Language Technology Helps Drive International Business Results
With the release of the LISA 2004 Translation Memory Survey, the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA) has once again delivered primary research proving how language technology helps companies reduce costs and reach an ROI on their investment in international market development.
According to Michael Anobile, LISA’s Managing Director, “The findings of the 2004 Translation Memory Survey illustrate how Translation Memory technology is changing the scope of what companies can achieve globally. TM helps enterprises reach local markets faster, easier and at less cost. Companies that have not already implemented TM are now at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace.”
The survey’s author, Arle Lommel, LISA’s Publications Manager, explains, “Today, TM technology isn’t just about saving a dollar here or a euro there. This year’s survey revealed that companies may have originally introduced TM as a tactic to gain savings in localization costs, but they have come to rely on it as a strategy to gain market advantage through improved quality and faster time-to-market than they could otherwise achieve.”
Eric C. Nicod, Global Manager for Logitech Europe’s Software Localization Team Services, explains how the survey results are being used for software definition, development and engineering. “The LISA TM Survey is helping us to compare our results against those of the broader language community to confirm our strengths and to see where we can look for further savings. Our systematic use of TM technology and tools has enabled the Software Localization Team, and our partners in translations and localization services, (1) to achieve more and larger localization projects (on a yearly basis), (2) to instrumentally help drive cost control and (3) to keep precise benchmarking (metrics and budgeting), while keeping our service level agreement and headcount under control.”
Conducted online from August through October 2004, the LISA 2004 Translation Memory Survey, provides the most up-to-date view of Translation Memory technology implementation available. With responses from more than 270 companies, results indicate an expanding TM market, with many companies increasing TM usage as a strategy to reduce costs and improve time-to-market. The survey addresses translation volumes, TM usage rates, TM repository sizes, tools choice, the role of standards and future trends in TM implementation.
Significant findings include the following:
The majority of companies are planning to extend their use of TM technology
The majority of those using TM tools use it for at least half of their localization needs
Companies with relatively low annual localization requirements use TM tools for significantly more of their content than do those with comparatively large localization requirements
Typical TM repositories contain 300,000-370,000 segments, but users report repositories with as few as 2,000 and as many as 100,000,000 segments
Although dominated by a few products, the TM market remains highly competitive with many niche, as well as general, TM tools in use. The most widely used TM tools are TRADOS, followed by SDLX, Deja Vu and Alchemy Catalyst
Users of internally-developed TM systems have the largest TM repositories, averaging five times more TM data than those using commercial tools
The LISA 2004 Translation Memory Survey affords the most comprehensive look at the TM market available today. It is a valuable resource for those analyzing the TM market, planning their own TM implementations, or comparing their own implementations against the industry norm. The survey report is available as a free download from the LISA website at
http://www.lisa.org/products/survey/2004/tmsurvey.html (registration required).
Founded in 1990, with more than 400 members from high-tech and vertical market sectors, LISA serves as the nexus for the many organizations engaged in supporting businesses as they transform themselves into global enterprises. It is known for its language technology standards and best practice guidelines for enterprise globalization. To find out how LISA can help you meet your globalization challenges, please visit
http://www.lisa.org/