Tag Archives: CMS

Translation and Content Management Systems

Translation and Content Management Systems

Translation and Content Management SystemsYou may have heard the term CMS (Content Management System) if your company is making its content more widely available to reach a global audience. Though CMS is not a new concept, having been around since the 1990s, it is gaining popularity due to the great efficiencies it offers.

A CMS is used in the process of creating and managing content by organizing the information for ease of access and control. A CMS makes it possible for users to participate in the process from almost anywhere in the world so long as they can connect by computer to your system (and are authorized to do so).

Users don’t need to know how to code, or to be particularly tech savvy, because the CMS takes care of the underlying technology leaving users to focus on the actual content.

Most CMSs have features such as publishing, formatting, indexing and revision control. