Translation Management Systems (TMS) play a crucial role in streamlining localization processes, but with a plethora of options available, choosing the right one can be daunting.
To help navigate this decision, we've compiled insights from industry experts on the key factors to consider when selecting a TMS.
But first, what is a TMS?
A Translation Management System (TMS) is a software solution designed to streamline and optimize the process of translating content from one language to another.
It serves as a centralized platform for managing translation projects, facilitating collaboration among translators, editors, and other stakeholders involved in the localization process.
Nimdzi, the localization consultancy company publishes a language technology atlas that can give you a good idea of the amount of TMS available in the market.
It serves as a centralized platform for managing translation projects, facilitating collaboration among translators, editors, and other stakeholders involved in the localization process.
Nimdzi, the localization consultancy company publishes a language technology atlas that can give you a good idea of the amount of TMS available in the market.
8 Tips From Our Experts for Choosing the Best TMS
1.Keep an eye on the budget
“First things first: the budget.
You need to know how much your company can spend on the system and if the company will be able to cover increasing costs derived from more functionalities that could appear in the future”, says Alfonso González Bartolessis, Localization manager at Sinch Email.
You need to know how much your company can spend on the system and if the company will be able to cover increasing costs derived from more functionalities that could appear in the future”, says Alfonso González Bartolessis, Localization manager at Sinch Email.
2. Engage with your stakeholders
Engage with various stakeholders within your company to gather insights into their translation needs, frequency of requests, preferred content management systems, and workflows.
“And don’t forget about IT and legal requirements!”, warns Julio Leal, Localization Manager at Spendesk.
PRO TIP: “Try to get this information by means of a survey so you have all information centralized in one place”, advises González.
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3. Be prepared to scale
“Choose a tool that can be scalable in terms of languages (you can add as many as you need for your company's go to market plans), users (not easily limited or with price rapidly increasing if more users need to be added) and integrations with other systems (check if they continuously add new systems they can integrate with)”, adds González.
4. Reporting: boring, but essential!
5. Integrations are key
“Integrations are really something that allow you to exploit all efficiency benefits that a TMS can have. It might be something that you don't need today, but maybe in the future there will be a team in your company that comes up with either a new tool, a new CMS, or a new online repository, a new design tool, and you want to have a TMS that allow for those integrations”, explains Veronica Carioni, Senior Localisation Manager at Skyscanner.
Ensure that the TMS can integrate with your company's existing systems to minimize manual work, increase productivity, and reduce turnaround time.
PRO TIP: “AI is not a buzzword, but something you should take into account when considering getting a TMS”, warns González.
Check if the TMS integrates AI capabilities for translation, quality assurance, and automation tasks.
AI-driven features can significantly streamline the localization process and improve linguistic consistency.
Ensure that the TMS can integrate with your company's existing systems to minimize manual work, increase productivity, and reduce turnaround time.
PRO TIP: “AI is not a buzzword, but something you should take into account when considering getting a TMS”, warns González.
Check if the TMS integrates AI capabilities for translation, quality assurance, and automation tasks.
AI-driven features can significantly streamline the localization process and improve linguistic consistency.
6. Take additional costs and support into account
“Check not only the price of the TMS per se, but also if, for example, the support is included and how many hours of support. Some TMS have a steep learning curve, so you might need some training from the people that sell and develop the tool. So always ask: is that included in the price you're paying or not?”, highlights Carioni.
7. Always ask for a demo
“To ensure your TMS provider can deliver on what they promise, and it works the way you expect it to, always request one or more demos”, says González.
Seeing the TMS in action can help validate its capabilities and suitability for your localization workflow.
Seeing the TMS in action can help validate its capabilities and suitability for your localization workflow.
8. Be ready to negotiate
“TMS providers are usually flexible when it comes to prices and items or functionalities to be invoiced as companies are important customers usually paying thousands of dollars for the yearly use of their systems!”, concludes González.
Remember, selecting the right TMS is an investment in the future success of your localization team!
Remember, selecting the right TMS is an investment in the future success of your localization team!
Interested in localization strategies or boosting your career as a Project Manager, Localization Program Manager or Localization Manager?
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