Translation Technology Landscape Report February 2013
Copyright © TAUS 2013
Funded by LT-Innovate
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Translation Technology Landscape Report
Translation Technology Landscape Report
Authors: Rahzeb Choudhury and Brian McConnell
COPYRIGHT © TAUS 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system of any nature, or transmitted or made available in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of TAUS. TAUS will pursue copyright infringements.
In spite of careful preparation and editing, this publication may contain errors and imperfections. Authors, editors, and TAUS do not accept responsibility for the consequences that may result thereof.
Reviewers - Jaap van der Meer and Rose Lockwood Published by TAUS BV, De Rijp, The Netherlands. For further information, please email info@translationautomation.com
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Our thanks to LT-Innovative for funding this report.
Copyright © TAUS 2013
Copyright © TAUS 2013
3
Translation Technology Landscape Report
Translation Technology Landscape Report
Target Audience Any individual interested in the business of translation will gain from this report. The report will help beginners to understand the main uses for different types of translation technology, differentiate offerings and make informed decisions. For more experienced users and business decision-makers, the report shares insights on key trends, future prospects and areas of uncertainty. ,QYHVWRUV DQG SROLF\PDNHUV ZLOO EHQH¿W IURP DQDO\VHV RI XQGHUO\LQJ YDOXH propositions.
Report Structure This report has been structured in discrete chapters and sections so that the reader can consume the information needed. The report does not need to be read from VWDUW WR ¿QLVK 7KH FRQYHQLHQFH DIIRUGHG IURP VXFK D VWUXFWXUH DOVR PHDQV WKHUH LV some repetition.
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Copyright © TAUS 2013
CONTENTS 1. A Brief History of Translation Technology
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2. Translation Technology Landscape in a Snapshot
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3. Tools for the Professional Translation Industry
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3.1 Types of Tools 3.1.1 Translation Tools 3.1.1.1 Client/Server Based CAT Tools 3.1.1.2 Web Based CAT Tools 3.1.1.3 Mobile Translation Tools 3.1.1.4 Stand Alone Utilities 3.1.2 Translation Management Systems 3.1.2.1 Document TMS Systems 3.1.2.2 Localization TMS 3.1.2.3 Translation Memory & Terminology Management 3.1.2.4 QA Tools & Processes 3.1.3 Translation Processes & Features 3.1.3.1 Translation Memory 3.1.3.2 Advanced Leveraging 3.1.3.3 Translation Process Management 3.1.3.4 Terminology Management 3.1.3.5 Controlled Authoring 3.1.3.6 Quality Assurance
13 14 14 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 21 21 22
3.2 Translation Technology Trends 3.2.1 From Desktop to Server and now Cloud 3.2.2 From Licensing to Professional Services and SaaS 3.2.3 Integration with Content Management Systems
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3.3 Translation Technology Value Chain 3.3.1 Supply 3.3.1.1 Types of Providers 3.3.1.1.1 Translation Management Systems 3.3.1.1.2 Localization Management Systems 3.3.1.1.3 Translation Memory (Stand Alone) 3.3.1.1.4 Audio/Video Captioning Systems 3.3.1.1.5 Interpretation Systems 3.3.1.2 Business Models
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Copyright © TAUS 2013
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Translation Technology Landscape Report
3.3.1.2.1 Licensed 3.3.1.2.2 Cloud/SaaS 3.3.1.2.3 Translation Services 3.3.1.3 Channels and Platforms 3.3.2 Demand 3.3.2.1 Individual Translators 3.3.2.2 Language Service Providers (Translation Agencies) 3.3.2.3 Publisher Organizations 3.4 Opportunities and Challenges in Translation Technology 3.4.1 Interoperability and Standards 3.4.2 Measuring and Benchmarking Quality
4. Machine Translation
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Translation Technology Landscape Report
26 27 27 27 28 28 29 29 30 30 31
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4.1 Approaches to Machine Translation 4.1.1 Rules Based 4.1.1.1 Products and Practitioners 4.1.2 Example Based 4.1.2.1 Products and Practitioners 4.1.3 Statistical 4.1.3.1 Products and Practitioners 4.1.4 Hybrid 4.1.4.1 Products and Practitioners
33 33 34 34 35 35 35 36 37
0DFKLQH 7UDQVODWLRQ 7UHQGV 4.2.1 Customized Engines 4.2.2 Real-time Customization 4.2.3 Open Source Technology 4.2.4 Data Sharing 4.2.5 Human/Machine Translation 4.2.6 From Licensing to Professional Services
37 38 38 38 39 39
4.3 Machine Translation Value Chain 4.3.1 Supply 4.3.1.1 Types of Providers 4.3.1.2 Business Models 4.3.1.3 Channels and Platforms 4.3.2 Demand 4.3.2.1 Language Service Providers 4.3.2.2 Consumer/Individuals Direct 4.3.2.3 SME and Enterprise Direct 4.3.2.4 Government/Institutions
40 40 40 40 41 41 41 42 42 43 Copyright © TAUS 2013
4.4 Machine Translation Breakthroughs 4.4.1 Intractable Problems 4.4.2 Solvable Problems
43 43 43
4.5 Opportunities and Challenges in the Machine Translation Industry 4.5.1 Interoperability and Standards 4.5.2 Measuring and Benchmarking Quality 4.5.3 Cost of Customization 4.5.4 The Search for Talent
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7UHQGV 7KDW ,QÀXHQFH WKH 7UDQVODWLRQ 7HFKQRORJ\ ,QGXVWU\ 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6
&ORXG &URZG Big Data Mobile Social Convergence 5.6.1 Technology convergence 5.6.2 Functional convergence
6. Paradigm Shift and Counter Forces 6.1 Translation as a Utility 6.2 Counter Forces
7UDQVODWLRQ 'DWD DQG 7HFKQRORJ\
48 48 48 49 49 49
51 51 52
2SSRUWXQLWLHV 7.1.1 Terminology 7.1.2 Customized Machine Translation 7.1.3 Global Market and Customer Analytics 7.1.4 Quality management 7.1.5 Interoperability
54 55 55 56 56
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8. Drivers and Inhibitors
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9. Methodology
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Copyright © TAUS 2013
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Content  Explosion
1. Â
Content  and  translation  volume  keep  growing  explosively,  from  translation  of  paper  docu- ments  to  localization  of  software,  through  globalization  and  this  current  phase  of  integration  RI WUDQVODWLRQ WHFKQRORJ\ LQWR GHYLFHV DQG DSSOLFDWLRQV :LWK WKH RQVHW RI XQLÂżHG VHDPOHVV personalized  user  experiences  across  digital  touch  points  there  will  be  a  manifold  increase  in  the  content  explosion. Â
It  is  debatable  whether  the  translation  industry’s  response  to  rapid  globalization  and  growth  in  content   has  been  the  right  one.  Has  the  industry  made  best  use  of  technology  to  raise  its  capacity  and  stay   SUR¿WDEOH" 2U KDV WKH FRQWHQW H[SORVLRQ PDUJLQDOL]HG DQ LQGXVWU\ RI DUWLVDQV"
Translation  technology  solutions  will  continue  to  evolve  for  use  scenarios  arising  for  each  phase  of  evolution.
The  onset  of  the  cold  war  highlighted  the  need  for  machines  that  could  translate  with  both  the  US  and  5XVVLD ZDQWLQJ WR NHHS WDEV RQ HDFK RWKHU +RZHYHU GHVSLWH VLJQL¿FDQW LQYHVWPHQW E\ WKH ODWH V it  became  clear  that  machines  could  not  translate  anywhere  near  well  enough.  Machines  and  translation  ZHUH UDUHO\ VLJKWHG WRJHWKHU IRU WKH QH[W ¿IWHHQ \HDUV $ QRWDEOH H[FHSWLRQ ZDV WKH (XURSHDQ &RPPLV- sion’s  use  of  the  Systran  system  for  gisting  purposes  beginning  in  1976.
1980 Â -Â Â Translation
1990 Â -Â Â Localization
No  Translation  Technology
Translation  Memory  and  Glossary  Technology
2000 Â -Â Â Globalization
2010 Â -Â Â Globalization
A  Brief  History  of  Translation  Technology
To  understand  the  current  landscape  we  need  to  take  a  ride  back  into  translation  technology  history.
By  the  mid-Â1980s  a  few  service  providers  in  a  burgeoning  localization  industry,  focusing  on  translation  of  IT  manuals,  began  to  provide  translation  memory  tools,  which  enabled  recycling  of  translations,  along  side  glossary  tools  for  translators.  These  tools  helped  translators  to  increase  their  productivity  and  consistency. While  these  translation  technology  tools  became  more  scalable  and  the  feature  set  matured,  the  core   technology  for  improving  productivity  was  left  largely  untouched  for  the  next  twenty  years.  The  localization  industry  continued  to  grow  rapidly,  if  not  innovate,  and  many  in  the  traditional   translation  industry  were  largely  left  in  its  wake.
:RUNĂ€RZ 6\VWHPV
Machine  Translation  and  Advanced  Leveraging
Many  translators  demonstrated  reluctance  to  adopting  translation  technology  for  a  range  of  reasons.   Some  well  founded,  others  based  on  ill-Âinformed  fears  of  replacement.  The  lack  of  innovation  also  meant  low  barriers  to  entering  the  translation  technology  segment.  Many  translation  services  companies  developed  their  own  computer-Âaided  translation  tools,  creating  a  litany   of  mediocre  systems  with  no  differentiation.
2020 Â -Â Â Convergence
:KLOH WKH WUDQVODWLRQ VHUYLFHV LQGXVWU\ Ă€RXULVKHG WKH WHFKQRORJ\ VHJPHQW UHPDLQHG VPDOO In  that  same  period  the  cold  war  ended,  economic  growth  began  shifting  from  English  speaking  to   non-ÂEnglish  speaking  nations,  digital  communications  largely  replaced  print,  consumers  and  citizens  became  publishers  en-Âmasse,  and  people  on  two-Âdollars  a  day  got  connected  via  handy  mobile  phones.  Â
Source: Â TAUS 8
,W LV RQO\ LQ WKH ODVW ¿YH \HDUV WKDW ZH KDYH EHJXQ WR VHH ZKROHVDOH FKDQJHV LQ WKH WHFKQRORJ\ DQG  business  models  being  used  for  translation.  For  the  large  part  change  leaders  have  entered  from  outside  the  industry.  The  most  prominent  examples  are  Baidu,  Google,  Microsoft  and  Yandex.
Machine  Translation  and  other  Language  Technologies Embedded  in  all  Digital  Touchpoints Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
2. Â
Trend  Convergence  Drives  Translation  as  a  Utility Â
Translation  Technology  Landscape  in  a  Snapshot
The  translation  technology  segment  is  at  a  deeply  transformative  point  in  its  evolution.  For  one  genera- tion  the  segment  was  largely  comprised  of  solutions  that  serviced  the  professional  translation  industry.  These  tools  improve  the  productivity  and  consistency  of  human  translation  and  they  remain  relevant  for  their  steadily  growing  target  market. +RZHYHU LQ WKH ODVW ÂżYH \HDUV WKH JUDQGIDWKHU RI DOO WUDQVODWLRQ DXWRPDWLRQ WHFKQRORJLHV PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ began  to  be  adopted  by  the  professional  industry  en  masse  and  is  increasingly  ubiquitous  on  the  worldwide  web. The  ubiquity  of  continuously  improving  data-Âdriven  or  statistical  machine  translation  is  one  of  three  factors  creating  a  paradigm  shift  in  the  demand  for  translation.  In  addition,  global  economic  growth  is  shifting  to  non- English  speaking  markets  and  globalization  is  leading  to  previously  unseen  levels  of  cultural  exchange.  Together  these  major  technology,  economic  and  social  trends  are  converging  to  take  translation  from  a  “cost  of  doing  businessâ€?  for  a  few  thousand  organizations  and  a  luxury  professional  service  for  almost  everyone  else,  to  a  utility  sector.  That  is  to  say,  a  necessary  service  for  all  players  in  the  global  informa- tion  society,  with  differentiated  quality  expectations  dependent  on  purpose. Demand  for  translation  automation  technology,  and  in  particular  machine  translation,  will  grow: -   From  language  service  providers  and  individual  translators -   From  internationally  operating  enterprises  and  organizations -   Through  being  embedded  in  enterprise  systems,  social  software,  consumer  devices  and  over  time  all  digital  touch  points The  coming  years  herald  a  Convergence  era  where  technologies,  such  as  speech,  search  and  others  will  continue  to  be  combined  with  machine  translation  to  create  new  solutions.   There  will  be  functional  convergence  within  enterprises  and  across  supply  chains  as  machine  translation  is  increasingly  embedded  with  unexpected  innovations  as  a  result. &ORXG EDVHG VHUYLFHV DQG RSHQ VRXUFH WHFKQRORJ\ VXFK DV WKH 0RVHV WRRONLW OHYHO WKH SOD\LQJ ÂżHOG IRU innovative  new  providers.  That  said,  translation  data,  the  fuel  for  data  driven  machine  translation,  is  required  on  a  massive  scale  to  satisfy  demand.  Demand  will  come  from  verticals  requiring  customized  GRPDLQ VSHFLÂżF PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ 'HPDQG ZLOO FRPH IURP QDWLRQV ZDQWLQJ WR EH EHWWHU VHUYHG E\ translation  technology.  Whether  markets  for  translation  data  are  open  or  closed  is  a  key  factor  affecting  the  nature  of  evolution  in  the  segment,  the  cost  of  solutions  and  the  motivation  to  innovate.  Source:  TAUS
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Last  year  we  saw  the  number  of  Android  apps  exceed  that  of  Apple’s  iOS.  Android’s  open  source   approach  shifted  power  dynamics  and  created  economic  opportunities  for  many  in  an  extremely  high  growth  area.  Opening  up  access  to  translation  data  has  the  potential  to  be  just  as  powerful  an  enabler. Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
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Translation Technology Landscape Report
Translation Technology Landscape Report
Translation Industry Evolution Translation to Globalization
3.
Tools for the Professional Translation Industry
3.1
Types of Tools
Translation technology can be broken down into several major components. Translation tools, also known as CAT (computer-aided translation), enhance the productivity and consistency of human translators, and include several component technologies, including: translation memory (which enables translators to re-use and learn from previous work), translation management systems (which automate project management and publication), terminology management systems (which encourage the use of standard terms, names, and translations) and quality assurance tools. 7KH ZRUNÀRZ GLDJUDP EHORZ SURYLGHV DQ RYHUYLHZ RI WKH PDQ\ VWDJHV IRU WUDQVODWLRQ DQG ORFDOL]DWLRQ of documents. The translation technologies outlined in this section seek to optimize and where possible automate the process.
$ 7UDQVODWLRQ /RFDOL]DWLRQ :RUNÀRZ
Source: TAUS
Between the mid-1980s and around 2000, demand grew for translation of documents to software and then websites. Products went from being launched market by market to multiple markets simultaneously (Simship). Companies increasingly served international customer bases. To service the market evolution, the professional translation industry adopted translation memory (TM), terminology and translation/globalization process management technology. Source: TAUS
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Copyright © TAUS 2013
Copyright © TAUS 2013
13
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
3.1.1 Â
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Translation  Tools
Computer  aided  translation  (CAT)  tools  have  been  in  use  since  the  introduction  of  personal  compu- ters.  Their  primary  purpose  is  to  improve  translator  productivity  and  accuracy  by  providing  tools  such  as  document  editors,  glossaries,  translation  memory,  in  a  single  integrated  environment  or  workbench.  7KHVH WRROV KDYH HYROYHG DORQJ ZLWK WKH FRPSXWLQJ DQG QHWZRUNLQJ LQGXVWULHV ÂżUVW DV VWDQG DORQH WRROV to  be  used  on  a  single  computer,  to  client-Âserver  tools  to  be  used  on  a  company  network,  to  web  based  tools  where  the  service  and  tools  are  delivered  via  the  Internet. Â
3.1.1.2  Web  Based  CAT  Tools Web  based  CAT  tools  are  an  important  new  class  of  translation  tool,  and  are  likely  to  replace  traditional  client/server  tools  (e.g.  Windows  apps)  in  many  use  scenarios  for  several  reasons:
3.1.1.1  Client/Server  Based  CAT  Tools Client/server  computer  aided  translation  tools  (CAT)  have  been  in  use  for  approaching  twenty  years,   and  are  well  entrenched  within  enterprise  translation  and  localization  departments.  As  a  general  rule,  these  tools  were  developed  before  the  web  and  cloud  based  services  caught  on.  These  products  represent  a  mature  technology  and  include  nearly  every  feature  users  expect  from  a  translation  platform.
-   Cross-Âplatform  access  via  Windows,  Mac,  Linux  and  other  operating  systems.
The  typical  implementation  consists  of  a  central  server,  usually  hosted  on  the  customer  premises,  but  not  always,  which  in  turn  interacts  with  client  software,  typically  Windows  based  that  is  installed  on  HPSOR\HH DQG WUDQVODWRU PDFKLQHV 7KLV ZDV WKH VWDQGDUG FRQÂżJXUDWLRQ IRU PRVW W\SHV RI HQWHUSULVH software  until  about  ten  years  ago,  when  vendors  began  migrating  to  web  based  environments.  Newer  systems  that  have  been  built  from  the  ground  up  since  then  largely  bypass  this  model. Â
-   Support  for  agile  development  processes,  where  server  side  software  is  continually  improved  without  forcing  labor  intensive  client  software  upgrades.
