Category: Content management & strategy (Page 151 of 468)

This category includes editorial and news blog posts related to content management and content strategy. For older, long form reports, papers, and research on these topics see our Resources page.

Content management is a broad topic that refers to the management of unstructured or semi-structured content as a standalone system or a component of another system. Varieties of content management systems (CMS) include: web content management (WCM), enterprise content management (ECM), component content management (CCM), and digital asset management (DAM) systems. Content management systems are also now widely marketed as Digital Experience Management (DEM or DXM, DXP), and Customer Experience Management (CEM or CXM) systems or platforms, and may include additional marketing technology functions.

Content strategy topics include information architecture, content and information models, content globalization, and localization.

For some historical perspective see:

https://gilbane.com/gilbane-report-vol-8-num-8-what-is-content-management/

UN Bans Unnecessary Languages: Scary but False

April 3, 2008 / Leonor Ciarlone / 0 Comments

April Fool’s Day usually brings out the kid in all of us, making for some fun and interesting spoofs. The April 1st press release that the United Nations was banning all “unnecessary languages” brought out the worried adult in me pretty quickly. Turns out I was spoofed — thankfully.

OTOH, the arrogance inherent to “all will be English” begs the question, are many organizations being spoofed on a daily basis by succumbing to this theory? And is it not scarily interesting that reading the entire article as a source of truth doesn’t sound too far off given the lack of global content — not only translated, but localized — in numerous industries? PRWeb claimed the article “too close for comfort,” but valuable for revealing serious issues in the global community.

Posted by EnglishClub.com, the article stated, “By 2049, when all languages other than English will have been phased out, the only language that will have international sanction will be English.” Pretty ominous sounding stuff. Enough to generate 315 extremely emotional responses to the blog entry between March 31 and April 3rd. Scary but false.

As the United Nations continues to promote 2008 as the Year of International Languages, here’s a “scary but true.”

On Global Brand Management: An Interview with Translation.com’s Candy Moss

March 31, 2008 / Leonor Ciarlone / 0 Comments

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Candy Moss, Creative Director with Translations.com, to discuss the importance of multilingual global brand management as a success criterion for global organizations.

LC: What role does a creative team play within Translations.com?
CM: Our Creative Team operates as a resource to our corporate clients’ marketing and advertising teams. Our Multicultural Marketing Department provides cross-cultural branding research, copy transcreation, and image consulting services as part of Translations.com’s core service offering.
LC: What is your background?
CM: 20 years in multicultural marketing consulting, with a background in content and creative design; my experience at Translations.com has increased my expertise in Hispanic markets in the U.S. as well as global markets considerably.
LC: How large is the Creative Team and what kinds of tasks are they involved with?
CM: We have close to 20 full time staff across multiple, global production centers. We also contract copy writers, graphic designers, and linguists. Our tasks include researching the impact of brand names, package design, website layout and content; any elements that impact of the global products nuances such as tone, style, design, content, format, color and illustrations.
LC: So that means your team does both transadaptation and transcreation work, correct? For global branding projects, which skill set is needed most?
CM: Both are important. However, adapting marketing messages has more to do preserving the concept (of the message) and changing the execution than with word for word translations. The example on “The Lighter Side” of our Web site demonstrates the challenge of dealing with the intricacies of culture.
LC: What kinds of research does the creative team rely on?
CM: We have extensive qualitative data based on 10 years of proprietary research. We develop customized survey tools based on each client’s needs. Once we get feedback from the target market, we work closely with the client’s creative team. This is also essential because they are the subject matter experts in their company’s product, positioning goals, and target customers. Generally, we function as an extension of a company’s brand champion team: the advertising agency is, in my experience, the group that is the first to recognize the need for our services. In the end, we team up with the agency and the company’s internal staff, serving as a general resource to the group.
LC: What are some of the best practices you have seen in global branding efforts?
CM: Understanding the need for due diligence in obtaining, understanding, and incorporating the voice of the local customer. And then, having the skills to distinguish between individual opinions and reactions to those of the larger culture. Overall? Understand your goals: why are you making these localization efforts and how effectively do they convey your company’s goals.
LC: And the worst?
CM: The idea that one person can assume what a culture will or will not bear. You really have to be open minded so that you are receptive to what impact a phrase or image will have in each cultural setting. A single line of copy or image can have a lasting impact — you want to do everything you can to be sure that impact is positive. Even after 20 years in the industry, and evaluating more survey responses than I can count, I learn something new every day.
LC: What is your advice for those striving to communicate the importance of the local in globalization?
CM: Ask your team to put themselves in the target market’s shoes. If that market receives only x percentage of localized content, the perception may be that they are only as important as the effort put into communicating with them. In terms of marketing and global branding efforts, think of the effort put into the taglines or slogans in the source language, usually English. When adapting the message to a different culture, give the effort the same level of respect.

