Editorial

What China is experiencing now vis-à-vis lax regulatory controls and corruption with regards to product quality will probably turn out to be just a blip on the radar screen in the overall history of globalization at the beginning of the 21st century. There are always bumps along the road as paradigms shift, some bigger than others. All one has to do is to review the history of the industrial revolution in the West at the end of the 1800’s to put the current events into perspective.

That being said, it should cause us to reflect on how clients and language service providers define quality as partners, since it takes both parties to ensure that products/services actually reach international markets and are successful.

Heads would roll, and people would be fired!

Having spent more than 25 years enabling companies to deliver successful products internationally – mostly on the client side – it never ceases to amaze me how clients fail to take advantage of all of the services and consulting advice that their language service providers are capable of delivering. Yes, the translated word may be considered a commodity these days, but that doesn’t mean that a company can realize the most value from simply throwing their content “over the wall” to a service provider with cheaper prices or to its in-country staff.

Does this same company follow the same process when creating a new marketing campaign or designing a whole new product for its domestic market? No way – if it did, heads would roll, and people would be fired. Why? Because the company recognizes the value of protecting and nurturing the brand for its domestic market. The same should and can apply to its other markets.

That’s where language service providers enter the picture, by educating their customers in how to protect and nurture their brands outside of their domestic markets. They accomplish this through various means. One of the most important ways is by enabling clients to view globalization, including the adaptation/localization/translation of their products/services, as the investment in revenue-producing markets – rather than the cost – that it truly is.

True partners can help guarantee your success worldwide – but only if you let them.

My one piece of advice to the clients who may be reading this column? Allow your language service providers to be true partners in protecting and nurturing your brand worldwide. Next time they approach you about implementing terminology management, about drawing a line in the sand due to your totally unrealistic deadlines, or about providing input to your product design or support process – listen up! It means that they are ready to help you mature as a client to move to the next step in globalizing your business processes. By allowing them to be true partners in your globalization initiative at all steps along the way, you will avoid the classic mistake of providing only enough resources to ensure and enhance the quality of your product/service in your domestic market. True partners can help guarantee your success worldwide – but only if you will let them.

LISA is hosting three different events where you can build true partnerships.

LISA is hosting three more events this year where clients, service providers and tool developers can meet to build or further enhance their partnerships. The first will be in Beijing at the end of August. China’s offshore software testing and application software development industry is booming. If any of your staff (on- or offshore) require training, click here to review the workshops that LISA is hosting in Beijing from August 27-31. At the same time, plan to attend the Managing Globalization Requirements Roundtable that will be held on August 29.

During the recent LISA Forum Asia in Beijing, two high-level executives described the level of expertise and trust required to make total product outsourcing work for software development. Fiona Tan (Vice President of Engineering for TIBCO Software) and Dr. Junbo Liu (Executive Vice President of Worksoft Creative Software Technology) provided candid insights into how their partnership in China has been extremely successful. Read Collaborating for Outsourcing Success: The Path Towards Outsourcing the Full Product Development Lifecycle (premium) in this issue.

The Internationalization & Unicode® Conference (IUC) is the premier technical conference for both software and web internationalization. Unicode experts, implementers, clients and vendors are invited to attend this unique conference. The interactive format makes the conference a great place to meet and exchange ideas with leading experts, find out about the needs of potential clients, and to get information about new and existing Unicode-enabled products. For details, read the IUC 31 Advertorial in this issue.

LISA’s second event this year for partners to meet one another in person will be the LISA Forum Europe in Berlin from October 22-26. Our theme will be Building Global Teams Locally: Outsourcing, European Integration and Globalization. For information on special packages, please click here.

More and more companies outsource the quality assurance (QA) and testing of their software products today, be it right down the street or halfway around the world. Achieving high quality localized products at a reasonable price – and within a reasonable timeframe – requires sustained effort and knowledge on the part of service buyers. It also requires virtual teams who work seamlessly with one another. Companies such as Grisoft, IBM, Symantec and WhP share how they have done this, along with their implemented best practices, in this area in LISA’s newest publication, Outsourcing Best Practices: QA of Localized Software. Click here to read an excerpt.

LISA’s third and final event this year will take place in Antwerp, Belgium. From December 10-12, LISA and the Lessius Hogeschool in Antwerp will host a unique Forum, Teaching Localisation for Global Business Readiness. The Forum will bring together localization professionals from academia and industry seeking to improve career development and training in today's localization industry. Click here for more information.

The why's, what's, when's, and how's of terminology management

A terminology survey by LISA's Terminology SIG (LISA Terminology Management Survey) reveals that even in the localization field, where the benefits of terminology work are most palpable, a high percentage of businesses does not systematically manage terminology. Why? Because there is still a lot of confusion surrounding the why's, what's, when's, and how's of terminology management.

If you and your company are struggling with some or all of these issues, Uwe Muegge (Corporate Terminologist for Medtronic) provides answers that apply to any organization that cares about quality, customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, the bottom line. Read Why Manage Terminology? 10 Quick Answers (premium) in this month's issue.

TBX-Lite Data Category Specification

The LISA Terminology SIG has completed the review phase for the TBX-Lite Data Category Specification. The specification has been submitted to LISA's OSCAR Steering Committee, which will develop it into a formal XML standard. It will also be submitted to ISO TC37 with a request to include it in the ISO version of TBX, as an example of a TBX implementation. Please send any comments to tbxlite@lisa.org.

Hope to see you in person at one of our events this year!