Introduction
Today’s manufacturers exist within a truly global assembly line. The world is their operating space, from sourcing raw materials to reaching diverse end-user markets. This interconnectedness brings significant opportunities for expansion and growth, but it also presents a crucial challenge: managing the multilingual communication essential for success.
Product documentation, user manuals, technical specifications, marketing materials, and legal documents must all be translated accurately and delivered to global audiences in a timely manner.
The traditional approach to translation – relying on manual processes and disparate systems – can introduce delays, increase costs, and lead to inconsistencies that compromise the quality of translated content. This is why manufacturers need efficient multilingual content creation.
Automating the translation process allows organizations to streamline translation workflows, reduce time-to-market, lower costs, and guarantee top-notch results for all your global content.
By automating repetitive tasks, centralizing translation assets, and facilitating collaboration between stakeholders involved in the localization process, manufacturers can address the complexities of global communication. Automating the translation management process offers a way to create a more consistent brand and product experience for a company’s international customers.
Understanding Translation Management Systems (TMS)
A translation management system (TMS) is a software platform designed to manage, streamline, and simplify the entire translation process. It offers a whole range of functionalities for handling multilingual projects.
Consider the TMS a centralized hub for all your translation efforts.
Think of all the different types of files that need to be translated for a manufacturing company alone:
- technical documents
- CAD drawings
- assembly instructions
- training materials
- marketing content
Each file may have complex formatting elements, graphics, and engineering diagrams – the list goes on. The TMS helps keep track of everything.
Here are some core features and functionalities a TMS for manufacturers typically offers:
- Project Management: Gives companies complete control over the entire translation process from setting deadlinesto tracking progress in real time and ensuring that all language assets used are the latest and up-to-date ones.
- Translator Collaboration: Allows all stakeholders involved in the localization process to work together efficiently in a centralized environment, ensuring clarity and consistency in translations as well as decreasing delays and bottlenecks derived from offline communication.
- Workflow Automation: Automates repetitive tasks, such as file preparation, project submission, routing assignments, and notifications, eliminating unnecessary delays.
Additional features critical for manufacturers include:
- Terminology Management: A glossary or termbase is essential for consistently using technical terminology throughout all translated content. TMS solutions with integrated terminology management help ensure that your products and components are always referred to correctly in all languages.
- Integration with content repository: Seamless integration with existing content repositories allows for automated import and export of content between both platforms, which saves considerable time in project creation and also decreases the risk of human error.
- File Format Support: Manufacturers frequently work with similar file formats throughout their production processes. A TMS can be configured to handle these file types, converting them as needed and automatically applying the correct workflows, saving a significant amount of time.
Implementing the Right TMS for Global Success
A successful TMS solution implementation involves more than choosing the right software. It requires carefully assessing your existing systems and a well-crafted plan to bring your chosen TMS into your localization process with minimal disruption. Let’s break down the key steps involved:
Step 1: Assess Current Translation Needs
Start by identifying the types of content you routinely translate, whether it’s technical documentation, marketing brochures, packaging materials, or website content. Next, determine the volume of content that needs translation and the languages required.
Having a clear understanding of your current translation workload and objectives is essential.
The traditional approach to translation – relying on manual processes and disparate systems – can introduce delays, increase costs, and lead to inconsistencies that compromise the quality of translated content. This is why manufacturers need efficient multilingual content creation.
Step 2: Pick a Good TMS Solution
Evaluate the features and functionality of different solutions and consider their scalability to accommodate your company’s potential growth. Pay close attention to industry-specific capabilities that align with the unique demands of manufacturing. Also, make sure you do your research on the MT engine–different engines can give different results.
Step 3: Set Up Automated Workflows
Setting up your workflows involves defining the process steps, such as content intake, preparing materials for translation, assigning translators, quality assurance, and final delivery. By streamlining and automating these processes within the TMS, you’ll gain significant time and cost savings.
