For the majority of us, being connected has become a central part of everyday life – from social networking, instant messaging, being able to search for answers whenever or wherever you are, to controlling our home utilities and even cars through smartphones, tablets and personal computers. The ability to access the required information quickly and efficiently has never been so important.

Connectivity within translation is no different. Businesses need seamless integration to manage varying translation needs, whether it is communicating in a native language within operating territories, or to satisfy the introduction of new multilingual audiences through the increasing rate of connectivity in the developing world.

These requirements call for efficiency and adaptability, so making sure all systems talk to each other is crucial for achieving a seamless translation management process.

Connecting systems

The emergence of new forms of communication within untapped markets can pose a challenge when it comes to language. Businesses need to create a localisation plan that prioritises the ability to send and receive translation materials as efficiently as possible between themselves and their language service provider. And this is where connectivity tools fit in.

The solutions

As there are a vast number of different website content management systems (CMS), as well as a whole host of different localisation options, finding the most suitable solution for your business may seem like a daunting task.

CMS integration provides an off-the-shelf solution for many of the main platforms such as WordPress, Magento & Adobe Experience Manger, which streamlines the localisation process and enables content translation within a few clicks.

For systems not covered by off-the-shelf integrations, WorkFlow API tools enable connectivity for any type of system, regardless of your technology investments (e.g. websites, mobile apps, software, CMS).

If your website isn’t set up to handle multiple languages, and you don’t have much IT support at hand; a website translation proxy could be for you. This would be the easiest way to quickly set up localised versions of your website, using a cloud-based solution. This acts as a mirror-image of your website, allowing different audiences to see content in their local languages.

What else is there?

It’s also a good idea to think about how your translation process may benefit from further connectivity to your language service provider’s ecosystem and technology. For example, can a machine translation service be integrated into your standard localisation process as a means of enhancing productivity, turn-around times and cost efficiency?

Or maybe your brand assets (style guides, glossaries etc) can be integrated into the process, improving the quality of your translation output?

And wouldn’t it be great if, rather than setting up numerous project requests and sending documents for translation via email, you could send and upload files for translation within your own environment?

Connectivity will continue to affect any industry, so why not take advantage of these automations in your day job, allowing you to spend time on the more important tasks.