These  systems,  because  of  their  age,  offer  a  complete  set  of  component  technologies  including   translation  memory,  glossaries,  document  editing  and  spellchecking  tools,  and  in  some  cases,  project  PDQDJHPHQW WRROV :KLOH WKH\ RIIHU D FRPSOHWH IHDWXUH VHW PDQ\ RI WKHVH WRROV KDYH VLJQL¿FDQW  disadvantages  relative  to  new  tools,  among  them:
-   SaaS  business  models,  with  per  user  or  volume  based  licenses  enable  customers  to  scale  up  and  down  as  needed.
-   Lack  of  cross-Âplatform  support,  most  are  heavily  focused  on  Windows,  a  problem  for  organizations  that  use  other  operating  systems.  -   Lack  of  native  mobile  support.  Translators  and  reviewers  increasingly  demand  mobile  applications  so  they  can  work  where  and  when  they  want  to. Â
14
In  general,  companies  that  are  not  already  vested  in  this  class  of  tool  should  consider  web  oriented  systems  described  in  section  3.1.1.2.  Established  vendors  are  re-Âtooling  their  client  server  solutions  as  cloud  based  products  as  well.  On  the  other  hand,  companies  and  government  agencies  that  have   stringent  security  requirements  will  probably  want  to  continue  hosting  these  services  in  their  own  data  centers,  or  at  least  on  computers  they  directly  control. Â
-   Ability  to  support  users  on  mobile  devices  either  via  native  mobile  apps  or  HTML5/Javascript,  Java  is  also  an  attractive  language  for  building  highly  capable,  cross  platform  apps. Â
-   Cloud  based  asset  management,  translation  memory,  and  other  features  to  centralize  project  and  asset  management.  Users  can  work  on  a  job  from  different  devices  at  different  times  without  losing  work.
Web  based  translation  agencies  typically  develop  their  own  translation  workbench  and  CAT  tools,   with  varying  levels  of  sophistication  depending  on  the  company  and  its  customer  base.  Examples  of  companies  in  this  category  include:  Gengo,  Straker  Translations,  Fox  Translate,  Elanex  (aka  ExpressIT),  and  One  Hour  Translations.  These  companies  provide  clients  with  web  based  and  API  based  ordering  and  project  management  interfaces  (front  end),  and  provide  translators  with  an  entirely  web  based   editing  and  CAT  environment  (back  end). Â
-   Steep  learning  curve.  These  systems  were  designed  primarily  for  translation  and  localization   professionals,  and  can  be  intimidating  to  newcomers.  They  also  have  user  interfaces  that  are  pretty  dated  by  today’s  standards.
The  Google  Translator  Toolkit  (GTT),  which  is  offered  as  a  standalone  CAT  tool  for  translators,  is   an  interesting  example  of  how  powerful  web  based  tools  can  be.  It  is  fully  integrated  with  Google   Translate,  so  translators  can  pre-Âtranslate  and  post-Âedit  texts  using  machine  translation  followed  by   human  review.  GTT  was  also  recently  integrated  with  YouTube  to  support  user-Âgenerated  captions.
-   High  IT  costs,  due  to  the  need  to  maintain  the  servers,  update  software  and  install  client  software  on  a  potentially  large  number  of  machines. Â
Some  client/server  CAT  tools,  such  as  those  provided  by  Across  Systems,  have  web  accessible  inter- faces.  However  in  these  systems,  web  access  tends  to  be  a  second-Âclass  citizen  compared  to  the  native Â
Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
client  app,  which  is  typically  written  for  Microsoft  Windows.  This  is  often  explained  by  the  product’s  history  and  the  timing  of  its  development.  Most  of  the  client/server  tools  trace  their  origins  to  the  late  90s  and  early  00s,  before  SaaS  had  caught  on,  and  before  non-ÂWindows  operating  systems  such  as   Mac  OS  X,  Android  and  iOS  became  commonplace.
3.1.2 Â
Translation  Management  Systems
Translation  management  systems  provide  an  additional  layer  of  process  management  and  automation.  They  are  used  to  manage  how  translation  work  is  assigned  to  different  participants,  and  to  import/export  documents  and  their  translations  to  and  from  other  systems,  such  as  content  management  systems.
3.1.1.3  Mobile  Translation  Tools  3.1.2.1  Document  TMS  Systems Mobile  translation  tools  are  currently  a  novelty  in  the  computer  aided  translation  space,  but  will  become  a  material  requirement  in  most  translation  management  systems  because  translators,  especially  in   developing  economies,  use  mobile  devices  as  their  primary  means  of  accessing  the  Internet.  Tools  that  do  not  support  mobile  access,  either  via  HTML5/Javascript,  or  via  native  iOS/Android  applications,  will  ¿QG LW LQFUHDVLQJO\ GLIÂżFXOW WR EULQJ WKHVH WUDQVODWRUV LQWR WKHLU ZRUNIRUFH Hong  Kong  based  OneSky  (www.oneskyapp.com)  offers  an  example  of  how  translation  can  be  done   YLD PRELOH GHYLFHV 7KHLU VHUYLFH LV VSHFLÂżFDOO\ JHDUHG WR PRELOH DSS ORFDOL]DWLRQ VR LW ÂżWV ZHOO ZLWK D  mobile  translation-Âediting  tool.  The  primary  challenge  in  making  CAT  environments  accessible  via  mobile  devices  is  to  deal  with  the  restrictive  display  and  user  input  interfaces  common  to  these  devices.  Typically  this  means  constraining  the  type  of  work  mobile  translators  can  do,  for  example,  by  having  them  work  on  shorter  texts  and  documents.  This  limitation  is  less  of  an  issue  for  tablet  type  devices  since  their  displays  are  similar  in  size  and  resolution  to  a  PC  or  laptop  display.
Translation  management  systems  (TMS)  provide  a  similar  function  as  content  management  systems.  These  systems  enable  operators  to:  &HQWUDOO\ PDQDJH UHVRXUFHV WR EH WUDQVODWHG GRFXPHQWV YLGHR FDSWLRQV ORFDOL]DWLRQ ¿OHV HWF -   Control  which  languages  each  project  or  resource  is  to  be  translated  to. -   Invite  and  assign  translators,  editors  and  reviews  to  each  project/language. 'H¿QH ZRUNÀRZV IRU WUDQVODWLRQ IRU H[DPSOH ZKHWKHU WUDQVODWLRQV DUH DXWR DSSURYHG RQ UHFHLSW IURP trusted  sources)  or  must  be  independently  reviewed. -   Receive  quality  feedback  and  defect  reports,  and  automatically  route  these  to  the  appropriate   translators  and  project  managers.
3.1.1.4  Stand  Alone  Utilities Stand-Âalone  CAT  tools  are  designed  for  use  by  independent  translators  who  do  a  lot  of  their  work   RIĂ€LQH 7KHLU SULPDU\ DGYDQWDJH LV WKH DELOLW\ WR ZRUN LQGHSHQGHQWO\ RI ,QWHUQHW FRQQHFWLYLW\ VR D  translator  can  download  a  project,  copy  it  into  their  CAT  tool,  complete  the  task,  and  then  check  it  back  into  the  translation  management  system  when  they  return. These  tools  are  well  entrenched  and  heavily  used  by  professional  translators,  and  will  enjoy  continued  success  in  the  marketplace,  especially  if  they  are  upgraded  to  inter-Âoperate  with  cloud  based  translation  management  systems.  These  tools  combine  a  number  of  functions  including:  document  editing,  transla- tion  memory,  glossary,  and  spellchecking.  Examples  of  these  tools  include  MemoQ  and  SDL/Trados.
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-   Use  machine  translation  (for  pre-Âtranslation),  translation  memory,  term  glossary  and  advanced  leveraging  WR UH XVH SUHYLRXVO\ FRPSOHWHG WUDQVODWLRQV WR ERRVW HIÂżFLHQF\ DQG WR LQFUHDVH TXDOLW\ DQG FRQVLVWHQF\ -   Export  completed  translations  to  external  systems  (e.g.  content  management  system,  e-Âcommerce  plat- form,  etc). These  systems  are  fairly  mature  products  in  terms  of  functionality.  The  major  shift  underway  today  is   a  migration  from  customer  premise  based  client/server  systems  (where  the  customer  deploys  and  mana- ges  their  TMS  system)  to  cloud  based  SaaS  (software  as  a  service)  offerings.  Virtually  all  translation   vendors  starting  up  in  the  last  few  years  offer  cloud-Âbased  solutions.  These  include  companies  like  MemSource  and  XTM  International.  Major  translation  technology  vendors  such  as  SDL  have  been   retooling  their  product  offerings  across  the  board  as  SaaS  services. Â
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3.1.2.2  Localization  TMS  Â
3.1.2.4  QA  Tools  &  Processes
Localization  management  systems  are  a  specialized  form  of  translation  management  system  that  are  used  primarily  or  exclusively  for  software  localization.  Localization  has  a  unique  set  of  requirements  compared  to  document  translation,  so  this  differentiation  makes  sense.  For  example,  when  localizing  software,  it  is  very  important  to  pay  attention  to  word  length,  as  this  affects  the  layout  of  a  user  inter- face.  For  example,  German,  with  its  longer  average  word  length  and  abundance  of  compound  words,  can  easily  break  the  layout  of  a  webpage  or  application.  Localization  management  tools  are  designed  with  these  issues  in  mind,  whereas  document  oriented  tools  are  less  concerned  with  issues  like  this.
Translation  management  systems  typically  employ  a  number  of  tools  and  processes  to  maximize  quality  at  different  stages  of  the  project.  This  is  covered  in  section  3.1.3.6.
Key  localization  translation  management  system  providers  for  websites  include  Transperfect  and  Mo- tionPoint,  who  use  a  long  established  and  popular  proxy  server  approach. There  has  been  a  proliferation  of  vendors  that  offer  localization  as  a  turnkey  SaaS  offering  over  the  past  couple  of  years.  Examples  include  companies  like  GetLocalization,  OneSky,  Smartling,  Tethras,  and  Transifex.  These  companies  provide  turnkey,  cloud  based  services  that  enable  customers  to  upload  their  SURPSW ÂżOHV DQG RWKHU DVVHWV FRQWURO KRZ WKH\ ZLOO EH WUDQVODWHG DQG WR ZKDW ODQJXDJHV DQG LI QHHGHG order  bulk  translations  from  a  professional  language  service  provider  that  has  integrated  with  the  service.   The  customer  can  generally  combine  machine,  crowd  (bring  your  own  translators)  and  professional  (outsourced)  translation. Â
3.1.2.3  Translation  Memory  &  Terminology  Management  Translation  memory  and  terminology  glossaries  are  generally  implemented  as  a  feature  within  larger  V\VWHPV 7KHVH VHUYLFHV DUH XVHG WR LPSURYH WUDQVODWRU HIÂżFLHQF\ DQG DFFXUDF\ 7HUP JORVVDULHV DUH translation  dictionaries  that  are  built  from  frequently  occurring  words  or  phrases,  for  example  technical  terms,  brand  names,  etc.  These  dictionaries  are  used  to  pre-Âtranslate  recurring  words  and  phrases,  and  to  assist  translators  in  using  consistent  translations,  and  also  to  avoid  translating  items  that  should  be  left  as  is,  such  as  brand  names.
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Translation  Processes  &  Features
The  features  highlighted  in  this  section  can  be  found  throughout  the  translation  technology  tool  chain.  These  are  best  thought  of,  not  as  products,  but  as  technologies  or  features  that  are  embedded  within  larger  V\VWHPV 7KHVH IHDWXUHV DUH JHQHUDOO\ XWLOL]HG WR LQFUHDVH WUDQVODWRU SURGXFWLYLW\ LPSURYH HI¿FLHQF\ cost,  reduce  errors,  and  encourage  the  use  of  consistent  style  and  terminology,  all  of  which  are  important  to  delivering  high  quality  output.
3.1.3.1  Translation  Memory Translation  memory  is  a  common  feature  in  most  computer  aided  translation  (CAT)  tools.  It  comes  in  two  distinct  forms,  one  of  which  is  used  to  eliminate  redundant  work,  and  one  which  is  used  to  assist  translators  in  recalling  similar  translations  from  previous  jobs. Exact  match  translation  memory  simply  looks  for  translations  whose  source  text  exactly  matches  a  SUHYLRXVO\ FRPSOHWHG WUDQVODWLRQ 7KLV LV W\SLFDOO\ XVHG WR DXWR ÂżOO WUDQVODWLRQV IRU VRXUFH WH[WV WKDW KDYH DOUHDG\ EHHQ WUDQVODWHG )RU DSSOLFDWLRQV ZKHUH WKHUH DUH D ORW RI UHSHDWLQJ WH[WV WKLV FDQ \LHOG VLJQLÂż- cant  cost  savings.  Most  translation  memory  technologies  only  retrieve  exact  matches  from  small  project  VSHFLÂżF 70V 0DQ\ XVHUV RQO\ DSSO\ H[DFW PDWFKHV DXWRPDWLFDOO\ LI WKH SUHYLRXV VHQWHQFH DQG WKH IRO- lowing  sentence  are  also  exact  matches.  This  is  sometimes  called  an  ICE  match. Â
Translation  memory  is  a  record  of  previously  created  human  translations.  Typically,  this  is  used  to  display  similar  source  texts  and  their  translations,  both  as  a  memory  aid  for  translators,  and  as  a  style  JXLGH 7UDQVODWLRQ PHPRU\ FDQ DOVR EH XVHG WR ERRVW WUDQVODWRU HIÂżFLHQF\ IRU H[DPSOH E\ HQDEOLQJ WKHP to  make  small  changes  to  previously  created  texts  (see  section  3.1.3.1  for  information  on  translation  memory). Â
Fuzzy  match  translation  memory  looks  up  not  just  exact  matches,  but  also  looks  for  similar  source   texts,  and  scores  them  by  their  degree  of  similarity  to  the  index  text.  While  this  is  conceptually  simple,   calculating  the  “distanceâ€?  between  texts  is  not  trivial.  At  best  these  systems  can  generate  an  approximate  “distanceâ€?  between  candidate  texts.  Because  of  this,  fuzzy  match  translation  memory  is  best  used  as  a  style  and  memory  aid  for  human  translators,  who  can  pull  up  a  list  of  similar  texts  and  their  translations,  and  then  use  the  relevant  pieces  as  needed.  This  form  of  translation  memory  generally  does  not  yield  VLJQLÂżFDQW FRVW VDYLQJV WKH WUDQVODWRU KDV WR PDQXDOO\ GHFLGH ZKLFK WH[WV WR XVH DQG KRZ EXW LV EHVW used  to  reduce  errors,  and  to  encourage  the  use  of  a  consistent  writing  style. Â
Both  services  are  typically  integrated  into  a  translation  management  system,  but  there  are  examples  of  stand-Âalone  translation  memory  services,  such  as  MemSource.
7UDQVODWLRQ PHPRU\ ZDV ÂżUVW IRXQG WR EH XVHIXO ZKHQ WKH XVHU GRFXPHQWDWLRQ ZDV XSGDWHG IRU QHZ  versions  of  software.  There  is  typically  a  high  reuse  rate  in  these  documents. Â
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3.1.3.2  Advanced  Leveraging
-   Decide  who  is  allowed  to  edit  or  translate  assets,  on  a  per  site,  project  or  asset  level  (e.g.  invite  profes- sional  or  crowd  translators  to  a  project).
Advanced  leveraging,  otherwise  known  as  sub-Âsegment  analysis,  is  used  to  construct  a  translation  using  sentence  fragments.  This  type  of  CAT  tool  tries  to  stitch  together  translations  from  different  segments,  for  example  by  identifying  translations  for  phrases  which,  in  turn,  appear  in  longer  texts  elsewhere.  This  technology  is  useful  as  a  translator  productivity  enhancer,  but  like  fuzzy  match  translation  memory,  cannot  be  fully  automated.  It  is  an  intermediate  approach  between  translation  memory  and  machine  translation. Advanced  leveraging  has  been  offered  as  a  feature  in  a  small  group  of  tools,  including  MultiCorpora’s  MultiTrans  and  Atril’s  De  Ja  Vu,  for  a  number  of  years  now.  The  main  adopters  have  been  public  bodies  DQG WKH ÂżQDQFH VHFWRU 7KHVH VHFWRUV GR QRW EHQHÂżW JUHDWO\ IURP WUDQVODWLRQ PHPRU\ DV WKHLU IRFXV LV QRW SURGXFW XSGDWHV ,QVWHDG DGYDQFHG OHYHUDJLQJ WRROV KHOS WKHP WR HIÂżFLHQWO\ UHXVH WUDQVODWLRQV IURP  large  translation  datasets,  which  are  called  corpora.  By  using  such  technology  they  aim  to  enhance   productivity  and  terminological  consistency.  There  is  a  general  trend  away  from  large  sets  of  documentation  to  smaller  volume,  sometimes   continuous  streams  of  publishing.  Given  this  trend  there  is  scope  for  growing  adoption  of  advanced  leveraging  technology  for  years  to  come.