SDL Announces Global Authoring Management System

March 18, 2008 / NewsShark

SDL announced the release of SDL Global Authoring Management System, a global authoring system based on SDL AuthorAssistant. The system is used to help companies to improve brand consistency, increase the efficiency of their global authoring process and reduce time-to-market for global content. Through its centralized system which checks against corporate assets, SDL Global Authoring Management System (SDL Global AMS) enables enterprise-wide consistency of terminology, style and linguistic best practices, as well as maximizing the reuse of previously written content. The upgraded system is now tightly linked with SDL’s automated translation technology, allowing authors to create content that is better prepared for automated translation. The post-processing required from automated translation is then significantly reduced. Other enhancements in SDL Global Authoring Management System include sophisticated linguistic and grammatical enhancements, enhanced collaboration throughout the content lifecycle, and centralized access for enterprise-wide configuration and profile management. For more information on SDL Global Authoring Management System visit http://www.sdl.com

Globalization is Hoppin’

March 16, 2008 / Mary Laplante / 0 Comments

Just a quick observation about the March 11 edition of Gilbane’s email news round-up. Five of the ten “news-of-note” summaries were developments in the globalization space that we cover in this blog.

Across Systems formally establishes presence in North America.
Translations.com merges with Alchemy.
Clay Tablet partners with Oracle.
Sajan releases new search-and-match technology for multilingual content.
MultiCorpora offers packaged solutions for corporate translation applications.

More evidence that there’s lots shaking in the world of people, process, and technology for multilingual business communications.

Enterprise Whatever

March 16, 2008 / Frank Gilbane / 0 Comments

As many of you know, we will be publishing a new report by Stephen Arnold in the next few weeks. The title, Beyond Search: What to do When Your Enterprise Search System Doesn’t Work, begs the question of whether there is such a thing as “enterprise search”. The title of Lynda’s consulting practice blog “Enterprise Search Practice Blog”, begs the same question. In the case of content management, a similar question is begged by AIIM – “The Enterprise Content Management Association” (ECM) and the recent AIIM conference.

The debate about whether “enterprise fill-in-your-favorite-software-application” makes any sense at all is not new. The terms “Enterprise Document Management” (EDM) and “Enterprise Resource Planning” (ERP) were first used in the 80s, and, at least in the case of EDM, were just as controversial. We have Documentum to thank for both EDM and ECM. Documentum’s original mission was to be the Oracle of documents, so EDM probably seemed like an appropriate term to use. Quickly however, the term was appropriated by marketing pros from many vendors, as well as analysts looking for a new category of reports and research to sell, and conference organizers keeping current with the latest buzzwords (I don’t exclude us from this kind of activity!). It was also naively misused by many enterprise IT (as opposed to “personal IT” I suppose) professionals, and business managers who were excited by such a possibility.

ECM evolved when the competition between the established EDM vendors and the fast growing web content management vendors reached a point where both saw they couldn’t avoid each other (for market cap as well as user requirement reasons). Soon, any vendor with a product to manage any kind of information that existed outside of (or even sometimes even in) a relational database, was an “ECM” vendor. This was what led AIIM to adopt and try to define and lay claim to the term – it would cover all of the records management and scanner vendors who were their existing constituents, and allow them to appeal to the newer web content management vendors and practitioners as well.

We used to cover the question “Is there any such thing as ECM?” in our analyst panels at our conferences, and usually there would be some disagreement among the analysts participating, but our mainly enterprise IT audience largely became savvy enough to realize it was a non-issue.

Why is it a non-issue?

Mainly because the term has almost no useful meaning. Nobody puts all their enterprise content in a single ECM repository. It doesn’t even make sense to use the same vendors’ products across all departments even in small organizations. – that is why there is such a large variety of vendors with wildly different functionality at ECM events such as AIIM. The most that you can assume when you hear “ECM vendor” is that they probably support more than one type of content management application, and that they might scale to some degree.

