed much – time, cost and quality still rule the day.<br />
<br />
The following elements are changing so fast it is hard to keep up with them: connectivity, collaboration and community.<br />
<br />
So how do we keep up with the changes and what impact do they have on our business?<br />
<br />
<strong>Connectivity and Time</strong> <br />
<br />
Let’s look at the relationships between old and new and start with connectivity and time. Time cycles are constantly being compressed. Why? Because time to market is a competitive advantage. Increased connectivity has only heightened the importance of time to market. Most of us are connected at virtually all times of day in all places, and we have come to expect to have instant access to what we want, when we want it, in the way we want it on any device of our choice at any time. Information, entertainment and applications are all moving to the cloud, ready on demand. This has enormous implications on our translation supply chain. <br />
<br />
If we look at our supply chain historically, first there was a translation project methodology, then there was a simultaneous-ship methodology and now what is required is a simultaneous streaming methodology. Connectivity and time cycles are moving in inverse directions. In order to keep up, translation must become an always on, on-demand utility.<br />
<br />
<strong>Quality and Community</strong> <br />
<br />
What is the relationship between quality and community? This is where it gets very interesting. Quality is a sometimes objective, most often subjective assessment in 2 general stages. Stage 1: you have no familiarity with the product or service, so you must rely upon references. Stage 2: the quality assessment is based upon your actual experience.<br />
<br />
Amazon.com was an early leader in tying quality to the community. Like many people, I check what the community thinks about a product on the Amazon site before I buy it. The larger the community of ratings, the more confident I become in a Stage 1 assessment. In a Stage 2 assessment, if I am a happy buyer, I am also happy to rate the product as a member of the community. The cycle becomes self-perpetuating, self-reinforcing and very powerful. The opinion of the crowd drives buying behavior.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, although rating translations is part of our industry’s standard process, very little of this dynamic community element is deployed. Most often, ratings are limited to one linguist’s opinion of another linguists work. Although this is an important step, it misses the most important person of all, the user/buyer. What does the “community” really think of our translations and how should that impact our decisions/process/budget?<br />
<br />
<strong>Cost and Collaboration</strong><br />
<br />
Collaboration enables members of a team to leverage each other’s work in order to increase productivity and drive down cost. Translation memory (TM) was probably the first collaboration tool in our industry, so let’s look at its progress. First, there was the desktop TM tool, then there was the server TM tool, and now the next logical step is the cloud-based TM. The <a href="http://www.translationautomation.com/">TAUS TDA</a> initiative shows real promise in this area. Words and their subsequent translation pricing is a commodity, so why not devise a way to leverage that commodity for maximum benefit? Does sharing translated words reduce competitive advantage? In certain cases, yes. But if both the source and translated text are publically available on your website, you can be sure someone is already crawling your site and building a corpus of your translated content. The <a href="http://www.translationautomation.com/">TAUS TDA</a> initiative offers third party, non-profit impartiality to govern, manage and leverage the publically available content that is already being shared by the <a href="http://www.google.com/">crawlers</a>. <br />
<br />
The more we collaborate - the more we reduce cost. It is a brave new world out there.<br />
<br />
SmithSmith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9135680845260303052.post-52176657074124092062010-05-11T14:34:00.000-07:002010-05-11T14:34:16.388-07:00Our Rapidly Evolving IndustryChange is exciting, because what invariably follows change is opportunity. <br />
I see the following translation industry macro-changes in process.<br />
<br />
<br />
In general: I feel like our industry is somewhat like Henry Ford trying to build an assembly line with all of the parts and tools suppliers providing pieces of various sizes and dimensions, according to different specifications, at different time intervals – with a blindfold on!<br />
<br />
<strong>1. An open translation platform raises all boats:</strong> I see a lack of uniform standards on top of an open and shared platform as our industry’s primary productivity and innovation barrier. It is interesting to see a company like Google sharing the same thoughts. “A well-managed, closed system can deliver well designed products in the short-run – the iPod and iPhone being obvious examples – but eventually innovation in a closed system tends towards being incremental at best,” wrote Jonathan Rosenberg, a Google executive. I would like to see our industry associations take on a singular challenge faced by all constituents in the industry: a standard set of common protocols to exchange/interchange data amongst systems/tools. XLIFF, TMX, SRX and TBX are a good start, but there is still a lot of work to be done around standardized calls, published, documented and supported APIs and fundamental integration components between tools. These integration widgets and APIs should be open and shared by all, and one of our associations could make a name for itself by leading the effort to produce them. <br />
<br />
<strong>2. Web 2.0 sparks a new “quality” question and radically changes the old QA model:</strong> The traditional quality process is centered around asking a reviewer to compare the quality of the source and target language in a side-by-side comparison. This is a necessary step in the QA process, but is it the central question around which the quality process should be built? What do end-users (the community) think, and shouldn’t quality expectations be built around their involvement/expectations?<br />
<br />
<strong>3. A new, transparent relationship with translators changes all relationships in the chain:</strong> I attended many meetings in 2009 where clients and vendors collaborated on the key challenges facing the client. These meetings were very beneficial, but in none of the meetings were any translators in attendance. If we are to truly optimize the translation supply chain to improve time, cost and quality- translators must be part of the solution in an open way that harnesses the power of the community as a whole.<br />
<br />
<strong>4. Collaborative “translation as a utility” leaves behind old “project” model:</strong> The majority of information and applications are moving to the cloud with the supporting delivery model being on-demand on any device. This has dramatically changed the translation and review process. Faster time lines and higher-quality are a requirement in this hyper-competitive, hyper-collaborative and ever-changing environment. <br />
<br />
<strong>5. New business intelligence systems create “safety in numbers”:</strong> as the saying goes, you can’t manage what you can’t monitor. Many large companies find it difficult to even calculate their total spend on translation, and I have yet to see a company be able to justify translation ROI in simple terms and metrics. We have failed as an industry in not being able to provide our clients with a way to quantify both value and translation ROI across the supply chain.<br />
<br />
<strong>6. Machine translation becomes a standard step in the supply chain process:</strong> quite simply, we will not be able to keep up with the rapidly evolving time, cost and quality demands without machine translation. MT is not a magic wand; it is a productivity tool.<br />
<br />
<strong>7. Collaborate or perish:</strong> clients are demanding that the walls come down in the supply chain, because the silos are slowing down their businesses. Collaborative, community-enabled, extensible and interoperable supply chain solutions will determine the next-generation leaders in the industry.<br />
<br />
<br />
SmithSmith Yewellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16378156003933106348noreply@blogger.com0