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WorldView Blog

This blog focuses on Globalization issues, the localization industry, and current technology trends that really add value for Idiom customers, partners, and anyone interested in the field. Come here often for candid commentary on globalization trends and technology.

Free Lunches vs. Community Translation
posted 2008-04-24 12:00:57
by Andrew Thomas

My mother always told me that you get what you pay for and there's no such thing as a free lunch. Both expressions point out the hidden cost of "free." That's what concerns me most about the recent AP News article reporting on Facebook's translation crowdsourcing efforts.

First, there's the obvious quality critique. Translators are trained professionals and bring a certain level of quality to any work they do. Certainly some contributors to Facebook's translations may be trained linguists, but the vast majority is comprised of volunteer amateurs (as evidenced by the Spanish example in the article). This is compounded by the lack of technology being used. Without translation memory (or a trained MT engine) or terminology being leveraged, wildly disparate translations for the same content can occur. Second, there's the project management aspect. When the crowd is responsible for delivering crucial content, in this case the very framework of the website itself, how does the company manage the timing of these deliverables? Essentially Facebook is putting its fate into the hands of their users. Some may find this admirable or even consistent with the ideas of a social network, but considering the ad revenues Facebook generates, it seems fiscally irresponsible. Finally, I really loathe the precedent this sets for localization in general. It's one thing for a cash-strapped startup to ponder this kind of process. It's another thing entirely for a profitable business to forego quality translations. It feels similar to the self-service push in commerce. We all too often buy into the rhetoric of convenience, but really we're just freely doing the company's job for them when we bag our own groceries, check our own luggage, or pump our own gas.

I'm not completely negative about community translation (a much better name for these efforts) though. Interestingly enough, it was also a key theme in the recent TAUS meeting in Boston. Adobe gave an overview of their implementation efforts. I think the approach they've taken is much more nuanced and sophisticated. They provide simple style guides and terminology, as well as the Creative Commons legal framework for contributions. Additionally, they focus community translation efforts around additive content that the organization is not dependent on for financial success. They too take a hands-off approach to the translations themselves, providing a supportive framework rather than a controlled process. However, Adobe employees are actively engaged with the community translators.

So in my opinion, there is a place for community translation. However it must be approached carefully and conscientiously. Facebook's model is naive and dangerous for one major reason. It strengthens a long standing misconception that we in the localization industry have been fighting for years that anyone, even random Facebook users, can do translation. That's a free lunch our industry can't afford.

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Looking Ahead...
posted 2008-02-13 08:54:31
by Andrew Thomas

Monday was an historic day for the localization industry. Two leaders in Global Information Management came together with SDL’s acquisition of Idiom. I’m excited about what the future holds. I firmly believe we will be able to transform globalization. Consider this: a single solution for the whole market place with complete compatibility across the board. Industry-standard Desktop CAT tools integrated with centralized Server TMS that is also integrated with CMS and MT. That is now possible in the very near future.

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Mission-Critical globalization and translation management
posted 2007-12-04 11:28:59
by Kevin Moss

On my travels around the country, I occasionally discuss with individuals what categorizes an application or system as “mission critical” to the success of a company. The term “mission critical” is often used to describe something that is essential to any endeavor. Examples include having a plan for a specific project or an application as it relates to a company’s success. Typically, most people think in terms of the later and usually relate applications such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) or having a system to manage online ordering as mission critical.

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Barcelona WorldSummit begins
posted 2007-11-12 09:37:23
by Peter Reynolds

WorldSummit Europe 2007 is now underway. One good piece of news is the conference badge. You may remember the problems we had with these in San Diego http://www.idiominc.com/blog/56/ . Bill and the conference team claim to have this fixed. You no longer have to talk to people in order to find out who they are!

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Tool Palooza at the ATA Annual Conference
posted 2007-11-06 02:04:59
by Clove Lynch

The 48th Annual American Translators Association conference (http://www.atanet.org/conf/2007/) was the event to be at last week. Idiom exhibited, participated in two tool panels and did a presentation on the LISA GMX-V standard (http://www.lisa.org/standards/gmx/).

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Loc World Seattle, Part 1
posted 2007-10-18 12:56:21
by Andrew Thomas

So I'm here hanging out with Jenny, Steve, and Peter in our Idiom booth (which looks great by the way... I'll post pics later). I haven't had much chance to attend many sessions, being too busy with people dropping by and asking for demos and what not. Of course, being Seattle, it's raining non-stop and apparently a "real" storm is on the way. I'm just hoping I make my flight home at this point.

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Roundtable Roundup
posted 2007-09-20 20:53:22
by Andrew Thomas

This past week I got to hang out at the Localization Institute 2007 Localization Project Managers Roundtable in Tahoe. The grounds were gorgeous and the air was crisp, cool, and clean. We had some wonderfully open and frank discussions about the localization industry, specifically as it pertains to project managers on both the client and vendor sides. I think the best part about this style of conference though is the amount of face-to-face time you get with each other, learning about how different groups manage their localization process. Interestingly, there was a general consensus among us that localization is picking up steam as an industry. We're more visible than ever before, and increasing numbers of us are entering the localization industry straight out of college. Some of the big themes for this roundup seemed to be a lot of discussions around agile development and translation technology.

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