There are many who think it not unreasonable to have a single “enterprise search” application for all enterprise content. If you are new to search technology this is understandable, since you may think simple word or phrase search should be able to work across repositories. But, of course, it is not at all that simple, and if you want to know why see Stephen’s blog or Lynda’s blog, among others. Both Steve and Lynda are uncomfortable with “enterprise search”. Steve prefers the term “behind the firewall search”. Lynda sticks with the term but with a slightly different definition, although I don’t think they disagree at all on how the term is misused and misinterpreted.

Why use “Enterprise … Whatever” terms at all?

There is only one reason, and that is that buyers and users of technology use these terms as a shortcut, sometimes naively, but also sometimes with full understanding. There is just no getting around the barrier of actual language use. Clearly, using the shortcut is only the first step in communicating – more dialog is required for meaningful understanding.

SYSTRAN Launches Enterprise Server 6 Solution

March 12, 2008 / NewsShark

SYSTRAN announced the release of SYSTRAN Enterprise Server 6, a solution that meets the full range of enterprise language translation needs. Enterprise Server 6 enables corporate users to understand multilingual information in real-time and to deliver consistent and validated translations enabling them to follow best business practices and communicate across different languages. Available in three editions targeted to the small and midsized businesses and enterprise platforms, Enterprise Server 6 addresses complex translation tasks and provides a workbench for managing translation projects. The solution automatically translates all types of documents and files ranging from manuals, procedures, reports, product and support information, content applications, websites, and all written texts. It translates most file types through a Web-based interface or a SYSTRAN Toolbar available on the user desktop. Corporations can integrate it into enterprise applications to drive multilingual information in and across channels, like the enterprise content management system, portal, search, website, etc. Common uses include adding an online translation service to the corporate intranet, on-demand website translation, localization for document workflows, integration with content management systems, databases, and other enterprise applications. SYSTRAN Enterprise Server 6, Workgroup Edition is designed for the small enterprise Intranet with up to 100 users. Price starts at $15,000. SYSTRAN Enterprise Server 6, Standard Edition is designed for the midsize Intranet or Extranet with up to 2,500 users using the Online Tools and Application Packs. Price starts at $30,000. SYSTRAN Enterprise Server 6, Global Edition is designed for enterprises with advanced translation requirements with unlimited user access. Price starts at $150,000. http://www.systransoft.com/

Globalization Sessions at Gilbane San Francisco

March 8, 2008 / Leonor Ciarlone / 0 Comments

Our Gilbane San Francisco conference from June 18-20 extends our discussion of global content to the West Coast. We’ll be talking about the ability to create, define and manage a Global Content Value Chain within two distinct operational areas: customer service and brand management, both highly dependent on accurate, consistent, and contextual multilingual communications.

We’ll also provide content professionals with a succinct knowledge map of translation process and technology components, increasingly handy as the content and translation management worlds collide. Then, onto an update on system integration opportunities based on enterprise strategy rather than ad-hoc processes. Join us!

Globalization Track Lineup: (full grid is here)
GCM-1: Optimizing the Global Content Value Chain: Focus on Product Support Content
Wednesday, June 18: 2:00 – 3:30pm
Product support content includes technical documentation as well as the content that lives with a product or service in many formats and contexts, including pre-sales, post-sales, aftermarket, training, and service. The global economy adds languages as yet another output to the traditional multichannel formula, increasing content volume due to the nuances of dialect and culture. Speakers explain how to build global content value chains that combine core content technologies with heavy doses of authoring assistance, collaboration, automated workflows and project management to documentation and translation processes. Results include multilingual product content that satisfies customers, enables simultaneous shipment of products worldwide, and delivers cost and operational efficiencies.

GCM-2: Optimizing the Global Content Value Chain: Focus on Web Content
Thursday, June 19: 8:30 – 10:00am
Customer-facing Web content must consistently communicate an organization’s core brand regardless of the language through which the message is delivered. The integral role of company Web sites in engaging with customers worldwide means that effective management of multilingual Web content must be central to content and IT strategies. Effectively managing this content presents specialized considerations such as understanding the benefits of machine translation, integration with analytics and search engine optimization tools, and segment-based translation that keeps multiple Web sites in multiple languages in synch with customer expectations. Speakers explain how to build global content value chains that combine brand management techniques with web content creation, management and distribution processes. The result is multilingual Web content that ensures the best brand experience in any language, at any time.