3.1.3.4  Terminology  Management Terminology  management  systems  enable  users  to  create,  translate  and  manage  dictionaries  or  term  JORVVDULHV RQ D FXVWRPHU SURMHFW RU DVVHW OHYHO 7HUP JORVVDULHV DUH XVHIXO IRU GHÂżQLQJ KRZ D VHW RI words,  phrases  or  proper  names  should  be  translated  (or  not  translated).  This  is  used  not  so  much  to   reduce  translation  cost,  but  to  encourage  consistent  vocabulary  and  style,  and  to  prevent  dissonant   translations  of  phrases  that  recur  frequently.  While  glossary  terms  can  be  auto-Âtranslated,  the  best  practice  is  to  recommend  their  use  to  translators,  who  then  click  on  an  accept  button  or  link,  to  paste  the  recommended  phrase  into  their  translation   editing  environment.  Translators  should  be  able  to  override  the  recommendation  because  there  are  often  situations  where  the  translated  text  needs  to  be  edited  for  grammatical  correctness.  This  is  basically  a  required  feature  for  any  serious  CAT  tool,  and  is  available  in  some  form  on  almost  every  translation  and  localization  platform  or  tool  in  use  today.  There  are  also  a  few  vendors  that   specialize  in  terminology  management  tools,  such  as  Interverbum  Tech.
3.1.3.3  Translation  Process  Management 3.1.3.5  Controlled  Authoring 7UDQVODWLRQ SURFHVV PDQDJHPHQW 730 UHIHUV WR DGPLQVWUDWLYH DQG ZRUNÀRZ FRQWURO WRROV WKDW  enable  a  system  owner  or  administrator  to  control  when  and  how  translations  are  done,  the  quality   assurance/review  process,  etc.  The  details  of  how  this  is  implemented  vary  widely  from  system  to   system.  Some  systems  provide  the  administrator  with  the  ability  to  set  broad  controls  on  how  things  DUH GRQH ZKLOH RWKHUV DOORZ WKH DGPLQLVWUDWRU WR FRQWURO WKH WUDQVODWLRQ SURFHVV DW D ¿QH JUDLQHG  (per  job  or  task)  level.
Controlled  authoring  tools,  such  as  Acrolinx,  are  used  before  translation  even  begins.  These  tools  are   designed  to  maximize  the  source  content’s  quality  and  consistency,  and  provide  the  following  key  features: -   Spellcheck  and  grammar  correction:  to  catch  basic  mistakes  during  authoring. -   Terminology  management:  to  insure  that  technical  terms  are  used  consistently.
Generally  speaking,  TPM  tools  allow  the  system  administrator  to  control  the  following: -   Brand  protection:  to  insure  that  brand  names  and  proper  names  are  used  correctly. -   Decide  which  assets  or  asset  classes  are  routed  for  translation. -   Edit  for  MT:  to  enable  users  to  prepare  source  text  for  machine  translation. -   Decide  which  translation  resource  or  service  to  use  for  an  asset  class  and  target  language   (e.g.  machine/human  translation,  select  LSP,  SLA,  etc).
The  basic  goal  is  to  prevent  author’s  from  using  inconsistent  terminology,  catch  common  errors,  and  generally  produce  standardized  output  that  is  search  engine  friendly,  and  translation  ready. Â
-   Decide  whether  returned  translations  should  be  auto-Âapproved,  or  queued  for  review  and  post-Âediting. -   Decide  who  is  allowed  to  review/post-Âedit  returned  translations  or  mark  translations  as  complete/  published. 20
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3.1.3.6  Quality  Assurance
3.2.1 Â
Translation  quality  assurance  relies  on  a  combination  of  technology  and  processes  to  prevent  errors  from  creeping  into  translation  projects.  The  QA  process  starts  before  a  project  is  sent  out  for  translation,  for  example  be  sanitizing  text  to  protect  non-Âtranslatable  elements,  disambiguate  the  source  text,  provide  comments  and  context,  etc.
Computer  aided  translation  tools  have  gone  through  three  distinct  phases  of  development  since  their  inception.  First  generation  tools  were  largely  designed  to  be  used  as  stand-Âalone  applications,  largely  due  to  the  fact  that  network  connectivity  was  limited  at  the  time  of  their  development,  and  due  to  the  “low  techâ€?  history  of  the  translation  industry,  as  it  predates  the  computing  industry  by  far.  Some  of  these  tools,  such  as  SDL/Trados,  continue  to  thrive,  and  can  be  upgraded  to  interoperate  with  new  cloud  based  translation  platforms.
Once  translation  is  in  progress,  QA  is  implemented  in  several  ways  at  different  stages  of  the  process: -   [prior  to  translator  assignment]  :  decide  which  translator(s)  are  best  match  to  the  task,  factoring  in  skill  level,  prior  QA  scores,  availability  and  domain  of  expertise. -   [during  translation]  :  computer  aided  translation  (CAT)  tools  draw  upon  resources  such  as  spellcheckers,  term  glossaries,  and  translation  memory  to  increase  productivity,  catch  common  errors,  and  encourage  the  use  of  consistent  style  and  terminology. -   [post  translation]  :  completed  translations  are  generally  sent  to  an  editor  or  trusted  reviewer  to  be  spot  checked,  and  post-Âedited  as  needed  (or  sent  back  to  the  translator(s)  for  additional  work. -   [post  translation]  :  highly  automated  systems  may  send  translations  to  one  or  more  randomly  chosen  translators  for  a  blind  peer  review  and  score.  Editors  only  intervene  to  evaluate  translations  with  an  ambiguous  score. -   [post  delivery]  :  highly  automated  translation  services  may  also  provide  a  widget  or  API  through  which  the  customer  can  comment  on,  score  or  request  re-Âtranslation  of  texts.  This  allows  high  volume  trans- lation  applications  to  continually  improve  translations  without  subjecting  every  text  to  embargo,  and  also  enables  the  client’s  customers  to  contribute  feedback  about  translations  (e.g.  in  moderated  crowd  translation  scenarios). Examples  of  specialized  QA  tools  are  QA  Distiller,  Error  Spy  and  Xbench.  The  industry  reference  for  quality  evaluation  is  the  TAUS  Dynamic  Quality  Framework.  This  documents  EHVW SUDFWLFHV IRU TXDOLW\ HYDOXDWLRQ SURYLGHV D PHWKRG WR VHOHFW ÂżW IRU SXUSRVH HYDOXDWLRQ DSSURDFKHV and  a  set  of  tools  to  establish  quality  evaluation  metrics  and  benchmarks.
3.2 Â
Translation  Technology  Trends
There  are  several  trends  affecting  this  sector:  the  transition  from  desktop  to  client/server  and  then  to  cloud  based  (SaaS)  services,  the  translation  from  licensed  software  to  subscription  (SaaS)  business   models,  and  the  trend  toward  integration  solutions  (for  example,  translation  management  systems  that  are  integrated  with  web  publishing  or  CMS  platforms).  22
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From  Desktop  to  Server  and  now  Cloud
As  companies  deployed  local  and  wide  area  networks,  and  then  later  connected  to  the  Internet,  client/ server  CAT  tools  and  systems  became  commonplace.  These  tools  were  developed  during  the  1990s,  and  mirror  the  technologies  available  at  the  time.  These  systems  enabled  their  operators  to  centralize  WKH VWRUDJH DQG PDQDJHPHQW RI WUDQVODWLRQ DVVHWV DQG SURMHFW PDQDJHPHQW ZKLFK HQDEOHG VLJQLÂżFDQW SURGXFWLYLW\ JDLQV LQ WUDQVODWLRQ ZRUNĂ€RZ 7KHVH WRROV ZHUH ODUJHO\ :LQGRZV EDVHG DQG PRVW XWLOL]HG proprietary  communication  protocols  for  client/server  communication. The  latest  generation  of  CAT  tools  are  largely  cloud  based  SaaS  (software  as  a  service)  offerings  that  eliminate  the  need  for  the  operator  to  own  and  manage  on  premise  equipment.  These  services,  many  of  them  developed  by  emerging  companies  such  as  XTM  International  and  Smartling,  are  also  built  from  the  ground  up  around  web  based  technologies,  and  are  accessible  from  virtually  any  operating  system   RU GHYLFH 7KLV LV D VLJQLÂżFDQW DGYDQWDJH RYHU VHFRQG JHQHUDWLRQ WRROV DV WKH\ DUH ODUJHO\ WLHG WR WKH Windows  operating  system,  and  are  not  easily  accessed  via  the  web  or  mobile  devices. Â
3.2.2 Â
From  Licensing  to  Professional  Services  and  SaaS
Translation  platforms  have  gone  through  a  similar  evolution  from  per-Âseat  perpetual  licenses  to  profes- sional  services,  and  most  recently,  to  a  SaaS  (software  as  a  service)  pricing  model.  Early  products  were  sold  as  shrink-Âwrapped  software,  essentially  a  perpetual  license  based  on  the   number  of  installed  seats.  Most  software  was  packaged  this  way  at  that  time,  so  this  approach  made  sense  in  its  day.  Since  then,  small  and  large  translation  technology  companies,  from  startups  to  industry  leaders  like  SDL,  are  shifting  to  SaaS  pricing  models. These  contracts  are  typically  priced  as  monthly  or  annual  subscriptions,  with  rates  linked  to  one  of  several  variables,  including:  the  number  of  words  or  segments  stored  in  the  system,  translation  volume,  number  of  target  languages,  or  number  of  active  users.  Transifex,  for  example,  prices  its  localization  management  service  based  on  the  number  of  words  stored  in  its  central  repository.  The  pricing  formula  varies  from  company  to  company,  but  is  generally  linked  to  usage,  storage  or  translation  volume,  so  each  customer  pays  based  on  their  usage  of  the  service. Â
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3.2.3 Â
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Integration  with  Content  Management  Systems
Leading  translation  management  systems,  such  as  SDL  World  Server,  are  integrated  with  popular   content  management  systems,  including  Drupal,  Sharepoint,  and  others.  This  has  become  a  requirement  DV FRPSDQLHV XVH &06 SODWIRUPV WR PDQDJH WKHLU VRXUFH FRQWHQW HGLWRULDO DQG SXEOLVKLQJ ZRUNĂ€RZV Integrating  with  these  systems  enables  translation  companies  from  re-Âinventing  tools  that  have  already  been  done  well  by  other  companies.
6WDQG DORQH 706 V\VWHPV RQ WKH RWKHU KDQG DUH XVHG WR PDQDJH WUDQVODWLRQ ZRUNĂ€RZ IRU PDQ\  different  types  of  assets,  from  documents,  to  websites.  Since  different  types  of  content  require  diffe- UHQW ZRUNĂ€RZV DQG RIWHQ GLIIHUHQW VHUYLFH SURYLGHUV DQ HQWHUSULVH 706 HQDEOHV RSHUDWRUV WR PDQDJH not  just  the  translation  process,  but  also  the  vendor  supply  chain.  Examples  of  vendors  in  this  category  include:  SDL,  Across  Systems,  and  Lingotek. Â
3.3.1.1.2  Localization  Management  Systems Middleware  companies,  such  as  Clay  Tablet  Systems,  offer  services  that  connect  a  variety  of  translation  management  systems  with  the  leading  content  management  systems.  They  have  integrated  with  most  of  the  popular  corporate  CMS  platforms.  This  is  an  attractive  option  for  translation  technology  companies,  who  can  integrate  once  with  Clay  Tablet’s  system,  and  then  automatically  inherit  support  for  every  CMS  platform  they  have  integrated  with. Â
3.3 Â
Translation  Technology  Value  Chain
3.3.1 Â
Supply
Localization  management  systems  are  a  special  type  of  translation  management  system,  and  focus  on  the  tasks  and  challenges  that  are  unique  to  software  localization.  There  has  been  a  proliferation  of  SaaS  based  services  in  this  area,  especially  for  mobile  app  localization  for  iOS  and  Android  platforms.  These  VHUYLFHV HQDEOH XVHUV WR XSORDG WKHLU DSSOLFDWLRQ SURPSW FDWDORJV XVLQJ D YDULHW\ RI ORFDOL]DWLRQ ÂżOH  formats,  and  manage  them  and  their  translations  via  a  centralized  repository.  Newer  services  borrow  from  collaborative  development  platforms  like  Github  to  support  agile  localization,  where  localizations  DUH FRQWLQXDOO\ UHÂżQHG DQG GHSOR\HG ZLWK LQFUHPHQWDO XSJUDGHV ([DPSOHV RI WKHVH VHUYLFHV LQFOXGH *HW/RFDOL]DWLRQ 2QHVN\ 7HWKUDV 7UDQVĂ€XHQW DQG 7UDQVLIH[ DOO  of  which  are  accessible  to  both  small  and  large  companies.  On  the  high  end  of  the  market,  companies  like  Moravia  Worldwide  and  Welocalize  provide  software  localization  and  testing  to  large  software   companies  such  as  Microsoft  and  Oracle. Â
3.3.1.1  Types  of  Providers A  number  of  platforms  are  commonly  integrated  into  the  translation  supply  chain,  including  translation  management  systems,  localization  management  systems,  captioning  and  subtitling  platforms,  stand- alone  translation  memory  services  and  live  interpretation  systems.  Each  of  these  directly  manage  or  LQWHUDFW ZLWK WKH WUDQVODWLRQ ZRUNÀRZ HDFK ZLWK LWV RZQ XVH FDVHV DQG VSHFLDO UHTXLUHPHQWV
3.3.1.1.3  Translation  Memory  (Stand  Alone) Translation  memory,  while  it  is  generally  integrated  into  translation  management  systems,  is  also   available  as  a  stand-Âalone,  cloud  based  service. Â
3.3.1.1.1  Translation  Management  Systems 7UDQVODWLRQ PDQDJHPHQW V\VWHPV HQDEOH XVHUV WR FHQWUDOL]H DQG FRQWURO WKHLU WUDQVODWLRQ ZRUNĂ€RZ DV well  as  to  manage  the  assets  being  translated  (documents,  videos,  and  other  content).  These  systems  range  from  simple,  purpose-Âbuilt  TMS  solutions,  such  as  Word  Press  translation  tools,  to  complete   VXSSO\ FKDLQ PDQDJHPHQW V\VWHPV WKDW LQ DGGLWLRQ WR PDQDJLQJ WUDQVODWLRQ ZRUNĂ€RZ DOVR DXWRPDWH WKH process  of  interacting  with  external  translation  service  providers. Purpose  built  TMS  systems  are  often  embedded  within  other  products,  such  as  content  management  systems.  While  these  do  not  provide  full  supply  chain  management,  they  provide  most  of  the  functions  QHHGHG WR PDQDJH WUDQVODWLRQ ZRUNĂ€RZ IRU W\SLFDO XVHUV ([DPSOHV LQFOXGH WKH 7UDQVODWLRQ 0DQDJHPHQW Tool,  by  MD  Systems,  for  the  Drupal  content  management  system,  and  Word  Press  ML  (wpml.org),   a  multilingual  translation  management  tool  for  the  popular  Word  Press  platform.
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Most  translation  management  systems  and  CAT  tools  provide  some  form  of  translation  memory.  Nearly  all  provide  exact  match  translation  memory,  to  avoid  re-Âtranslation  of  repeating  texts,  as  well  as  termino- logy  glossaries  or  dictionaries,  to  promote  consistent  translation.  Most  also  provide  fuzzy  match  transla- tion  memory,  as  a  memory  aid  and  style  guide  for  translators.  If  a  TMS  or  CAT  tool  does  not  provide  at  OHDVW EDVLF WUDQVODWLRQ PHPRU\ WKLV LV D VHULRXV GHÂżFLHQF\ WKDW VKRXOG UXOH RXW WKH XVH RI WKDW SURGXFW
3.3.1.1.4  Audio/Video  Captioning  Systems Audio/video  captioning  and  subtitling  systems  have  a  unique  set  of  requirements  that  differ  from  text  based  content.  Because  of  this,  vendors  tend  to  specialize  in  this  area.  Captioning  systems  must  deal  with  a  number  of  technical  issues,  including:
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6XSSRUW IRU D ZLGH YDULHW\ RI YLGHR ¿OH VWUHDP IRUPDWV
3.3.1.2.2 Cloud/SaaS
- Tools to transcribe audio tracks to create source language captions. - Tools to translate captions into one or more languages.
Cloud based (SaaS) offerings are becoming more common in the translation industry, and are the over- whelming favorite among new companies. These services are typically priced as monthly subscriptions, with the fee based on any number of factors including:
- Ability to time code captions so they appear at the right time during playback.
- Number of registered or active users.
- Tools to review and post-edit translations.
- Number of target languages supported.
Several vendors, including dotSub, Amara, and Viki specialize in video captioning and subtitling. dotSub and Amara provide tools that enable video content producers to generate captions using a combi- nation of crowdsourced translations, and optional professional translators. Viki, meanwhile, is a purely crowd based system, and has created a vibrant translation community (several million active users) around captioning video programs from around the world.
- Number of projects or assets stored on system. - Number of words hosted on the system. - Translation volume per month.
3.3.1.1.5 Interpretation Systems
In all cases, customers are largely able to avoid up front commitments, and can also evaluate a product at relatively low cost and risk prior to scaling up to production use. Vendors that fail to offer a viable SaaS option will risk losing market share to emerging companies and services that do.
Interpretation systems and services enable users to have telephone calls translated in real time, using either sequential or simultaneous interpretation (simultaneous interpretation enables both parties to converse naturally without pausing for an interpreter to repeat what they said). Like video captioning, this is also a specialist market, with a different set of dominant vendors compared to other sectors of the translation industry.
3.3.1.2.3 Translation Services
These services are typically accessed via a telephone or voice over IP (VoIP) call to the interpretation service which, in turn, bridges on or more interpreters onto the call. Providers in this category include Language Services Associates and Language Line.
