The session covers a wide variety of challenging technical, economic and social issues. MT users and producers will be represented. The panelists are: Bernard Seite, Scientific Director of SITE (Eurolang) France; Kaija Pöysti, Marketing Manager of TranTek OY Finland; Friederike Bruckert, Linguistics Manager of Logos Computer Integrated Translation GmbH, and; Patrick Little, Documentation Manager for Philips Kommunikations Industrie AG.

Discussion items include: How to decide if you (or your customer) can benefit from MT? Do you buy, lease or pay-as-you-go? File format compatibility. Existing system integration. Dictionary building. Translator training. Pre-editing: What is it, and, can we use simplified English? Post-editing: macro tools and other requirements. Dictionary ownership: customer or service bureau? Cost accounting: How to differentiate between MT, MAT and HT time within a project.

Corporate management emphasizes that industrialization of the localization process requires qualified tooling. If so, what is being done to manage the document creation process? Can text production tools based on "simplified grammar technology" be integrated into the MAT environment? The discussion group, "Using Simplified Language: Current Applications and User Concerns" features customers and producers of various writing tools. They present their experience with simplified English as a viable front end to technical writing, MT production and multilingual publishing systems. Rafik Belhadj, localization Manager at Bull ILO; Lee Humphreys, Eurolang's Linguistics Project Manager; Gert van der Steen, Volmac BV's Lingware Services Manager, and; Stuart Sklair, Translation System Specialist at Rank Xerox Ltd, are the panelists. Bull ILO will also demonstrate their proprietary writing system.

Can localization management be improved in terms of cost and process control? Is benchmarking a viable approach to define metrics and increase productivity? Henri Broekmate, a business consultant from the van de Bunt will explore these questions as he chairs: "The Localization Process: How to Improve It?" The panelist are: Mike Scott, Manager of the Rank Xerox Technology Centre and Managing Director of Multilingual Technology Ltd.; David Gibbs, Lotus' European localization Manager and; Guido Dumpert, IBM Deutschland's translation department manager responsible for obtaining ISO 9000 certification. Panelists will share their views and elaborate on critical issues like: Quality as a Function of Business Liability; Client Relationships and Expectations, and; Is ISO 9000 simply a marketing ploy for translation vendors?

"The Industrialization of the Localization Business: The Supply and Demand Perspectives" features two panels. Each are comprised of LISA founding (and board) members. One panel will include only translation service vendors while the other strictly represents the manufacturers' points of view.

The translation service companies address the industrialization of their businesses as a result of industry trends; increased outsourcing; the use of technology to manage translation projects and; the influence of the worldwide economic climate. The manufacturers' panel candidly discuss : How to qualify vendors; How to evaluate the results of agency work, and, How to maintain quality and consistency of work and reduce costs. They will also discuss the direction of the localization business in terms of media, doc sets, sw localization and product design.

The Automated Translation Proofreading Tool's principal designers, Susan Armstrong from Geneva University's ISSCO and Louis des Tombe from the University of Utrecht, will exhibit their prototype and give the project's status and direction. And, The Open University, UK, will present the GLOSSASOFT (formerly known as Linguasoft) software localization design project, a European Community funded initiative from LR&E. Ray Hudson, the project manager will explain who the consortium is, their expertise and deliverables.

Finally, there will be a preview of LISA's Localization Questionnaire addressing software manufacturers' production procedures and management controls. It helps identify key criteria for benchmarking and analyzing the software localization process.