Utilizing Automation For Better Localization Services

For a pretty long time, automation has been conceptualized as a terrifying image of machines replacing humans and taking over their jobs. As time went by, however, our understanding of automation has completely changed. Despite threatening the low-grade routine jobs, automation, on the flipside, saves companies time and money and enhances the productivity and professional workflow processes. This could end up creating more opportunities! According to Statista, the global unemployment rate was edging down throughout the past ten years, in spite of the increasing adoption of automation techniques.

The new understanding of automation should be linked to how machines help humans and facilitate the execution of work activities. In today’s rapidly changing world, most of the businesses find it necessary to incorporate automation capabilities so as to maintain a high standard of product or service offering levels and remain competitive. No matter the industry or company size, automation increases business efficiency, speeds up the work process, and cuts costs without cutting corners.

But, what does automation mean, exactly?

Technical experts define automation as the creation and application of technologies to produce and deliver goods and services with minimal human intervention. This means human intervention is still needed, yet for more complex and delicate tasks. Human resources are also required to control these machines and harness the entire automation process.

Automation, in general, reduces the human error and improves the efficiency and speed of recurring tasks that were previously performed by humans. In fact, leveraging technologies to automate redundant and low-skilled functions is now considered a must-have for any successful business. The world’s leading research and advisory company Gartner expected the companies that do not incorporate automation to see a 25% decrease in customer retention during 2019.

The applications of automation across the localization industry

The impact of automation varies from one industry to another, depending on how much of the workflow could be automated. When it comes to the language industry, and particularly localization, automation seems to have a lot to offer. From computer assisted translation (CAT) tools and automated translation all the way to chatbots, technology intervenes to automate a large part of the operations.

Automation is, in fact, applied across the full spectrum of language solutions from simple document translation to advanced software, website, and mobile app localization services. Below is a bulleted summary of the functions automation can fulfill efficiently:

• Project management: Localization is a complex process that involves translators, reviewers, proofreaders, localization engineers, and more. Project management automation software comes to facilitate the work and accelerate the process. Once enabled, these solutions will allow you to assign tasks faster, monitor the workflow in real time, track the progress of the project, and use data to improve the entire process.

• Content and translation management: Setting up a proficient content management system (CMS) and translation management system (TMS) within the localization process is indispensable. Not only do these tools enable the deployment of translation memories, glossaries, and terminology management options, but also give accessibility to fundamental resources and allow the automated synchronization of new translations. Translation and content management solutions increase the consistency and quality of your localized products.

• Operational functioning: Automation also concerns the practical operations and tedious routine tasks within the localization process. Through API integration and command line interface (CLI) capabilities, you no longer need to export, import, upload, or download the textual content. Automation software will do such menial yet time-consuming tasks for you.

• Quality Assurance: Automation can be leveraged for linguistic and functional testing to ensure the highest level of quality. From grammar and spelling checkers to advanced localization testing tools, quality control is performed faster and better with automation tools. This ranges widely from software testing to text fine-tuning.

• MTPE: Of all automation applications, machine translation is the most innovative tool in the world of language services. Powered by the evolution of neural networks and machine learning techniques, machine translation can now produce acceptable results with high levels of accuracy. In localization, however, the concept of machine translation post editing (MTPE) has proven to be a successful practice where humans intervene to edit automated translation. MTPE solutions cut costs and times without compromising on quality.

The benefits of automation 

Hiring a localization agency that employs technology tools and automation techniques reaps numerous benefits to your business localization project. Over the past couple of years, customers reported an improved experience with the automation-powered localization services. These are the main benefits of localization automation:

• Minimized time: Technology is available 24/7 and operates faster than humans
• Reduced cost: Faster turnaround and less work chores translate into lower costs
• Improved consistency: Automation eliminates human errors and aligns the work of different collaborators
• Enhanced quality: Automated testing and quality checks result in flawless outputs
• Optimized ROI: Localization automation gets you the results you need quickly and efficiently, and eventually brings in the maximum return on your spend

Why Choose EL

For over 16 years, EuroLingo has engraved its name among the top localization service providers in Eastern Europe. Backed by a full suite of cutting-edge technologies and advanced automation techniques, our human translators will tailor the best localization solution to your business at the fastest turnaround and highest quality. Having worked with giant multinational companies, including SAP, Toyota, Android, Cisco, and Lenoveo, our localization experts will make perfect use of available automation tools to come up with the utmost results. If you are looking for a professional and flawless localization service across Eastern Europe, look no further. Contact us now and request your free quote!