Another business model employed by some tools and platforms is a loss-leader strategy, where the software or platform is offered for free, while the vendor charges for professional translations brokered through their system. Cloudwords, for example, operates a hosted marketplace and translation/project management service that enables customers to select from many translation agencies, and to centrally manage their projects. While the Cloudwords service is not free, it is quite inexpensive. Cloudwords, in turn, charges a commission for the projects brokered through its platform. Many localization service providers follow a similar model, and offer their hosted platform for an inexpensive monthly fee, then make the bulk of their money by selling professional translations on a per word basis. Translation agencies, in turn, make most or all of their money by selling translation.
3.3.1.2 Business Models 3.3.1.2.1 Licensed Until recently, most translation tools were sold as licensed software, typically priced per user/seat. This is how most enterprise software was sold prior to the transition to cloud/SaaS based services. Even now, many enterprise software vendors sell their software this way. Cloud based offerings will, however, force many vendors to rethink their pricing model because these offerings enable customers to scale their tools budget up and down in response to usage, and to avoid committing to expensive upfront purchases.
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3.3.1.3 Channels and Platforms These translation services are offered through both direct and channel partner systems, depending on the amount of automation and system integration required. For example, a translation agency that offers a self-service web translation tool for ordering translations for Word documents will typically sell direct to
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
end  users.  On  the  other  hand,  systems  that  require  a  lot  of  automation  will  often  have  translation  built  in.  Examples  of  integrated  solutions  include: -   Content  management  systems  that  have  translation  management  built  in  (e.g.  Drupal). -   Captioning  and  subtitling  services  that  support  translations  as  part  of  the  captioning  process   (e.g.  3PlayMedia,  Amara). -   Multilingual  e-Âcommerce  systems  that  automatically  translate  source  language  content  as  new  products  are  added. -   Custom  applications  built  around  a  language  service  provider’s  system  or  API. The  advantage  of  integrated  solutions  is  that  they  greatly  reduce  the  amount  of  work  the  customer  needs  to  do  to  utilize  translation  (in  some  cases,  they  automatically  request  translations  from  LSPs  behind   the  scenes  so  no  administrative  work  is  required  of  the  users).  Their  main  disadvantage  is  that  these   LQWHJUDWLRQV DUH GLIÂżFXOW DQG H[SHQVLYH WR GR VR /63V DQG WKLUG SDUW\ VROXWLRQ SURYLGHUV DUH VORZ WR  create  integrated  tools  for  new  markets  and  applications.
3.3.2 Â
Demand
Translation  marketplaces,  such  as  Cloudwords,  enable  translation  buyers  to  request  competitive  quotes,  place  orders,  and  manage  their  projects  via  an  SaaS  offering.  This  is  attractive  for  companies  that  have  complex  translation  needs  that  require  the  use  of  multiple  agencies.  Simpler  marketplaces,  such  as  ProZ  and  Translator’s  Cafe,  enable  users  to  request  competitive  quotes,  but  do  not  provide  integrated  project  management  tools. Translators  will  often  decide  to  work  directly  with  their  favorite  clients.  New  tools  make  it  easier  for  people  who  are  not  translation  industry  professionals  to  assume  many  project  management  tasks,  and  therefore  to  work  directly  with  a  hand  picked  crew  of  translators.
3.3.2.2  Language  Service  Providers  (Translation  Agencies) Language  service  providers  typically  interact  with  the  supply  chain  via  more  direct  means,  since  they  serve  in  an  intermediary  role  for  individual  translators.  They  typically  focus  on  direct  sales,  and  to  a  lesser  extent  reach  customers  through  translation  marketplaces.  One  of  the  services  they  provide  is  outbound  sales  and  account  management  to  larger  corporate  clients,  VRPHWKLQJ LQGLYLGXDO WUDQVODWRUV DUH QRW QHFHVVDULO\ VNLOOHG DW RU ¿QDQFLDOO\ HTXLSSHG WR GR
The  demand  for  translation  technology  comes  from  several  sources:  individual  translators,  language  service  providers  (translation  agencies),  and  publishers/content  producers.  Individual  translators  and  DJHQFLHV DUH W\SLFDOO\ ORRNLQJ IRU FRPSXWHU DLGHG WUDQVODWLRQ WRROV VR WKH\ FDQ ZRUN PRUH HI¿FLHQWO\ Larger  agencies  will  also  invest  in  translation  management  tools  (or  use  their  customer’s  translation  management  tools,  depending  on  the  situation).  Publishers  and  content  producers,  on  the  other  hand,  are  generally  looking  for  process  automation,  and  are  less  concerned  about  the  details  of  how  translators  do  their  work  (this  is  often  done  by  an  outsourced  agency).
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translators  go  through,  but  new  technologies  are  enabling  customers  to  automate  more  of  the  process,  and  in  some  cases  build  direct  relationships  with  translators.  Google’s  G-ÂCommunity  is  an  example  of  such  disintermediation.
7KHUH DUH D VLJQLÂżFDQW QXPEHU RI WUDQVODWLRQ DJHQFLHV WKDW ZRUN SULPDULO\ DV VXEFRQWUDFWRUV IRU ODUJHU VHUYLFH SURYLGHUV 7KHVH W\SLFDOO\ IRFXV RQ D VPDOO QXPEHU RI ODQJXDJHV RU VSHFLDOL]H LQ VSHFLÂżF VHFWRUV 7KH\ XQGHUWDNH WKH SURGXFWLRQ ZKLOH WKH ODUJHU ÂżUPV PDLQWDLQ WKH UHODWLRQVKLS ZLWK FXVWRPHUV
3.3.2.1  Individual  Translators
To  a  lesser  extent,  translation  agencies  will  access  customers  through  translation  marketplaces  like  ProZ  and  Cloudwords.  The  larger  agencies  generally  do  not  feel  they  need  to  participate  in  these  communities,   except  to  recruit  translators,  since  they  have  well  developed  outbound  sounds  and  account  management  capabilities.  Small  and  mid-Âsized  agencies,  which  tend  to  specialize  by  language,  services  or  domain  of  expertise,  do  actively  participate  in  these.
Individual  translators  participate  in  the  supply  chain  in  three  main  ways:  via  translation  agencies,   translation  marketplaces  and  direct-Âto-Âcustomer  relationships. Â
3.3.2.3  Publisher  Organizations
Traditionally,  individual  translators  would  interact  with  customers  via  language  service  providers   (translation  agencies).  LSPs  provide  several  services  to  translators:  customer  acquisition  (sales),  project  management,  and  administrative  support  (billing,  collections,  etc).  They  are  still  the  dominant  channel Â
Publisher  organizations,  or  content  producers,  are  generally  concerned  with  delivering  translations  once  completed,  and  generate  requests  for  translation  for  new  content,  whether  it  is  a  website  article,  travel  lis- ting  or  other  item.  They  will  typically  use  a  content  management  system  or  e-Âcommerce  platform  that  has Â
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Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
EHHQ LQWHJUDWHG ZLWK WKH WUDQVODWLRQ VXSSO\ FKDLQ WR LPSOHPHQW DQ DXWRPDWHG RU VHPL DXWRPDWHG ZRUNĂ€RZ There  are  many  different  types  of  publisher  organizations,  since  anyone  who  produces  content  in  print  or  digital  form  can  be  considered  a  content  producer.  Different  types  of  content  producers  will  typically  use  different  types  of  content  management  and  e-Âcommerce  systems.  For  example,  the  online  version  of  D QHZVPDJD]LQH PLJKW XVH D FRQWHQW PDQDJHPHQW V\VWHP OLNH 'UXSDO WR KRVW LWV ZHEVLWH ZKLOH D Ă€LJKW booking  service  would  use  a  completely  different  system.
7KH RSHQ $3, VSHFLÂżFDWLRQ ZDV PDGH SXEOLF LQ 6HSWHPEHU
3.4.2 Â
Measuring  and  Benchmarking  Quality
These  customers  are  typically  looking  to  integrate  their  existing  publishing  and  e-Âcommerce  platforms  with  translation  resources  that  automate  the  process  of  detecting  new  content,  queuing  it  for  transla- tion,  and  then  storing/displaying  the  translated  content  when  needed.  Each  type  of  content  producer  has  different  requirement  where  translation  is  concerned.  For  example,  an  e-Âcommerce  site  may  have  tens  of  thousands  of  product  listings  that  need  to  be  translated  and  kept  in  sync,  and  may  be  concerned  more  with  search  engine  visibility  than  the  highest  possible  translation  quality.  A  magazine  publisher,  on  the  other  hand,  will  have  fewer  but  longer  texts  needing  translation,  and  will  be  much  more  concerned  with  output  quality.
Measuring  and  benchmarking  translation  quality  in  a  consistent  way  is  another  challenge  for  the   LQGXVWU\ )RU PDQ\ \HDUV QRZ WKH LQGXVWU\ KDV DSSOLHG D RQH VL]H ÂżWV DOO DSSURDFK WR TXDOLW\ ,W LV DQ area  with  an  inherent  level  of  subjectivity.  There  has  been  no  industry-Âlevel  consensus  on  the  diffe  rent  expectations  for  quality  for  different  types  of  content  and  purpose.  An  industry  initiative,  the  TAUS  Dynamic  Quality  Framework,  has  begun  to  address  this  common  issue.  In  2012  a  knowledgebase  on  TXDOLW\ DVVXUDQFH EHVW SUDFWLFHV FRQWHQW SURÂżOLQJ PHWKRGRORJ\ DQG VHW RI WRROV IRU TXDOLW\ HYDOXDWLRQ were  launched.   These  tools  introduce  industry  benchmarking.  Such  business  metrics  have  been   missing  from  the  translation  industry.
In  most  of  these  cases,  the  customer’s  primary  concern  is  system  integration  between  their  content   delivery  platform  and  their  translation  management  system. Â
A  number  of  automated  metrics  have  been  developed  to  measure  quality.  These  can  provide  an  under- standing  of  relative  levels  of  quality,  for  example  to  indicate  if  one  system  has  produced  a  better  trans- lation  than  another.  However,  they  do  not  provide  absolute  measures  of  quality.  They  don’t  provide  a  measure  of  how  quality  is  measured,  nor  do  they  measure  factors  such  as  style,  grammar,  etc.   Unfortunately,  due  to  the  variance  of  human  language,  as  well  as  the  fact  that  there  are  often  many  ways  WR WUDQVODWH WKH VDPH WKLQJ WKHUH PD\ QRW EH DQ DOJRULWKPLF ZD\ WR PHDVXUH ¿QDO OLQJXLVWLF TXDOLW\  For  the  next  few  years,  automated  and  human  mediated  quality  assurance  processes  will  be  required   to  provide  a  precise  measure  of  quality.  For  example,  statistical  methods  can  be  used  to  measure  the  likelihood  that  a  given  text  is  a  decent  translation  (using  a  corpora  of  high  quality  translations  as  a   baseline  for  comparison).  Humans,  on  the  other  hand,  are  much  better  at  catching  more  subtle  problems  with  word  order,  grammar  and  word  choice.
3.4 Â
Opportunities  and  Challenges  in  Translation  Technology
3.4.1 Â
Interoperability  and  Standards
7KH WUDQVODWLRQ LQGXVWU\ LV QRWRULRXV IRU LWV ODFN RI VWDQGDUGV :KLOH WKHUH DUH VWDQGDUG ÂżOH IRUPDWV OLNH 70; DQG ;/,)) DQG D ORQJ OLVW RI VHFRQGDU\ ÂżOH IRUPDWV WKHVH VWDQGDUGV WHQG WR EH RYHU HQJLQHHUHG DQG EHFDXVH RI WKLV GLIÂżFXOW DQG H[SHQVLYH WR LQWHJUDWH LQWR SURGXFWV ;/,)) DQG 70; LQ SDUWLFXODU DUH ÂżOH IRUPDWV WKDW DUH VSHFLÂżF WR WUDQVODWLRQV DQG DOLJQHG WH[WV 7KLV LV WKH RSSRVLWH RI WKH VLWXDWLRQ ZLWK web  services,  where  simple  REST  APIs  and  data  interchange  formats  like  JSON  are  dominant.  The  basic  LVVXH IDFLQJ WKH WUDQVODWLRQ LQGXVWU\ WRGD\ LV QRW WKH ODFN RI D VWDQGDUG ÂżOH IRUPDW LQ ZKLFK WR VWRUH WH[WV and  their  translations  (both  TMX  and  XLIFF  work  well  for  this),  but  the  lack  of  standard  procedures  to  initiate  common  translation  tasks  (for  example,  when  a  content  management  system  needs  to  call  a  third  party  translation  service  to  request  a  translation  for  a  new  document,  there  is  no  standard  protocol).  To  this  end,  TAUS  has  introduced  a  web  services  reference  API  that  standardizes  the  way  common  tasks  are  done  in  the  context  of  a  publicly  accessible  web  service.  This  will  enable  translation  technology  and  service  providers  to  provide  a  common  implementation  that  is  the  same  for  participating  vendors.  This,  in  turn,  will  enable  developers  to  leverage  re-Âusable  code,  libraries,  and  extensions  rather  than  build  custom  integrations  for  each  translation  service  or  technology  they  choose  to  work  with.  At  the  time Â
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of  writing  this  report  the  authoring  team  is  aware  of  over  sixty  translation  servces  APIs  that  have  been  developed  by  vendors.  Representing  wasteful  duplication  and  growing  interoperability  issues.
Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
Further  reading: How  to  increase  your  leveraging,  Rahzeb  Choudhury  and  Richard  Sikes,  TAUS,  April  2010 A  Common  Translation  Services  API,  Brian  McConnell  and  Prof.  Dr.  Klemens  WaldhÜr,  TAUS,  September  2012 Dynamic  Quality  Framework,  Dr.  Sharon  O’Brien,  Rahzeb  Choudhury,  Dr.  Nora  Aranberri,  Jaap  van  der  Meer,  TAUS,  November  2011 Advancing  Best  Practices  in  Machine  Translation  Evaluation,  Rahzeb  Choudhury  and   Dr.  Nora  Aranberri,  TAUS,  July  2012 Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
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4. Â
Translation  Industry  Evolution Translation  to  Integration
Machine  Translation
Machine  translation,  available  for  several  decades,  has  advanced  dramatically  in  terms  of  speed  and  quality,  especially  statistical  MT  engines,  however,  it  is  not  and  is  not  expected  to  replace  human  trans- lators  in  the  foreseeable  future.  The  main  use  cases  for  machine  translation  are  applications  that  require  real-Âtime  or  near  real-Âtime  interaction,  for  assimilating  texts  and  ‘chat’,  and  as  a  productivity  tool.  Content  producers  are  also  generating  exponentially  increasing  volumes  of  material,  and  in  many  cases,  human  translation  is  simply  not  economically  or  technically  feasible. In  the  context  of  professional  translation,  machine  translation  is  often  used  in  a  number  of  situations,  including: -   As  a  short-Âterm,  placeholder  translation  for  time  sensitive  content  while  awaiting  human  translation. -   As  an  immediate  “good  enoughâ€?  translation  (for  example  the  “long  tailâ€?  of  infrequently  viewed   products  in  an  online  store). $V D GUDIW WUDQVODWLRQ IRU SRVW HGLWLQJ E\ KXPDQ WUDQVODWRUV WKHUH LV VLJQLÂżFDQW GHEDWH DERXW KRZ ZHOO this  works  with  present  tools). -   As  a  way  to  detect  problem  texts  that  need  further  attention  by  reviewers  and  editors.
Approaches  to  Machine  Translation
4.1.1 Â
Rules  Based
5XOHV EDVHG PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ GHYHORSHG VHYHUDO GHFDGHV DJR ZDV WKH ÂżUVW SUDFWLFDO DSSURDFK WR automatic  translation.  This  type  of  translation  engine  works  by  parsing  a  source  sentence,  analyzing  its  structure  (for  example,  determining  which  words  are  used  as  verbs  or  nouns),  and  then  converting  this  into  an  intermediate,  machine-Âreadable  code.  This  is,  in  turn,  transformed  into  the  target  language.
Source: Â TAUS
Between  2000  and  2010  demand  grew  for  application  scenarios  involving  machine  translation  (MT).   In  that  same  period  statistical  machine  translation  became  a  viable  mainstream  technology.  Citizens  became  publishers  and  trusted  sources  of  consumer  advice  en  masse.  User  generated  content  surfaced  as  a  translation  driver.  Business  cases  began  emerging  for  language  strategies  integrating  translation  into  enterprise  systems  to  aid  all  business  functions,  as  well  as  into  devices  and  applications.
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4.1 Â
Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
7KH DGYDQWDJH RI UXOHV EDVHG WUDQVODWLRQ LV WKDW D VXIÂżFLHQWO\ VRSKLVWLFDWHG WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQH FDQ WUDQV- late  a  wide  range  of  texts  without  having  been  trained  with  a  large  number  of  examples,  as  in  statistical   machine  translation.  The  disadvantage  is  that  it  is  necessary  to  build  custom  parsing  software  and   dictionaries  for  each  language  pair,  and  that  it  is  quite  “brittleâ€?.  Rules  based  translation  engines  don’t  deal  very  well  with  slang  or  metaphorical  texts,  for  example.  For  this  reason,  rules  based  translation  has  largely  been  replaced  by  statistical  machine  translation  or  hybrid  systems,  though  it  is  useful  for  less  common  language  pairs  (where  there  are  often  not  enough  parallel  texts  to  train  a  statistical  machine  translation  engine).