Step 4: Integrate Your TMS With Your Systems
Many manufacturers use enterprise resource planning (ERP) or product lifecycle management (PLM) systems to control processes, track production, and manage inventory. Make sure your chosen TMS can communicate seamlessly with these systems, ensuring a smooth flow of data and reducing the potential for information silos.
This integration will help maintain consistency and accuracy across all your systems, while facilitating efficient use of translated content throughout your production pipeline. It also allows non-professionals in the language or translation industry (marketing, developers, etc.) stay with tools they already know instead of learning something new.
Implementation Success Story: How Crown Equipment Saved $1 Million Annually by Automating Their Translation Management Process
The benefits of implementing a TMS system go beyond theory. Let’s look at a real-world example of how automating the translation management process has transformed the localization process for a major player in the manufacturing industry – Crown Equipment Corporation.
About Crown Equipment
Founded in 1945, Crown Equipment is a family-owned, global leader in material handling equipment. With manufacturing facilities on multiple continents and a workforce exceeding 15,000 employees, Crown operates in a truly international arena.
Their emphasis on innovation is evident in their vast product range and the fact that they produce up to 85% of their own lift truck components in-house. Localization is core to their success as they strive to deliver a seamless user experience to customers worldwide.
The Challenge
In 2015, Crown faced a decentralized and fragmented approach to localization.
Different departments managed their translation needs independently, often working with different suppliers, leading to:
- Duplication of Work: Effort and cost were needlessly duplicated as similar content was translated multiple times.
- Inconsistent Terminology and Brand Voice: Lacking a centralized approach created discrepancies in how their products were represented across various languages, diluting the brand’s messaging.
- Poor Localization for Different Markets: Content not adequately adapted to individual markets created a disconnect with customers, leading them to perceive the products as generic and not tailored to their needs.
The Solution
Recognizing the need for change, Crown started the process of revitalizing their localization strategy. In 2016, they began a thorough research phase, followed by the adoption of a centralized technology stack in 2017.
This included implementing XTM Cloud as their translation management system (TMS) and Acrolinx for terminology management.
The system integration continued to evolve as they connected Acrolinx with XTM Cloud, ensuring consistent brand voice and terminology across all translations. Since its initial adoption, Crown has tailored XTM Cloud even further to meet their specific needs and has begun exploring ways to leverage machine translation to optimize time and cost efficiency.
The Outcome
Crown’s centralized TMS approach has yielded impressive results:
- Cost Savings: They are saving $1 million annually thanks to the streamlined workflow and reduced duplication of effort.
- Streamlined Processes: Standardized, automated workflows allow them to track projects and identify efficiency gains.
- Improved Consistency: Centralized translation assets and terminology management ensure a cohesive brand experience across all languages.
- Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Customers now enjoy tailored content addressing their specific needs, boosting the overall user experience.
Looking Ahead
Crown remains committed to improving its localization processes. They are continually exploring ways to further enhance automation, aiming to strike the perfect balance between technological efficiency and a thoughtful, human-centered approach to translation.
Crown’s localization journey highlights the transformative power of adopting a TMS that supports automating the translation management process, demonstrating how manufacturers can achieve cost savings, improved consistency, and enhanced customer experiences.
Maximizing Efficiency with TMS Features to Automate the Translation Process
Let’s find out about specific TMS features that drive efficiency for manufacturing companies, ensuring maximum benefit from your investment.
Translation Memory: Your Knowledge Vault
A translation memory is a database that stores previously translated sentences or segments.
Think of it as your company’s multilingual knowledge repository. As you translate more content, the TM grows, saving time and cost on recurring content set for translation. Each time a translator encounters a segment that matches a previous entry in the TM, either exactly or with some minor differences, the system provides the stored translation so the translation time is non-existent or minimal.
This ensures consistency, reduces the cost of repeated translations, and ultimately speeds up the time to market.
Machine Translation: A Helping Hand
Machine translation automatically translates content from one language to another.
While MT can sometimes replace human translation for complex or nuanced content, it offers even more value when used strategically. MT is particularly useful high volumes of content like technical documentation or internal materials, where accuracy is important but stylistic perfection isn’t essential.
