The Future of translation

Technology

Massimo Ghislandi
EVP Translation Productivity
5 Thoughts

Quality Productivity New ways System and User

of working workflow experience
integration
 believe they would lose
Terminology
competitive advantage 48%
72% without translation
inconsistencies
productivity tools Styling 44%

Translation
31%
inconsistencies
Translation doesn't
27%
sound natural
Formatting and
24%
tagging errors

DTP problems 17%


Machine Translation:
is no longer a dirty word
SIMPLICITY
Open Platforms
A Cloudy Future
35% Only a third think cloud-
based tools are as productive as
desktop-based tools
FUNCTIONALITY
16% of respondents believe
that TP software innovation
has peaked
 CLOUD COMPUTING

MACHINE LEARNING
Key
Technology BIG DATA

Trends CHANGING WORKPLACE

USER EXPERIENCE
 Modern Content

Digital content explosion

The rise of XML:

300X
more data in
First HP Inkjet
XML “is now part of the fabric of 2020 compared Printer in 1984
to 2005
business. It is the default mechanism
for representing data in a host of areas
across the IT landscape and, if there is
any requirement for interoperability
between systems then XML is likely to
be the data interchange medium.”

+ demand for immediacy = shorter Now multiple models updated regularly

turnaround times
 Modern Workplace

Technology
Expected to grow to is now enabling
Global mobile Workforce virtual teams to work
1.75 billion by 2020
1.32 billion in 2014 * together much better

In the last 10 years we have moved from

Technology at work evolves as the culture
a physical space organised for
changes and vice versa, when culture
collaboration built through furniture to a
changes technology is used when it is
digital space for collaboration that we
meaningful & relevant to do so
organise through networks
1/3 of customers don’t use any quantitative metrics to assess quality
How do you measure quality? Quality
Formal, standardized, quantitative metrics Combination qualitative & quantitative
Rely on qualitative feedback None of the above
How do you measure quality?
5% 52% 35% 7% While 7% turn a blind-eye to
quality – and make no attempt to
Early Early Late measure quality.
Innovators Laggards
Adopters Majority Majority Half use both qualitative AND
quantitative feedback when
measuring translation quality.
“The Chasm”
Quality is IMPORTANT – as 93% do
some form of assessing quality.
BUT ONLY 1 in 20 (5%) use
standardized, quantitative metrics
when measuring translation
Technology Adoption Cycle quality.

Base: 2784
Current MT usage
While a quarter still believe that MT is a
threat, closer to half believe that it’s driving
the future of translation productivity

Of those who use it, almost three-quarters are

more likely to recommend it than not; and
corporates are the most enthusiastic segment

40% of the respondents are using MT, and

they are seeing significant value. And this is
before new advances in machine learning
have been widely applied to this field.

Source :SDL Industry Technology Research March 2016

 Cost savings through MT
Does MT make you more efficient? The majority
How much time / cost do you save? can expect a
19% time saving
Corp

Corp Freelance LSP Grand Total of 20-30%

11% Saved 10% (only took 90% of what it normally would have) 7% 11% 11% 10%
70% Saved 20% (only took 80% of what it normally would have) 23% 24% 26% 23%
1 of 3 can
Saved 30% (only took 70% of what it normally would have) 27% 34% 31% 32%
expect a
Saved 40% (only took 60% of what it normally would have) 18% 11% 10% 13%
Freelance

15% Saved 50% (only took 50% of what it normally would have) 14% 11% 13% 12% time saving
Saved 60% (only took 40% of what it normally would have) 3% 3% 5% 4% of 40% or
23% Saved 70% (only took 30% of what it normally would have) 4% 2% 2% 2% more.
62%
Saved more than 70% (took less than 30% of what it normally would4%
have) 4% 2% 4%

Up to 30% savings 57% 69% 68% 66%

17%
LSP

More than 30% savings 43% 31% 32% 34%

18%
65% Saved 10% (only took 90% of what it normally would have) 7% 11% 11% 10%
Save 20 - 30% 50% 58% 57% 56%
Saved 40% or more 43% 31% 32% 34%
 How do you best compete? Investment in TP tools is seen as the
#1 way for doing more with less.
Invest in
translation Productivity
productivity tools
There is a
Review and
preference for
Improve processes
improving
Increase technology &
39% processes
Headcount
(67%) over
28%
Outsource adding more
to external costs.
agencies 18%

14% 1.5x 2.5x 3.5x

Base: 2784
Adopt better Increase in Increase use in Better Easier to use
way to assess Machine collaboration integrations tools which
quality Translation tools and increased retain
usage process sophistication
automation
Software and Services for Human Understanding
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