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
4.1.1.1  Products  and  Practitioners
4.1.2.1  Products  and  Practitioners
The  two  primary  providers  in  this  category  are  Systran,  PROMT,  Lucy  Software  (commercial  software)  DQG $SHUWLXP RSHQ VRXUFH /DQJXDJH VSHFL¿F SURYLGHUV LQFOXGH &&,' &KLQHVH DQG 7RVKLED  (Japanese).  Systran  has  been  in  operation  for  decades,  and  was  a  pioneer  in  web  translation  (their  trans- ODWLRQ HQJLQH SRZHUHG WKH %DEHO¿VK ZHE WUDQVODWLRQ VHUYLFH EDFN LQ WKH V 7KH\ FRYHU PRVW PDMRU language  pairs,  and  most  recently  has  released  a  hybrid  rules/statistical  translation  engine  to  upgrade  their  product  line.
Example  based  machine  translation  is  not  available  as  a  stand-Âalone  commercial  product  or  service,  but  \RX FDQ ÂżQG WZR RSHQ VRXUFH SURMHFWV &XQHL DQG 0DUFODWRU 7KHVH DUH RSHQ VRXUFH SURMHFWV DQG DUH only  suitable  for  expert  software  developers  and  system  administrators,  as  they  are  not  turnkey  solutions  designed  to  be  touched  by  end  users.  They  are  great  for  experimental  use,  but  if  you  are  looking  for  user-Âready  platform,  look  for  statistical  machine  translation  platforms.
Apertium  is  an  open  source  project  sponsored  by  Universitat  d’Alacant  in  Spain.  They  have  developed  an  open  source  rules  based  translation  engine  that  enables  users  to  create  custom  translation  engines  for  any  language  pair.  This  solves  an  important  problem  for  rules  based  translation  engines,  as  commercial  YHQGRUV GR QRW LQYHVW LQ GHYHORSPHQW IRU OHVV FRPPRQ ODQJXDJH SDLUV VXFK DV 6SDQLVK ĸ Äş &DWDODQ Developing  a  custom  engine  is  a  large  task,  as  it  requires  the  development  of  dictionaries,  parsing  rules,  etc,  which  requires  the  involvement  of  linguists  who  are  experts  in  the  source  and  target  languages. Â
4.1.3 Â
4.1.2 Â
Statistical Â
Statistical  machine  translation  is  currently  the  most  popular  form  of  machine  translation  in  use  today.  The  process  works  by  training  the  translation  engine  with  a  very  large  volume  of  parallel  texts  (source  texts  and  their  translations),  as  well  as  monolingual  corpora.  The  system  looks  for  statistical  correlations  between  source  texts  and  translations,  both  for  an  entire  segment,  but  also  smaller  phrases,  or  N-Âgrams,  ZLWKLQ HDFK VHJPHQW ,W WKHQ JHQHUDWHV FRQÂżGHQFH VFRUHV IRU KRZ OLNHO\ LW LV WKDW D JLYHQ VRXUFH WH[W ZLOO map  to  a  translation.  The  translation  engine  itself  has  no  notion  of  rules  or  grammar. Â
Example  Based
Example  based  machine  translation  is  similar  to  statistical  machine  translation,  as  it  uses  a  large  volume  of  parallel  texts  (source  segments  and  their  translations)  to  train  the  system.  The  logic  behind  example- based  translation  is  that  it  treats  sentences  as  a  collection  of  often  repeated  phrases  that  can  be  translated  independently  and  then  combined  to  form  a  translated  sentence.  The  problem  with  this  approach  is  that  you  need  a  very  large  corpus  of  phrases  and  their  translations.  This  requires  a  lot  of  data,  and  also  requires  the  phrases  and  translations  to  be  perfectly  aligned,  which  typically  requires  manual  effort,  whereas  statistical  machine  translation  systems  can  be  trained  in  a  fully  automated  process. Example  based  machine  translation  has  not  been  widely  deployed  as  a  commercial  service.  However,  there  is  an  open  source  platform,  Cunei,  which  enables  developers  to  build  their  own  example  based   MT  engine  (similar  to  the  Apertium  platform  for  rules  based  translation).  Most  translation  engines  in  development  and  commercial  use  today  are  statistical  or  hybrid  systems. Â
The  key  advantage  of  statistical  machine  translation  is  that  it  eliminates  the  need  to  handcraft  a  transla- tion  engine  for  each  language  pair,  as  is  the  case  with  rules  based  translation.  Provided  you  have  a  large  enough  collection  of  texts,  you  can  train  a  generic  translation  engine  for  any  language  pair.  The  main  disadvantage  of  statistical  machine  translation  is  that  it  fails  when  it  is  presented  texts  that   are  not  similar  to  material  in  the  training  corpora.  For  example,  a  translation  engine  that  was  trained   XVLQJ WHFKQLFDO WH[WV ZLOO KDYH D GLIÂżFXOW WLPH WUDQVODWLQJ WH[WV ZULWWHQ LQ FDVXDO VW\OH 7KHUHIRUH LW LV  important  to  train  the  engine  with  texts  that  are  similar  to  the  material  you  will  be  translating  on  an   ongoing  basis.  Even  with  large  and  suitable  training  corpora,  statistical  machine  translation  does  not  generally  produce  publication  quality  text.  It  frequently  translates  items  out  of  context  or  uses  the  wrong  word  order.  However,  it  generally  translates  well  enough  that  it  is  suitable  for  comprehension.  If  you  need  publication  quality  translation,  you  will  want  to  have  some  sort  of  human  review  and  post-Âedit   process,  which  many  commercial  MT  engines  provide  as  an  option.
4.1.3.1  Products  and  Practitioners Many  companies  offer  statistical  machine  translation,  most  of  them  derived  from  the  Moses  open  source  translation  engine.  Moses  has  been  an  important  development  for  the  machine  translation  sector  because  companies  can  build  custom  MT  engines  without  rewriting  the  translation  engine  itself,  but  simply   provide  the  parallel  texts  used  to  train  the  engine.  This  has  enabled  many  companies  to  launch  custom  MT  offerings  with  a  modest  effort.
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Copyright  Š  TAUS  2013
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
-   BeGlobal  (SDL):  BeGlobal  is  SDL’s  machine  translation  offering.  Derived  from  its  acquisition  of  Language  Weaver  several  years  ago,  BeGlobal  enables  users  to  combine  machine  translation  with  SURIHVVLRQDO WUDQVODWLRQ DQG SRVW HGLWLQJ $ FRPPRQ ZRUNÀRZ LV WR PDFKLQH WUDQVODWH D WH[W RQ WKH ¿UVW SDVV DQG WKHQ KDYH KXPDQ WUDQVODWRUV DQG HGLWRUV UHYLHZ WKH RXWSXW DQG FRUUHFW LW 7KHVH FRU- rections  can,  in  turn,  be  fed  back  into  the  translation  memory  to  further  train  it.
,Q WKH ¿UVW FDVH WKH WH[W LV WUDQVODWHG ¿UVW E\ D UXOHV EDVHG WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQH 7KLV WUDQVODWLRQ LV WKHQ processed  by  a  statistical  machine  translation  engine,  which  corrects  errors  made  by  the  rules  based  engine,  or  replaces  the  text  entirely  if  needed.  In  the  second  case,  the  rules  based  translation  engine  does  not  translate  the  text  but  assists  the  statistical  translation  engine  by  inserting  meta  data  (e.g.  noun/verb/ adjective,  present/past  tense,  etc).
-   Google  Translate  (free):  Google  offers  a  free  web  translation  service  that  is  based  on  its  own  transla- tion  engine  and  research.  The  service  can  translate  to  and  from  over  50  languages,  and  is  regarded  as  a  benchmark  for  translation  quality  for  non-Âspecialized  translation  engines. Â
4.1.4.1  Products  and  Practitioners
-   Microsoft  Bing  Translator  (free):  Microsoft  also  offers  a  free  web  translation  service  that  is  similar  to  Google  Translate,  but  also  includes  many  options  for  people  to  score  and  post-Âedit  translations  using  an  interactive  (WYSIWG)  editing  tool.  This  is  an  especially  interesting  option  for  companies  WKDW KDYH D ODUJH FRPPXQLW\ RI UHDGHUV ZKR FDQ EH WDSSHG WR HGLW DQG LPSURYH WUDQVODWLRQV WR EHQHÂżW other  users.  Microsoft  has  also  recently  launched  Microsoft  Translator  Hub,  a  paid  service  for   customized  MT. -   Moses  (Open  Source):  Moses  is  an  open  source  statistical  machine  translation  engine.  It  is  widely  used  within  the  industry  to  build  customized  MT  engines.  Because  it  is  open  source,  people  wishing  to  develop  a  custom  engine  can  focus  on  obtaining  the  training  corpora  rather  than  writing  their  own  VWDWLVWLFDO PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQH D GLIÂżFXOW WDVN WKDW LV EH\RQG WKH DELOLWLHV RI PRVW GHYHORSHUV -   A  growing  number  of  vendors  market  MT  solutions  using  Moses  as  the  core  engine.  These  are  often  6DD6 RIIHULQJV SURYLGLQJ FXVWRPL]HG 07 IRU VSHFLÂżF VHJPHQWV ([DPSOHV LQFOXGH &DSLWD 7UDQV- lation  and  Interpreting,  DoMY  CE,  Firma8,  Let’s  MT,  PangeaMT,  Safaba  Translation  Solutions,  Simple  Shift,  and  Tauyou.  One  of  the  earliest  providers  was  Asia  Online  with  a  client  server  offer- ing.  The  sophistication  of  the  offerings  depend  on  the  client  segments  being  targeted.  At  a  minimum  the  vendors  seek  to  solve  engineering  gaps  in  Moses,  ensuring  ease  of  use.  At  the  other  end  of  the  spectrum  they  combine  other  natural  language  processing  techniques  with  Moses  to  improve  the  quality  of  translations.
4.1.4 Â
-   LinguaSys:  Developed  Carabao,  a  hybrid  translation  engine  that  targets  the  enterprise  market. -   PROMT:  Started  out  with  rules  based  translation,  and  have  since  upgraded  their  product  line  to  support  hybrid  translation.  -   Systran:  Been  developing  machine  translation  software  for  40  years,  and  has  upgraded  its  tools  to  com- bine  statistical  and  rules  based  translation. Â
4.2 Â
Machine  Translation  Trends
4.2.1 Â
Customized  Engines
Statistical  machine  translation  software  is  generic,  meaning  the  same  translation  engine  can  be  used  for  any  number  of  language  pairs  or  specialized  applications.  There  is  no  need  to  handcraft  the  transla- tion  software  as  there  often  is  with  rules  based  translation.  There  is  a  market  need  for  customized,  or  DGDSWHG WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQHV WKDW DUH WUDLQHG ZLWK FRUSRUD IRU D VSHFL¿F ODQJXDJH SDLU RU IRU D SDUWLFXODU industry  or  domain  of  expertise.  Doing  so  results  in  higher  quality  and  more  consistent  translation  for  that  application.  Customized  engines  typically  provide  results  translations  that  are  twice  or  more  better  than  the  translations  of  free  online  systems.
Hybrid
Hybrid  translation  engines  combine  elements  from  rules  based  and  statistical  machine  translation  to  leverage  the  strengths  of  each  approach.  This  is  an  area  of  ongoing  development,  so  we  expect  many  systems  to  evolve  into  hybrid  platforms.  There  are  two  main  categories  of  hybrid  systems:  rules  based  engines  that  use  statistical  translation  for  post  processing  and  cleanup,  and  statistical  systems  that  are  guided  by  rules  based  engines.
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Several  companies  offer  hybrid  translation  platforms,  mostly  focused  on  the  enterprise  market,  among  them:
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$ QXPEHU RI FRPSDQLHV DUH IRFXVLQJ RQ ODQJXDJH RU GRPDLQ VSHFL¿F WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQHV DV WKHLU  speciality,  among  them:  Asia  Online,  Capita  Translation  and  Interpreting,  Let’s  MT,  Lucy  Software,  PangeaMT,  PROMT,  SDL/BeGlobal,  Safaba  Translation  Solutions,  Simple  Shift,   Systran  and  Tauyou.  We  expect  this  to  be  an  area  of  ongoing  development,  along  with  hybrid  machine/  human  translation  platforms.
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
4.2.2 Â
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Real-Âtime  Customization
4.2.5 Â
7KH WLPH LW WDNHV WR FUHDWH FXVWRPL]HG PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQHV KDV FRPH GRZQ VLJQL¿FDQWO\ UHFHQWO\ *LYHQ VXI¿FLHQW DQG DSSURSULDWH WUDQVODWLRQ GDWD LW LV SRVVLEOH WR FUHDWH D PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQH IRU D VSHFL¿F LQGXVWU\ RUJDQL]DWLRQ RU HYHQ SURGXFW ZLWKLQ D GD\ :H DUH IDVW DSSURDFKLQJ WKH GDWD ZKHQ LW will  be  technically  feasible  to  create  a  purpose  built  machine  translation  engine  on  demand.  The  only  hurdle  would  be  the  availability  of  translation  data.  Many  companies  already  offer  SaaS  based  solutions  where  users  are  able  to  combine  their  data  with  that  of  the  vendor  to  create  a  custom  engine.
4.2.3 Â
Open  Source  Technology
Open  source  has  already  had  a  major  impact  on  machine  translation.  There  are  mature  and  actively  used  open  source  platforms  for  all  types  of  machine  translation.  Apertium  enables  people  to  build  their  own  rules  based  translation  engines.  Moses  is  widely  used  by  people  building  custom  statistical  machine  translation  systems.  Open  source  is  important  not  so  much  to  end  users,  but  to  language  service  providers  who  want  to  develop  customized  or  adapted  translation  engines.  Because  they  don’t  have  to  build  or  support  the  underlying  translation  engine,  they  are  freed  to  focus  primarily  on  compiling  training  data  needed  to  build  a  client’s  system.  Thus  its  primary  role,  in  the  context  of  MT,  is  to  reduce  the  R&D  costs  that  these  companies  would  otherwise  incur  in  bringing  their  products  to  market.
4.2.4 Â
Data  Sharing
Human/Machine  Translation
$QRWKHU LPSRUWDQW WUHQG LV WKH JURZLQJ XVH RI PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ IRU D ÂżUVW SDVV ZLWK KXPDQ WUDQV lators  (users,  professional  translators  or  both)  providing  feedback,  suggested  translations,  or  direct   post-Âedits.  This  approach  is  becoming  popular  because  it  is  often  unknown  if  a  particular  document   will  be  read  by  enough  people  to  justify  the  cost  of  professional  translation.  For  example,  a  document  PLJKW EH WUDQVODWHG E\ PDFKLQH EXW WKHQ ZKHQ WUDIÂżF UHDFKHV D GHÂżQHG WKUHVKROG ZRXOG EH VHQW WR  human  translators  and  editors  for  further  review  and  post-Âediting.  We  expect  this  type  of  cost  optimi- ]DWLRQ ZRUNĂ€RZ WR EHFRPH SRSXODU HVSHFLDOO\ ZLWK ZHE DQG PRELOH FRQWHQW SURGXFHUV ZKR KDYH WR generate  fast  and  low-Âcost  translations.  Also,  if  customers  know  that  content  is  being  machine  translated,  and  only  later  cleaned  up  by  people,  their  expectation  of  quality  is  markedly  different. SDL  BeGlobal  is  a  good  example  of  this  type  of  integration.  Their  machine  translation  engine,  which  can  also  be  trained  with  custom  corpora,  is  fully  integrated  into  SDL’s  Translation  Management  System,  DQG FDQ EH XVHG WR JHQHUDWH ÂżUVW GUDIW WH[WV WKDW DUH LQ WXUQ SURFHVVHG DQG SRVW HGLWHG E\ VWDII WUDQV lators  or  outsourced  workers  as  needed. Â
4.2.6 Â
From  Licensing  to  Professional  Services
Across  the  board,  vendors  are  migrating  to  a  software  as  a  service  business  model.  Few  companies  want  to  pay  up  front  for  site  licenses  anymore,  and  would  prefer  to  pay  based  on  usage.  Machine  translation  lends  itself  nicely  to  this  business  model,  as  translations  can  be  billed  on  a  per  word  or  per  character  basis.  Google,  for  example,  charges  $20  per  million  characters  for  the  use  of  their  Translate  API  (version  2.0).  Pricing  models  vary.  Some  vendors  charge  on  a  per  word  basis,  others  per  language,  but  in  general  expect  some  combination  of  the  two  for  most  offerings.
Public  translation  memories  will  play  an  important  role  in  the  improvement  of  machine  translation  because  they  can  be  used  to  generate  high  quality  training  corpora.  This  will  also  reduce  development  costs  for  companies  because  they  can  re-Âuse  an  ever  growing  baseline  corpora  that  many  parties  feed  LQWR DQG FDQ IRFXV RQ FROOHFWLQJ WKH KLJK YDOXH LQIRUPDWLRQ WKDW LV VSHFLÂżF WR WKHLU FOLHQWÂśV SURMHFW 7KH ability  to  share  translation  memories  is  also  important  for  secondary  languages  where  there  are  often  smaller  batches  of  translations  stored  in  many  different  locations,  typically  language  service  providers.  If  these  can  be  pooled  and  shared,  this  will  make  it  much  easier  for  companies  to  create  high  quality  translation  engines  for  secondary  language  pairs.  The  TAUS  Data  repository  is  the  largest  open  platform  for  shared  translation  memories.  See  Section  7,  Translation  Data  and  Translation  Technology,  for  more  information.
