Would Margaret Fuller have joined TAUS?

More than likely. One of her more famous quotes was:

If Fuller was still alive, would social networking have forged a connection somehow with Jaap van der Meer, Director of the Translation Automation User Society, otherwise known as TAUS? I'd bet money on it.

Long known as a language industry pioneer and visionary, van der Meer directs the TAUS-driven call for knowledge sharing as the driver of change for the translation industry. Efforts such as:

• spearheading a language data sharing initiative, including a planned platform for cross-industry sharing


• providing executive forums to discuss and design new translation business models, and


• mapping the roadmap to share translation memories

Since November 2004, TAUS has managed to bring together more than sixty companies that exchange user cases, best practices and technology roadmaps specific to the language industry. The resulting membership is far from a "weighted" crowd; rather, it is a well-rounded collection of end users, service providers and technology vendors with a shared interest for change.

This mission statement for 2008 defines how TAUS plans driving an "agenda of change" that stimulates innovation, automation and collaboration for the industry. Impressive goals, to say the least. Find out more by requesting a copy of the TAUS Annual Plan 2008. It is an excellent read.