When MT produces a draft, qualified human translators can then edit and refine it, significantly reducing overall turnaround time compared to what it would have been to translate the content from scratch.
Automated Quality Assurance Checks
TMS solutions can incorporate automated quality assurance (QA) features to streamline quality control. This helps manufacturing companies catch potential issues before publication. Automated QA checks can focus on:
- Consistency: Ensuring that technical terms, product names, and key phrases are translated consistently throughout all materials.
- Terminology Verification: Checking for compliance with your approved terminology database, guaranteeing accurate use of specialized terms.
- Style Guide Enforcement: Implementing company-specific style guides to maintain a consistent tone and brand voice.
Collaboration Tools for Efficiency
TMS platforms foster effective teamwork between translators, editors, reviewers, and subject matter experts. These integrated communication and review features facilitate seamless communication within a single system. Translators can ask questions, SMEs can provide technical clarifications, and reviewers can give feedback.
This avoids fragmented communication through emails or spreadsheets and keeps everything transparently organized and attached to the relevant translation project.
Analytics and Reporting: Actionable Insights
TMS solutions offer detailed analytics and reporting capabilities. Tracking key metrics like word count, translation costs, turnaround times, and quality scores allows you to measure and optimize your translation processes. These insights help identify potential bottlenecks, assess the effectiveness of your TMS solution, and make data-driven decisions to improve overall efficiency.
Case Study: Ariel Corporation’s Strategic Use of Machine Translation
The previous examples explored the TMS features that create efficiency in general terms. Let’s review a specific case study, demonstrating how one company strategically incorporated machine translation to maximize results.
Ariel Corporation is a global leader in manufacturing natural gas compressors. With a commitment to global expansion, they sought to increase their translation output while minimizing costs. Ariel chose XTM Cloud as their TMS and partnered with SYSTRAN to integrate machine translation (MT) into their workflow.
Ariel’s initial MT integration focused on translating secondary-level website content. But their innovation didn’t stop there.
Seeking further optimization, they took advantage of an impressive feature in XTM Cloud – neural fuzzy adaptation (NFA). NFA uses artificial intelligence to analyze previous translations, improve MT quality, and significantly reduce the need for human post-editing.
The results speak for themselves:
- MT Quality Improvement: Ariel experienced a 100% improvement in their machine translation quality.
- Translation Output Boost: MT usage increased, contributing to a massive overall increase in translation output.
- Reduced Human Effort: With higher quality MT, post-editing efforts decreased, freeing valuable translator time.
Ariel’s story illustrates the strategic value of a TMS that keeps pace with technological advancements. By integrating cutting-edge MT functionality, Ariel was able to push the boundaries of translation efficiency even further.
TMS platforms foster effective teamwork between translators, editors, reviewers, and subject matter experts. These integrated communication and review features facilitate seamless communication within a single system.
Addressing Security and Compliance Concerns
Manufacturers work with a wide array of sensitive information, from technical drawings and specifications to intellectual property and customer data. Ensuring the security of these assets is paramount.
With stringent industry regulations in place, TMS solutions must prioritize secure systems and practices in a rapidly changing regulatory landscape.
Maintaining Data Security
Look for these features in a TMS to safeguard your manufacturing information:
- Encryption Protocols: Secure encryption protocols, both in transit (during transfer) and at rest (when stored), should be standard to protect sensitive content from unauthorized access.
- Access Controls: Granular access controls allow you to restrict who can view, edit, and manage specific documents, projects, and data within the system. This is vital to maintain data segregation when necessary.
Regulatory Compliance
In addition to data security, manufacturers may need their TMS solution to comply with specific industry regulations.
Examples include:
- ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations): This set of regulations governs the export and import of defense-related articles and services. TMA solutions handling ITAR-controlled technical data need robust security measures and access controls to maintain compliance.
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): This EU regulation protects the personal data of European individuals. Manufacturers handling such data need a TMA solution that supports GDPR compliance.