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4.3 Â
Machine  Translation  Value  Chain
4.3.1.3  Channels  and  Platforms
4.3.1 Â
Supply
Machine  translation  services  for  consumers  (e.g.  web  translation)  are  generally  marketed  direct  to  end  users  via  sites  such  as  Google  Translate.  While  Google  Translate  has  a  dominant  position  in  this  market,  there  is  plenty  of  room  for  companies  that  specialize  in  other  language  pairs  to  enter  this  space.  This  is  particularly  true  of  countries  that  have  a  different  ecosystem  of  service  providers.  For  example,  Yandex  in  Russia  or  Baidu  in  China,  where  these  companies  are  the  dominant  internet  search  providers. Â
4.3.1.1  Types  of  Providers There  are  a  wide  variety  of  service  providers  in  the  machine  translation  space.  These  include: -   Consumer/web  translation  services,  such  as  Google  Translate  and  Microsoft  Translator.  These  services  are  trained  with  general  purpose  corpora  and  offer  decent  translation  for  comprehension,  but  not  publi- cation  quality  output.  &XVWRP DGDSWHG PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ IRU VSHFLÂżF ODQJXDJH SDLUV RU VXEMHFW PDWWHU GRPDLQ RI H[SHU- WLVH 7KHVH SURYLGHUV W\SLFDOO\ KHOS FOLHQWV EXLOG GRPDLQ VSHFLÂżF WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQHV XVLQJ WKHLU RZQ training  corpora  (enterprise  customers  often  have  very  large  translation  memories  which  can  be  used  for  this  purpose).  Let’s  MT,  Asia  Online  and  Tauyou  are  examples  of  this. Â
Corporate  translation  services  are  typically  offered  to  customers  via  a  combination  of  direct,  stand-Âalone  offerings,  and  integrated  solutions  that  are  part  of  a  larger  translation  toolset.  Direct  offerings  include  services  like  Systran  or  PangeaMT,  which  can  be  used  as  an  independent  service,  with  or  without  a  translation  management  system.  SDL,  on  the  other  hand,  promotes  its  BeGlobal  product  as  part  of  a  translation  supply  chain  management  system,  and  have  done  a  lot  of  work  to  integrate  it  into  other   tools  such  as  their  translation  management  system.  This  allows  them  to  sell  machine  translation  as   an  option  in  a  larger  suite  of  services.  Both  approaches  require  the  vendor  to  have  an  outbound  sales  capability  since  these  clients  take  a  long  time  to  cultivate,  and  also  often  need  time  to  transition  off  of  legacy  systems. Â
-   Hybrid  translation  engines.  These  providers  combine  rules  based  and  statistical  translation  technology  to  develop  adapted  systems.  Systran  and  PROMT  are  good  examples  of  this  type  of  provider. 4.3.2  +XPDQ PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQHV 7KHVH W\SLFDOO\ XVH PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ IRU D ¿UVW SDVV DQG WKHQ have  human  translators  review  the  proposed  translations  and  edit  or  replace  them  as  needed.  SDL  BeGlobal  is  a  good  example  of  this  type  of  engine.  Microsoft  Bing  Translator  also  enables  this  type  of  ZRUNÀRZ DOWKRXJK WKH\ XVH D PRUH DG KRF DSSURDFK WKDWœV GHVLJQHG IRU FURZG  translation.
Demand
4.3.2.1  Language  Service  Providers Language  service  providers  are  increasingly  using  machine  translation  as  part  of  their  process.  Though  initially  resistant  to  using  it  at  all,  they  need  it  to  serve  customers  who  need  to  translate  a  lot  of  material  very  cheaply  and  very  quickly.  Machine  translation  can  be  offered  as  part  of  a  tiered  service  where  the  customer  can  decide  on  a  per  request  basis,  what  level  of  quality  they  need  for  a  particular  item.
4.3.1.2  Business  Models
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Machine  translation  is  typically  offered  as  Software  as  a  Service,  although  a  few  vendors  like  Systran  also  offer  licensed  products  designed  for  standalone  use.  Machine  translation  is  a  memory  and  CPU   intensive  application,  and  generally  requires  fairly  high  end  hardware  to  perform  well.  Some  systems,  OLNH 0RVHV DUH DOVR GLIÂżFXOW WR DGPLQLVWHU 6DD6 RIIHULQJV HQDEOH FXVWRPHUV WR RIĂ€RDG XSIURQW FDSLWDO costs  and  system  administration  to  their  service  provider. Â
Tokyo  based  Gengo,  for  example,  offers  a  highly  automated  translation  service  for  software  developers.  Their  service  is  accessed  via  a  web  services  API,  so  the  process  of  requesting  and  retrieving  translations  can  be  completely  automated,  even  if  the  translations  are  done  behind  the  scenes  by  humans.  They  offer  several  different  levels  of  translation,  including  a  free  machine  translation  option  (powered  by  Microsoft  Bing  Translator).  We  expect  to  see  offerings  like  this  become  fairly  standard,  as  they  allow  the  client  to  decide  on  a  case  by  case  basis  how  much  they  are  willing  to  spend  on  a  given  task. Â
These  services  are  generally  priced  based  on  the  volume  of  material  being  translated.  Pricing  models  may  be  per  word  or  character,  or  split  into  tiers  that  correlate  fairly  directly  to  word  count.  For  custom  or  hybrid  systems,  there  is  typically  a  baseline  monthly  or  annual  fee  that  accounts  for  the  cost  of  hardware  dedicated  to  each  customer. Â
The  type  of  machine  translation  they  need  varies  depending  on  the  type  of  clients  they  have.  Gengo  typically  focuses  on  fairly  generic  texts,  so  consumer/web  translation  engines  are  suitable  for  them.  LSPs  that  work  with  less  common  languages  or  domains  of  expertise  will  probably  want  to  use  a  custom  MT  engine  such  as  Tauyou,  LetsMT  or  AsiaOnline.
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Another  model  involves  LSPs  and  MT  specialists  working  very  closely  to  serve  enterprise  clients.   Safaba  Translation  Solutions  and  Welocalize  are  both  good  examples  of  this.
4.3.2.2  Consumer/Individuals  Direct Google  Translate  and  Microsoft  Translator  (Bing  Translator)  are  the  two  dominant  machine  translation  services  for  consumers.  In  addition  to  machine  translation,  there  is  also  a  well  developed  market  for  web  based  professional  WUDQVODWLRQ ZKHUH WKH FXVWRPHU XSORDGV D :RUG GRFXPHQW 3') ÂżOH HWF WR KDYH LW WUDQVODWHG E\ SUR- fessional  translators.  Several  companies  including  Gengo,  One  Hour  Translation,  expressIT  (Elanex),  Straker  Translations  and  others  offer  some  version  of  this  type  of  service.  We  expect  hybrid  translation  service  to  become  a  standard  offering,  as  it  enables  customers  to  use   free  machine  translation  when  they  need  to  comprehend  the  contents  of  a  document,  but  do  not  need  to  publish  it  or  share  it  with  customers.  By  offering  the  ability  to  easily  switch  over  to  paid,  professional  translation  these  providers  can  offer  a  convenient  all-Âin-Âone  solution  for  day  to  day  translation  requests.  For  example,  the  customer  can  quickly  obtain  a  draft  machine  translation,  and  then  upgrade  to  profes- sional  translation  if  the  task  warrants  it.
4.3.2.3  SME  and  Enterprise  Direct Some  companies,  such  as  SDL  BeGlobal,  AsiaOnline,  and  others  offer  products  that  can  be  sold  direct  to  customers,  enterprise  clients  in  particular.  They  frequently  have  a  very  large  volume  of  material  to  be  translated,  and  cannot  afford  or  wait  for  professional  translation.  The  companies  best  suited  to  sell  direct  have  a  good  outbound  sales  capability,  as  the  direct  to  enterprise  sales  channel  has  a  slow  sales  cycle  (months  or  1-Â2  years).  In  this  scenario,  the  machine  translation  platform  can  be  used  either  as  a  standalone  service,  or  can  be  integrated  into  other  systems  where  automation  is  a  requirement.  If  the  customer  has  a  fairly  standard  ZRUNĂ€RZ IRU H[DPSOH WR XSORDG GRFXPHQWV IRU WUDQVODWLRQ DQG WKHQ SRVW HGLW DV QHHGHG WKH\ FDQ often  use  the  built  in  toolset  provided  with  the  translation  engine.  If  the  customer  needs  to  integrate  machine  translation  into  a  highly  automated  system,  for  example  an  e-Âcommerce  server  with  tens  of  thousands  of  product  SKUs,  they  will  probably  need  to  do  some  system  integration  work.  Nearly  all  of  the  translation  engines  observed  seen  provide  some  sort  of  web  services  API,  so  they  can  be  integrated  into  external  systems  in  a  relatively  straightforward  way.
4.3.2.4  Government/Institutions Government  is  an  important  market  for  machine  translation  technology,  especially  investigative  and  intelligence  agencies,  which  use  it  to  sift  through  vast  amounts  of  source  material  before  it  is  reviewed  by  analysts.  Machine  translation  is  a  vital  tool  in  making  information  visible  to  analysts.  This  is  an  ex- ample  of  a  market  that  will  be  well  served  by  hybrid  translation  platforms,  where  machine  translation  is  XVHG IRU D ¿UVW SDVV 7KH PDFKLQH WUDQVODWHG GRFXPHQWV DUH WKHQ IHG LQWR DXWRPDWHG DQG KXPDQ DVVLVWHG VHDUFK WRROV WR ÀDJ SRWHQWLDOO\ LQWHUHVWLQJ GRFXPHQWV ZKLFK DUH WKHQ TXHXHG IRU SURIHVVLRQDO WUDQVODWLRQ and  then  for  review  by  analysts  and  specialists. The  downside  of  this  market  is  that  the  procurement  process  is  quite  arduous.  Some  governments  also  impose  considerable  security  requirements  that  commercial  clients  are  less  concerned  with.  The  decision  to  pursue  this  market  is  a  strategic  one,  as  it  requires  considerable  investment  in  ancillary  services  by   the  vendor,  as  well  as  a  sales  force  that  is  experienced  at  securing  public  sector  accounts,  and  military/ intelligence  agencies  in  particular.
4.4 Â
Machine  Translation  Breakthroughs Â
4.4.1 Â
Intractable  Problems
There  are  a  small  quantity  of  extremely  hard  problems  to  be  solved  for  fully  automatic  translation,  and   a  larger  quantity  of  less  intractable  problems  in  MT  that  will  be  solved  within  the  coming  decade.   The  problems  that  require  a  theoretical  breakthrough  -  or  which  turn  out  to  be  inherently  unsolvable  by  DUWLÂżFLDO PHDQV LQYROYH FRQFHSWXDO LVVXHV LQ FRPSXWDWLRQDO OLQJXLVWLFV UDWKHU WKDQ WHFKQRORJ\ LVVXHV LQ real  world  engineering  environments. A  system  capable  of  systematically  aping  (or  even  surpassing)  a  human  translator  will  need  to  draw  on  ‘world  models’  -  real-Âworld  knowledge  -  to  overcome  the  critical  quality  bottleneck.  It  has  so  far  proved  impossible  to  program  a  machine  to  understand  the  semantic  intentionality  of  a  text.  This  means  that  FRPSXWHUV FDQ EH SURJUDPPHG WR GHSOR\ NQRZOHGJH RI ODQJXDJH RU RI VWDWLVWLFDO SDWWHUQV RI Ă€XHQF\ RU of  linguistic  rules,  lexical  data,  or  translated  content.  They  cannot  access  a  knowledge  base  that  helps  them  decide  correctly  how  to  disambiguate  a  given  expression  in  a  plausible  way  in  a  given  context.
4.4.2 Â
Solvable  Problems
The  solvable  problems  are  already  on  the  R&D  agenda.  One  is  to  optimize  the  handling  of  languages  with  complex  morphologies  or  with  non-ÂIndo-ÂEuropean  word  orders,  both  of  which  typically  make  it Â
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hard  to  deliver  smooth  machine  outputs  for  a  number  of  language  pairs.  This  type  of  system  optimiza- tion  will  almost  certainly  involve  adding  annotations  to  the  existing  translation  data  to  help  the  machine  learn  more  effectively. Building  on  what  has  been  called  ‘the  unreasonable  effectiveness  of  data’,  most  MT  scientists  believe  there  is  a  need  for  much  more  abstract  language  models  that  can  handle  the  immense  complexity  and  context-Âsensitivity  of  linguistic  objects,  and  then  use  the  available  data  to  improve  the  translation   process.  We  can  expect  breakthroughs  based  of  such  ‘Hierarchical  Alignment  Tree’  approaches  to  data  driven  MT  in  the  next  few  years.
although  a  couple  of  companies,  Multilizer  and  SDL,  offer  solutions  employing  such  techniques. Human  review  is  typically  used  to  ensure  desired  quality  levels  are  achieved.  The  industry  misses  EHQFKPDUN GDWD RQ WKH EHQH¿WV RI 07 $Q GULYHQ LQGXVWU\ LQLWLDWLYH WKH 7$86 '\QDPLF 4XDOLW\ Framework,  has  begun  to  address  this  common  issue.  In  2012  a  knowledgebase  on  quality  assurance  best  practices  and  set  of  tools  for  quality  evaluation  have  been  launched.   These  tools  introduce  industry  benchmarking.
4.5.3 Â
4.5 Â
Opportunities  and  Challenges  in  the  Machine  Translation  Industry
4.5.1 Â
Interoperability  and  Standards
Interoperability  between  machine  translation  systems  is  desirable,  but  the  systems  are  so  similar  in  the  way  they  present  themselves  to  outside  users  that  transitioning  from  one  system  to  another,  from  a  V\VWHP LQWHJUDWLRQ VWDQGSRLQW LVQÂśW WKDW GLIÂżFXOW 7KH $3,V WKH\ H[SRVH WR H[WHUQDO V\VWHPV DOO SHUIRUP similar  functions  (request  a  translation,  post-Âedit  a  translation,  etc),  and  are  not  terribly  complicated.  Moreover,  many  vendors  have  committed  to  implementing  the  TAUS  web  services  reference  API,  as   a  way  of  providing  a  standard  API  that  developers  can  use  to  interact  with  a  variety  of  services.  The  UHIHUHQFH $3, GHÂżQHV KRZ WR PDNH D YDULHW\ RI UHTXHVWV WKDW DUH FRPPRQ WR DOO KXPDQ DQG PDFKLQH translation  systems. Translation  memory  and  corpora,  if  they  are  stored  separately  from  the  machine  translation  engine,  in  a  VWDQGDUG ORFDOL]DWLRQ ÂżOH IRUPDW H J 70; FDQ HDVLO\ EH SRUWHG IURP V\VWHP WR V\VWHP &KDQJLQJ IURP one  translation  engine  to  another  shouldn’t  prevent  customers  from  using  the  corpora  they  have  built  up  over  the  years. 4.5.2 Â
Measuring  and  Benchmarking  Quality
0HDVXULQJ DQG EHQFKPDUNLQJ TXDOLW\ XVLQJ DQ DXWRPDWHG SURFHVV UHPDLQV D GLIÂżFXOW FKDOOHQJH  While  there  are  quality  scales,  such  as  the  BLEU  scale,  they  only  provide  a  comparative  measure  of  quality.  This  is  important  because  what’s  really  needed  is  an  automated  way  to  identify  problem  texts   so  they  can  be  routed  for  human  review  and  post-Âedit.  At  present,  the  standard  practice  is  to  have   human  reviews  look  at  a  certain  percentage  of  texts,  or  spend  an  assigned  about  of  time  reviewing  a  subset  of  a  project.  As  the  volume  of  material  being  translated  grows,  it  becomes  easier  for  reviewers  to  miss  defective  translations.  An  automated  process  that  could  identify  problem  texts  without  generating  a  large  number  of  false  positives  would  be  highly  useful.  This  is  largely  an  area  of  research  currently Â
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Cost  of  Customization
The  cost  of  building  custom  or  adapted  translation  engines  remains  quite  high,  mostly  due  to  the  cost   of  obtaining  and  pre-Âprocessing  high  quality  parallel  texts  with  which  to  train  the  translation  engine.  Fortunately,  work  already  underway  to  create  globally  shared  translation  memories,  including  the  TAUS  Data  repository,  will  encourage  translation  vendors  to  pool  translations  so  they  can  be  combined  to  create  large,  high  quality  training  corpora.  While  the  technical  challenge  to  building  a  shared  translation  memory  has  been  solved,  the  primary  challenge  going  forward  is  to  encourage  translation  vendors  to  share  their  translations  by  default.  LSPs  often  resist  doing  this,  so  it  will  take  time  to  make  this  a  standard  practice. Â
4.5.4 Â
The  Search  for  Talent
Recently  the  authoring  team  observed  that  there  are  more  PhD  positions  for  MT  related  research  in  Europe  than  there  are  candidates.   As  with  other  high  skilled  areas,  the  global  talent  pool  will  be  hard  pressed  to  meet  demand  in  the  medium  term.  There  are  opportunities  for  people  currently  in  the  transla- WLRQ LQGXVWU\ WR DFTXLUH WKH VNLOOV QHHGHG WR ¿OO VRPH RI WKHVH QHZ SRVLWLRQV
Further  reading: A  Common  Tranlsation  Services  API,  Brian  McConnell  and  Prof.  Dr.  Klemens  WaldhÜr,  TAUS,  September  2012 Dynamic  Quality  Framework,  Dr.  Sharon  O’Brien,  Rahzeb  Choudhury,  Dr.  Nora  Aranberri,  Jaap  van  der  Meer,  TAUS,  November  2011 Advancing  Best  Practices  in  Machine  Translation  Machine  Translation  Evaluation,   Rahzeb  Choudhury  and  Dr.  Nora  Aranberri,  TAUS,  July  2012
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Translation  Industry  Evolution Translation  to  Convergence
7UHQGV 7KDW ,QĂ€XHQFH WKH 7UDQVODWLRQ 7HFKQRORJ\ ,QGXVWU\
5.1 Â
Cloud
As  with  other  technology  segments,  the  client/server  model  is  being  quickly  replaced  with  a  cloud  (SaaS)  based  service  model.  The  advantages  of  hosted  services  compared  to  customer  premise  software  are  extensive,  and  include: -   Continual  upgrades,  with  a  continuous  software  release  cycle  (agile  development). -   Greatly  reduced  system  administration  and  IT  costs. -   High  availability  with  highly  redundant  storage. -   Subscription  based  cost  model,  versus  perpetual  licenses,  reduces  up  front  capital  cost. -   Accessible  across  broad  range  of  devices  and  operating  systems,  including  mobile. -   Generally  improved  user  interface  and  usability  compared  to  enterprise  client/server  software. While  there  are  a  few  situations  where  customer  premise  software  makes  sense,  these  use  cases  are  generally  limited  to  corporations  and  government  agencies  that  have  stringent  security  and  data  pro- tection  requirements  (e.g.  intelligence  agencies),  although  in  many  situations,  the  case  can  be  made  that  a  cloud  based  solution  can  be  every  bit  as  secure  as  on  site  software.  Therefore,  we  expect  this  migration  away  from  client/server  software  (thick  client)  solutions  to  continue,  and  expect  most  new  products  to  be  designed  around  cloud  computing.
