But if there is one aspect of the localization process that all parties should agree on it is the growing value of shared standards for the open exchange of resources and the resulting interoperability of localization tools right across the industry. We are therefore pleased to announce that the TMX 1.4 specification is now open for public comment.

Trends and fashions in business models there certainly are, but in the constant search for balancing costs, quality and speed, enterprises are inevitably tempted to try out different approaches at different stages of their business cycles. Not long ago, we published a provocative article by Jaap van der Meer predicting the demise of the multi-language vendor (MLV), replaced by web-based exchanges that would link demand directly with distributed supplier communities and short-circuiting the existing pattern of large global suppliers who act as vital intermediaries in the service mix.

In this issue, Lionbridge's Bert Esselink returns to the fray, arguing that the rapid deployment of content management systems among large localization buyers is more than ever encouraging localization outsourcing to move to the corporate center, and further empower large MLV suppliers.

And not only the large suppliers. Yves Vanneste of ANTHEA Languages shows that an enterprising localization SME (which in our industry means companies with a full-time workforce of under 20) can also play the MLV card by providing a full range of services that can attract large-volume buyers who are reining in costs in economically difficult times.

We also draw attention to the role that specific geographical locales can play in the provision of multiple IT services, with a presentation of the benefits of the Saarland in Germany as a highly qualified support hub. In the 1990s, Ireland was famous for playing a key role in providing a bridgehead for international firms (especially from the US) wishing to localize to Europe. With its combination of linguistic skills and technical infrastructure, the Saarland offers a competitive alternative to companies wishing to benefit from customer support services in the European heartland and stations east in anticipation of the take-off of m-commerce in the years ahead.