- ISO Standards: Various ISO standards (e.g., ISO 9001, ISO 27001) focus on quality management and information security. TMA providers with ISO certifications demonstrate their ongoing commitment to secure practices.
Choosing a Solution
When selecting a TMS solution, it’s vital to prioritize providers that demonstrate an understanding of the security and compliance needs specific to the manufacturing industry. Look for robust security features, industry certifications, and a track record of supporting manufacturers with similar requirements.
The Future of Translation Management Automation in Manufacturing
The role of translation management automation in manufacturing is poised for exciting growth and integration. Let’s look at some emerging trends shaping how TMS solutions will evolve to better enable manufacturing organizations to automate their localization process:
- Artificial Intelligence: AI is set to play an increasing role in TMS, powering more sophisticated machine translation engines, automating quality checks with greater accuracy, and improving translation suggestions from your TM. Manufacturers can expect greater accuracy, faster translation turnaround, and streamlined workflows with the help of AI.
- Cognitive Computing: As a subset of AI, cognitive computing systems understand and process information more closely resembling human thought. For a TMS, this means an increased ability to grasp technical nuances and handle complex terminology, driving better results throughout the translation process.
- Continuous Improvement and Innovation: TMS providers will continue to evolve the tool at a rapid pace, incorporating the latest technology that further streamlines localization processes. Solutions will prioritize added speed, improved user experiences, refined integration with other manufacturing systems, and greater emphasis on data security.
The Benefits for Manufacturing Companies
By staying ahead of the curve by deploying a TMS and its automation of the translation management process, manufacturing companies can:
- Accelerate Global Growth: Seamless and accurate translation of technical documentation, marketing materials, and training resources empowers companies to tap into new markets quickly and confidently.
- Increase Operational Efficiency: TMS empowers teams to collaborate effectively across the globe, reducing delays and errors in project execution through real-time communication and progress tracking.
- Optimize Production and Supply Chain: Accurate translations of technical documents, safety procedures, and supplier documentation help minimize misunderstandings and ensure consistent quality throughout the manufacturing and distribution process.
- Drive Customer Satisfaction: Delivering excellent customer experiences in multiple languages builds global brand loyalty and increases sales.
Conclusion
Adopting a Translation Management System that enables to automate the translation process is transformative for manufacturing companiest. Automation is one of the keys to overcoming the challenges of localizationby accelerating time to market, ensuring brand consistency, and boosting cost-efficiency, which helps ultimately achieve global success.
By streamlining translation workflows, centralizing translation memories, maximizing resources, and ensuring quality and security, automating the translation management process empowers manufacturers to deliver a truly localized experience to their customers worldwide.
Schedule an XTM Cloud Demo
XTM Cloud provides secure and efficient project management tools, customizable workflows that align with complex manufacturing processes, seamless integration with existing systems, and a focus on accurate, consistent translation of technical terminology.
With XTM Cloud, manufacturers can streamline multilingual communication, boost productivity, and achieve long-term success internationally.
Sign up today for a demo and discover all that XTM Cloud can do for your business.
Key Takeaways
- Access to a TMS that automates the translation process is essential for the global manufacturing industry. It’s the solution for overcoming the challenges of technical translation and managing multilingual content effectively.
- Automation offers tangible benefits. Manufacturers experience improved translation quality, faster time-to-market, increased cost savings, streamlined workflows, and a more consistent brand presence globally.
- Key TMS features to automate the translation process and drive success. Invest in solutions offering translation memory, robust terminology management, machine translation integration, automated quality assurance, and collaboration tools for optimal results.
- Security and compliance are paramount. Always prioritize TMS solutions that offer arobust security, encryption, access controls, and industry certifications to safeguard sensitive manufacturing data.
- Choose a solution designed for manufacturing. Look for TMS providers that understand the unique requirements of the industry, offering features that support technical content translation, specific file format handling, and integration with other manufacturing systems.