Source: Â TAUS
:LWK WKH RQVHW RI XQL¿HG SHUVRQDOL]HG XVHU H[SHULHQFHV DFURVV GLJLWDO WRXFK SRLQWV GHPDQG IRU WUDQVOD- tion  will  come  from  many  more  languages  than  currently.  Translation  technology  will  increasingly  need  to  be  fueled  by  translation  data.
5.2 Â
Crowd
Crowd-Âsourcing  has  become  a  popular  by-Âproduct  of  web  2.0.  Crowd  translation  is  becoming  an   increasingly  important  mode  of  translation,  and  has  been  widely  used  by  popular  web  services   to  localize  all  or  part  of  their  offering.  While  pure  crowd  translation  is  relatively  rare,  many  web   com  panies  that  are  expanding  internationally  are  using  crowd  translation  to  some  extent,  typically   by  recruiting  their  users  to  contribute  to  their  translation  and  localization  efforts. The  ideal  solution  combines  crowd  and  professional  translation  in  a  way  that  enables  large  scale  user  participation  while  using  professional  translators  in  the  background  to  score  and  vet  new  users  (to  prevent  bad  actors  and  incompetent  translators  from  getting  into  the  labor  pool).  This  approach  enables  large  scale,  low  cost  translation  while  guaranteeing  quality  levels.
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Translation  management  systems  are  beginning  to  incorporate  support  for  crowd  translation,  so  that  crowd  translators  can  work  alongside  professional  translators,  albeit  with  different  access  rights  on  the  system.  Transifex,  a  localization  management  system,  is  a  good  example  of  this,  as  they  allow  any   combination  of  machine,  crowd/user  and  professional  translation.  We  expect  that  support  for  crowd  translation,  and  tools  to  manage  crowd  translators,  will  become  a  standard  feature  in  translation  and  localization  management  systems.  Lingotek  is  one  on  the  most  established  providers  in  this  space.
5.3 Â
WKHVH UHJLRQV 7KLV LV QHZ WHUULWRU\ ZLWK RQO\ D IHZ SURYLGHUV VXFK DV +HOVLQNL EDVHG 7UDQVĂ€XHQW  specializing  in  this  area. Social  translation  is  another  interesting  opportunity.  Amara  and  Viki,  for  example,  both  operate  crowd  translation  and  captioning  services  for  web  video.  Viki  in  particular  has  attracted  several  million  users  via  word  of  mouth,  and  has  built  up  an  impressive  catalog  of  translated  videos  from  major  content   providers.  We  expect  to  see  more  services  like  this  for  translating  other  types  of  content. Â
Big  Data 5.6  Â
Convergence
5.6.1 Â Â
Technology  convergence
See  section  7  on  Translation  Data  and  Translation  Technology.
5.4 Â
Mobile
With  most  people  shifting  to  laptop,  tablet  and  mobile  devices,  most  translation  technology  vendors  have  to  develop  a  mobile  strategy  to  remain  competitive.  Translation  management  systems,  for  example,  should  enable  translators  to  work  on  projects  from  tablets  and  smartphones.  Small  form  factor  devices,  of  course,  have  limited  real  estate,  so  this  is  not  a  trivial  problem.  The  companies  that  develop  an  intui- tive  mobile  interface  will  have  a  distinct  advantage  in  the  marketplace  compared  to  platforms  that  only  work  with  conventional  computers.  This  is  particularly  true  for  systems  that  enable  crowd  translation,  since  crowd  translation  often  involves  large  numbers  of  people  doing  individually  small  amounts  of  work,  a  perfect  use  case  for  casual  translation  via  a  mobile  device.
Successful  computer-Âaided  translation  tools  will  be  connected  to  a  variety  of  machine  translation   engines,  usually  via  web  services.  Translation  memory  and  advanced  leveraging  features  will  be   combined  to  help  translate  continuous  streams  of  content  with  consistency.  Machine  translation  and  speech  recognition  technology  will  be  employed  in  more  business  use  scenarios  in  the  near  future,   including  healthcare  and  other  sectors  with  high  equity  interactions.  Machine  translation,  search  tools  and  web  content  management  systems  will  continue  to  converge,  further  embedding  multilingualism   on  the  internet  and  therefore  across  devices.  As  the  quality  of  machine  translation  improves  it  will   converge  with  consumer  listening  and  a  myriad  of  information  processing  technologies.
5.6.2  Mobile  also  represents  an  opportunity  for  language  service  providers.  Localization  to  multiple  languages  is  becoming  a  material  requirement  for  mobile  app  and  service  developers.  Companies  that  provide   simple,  high  quality  localization  solution  for  popular  mobile  environments  and  frameworks  will  put  themselves  in  a  position  to  capture  other  translation  business  as  these  companies  expand  internationally. Â
5.5 Â
Functional  convergence
The  following  exhibit  is  an  adaptation  of  Mckinsey’s  Consumer  Decision  Journey.  It  illustrates  how   consumers  have  many  more  touch  points  than  in  the  past,  when  the  sales  funnel  was  seen  as  the  standard  conversion  model.  Consumers  begin  their  journeys  at  trigger  moments  and  are  guided  by  much  more  than  a  seller’s/  publisher’s  messaging.  Their  trusted  sources  tend  to  be  other  consumers.  The  customer  care  they  receive  after  conversion  informs  their  messaging  as  trusted  sources  for  others.
Social
The  explosion  of  user  generated  content,  such  as  in  customer  support  forums,  customer  reviews,  as  well  as  user-Âcontributed  question  and  answer,  is  a  major  growth  driver  for  machine  translation.  This  type  of  content  is  growing  in  importance  as  consumers  increasingly  rely  on  such  information  for  pre  and  post  purchase  decisions.  Social  media  has  become  an  important  marketing  and  distribution  channel  for  web  services  and  publi- cations,  and  will  continue  to  grow  in  importance.  Social  media  translation  services  will  enable  content   producers  and  service  providers  to  expand  their  reach  in  multiple  languages,  and  to  drive  usage  from Â
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6. Â
Paradigm  Shift  and  Counter  Forces
6.1 Â
Translation  as  a  Utility
The  drivers  of  global  economic  growth  are  shifting  to  non-ÂEnglish  speaking  countries.  Globalization  is  enabling  an  exchange  of  culture  at  an  unprecedented  scale.  The  ready  availability  of  data  driven  online  translation  means  users  have  become  accustomed  to  gist  translations  into  and  out  of  the  long  tail  of   economically  minor  languages.  There  is  a  viral  effect  of  machine  translation  with  governments  and  citizens  seeing  other  languages  being  served  by  translation  automation  and  wanting  their  language  or  dialect  to  be  included. These  economic,  social  and  technology  trends  are  converging  to  create  a  paradigm  shift:  from  trans- lation  as  a  relatively  expensive  professional  to  translation  as  a  utility.   Translation  embedded  in  every  digital  touch  point:  application,  device,  signboard  and  screen.  The  growing  expectation  that  translation  is  a  basic  right  for  anyone  involved  in  the  global  information  society.   These  three  trends  are  themselves  enabled  by  other  trends,  such  as  the  shift  to  cloud  services,  growing  use  of  big  data,  shared  platforms,  such  as  Moses,  as  well  as  adoption  of  platforms  enabling  massive  online  collaboration,  described  in  the  previous  section. Â
Source: Â TAUS
At  every  touch  point  on  the  journey,  translation  technology  offers  the  potential  to  increase  customer  satisfaction  and  lower  costs.  In  many  situations,  content  that  otherwise  would  not  be  translated  can  be  in  a  cost  effective  manner  with  machine  translation.
Trend  Convergence  Drives  Translation  as  a  Utility Â
We  expect  functional  convergence  between  translation  and  localization  departments  and  their  colleagues  across  other  areas,  with  all  working  to  optimize  the  consumer  journey.  Translation  technology,  and  in  particular  machine  translation,  will  be  required  as  a  tool  embedded  across  functions  within  enterprises. This  in  turn  will  feed  technological  convergence  as  new  applications  for  translation  technology  emerge. The  globes  at  the  centre  of  the  exhibit  illustrate  the  need  for  targeted  translations  that  communicate  to  VSHFL¿F FRQVXPHU JURXSV 7KHVH QHHGV ZLOO EH EHWWHU PHW DV ODQJXDJH GDWD PDQDJHPHQW FXVWRPHU FDUH and  listening  functions  converge  with  translation.  In  addition  to  convergence  of  enterprise  functions  described  above,  we  can  expect  convergence  of   IXQFWLRQV LQ WKH VXSSO\ FKDLQ ZLWK WKH PDLQ GULYHUV EHLQJ WKH QHHG IRU VSHHG DQG HI¿FLHQF\ DQG WKH result  being  disintermediation.
Further  resources: Enterprise  Language  Strategy  -  Eight  Things  To  Change,  TAUS  Video  on  Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5nnIwrXv54,  January  2012 50
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6.2 Â
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Counter  Forces
7UDQVODWLRQ 'DWD DQG 7HFKQRORJ\
The  underlying  direction  of  trends  such  as  the  shift  to  cloud  services,  use  of  open  source  technology  and  collaborative  translation  is  towards  open  business  models.   Open  models  are  characterized  by  collabora- tion,  transparency  and  sharing  to  promote  market  growth.
Language  data  includes  speech  corpora,  text  corpora,  lexicons  and  grammars.  Language  data  is  the  fuel  for  translation  and  language  technologies.  These  data  are  used  to  train  and  enhance  the  quality  of  output  generated  by  such  technologies.
With  each  directional  force  there  is  a  counter  force.  The  counter  of  open  models,  closed  models,  are  characterized  by  proprietary,  highly  bounded  and  protective  approaches  that  seek  to  lock  in  competitive  advantage.
7KH LPSRUWDQFH RI ODQJXDJH GDWD DQG VSHFL¿FDOO\ WH[WXDO WUDQVODWLRQ GDWD WR WUDQVODWLRQ WHFKQRORJ\ LV GLI¿FXOW WR RYHUVWDWH 7KH EHVW VRXUFHV RI WUDQVODWLRQ GDWD DUH JRRG TXDOLW\ KXPDQ WUDQVODWLRQV IURP trusted  sources,  such  as  government  bodies  and  institutions,  companies  large  and  small,  from  profes- sional  translators  and  consumers  themselves.
Locking  in  customers  to  proprietary  software  has  historically  been  a  highly  successful  market  strategy.   The  consequence  of  which  has  often  been  a  lack  of  competition,  resulting  in  high  usage  costs  and  low  innovation.  Cloud,  crowd  and  open  source  lower  barriers  to  entry,  and  seem  to  offer  counter  balances.  However,  the  battleground  is  shifting  to  the  area  of  big  data. In  the  upcoming  phase  of  Convergence,  data  driven  translation  technologies  will  be  combined  with   other  technologies,  such  as  search,  knowledge  management,  speech,  and  many  others  to  create  entirely  new  offerings.  Whether  or  not  companies  are  able  to  access  the  ‘right  big  dataset’  will  be  a  pivotal   factor  in  the  evolution  of  the  translation  technology  landscape  going  forward.  Will  data  be  monopolized  RU IUHHG" :LOO WKH IXWXUH WUDQVODWLRQ WHFKQRORJ\ VHJPHQW EH DQ ROLJDUFK\ RU SODFH RI RSSRUWXQLW\ IRU PDQ\ ÂżUPV" Further  reading: Scenario  Based  Planning:  Planning  For  An  Uncertain  Future,  Rahzeb  Choudury,  TAUS,   Greg  Oxton,  Consortium  For  Service  Innovation,  October  2010
:KHQ VXFK GDWD LV VKDUHG DQG FXUDWHG LW FDQ EH DFFHVVHG IRU VSHFLÂżF SXUSRVHV LQ D FRVW HIIHFWLYH PDQQHU &XUDWLRQ LQYROYHV VWDQGDUGL]DWLRQ RI ÂżOH IRUPDWV WR HQVXUH PDFKLQH UHDGDELOLW\ IRU LQVWDQFH DQG  categorization  into  high-Âlevel  ontologies,  such  industry  categories.  Curation  can  involve  preprocessing  the  translation  data,  through  tokenization  or  part-Âof-Âspeech  tagging  for  example. 7KH XOWLPDWH EHQHÂżW RI VKDUHG GDWD ZKLFK LV RSHQO\ DFFHVVLEOH LV WKDW WKURXJK DJJUHJDWLRQ WKH ÂľZKROH LV greater  than  the  sum  of  its  parts’.  The  more  well-Âcurated  data  is  openly  available,  the  better  data-  driven  translation  technology  will  perform.  One  example  of  a  data  sharing  service  is  TAUS  Data,  which  in  December  2012  hosted  54  billion  words  in  2200  language  combinations  across  a  number  of  industry-Âsectors.  TAUS  Data  operates  with  a  clear  legal  framework  with  regard  to  intellectual  property  and  copyright  that  all  users  must  agree  to. Whilst  this  is  a  sizeable  repository,  TAUS  Data  and  others  like  it  are  a  fraction  of  the  size  they  could  be.  If  translation  is  to  be  fully  exploited  as  a  utility  we  might  aim  for  a  repository  of  say  a  trillion  words  covering  80,000  language  combinations,  openly  available  for  all  to  exploit.  This  would  be  fuel  enough  for  translation  technology  to  enable  99%  plus  of  the  world’s  population  to  communicate  with  each  other,  covering  400  of  the  world’s  6000  or  so  languages.  If  we  consider  one  example  of  technology  conver- JHQFH PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ ZLWK VSHHFK UHFRJQLWLRQ LW LV HDV\ WR LPDJLQH WKH PDVVLYH EHQHÂżW WR FRP- merce  and  society. Another  route  to  accessing  large  amounts  of  data  is  crawling/harvesting  from  the  worldwide  web.   However,  data  that  has  been  harvested  from  the  internet  is  often  of  a  far  lower  quality  than  that  desired.  The  standard  adage  “garbage  in,  garbage  outâ€?  applies.  The  low  quality  of  data  used  reduces  the  quality  of  machine  translation  output.  Crawled  data  usually  requires  extensive  human  review  and  correction  before  it  is  usable  by  translation  technology.  Only  a  handful  of  companies  have  the  resources  needed  to  undertake  such  corrective  activity  at  scale.
