What are the key benefits of centralizing all your language assets?

With a TMS, you can leverage out-of-the-box connectors for a wide range of systems. Connectors allow you to make your TMS and content tools communicate seamlessly, automating your translation processes and allowing your localization teams to create translation projects directly from their preferred content interface. 

The use of connectors removes the need to manually export all content, create projects, manage queries offline and manually import translations back into your content system. This results in a greater level of consistency, as all content is being managed in a single ecosystem and can also be leveraged in future projects. Using connectors can also lead to quicker turnaround times, as content for translation is automatically pushed to the TMS and then returned translated back to the platform, reducing repetitive, manual tasks while also minimizing the potential for human error.

It also removes pressure from localization managers, as they now have the ability to automatically create projects, allocate translation and review steps and publish the content in a seamless, single workflow. This frees up time so that individuals can focus on more productive and innovative tasks rather than carrying out manual, time-consuming ones or spending their time working on jobs which don’t add any value to the program, such as the previously mentioned manual import and export of files. Connectors ultimately drive efficiency across the whole program and allow localization teams to focus their time and efforts on the tasks which need it most.

With the translation process taking less time and with less errors to troubleshoot thanks to automation, localized content can be published more quickly. This streamlines product rollout, which is particularly important if you are consistently launching multiple products in several different markets. A localization manager in a multi-billion-dollar US company specializing in material handling explained the importance of a quick turnaround: “Time-to-market has become a huge thing and technology plays a key role in ensuring we’re able to deliver a timely, high-quality user experience.” It’s clear that a good user experience is linked to timely go-to-market times, which is why having good connectivity is key. A TMS with connectivity provides real tangible benefits to companies, allowing them to publish localized content to their global customers more quickly no matter where they are in the world, and, as a result, enhancing your brand’s image thanks to meeting customer expectations.

Working as a whole team toward a common goal gives every team member a broader understanding of what they’re aiming for and the localization department’s role in helping them achieve this goal. Without this bigger picture, some departments may not understand the importance of localization and be reluctant to financially invest in the process or spend time working on these tasks. With aligned localization goals at the forefront of everyone’s mind, team members will no longer be stuck between department heads going in different directions. Instead, everybody will be contributing to the same goals and this alignment is what will allow the localization program to flourish and be executed with maximum efficiency.

This single focus can also remove friction when departments no longer feel like they’re wasting time on pointless tasks but instead understand why their involvement matters. Working toward an aligned goal gives each team member the freedom to work in the areas they are most skilled in rather than spending valuable time troubleshooting or performing tasks which are outside of their scope. For example, localization managers will be able to assign translation projects with just a few clicks, whereas marketing specialists do not have to worry about any aspect of the localization process other than ensuring that the translated content looks good in the user interface once it has been completed. To enable this, the right technology is needed, and a language technologies manager at a global fashion company highlights the tangible results of this process: “The implementation of a Translation Management System and the new opportunities it has afforded us has driven a transformation in our team and expanded the scope of activities we do. We’re no longer just receivers of translation requests, but rather drivers of change within the business.”

This showcases how a TMS allows companies to move from being task-focused to lifting their eyes and working with a broader vision with a strategy in place. As everyone shifts their attention to this strategy’s common goals, communication between teams also improves, and they are now able to access resources more easily and communicate with other team members more quickly and efficiently without any friction or miscommunication among them.