- Stay ahead with technology trends. Artificial intelligence and cognitive computing will power the future of TMS solutions, promising automation, enhanced accuracy, and deeper integration within manufacturing environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily, manufacturers work with highly technical content like product specifications, user manuals, and assembly instructions. This content often includes complex terminology, industry jargon, and engineering diagrams, increasing the risk of errors and inconsistencies. Additionally, manufacturers may need their content translated into multiple languages for global distribution, magnifying the complexity.
Traditional manual translation methods can be slow and error-prone, leading to delays in product launches, costly rework, and potential damage to brand reputation.
By adopting a TMS that enables to automatate a large number of tasks in the translation process, manufacturers can streamline workflows, reduce repetitive tasks and bottlenecks, and save time and money.
By integrating the TMS with existing systems, such as content management systems (CMS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, manufacturers can further optimize workflows and achieve a seamless flow of translated content across the entire organization.
A TMS tailored to the manufacturing industry should include the following key features:
- automation and the ability to run without constant attention
- terminology management to maintain consistency in technical terminology
- translation memory for saving and reusing translated segments
- support for complex file formats common in manufacturing
- integration capabilities with other systems
Additional features, such as automated quality assurance checks, can provide another layer of quality control for translated content.
Cloud-based TMS solutions offer manufacturers advantages in scalability, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. They can easily handle fluctuations in project volume and cater to a growing global market.
With cloud-based TMS, collaborators can access the system from anywhere with an internet connection, increasing productivity. Cloud-based solutions eliminate the need for on-premise hardware and software maintenance, reducing IT overhead costs for manufacturers.
Translation memories (TM) are integrated into the TMS and serve as a powerful tool for ensuring consistent terminology throughout a manufacturer’s translated content and leveraging existing translations to reduce turnaround times and costs. As translators work, the TM stores approved translations, and can then leverage them in the future if they come up again.
With each new project, the TM automatically suggests previous translations for recurring segments, promoting consistent use of technical terms, product names, and key phrases. A high-quality TM translates into increased brand consistency and improved user experience across different languages.
Machine translation (MT), when used strategically, can significantly speed up the translation process for manufacturers. MT can be particularly useful for translating high-volume content like internal documents or less critical marketing materials, where perfect stylistic translation is less of a concern.
When coupled with human post-editing by qualified translators, MT can provide a cost-effective and time-efficient solution for certain types of manufacturing content.
Translation Management Systems that offer automated features like built-in quality assurance (QA) help manufacturers maintain the accuracy of their translated technical documents. Automated QA checks verify terminology use against an approved glossary, ensuring consistency with a company’s established terminology.
These tools can also enforce style guides and identify potential formatting issues that may arise during the translation process. By integrating QA into the translation workflow, manufacturers save time and avoid costly post-publication errors.
Manufacturers should prioritize TMS solutions with robust data security protocols.
Look for features like encryption, secure access controls, and industry certifications (like ISO 27001) to guarantee the confidentiality and integrity of your sensitive technical data. Cloud-based solutions often include comprehensive security measures but it’s important to consult with providers about specific features they offer.
When necessary, manufacturers can also explore hybrid solutions that combine the advantages of cloud and on-premise TMS environments to balance security with flexibility.
The future of TMS for manufacturing is focused on increased automation, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive computing. More sophisticated machine translation engines will allow greater use of MT for technical content, while AI-driven quality checks will enhance accuracy.
Integration with other manufacturing systems will become even more seamless, providing a connected workflow from design to multilingual customer support.
Manufacturers can track various key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of their TMS solution. These KPIs include:
- translation costs
- time-to-market
- translation quality scores
- cost per word or language
Additionally, manufacturers can gather qualitative feedback from translators and content creators on the ease of use and effectiveness of the TMS system.
About the Author – Andreas Ljungström
With 10+ years of experience in TMS consultancy, Andreas is a specialist in language technology and software training. In addition to being a professional translator, Andreas has held a variety of roles in the industry, including Global Solutions Architect and Product & Solution Manager. With a deep technical and linguistic background, Andreas’ articles have been published in industry publications such as tekom Tagungen, and he is a seasoned speaker at specialized events such as Nordic TechKomm, tcworld, and the SAP Language Industry Forum among others.