GCM-3: Case Studies in Translation and Localization: Process and Technology Overview for Content Managers
Thursday, June 19: 11 – 12pm
The worlds of language professionals, content managers, program and product managers, and IT are colliding, driven by the growing demand for integrating content management, translation process management, and other processes and practices comprising the global content value chain. The collision can be managed more effectively if all participants understand what’s in the toolboxes of the other groups and how to put them to good use in the context of a total solution. In a case study format, language professionals explain their tools of the trade and show you how they add value to multilingual content. A session in partnership with Multilingual Magazine and Localization World.

GCM-4 & WCM-6: Case Studies in Integration: WCM & GM
Thursday, June 19: 3:30- 5pm
Content and translation management are core processes in the global content value chain. Integrating the systems that handle them is essential to streamlining processes, increasing the volume of language translations, controlling costs, improving efficiencies and ensuring customer satisfaction. To make the most of investment in people, process, and technology, integration of WCM and GM requires an enterprise strategy, not ad hoc processes that are recreated each time a new website is launched. This session uses real-world scenarios to walk you through different approaches to integration so that you can make an informed decision about strategies and practices that are right for your organization.

Ontologies and Semantic Search

March 2, 2008 / Lynda Moulton / 0 Comments

Recent studies describe the negative effect of media including video, television and on-line content on attention spans and even comprehension. One such study suggests that the piling on of content accrued from multiple sources throughout our work and leisure hours has saturated us to the point of making us information filterers more than information “comprehenders”. Hold that thought while I present a second one.

Last week’s blog entry reflected on intellectual property (IP) and knowledge assets and the value of taxonomies as aids to organizing and finding these valued resources. The idea of making search engines better or more precise in finding relevant content is edging into our enterprises through semantic technologies. These are search tools that are better at finding concepts, synonymous terms, and similar or related topics when we execute a search. You’ll find an in depth discussion of some of these in the forthcoming publication, Beyond Search by Steve Arnold. However, semantic search requires more sophisticated concept maps than taxonomy. It requires ontology, rich representations of a web of concepts complete with all types of term relationships.

My first comment about a trend toward just browsing and filtering content for relevance to our work, and the second one about the idea of assembling semantically relevant content for better search precision are two sides of a business problem that hundreds of entrepreneurs are grappling with, semantic technologies.

Two weeks ago, I helped to moderate a meeting on the subject, entitled Semantic Web – Ripe for Commercialization? While the assumed audience was to be a broad business group of VCs, financiers, legal and business management professionals, it turned out to have a lot of technology types. They had some pretty heavy questions and comments about how search engines handle inference and its methods for extracting meaning from content. Semantic search engines need to understand both the query and the target content to retrieve contextually relevant content.

Keynote speakers and some of the panelists introduced the concept of ontologies as being an essential backbone to semantic search. From that came a lot of discussion about how and where these ontologies originate, how and who vets them for authoritativeness, and how their development in under-funded subject areas will occur. There were no clear answers.

Here I want to give a quick definition for ontology. It is a concept map of terminology which, when richly populated, reflects all the possible semantic relationships that might be inferred from different ways that terms are assembled in human language. A subject specific ontology is more easily understood in a graphical representation. Ontologies also help to inform semantic search engines by contributing to an automated deconstruction of a query (making sense out of what the searcher wants to know) and automated deconstruction of the content to be indexed and searched. Good semantic search, therefore, depends on excellent ontologies.

To see a very simple example of an ontology related to “roadway”, check out this image. Keep in mind that before you aspire to implementing a semantic search engine in your enterprise, you want to be sure that there is a trusted ontology somewhere in the mix of tools to help the search engine retrieve results relevant to your unique audience.

Category: Content management & strategy (Page 151 of 468)

UN Bans Unnecessary Languages: Scary but False

On Global Brand Management: An Interview with Translation.com’s Candy Moss

SDL Announces Global Authoring Management System

Globalization is Hoppin’

Enterprise Whatever

Why is it a non-issue?

Why use “Enterprise … Whatever” terms at all?

SYSTRAN Launches Enterprise Server 6 Solution

Globalization Sessions at Gilbane San Francisco

Ontologies and Semantic Search

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