Guest Editorialist

Globalization is a journey.

As I write this editorial for the Globalization Insider, I can’t help but think that each one of us language industry insiders are asked to be so much more qualified today than we were even just a few years ago. Globalization in the twenty-first century is no longer just about translation and localization. Effective globalization requires an awareness of technologies and how they are adapted around the world.

In almost every industry we service, we are asked to represent the world to our companies and clients. Sure, every industry has specialized lexicons of terms, acronyms and concepts. However, for the industries that are tightly regulated, there are particular robust requirements beyond the typical language issues that we are expected to handle. It is no longer just enough to deliver a timely, consistent and accurate translation to our customers. Typically, we interpret the requirements of the broader global marketplace and world’s business environment for our clients. For many of them, especially those in small- to medium-sized enterprises, we serve as critical resources and their “window to the world.”

We are their “window to the world.”

Standards are like LEGO building blocks. We see it every day, in each industry that we serve, including medical, financial, pharmaceutical and manufacturing. We develop specific industry expertise, including the technical aspects and standards for each industry. Some of these standards are related to our industry specifically, such as TMX, TBX, GMX, TBX-Link, XLIFF, TransWS, etc. Many standards are technical in nature (XML and Unicode) and transcend a particular industry, while others are specific to particular sectors (e.g., the EU’s IVD directive for medical devices or manufacturing standards like Good Manufacturing Practices [GMP ICH 7QA]). In addition, work is beginning in the area of developing standards for globalizing backend business processes. These are but a few of the standards that affect practitioners in the language services industry on a daily basis.

As Globalization Insider readers have seen in recent issues, there are a plethora of standards in which both clients and service providers need to actively participate to ensure that they meet all of our needs. These often require some level of certification and quality assurance measurement upon completion, thus directly affecting and/or causing some modification to the way we interact with one another and how we deliver services to our clients.

Standards do not eliminate creative thinking or invention.

When did we acquire such a large set of standards? I’m reminded of Susan Mills’ statement in a recent Globalization Insider interview, “Standards are key to our success, collectively.” I can’t help but think how true this statement is as we move forward in our industry. Some may take exception to standards, but they form the cornerstone to an efficient, repeatable globalization process for our clients. Standards do not eliminate creative thinking or invention but rather provide room and opportunity for process improvement within the bounds of current business practices. In effect, fostering human endeavor and effort where it can be applied most efficiently and timely.

Webster’s defines standard as, “Something that is established by authority, custom or general consent as a model or example to be followed.” I like the first definition that Webster provides even better: “A conspicuous object (as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem.”

We may indeed be in a battle over standards. I personally think it’s a great time and exceptional challenge to be in our industry today. A wonderful opportunity for all of us, wherever we may be in the process, to continue to show excellence in our work, to intervene when required and to watch the emergence of strong leadership in all areas of our industry.

OSCAR has made huge strides under new leadership.

In this issue of the Globalization Insider, Arle Lommel describes the huge strides that OSCAR has made recently under the new leadership of Andrzej Zydroń, CTO at xml-intl. Two standards (TBX-Link and GMX) are now available for public comment. And OSCAR recently adopted xml:tm as a work item. Read May Flowers (public) to catch up on everything that OSCAR has accomplished over the last few months.

The integration of domestic and global business requires the implementation of processes and technologies to support global markets and deliver benefits to end users, regardless of language or location. While the technical support for such large-scale business is coming into full implementation, human factors and resistance to change are often greater hurdles. Only an understanding of the requirements of global business, and experience with how to meet these demands, can help companies make appropriate decisions and fully embrace the processes and technologies required to ensure success.

Learn to view globalization as “Just Another Business Process.”

Attendees at the LISA Global Strategies Summit in Boston (USA) last month focused on how to automate global business processes, both at the high level needed for management, and at the practical level needed to make company mandates happen. They also had the opportunity to participate in several new and on-going initiatives being launched through LISA:

1. The LISA Global Content Management Initiative.

2. The Corporate Accreditation Initiative (Don’t forget to take our Reader’s Poll at www.lisa.org!)

3. The first annual Ten Best International Web Support Sites Awards Program (in collaboration with the Association of Support Professionals’ prestigious Ten Best Web Support Sites competition).

If you didn’t attend the Summit, read Learning to View Globalization as “Just Another Business Process” (public).

Wikipedia is now the second most visited reference web site on the internet.

Run by volunteers, its goal is to create and maintain a free encyclopedia with a neutral point of view in every language on the internet. In Wikipedia: Localization in a Free Content Community (public), Gerard Meijssen, a Member of the Dutch Wiktionary Team and Initiator of the Ultimate Wiktionary, explains how the Wikimedia Foundation works and describes some of its latest projects.

ALADDIN: Preparing today for the tourism market of tomorrow

In our Focus on Members series, LISA Member Dr. Adriane Rinsche, Managing Director of Language Technology Centre (LTC) Ltd., describes ALADDIN, a new cooperative research project being funded by the EU, to create a comprehensive and mobile multilingual electronic tourist information guide. It is designed to support small- and medium-sized incoming tour operators who face very strong competitive challenges to stay ahead of large tour companies. Read ALADDIN: Preparing Today for the Tourism Market of Tomorrow (premium).

It’s a big world with many voices.

In It’s a Big World With Many Voices (premium), Eliane Barth, President of JBI Localization, explains how to choose an audio partner for multilingual projects.

We want to take this opportunity to highlight one of the winners of our drawing for Taking Software to the World, the first large-scale examination of the business impact of localized software, released last month by LISA.

“Translation/localization is often the straw that makes people take the plunge into content management. LISA's publications have been very useful to us in this respect.”

Melanie Kendell is a founding member of the emorphus consultancy in Melbourne, Australia, which specializes in guiding companies into the world of structured authoring and content management. She has spent many years as a trainer, technical support analyst and technical communicator. After a stint in business analysis, change management and usability, she has returned to technical documentation in the form of XML and content management.

Taking Software to the World: Results of the LISA 2005 Global Software Survey

If you haven’t already ordered your copy of Taking Software to the World, then do so today. The results present a very clear roadmap for end users who purchase localized software and for software developers who want to know exactly where to spend their localization development budgets to sell more products.

LISA Member SDL International will offer Shortening Time-to-Profit for Global Markets on June 28. IDC and Best Western will be the guest speakers. Prior to attending the webcast, check out Maximizing the Return on Your Translation Memory Investments.

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With a passion for learning and how this applies to teaching technical subjects in both the public and private sectors, Robert (Butch) Pfremmer leads Welocalize’s global eLearning practice today. He spent the early part of his career in software design and engineering for companies like IBM, Control Data and Unisys, including eleven years as the Chief Architect for IBM's Translation Workbench suite of translation tools. Pfremmer holds a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.A. in Accounting and is currently pursuing a Masters in Educational Technology. You can reach him at butch.pfremmer@welocalize.com.