Monday morning. The mailbox is overflowing, chat messages flashing continuously, reminders popping up in the calendar – and somewhere between SharePoint, Excel spreadsheets and network folders, someone is desperately searching for the current version of a document. For our customer, this is how most working days would begin.
What was supposed to be “just” a translation process had become a highly complex obstacle course. Translation jobs fluttering in through all possible channels – sometimes by e-mail, sometimes by phone or chat. Documents being stored in dozens of different locations with incomprehensible versioning. Corrections being submitted in Word comments, handwritten or scanned. And while the Outlook calendar became more and more crowded, the effort, error rate and costs exploded. Many items were being translated – and paid for – multiple times, even though only small changes would have been necessary.
Our customer was frustrated: too many media breaks, too little structure, too many duplicates. What was urgently needed was a system that could bring order into the chaos – a Translation Management System (TMS).
Why a Translation Management System Is Essential
In a first workshop, we jointly formulated the goals:
- More automation
- One unified storage
- A system-based translation and review process
- Automatic reminders that keep track of deadlines
The reuse of existing translations via translation memories was also particularly important; a crucial lever for ensuring quality at minimal cost. All this should be made possible with the help of a translation management system.
The Path to a Translation Management System
We started with a detailed requirements analysis. Interviews and process assessments enabled us to identify weaknesses – and we then compared different translation management systems using an evaluation matrix representing the customer’s priorities.
The system selection was followed by a practical test: A pilot phase was launched in one department, which was carried out with both internal teams and external translation service providers. This quickly revealed where adjustments were needed and how the platform simplified everyday tasks. After successful testing, the translation management system went live – initially in a pilot scope.
We accompanied the employees intensively to ensure a smooth transition: With training courses, practical support and the setup of translation memories and terminology. After a short time, the original confusing patchwork method became a clear, structured process – thanks to the translation management system.
Looking to the Future
Today, the translation management system is an integral part of our customer’s daily work. And the journey continues: Further expert areas are gradually being integrated into the system. New interfaces for the editorial system will soon enable fully automated order creation. Additional features – such as an order portal, a billing module or the integration of AI – are already on the roadmap.
Your Path to Efficient Translation Management
The introduction of the translation management system was more than just an IT project for our customer. It was a step towards the future: towards transparency, efficiency and professional translation management – and away from crowded mailboxes, exploding calendars and endless Excel lists.
Do you want to make your translation processes more efficient, transparent and future-proof? We support you individually, share our best practices and accompany you step by step – so that your company can realize the full potential of a translation management system.