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There  is  no  international  legal  framework  to  cover  the  practice  of  harvesting  translations  from  the   Internet.  Even  so,  the  demand  for  data  is  so  strong  that  there  are  numerous  examples  of  small  and  large  companies,  such  as  search  engine  providers,  undertaking  such  activity.  They  are  not  able  to  publicly  VKDUH WKH KDUYHVWHG DQG FOHDQHG GDWD HYHQ LI WKH\ ZRXOG ZLVK WR DQG VR WKHUH LV QR DJJUHJDWH EHQH¿W RXWVLGH WKH EHQH¿W WR WKHP 7KHUH DUH DOVR LQFRQVLVWHQFLHV EHWZHHQ QDWLRQDO DQG UHJLRQDO UXOHV IRU  example  between  the  US,  China  and  Europe,  which  has  meant  that  US  and  Chinese  companies  have  EHHQ DEOH WR EHQH¿W DKHDG RI (XURSHDQ ¿UPV Whilst  TAUS  Data  operates  with  a  clear  contract,  its  goals  and  sharing  model  are  not  easy  to  reconcile  IRU FRPSDQLHV DQG RUJDQL]DWLRQV WKDW DUH RIWHQ FRPSHWLQJ ZLWK HDFK RWKHU LQ VSHFL¿F YHUWLFDOV $V \RX might  expect,  more  often  than  not,  content  owners  do  not  have  the  time  or  interest  to  investigate  the  EHQH¿WV RI VKDULQJ WUDQVODWLRQ GDWD There  is  a  material  risk  of  a  handful  of  companies  creating  data  monopolies  locking  out  competition,  ORFNLQJ FXVWRPHUV DQG VWLÀLQJ LQQRYDWLRQ A  coordinated  change  in  the  law  to  allow  use  of  translation  data  by  translation  technology  providers,  while  continuing  to  protect  the  rights  of  content  owners,  would  dramatically  change  the  possibilities  in  this  segment.  The  way  would  be  opened  for  greater  competition  and  innovation  in  the  future.  Clearly,  VXFK D FKDQJH LV H[WUHPHO\ GLI¿FXOW WR EULQJ WR IUXLWLRQ
2SSRUWXQLWLHV
Access  to  terminology  on  demand  would  raise  the  capability  of  the  translation  industry  across  the  board  and  help  fuel  innovation  among  translation  technology  providers. Â
&XVWRPL]HG 0DFKLQH 7UDQVODWLRQ
Today,  most  users  accept  the  inadequacies  of  machine  translation  on  the  internet,  as  it  often  serves  their  goals,  typically  for  comprehension.  Relatively  few  companies  or  organizations  go  through  the  process  of  customizing  an  engine  for  their  content. If  high  volumes  of  language  data  could  be  easily  accessed,  myriad  opportunities  would  open  up.   )XOO\ DXWRPDWLF VHPDQWLF FOXVWHULQJ FRXOG EH GHYHORSHG WR ÂżQG WKH WUDQVODWLRQ GDWD WKDW PDWFKHV VSHFLÂżF GRPDLQV 7KLV ZRXOG PDNH LW PXFK HDVLHU DQG FKHDSHU WR PDNH LQGXVWU\ DQG GRPDLQ VSHFLÂżF PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ HQJLQHV $XWRPDWLF JHQUH LGHQWLÂżFDWLRQ WHFKQLTXHV FRXOG EH HPSOR\HG PDNLQJ LW HDVLHU DQG cheaper  to  ensure  machine  translation  engines  apply  the  right  writing  style.  It  would  be  easier  to  go  deeper  in  advancing  machine  translation  technology  with  syntax  and  concept  descriptions.  In  short  the  overall  quality  of  machine  translation  would  be  raised,  whilst  also  making  development  faster,  cheaper,  and  more  accessible. These  types  of  enhancements,  improving  quality  and  lowering  cost,  would  make  customized  machine  WUDQVODWLRQ VROXWLRQV IDU PRUH SUDFWLFDO IRU VPDOO DQG PHGLXP VL]HG ÂżUPV WUDGLQJ DFURVV ERUGHUV  Customized  engines  typically  produce  translation  quality  at  least  twice  as  good  as  that  resulting  from  free  online  tools. Â
There  are  numerous  ways  to  exploit  large  translation  data  sets.  These  range  from  applications  in  trans- lation  related  activity  or  more  broadly  by  other  language  technologies.  A  few  obvious  applications  are  outlined  in  this  section.
With  the  availability  of  open  source  tools  like  Moses,  the  only  material  barrier  to  a  growth  in  competi- WLRQ LQ WKH PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ VSDFH LV WKH DYDLODELOLW\ RI GDWD WR PDNH FXVWRPL]HG VXEMHFW VSHFLÂżF machine  translation  engines. Â
7HUPLQRORJ\
Today,  glossaries  are  built  by  terminologists:  the  best  in  class  language  specialists.  It  is  laborious,   manual  work  and  frustrating.  This  is  because  language  keeps  changing,  the  terminologist  is  always   EHKLQG DQG WKH JORVVDU\ LV RIWHQ LJQRUHG $FFHVVLQJ XS WR GDWH VXEMHFW QLFKH VSHFL¿F WHUPLQRORJ\ LV  the  most  common  challenge  facing  people  working  with  languages.
*OREDO 0DUNHW DQG &XVWRPHU $QDO\WLFV
If  high  volumes  of  language  data  could  be  easily  accessed,  translation  technologies  and  processes  could  be  more  easily  integrated  with  consumer  listening,  analytics  and  social  media  management.  Enabling  multilingual  sentiment  analysis,  search  engine  optimization,  opinion  mining,  customer  engagement,  competitor  analysis,  and  more.  Lexalytics  and  Vocus  are  early  examples  of  companies  in  this  space.
If  high  volumes  of  language  data  could  be  easily  accessed,  statistical  routines  could  be  used  to  determine  VXEMHFW VSHFLÂżF WHUPLQRORJ\ LQ UHDO WLPH 6\QRQ\PV DQG UHODWHG WHUPV FRXOG EH LGHQWLÂżHG DXWRPDWLFDOO\ Part-Âof-Âspeech  tagged,  context  listed,  sources  quoted,  and  meanings  described.  The  technology  to  do  this  work  in  a  largely  automated  fashion,  with  linguists  and  users  involved  as  validators,  already  exists.
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4XDOLW\ PDQDJHPHQW
Today  the  translation  industry  often  struggles  to  deliver  adequately  targeted  quality.  Missing  the  local  ÀDYRU WKH ULJKW WHUP RU VXEMHFW NQRZOHGJH 6RXUFH WH[WV DUH RIWHQ LQ EDG VKDSH FDXVLQJ DOO NLQGV RI trouble  for  translators  or  machine  translation  engines. If  high  volumes  of  language  data  could  be  easily  accessed,  it  would  be  possible  to  automatically  clean  and  improve  source  texts  for  translation.  It  would  be  simpler  to  run  automatic  scoring  and  benchmark  quality.  Consistency  and  comprehensibility  of  source  (author)  and  target  (translation)  texts  would  be  improved.
We  have  already  seen  how  the  open  source  Moses  translation  engine  has  facilitated  this  by  enabling  many  companies  and  research  institutions  to  re-Âuse  the  platform,  and  instead  of  trying  to  build  their  own  machine  translation  system  from  scratch,  focus  on  collecting  parallel  texts  to  train  this  existing  platform.  In  just  the  same  way,  shared  translation  corpora,  term  glossaries,  and  dictionaries  can  be  used  as  a   shortcut  in  this  training  process,  just  as  search  engine  providers  initially  used  EU  and  United  Nations  corpora  as  baseline  training  data  for  their  machine  translation  systems.  The  issue  with  respect  to  accessing  this  data  is  not  technical,  the  companies  and  institutions  who  possess  it  can  easily  publish  it  in  machine  readable  form  if  they  choose  to,  but  rather  a  policy  choice,  requiring  industry  leaders  to  decide  whether  and  how  to  share  this  data  with  peers. Â
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Today  the  lack  of  interoperability  and  compliance  with  standards  costs  a  fortune.  Translation  industry  providers  have  typically  implemented  their  own  interpretations  of  three  open  standards,  TMX,  XLIFF  and  SRX.  Buyers  and  providers  of  translation  often  lose  10%  to  40%  of  their  budgets  or  revenues  be- cause  language  resources  are  not  stored  in  compatible  formats.  They  are  often  locked-Âin  to  a  technology.  This  is  a  major  problem  for  the  translation  industry  as  a  whole. If  it  were  common  practice  for  the  global  translation  industry  to  share  most  of  its  public  translation  data  in  common  industry  repositories,  all  vendors  and  translation  tools  would  be  driven  towards  full  compa- WLELOLW\ 7KLV ZRXOG HQDEOH WKH LQGXVWU\ WR VFDOH XS VLJQLÂżFDQWO\
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There  are  a  few  examples  of  openly  shared  translation  datasets,  such  as  that  provided  by  the  United  1DWLRQV DQG (XURSHDQ &RPPLVVLRQ 7KHVH FRYHU YHU\ QDUURZ DQG VSHFLÂżF VXEMHFW PDWWHU DQG VR DUH RI limited  value  outside  their  topic  areas.  With  growing  understanding  and  some  evidence  of  a  trend  towards  open  data,  we  can  expect  more  data  under  for  example,  creative  commons  license,  to  become  available  overtime.  However,  the  most  natural  source  of  quality  translation  data  is  the  translation  services  industry  itself.  The  primary  challenge  facing  the  translation  technology  industry  is  the  fragmentation  of  such  data,  parallel  texts,  glossaries,  etc,  which  if  shared  would  enable  vendors  to  avoid  duplicating  each  others  data  collection  efforts  and  fuel  sustainable  innovation. Â
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6KDULQJ 7UDQVODWLRQ 'DWD
Now  that  virtually  all  systems  are  connected  to  the  internet,  it  is  technically  straightforward  to  create  shared  translation  memories  that  are  continually  updated  as  new  translations  are  created.  This  is   particularly  important  for  machine  translation  and  hybrid  translation  systems  that  require  a  large  corpus  of  aligned  texts  to  train  the  translation  engines.  Language  service  providers  are  an  ideal  source  of  texts,  since  they  continually  produce  high  quality,  aligned  texts  that,  with  client  permission,  can  be  fed  into  these  systems.  This  process  can  be  completely  automated  so  that  the  language  service  provider  incurs  little  or  no  cost  to  participate  in  the  shared   translation  memory.  TAUS  has  played  a  leading  role  by  creating  an  open  global  translation  memory  that,  at  December  2012,  contains  54  billion  words  in  2200  language  combinations.  There  are  also  a   number  of  platforms  where  data  is  shared  as  a  function  of  using  a  tool.  These  include  Translation  Work- space,  MyMemory,  and  the  Google  Translation  Toolkit,  among  others.  $OO EXW WKH YHU\ ODUJHVW RUJDQL]DWLRQV ZKLFK SHUKDSV SURGXFH VXIÂżFLHQW GDWD WR VHUYLFH WKHLU RZQ  UHTXLUHPHQWV ZLOO QHHG WR DFFHVV RWKHUVÂś WUDQVODWLRQ GDWD WR H[SORLW WKH IXOO EHQHÂżWV WR WUDQVODWLRQ WHFK- nology  going  forward.  Whether  such  data  is  available  to  many  possible  solution  providers  or  only  few  will  be  a  factor  in  cost  and  choice  of  offerings. Â
Further  reading: Clarifying  Copyright  on  Translation  Data,  Jaap  van  der  Meer  and  Andrew  Joscelyne,  TAUS,  January  2013
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Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
8. Â Â
Translation  Technology  Landscape  Report
Drivers  and  Inhibitors
The  drivers  and  inhibitors  exhibit  below,  highlights  the  main  factors  affecting  the  growth  of  the  transla- tion  technology  segment.
Drivers  and  Inhibitors
/RRNLQJ IXUWKHU DKHDG ELJ WUDQVODWLRQ GDWD DQG WKH XVH RI PRELOH ZLOO EH VLJQLÂżFDQW JURZWK GULYHUV 8QWLO  ¿YH \HDUV DJR WKHUH ZHUH DURXQG D GR]HQ FRPPHUFLDOO\ YLDEOH PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ SURYLGHUV 6LQFH WKHQ a  few  dozen  have  entered  the  market,  often  exploiting  the  open  source  Moses  toolkit.  The  impact  of   open  source  is  now  being  counter-Âbalanced  by  severe  pricing  pressure  and  product  innovation  from   proprietary  technology  providers,  such  as  Microsoft.  The  authoring  team  expects  open  source  to  have  only  medium  impact  as  a  driver  in  the  next  two  years.  The  custodians  of  open  source  technology,  in  particular,  Moses,  will  need  to  be  responsive  to  industry  requirements  if  this  approach  is  to  be  a  stronger  driver  in  the  long-Âterm. Some  cross  translation  industry  cooperation  in  areas,  such  as  establishing  common  reporting  metrics,  interoperability  and  sharing  translation  data  would  drive  material  growth  in  the  translation  technology   segment.   Machine  translation  breakthroughs  on  some  of  the  solvable  problems  will  be  coming  of  labo- ratories  in  the  next  few  years.  However,  there  is  usually  a  lag  before  these  can  be  applied  in  commercial  VHWWLQJV )RU WKH QH[W ÂżYH \HDUV DW OHDVW WKH ELJJHVW ERRVWV WR PDFKLQH WUDQVODWLRQ TXDOLW\ ZLOO FRPH IURP selecting  and  properly  preparing  the  most  appropriate  translation  data.  The  cost  of  low  standardization  is  likely  to  be  born  by  customers. &RQWLQXHG RYHU UHJXODWLRQ LQ SDUWLFXODU RXWGDWHG FRS\ULJKW ODZ FRXOG VWLĂ€H JURZWK $ WDOHQW VKRUWDJH seems  likely  as  demand  grows  for  specialist  knowledge.  Whether  markets  for  translation  data  are  open  or  closed  is  a  key  factor  affecting  the  nature  of  evolution  in  the  segment,  the  cost  of  solutions  and  the  motivation  to  innovate. By  2020,  the  semantic  web  and  consolidation  with  other  language  technologies  will  begin  to  have  mate- rial  impact  on  the  translation  technology  segment.
Source: Â TAUS
In  the  short  term,  global  e-Âcommerce  and  cloud  computing  are  the  strongest  growth  drivers  for  the  seg- ment.  Industry  resistance  to  adopting  translation  technology  is  a  major  inhibitor  currently.  Much  of  this  resistance  is  likely  to  abide  as  the  quality  of  machine  translation  is  seen  to  improve  with  industry-Âbench- marking  metrics  become  available.  Such  metrics  are  needed  to  inform  and  ensure  robust  technology  adoption  decisions  within  the  wider  translation  industry.  While  speech  and  machine  translation  techno- logy  have  been  integrated  to  create  market  offerings,  the  limited  quality  of  output  means  this  driver  cur- rently  has  narrow  application.  Social  media,  such  as  user  generated  content,  is  an  increasingly  important  form  of  content,  often  guiding  pre  and  post  purchasing  decisions.  The  continued  growth  of  social  media  ZLOO EH D VLJQLÂżFDQW GULYHU JRLQJ IRUZDUG
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Translation Technology Landscape Report
10.
Translation Technology Landscape Report
Methodology
TAUS Members
The facts and analyses contained in this report are the result of ongoing research undertaken by TAUS on behalf of its membership since 2005 and the extensive collective experience of the authoring team. The factual information in the report has been drawn from the TAUS Tracker databases and inter - views with senior representatives of translation technology companies. The TAUS Tracker is a series of granular translation and language technology directories found at www.taustracker.com. The analyses of market evolution and trends are informed by TAUS reports such as “Translation in Turmoil’ (2006), “Localization Business Innovation” (2008), “The Innovation and Interoperability Roadmap” (2009), “Enterprise Language Strategy” (2010), “Scenario Based Planning – Planning for an uncertain future” (2010), “Lack of Interoperability Costs the Translation Industry a Fortune” (2011) and “Dynamic Quality Framework” (2011). TAUS reports are informed by primary research such as survey data, interviews and ideation sessions at events. TAUS events are non-sponsored. They bring together members and other key industry VWDNHKROGHUV WR VKDUH DQG GH¿QH QHZ VWUDWHJLHV This rich foundation is found: Reports Catalogue - http://www.translationautomation.com/reports/search/1 Multimedia Library - http://www.translationautomation.com/videos/videos We thank our members for their openness to sharing knowledge and ideas to serve the common goals of the translation industry.
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ABBYY Able Translations Acclaro Acrolinx Adobe Amesto Appen Butler Hill Attached Language Solutions Autodesk AVB Vertalingen BBN Raytheon Beo Bloomberg Bothof CA Technologies Capita Celer Soluciones Charles University Cisco Citrix Clay Tablet Cloudwords CLS Communication CNGL Concorde Crestec Cross Language DELL Digital Linguistics Dublin City University eBay/Paypal EC Innovations EMC (XURSHDQ 3DWHQW 2I¿FH FBI NVTC Global Textware Harley Davidson
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Hewlett Packard Pactera Honyaku Center Hunnect iDisc Informatica Inpokulis Intel Iolar Jensen Localization John Deere John Hopkins University Kilgray Kingdom Site Ministries L&L Language Intelligence Language Service Associates LDS Church Lexcelera Lingo 24 LingoSail Technology Lingosoft Oy Linguistic Systems Lionbridge Logrus Lucy Software Manpower Medilingua Medtronic Memsource Microsoft Molina Healthcare Moravia Worldwide Morphologic MultiCorpora R&D Inc NICT Oracle
Pangeanic Philips PROMT PTC PTSGI Quagnito R.R. Donnelley Safaba SDL Semantix Siemens SimpleShift Skrivanek Smartling SpeakLike Spoken Translation STP Nordic Straker Software Symantec Systran Tauyou Tekom Tembua Tilde Translated.net TransN TripAdvisor Trusted Translations University of Helsinki Urban Translation Service Welocalize Win and Winnow XTM International Yahoo! Yamagata Europe
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Translation Technology Landscape Report
Translation Technology Landscape Report
TAUS is an innovation think tank and platform for industry-shared services, resources and research for the translation sector globally. We envision translation as a standard feature, a ubiquitous service. Like the Internet, electricity, and water, translation is one of the basic needs of human civilization. 2XU PLVVLRQ LV WR LQFUHDVH WKH VL]H DQG VLJQL¿FDQFH RI WKH WUDQVODWLRQ industry to help the world communicate better. We support entrepreneurs and principals in the translation industry WR VKDUH DQG GH¿QH QHZ VWUDWHJLHV WKURXJK D FRPSUHKHQVLYH UDQJH RI events, publications and knowledge tools.
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Copyright © TAUS 2013
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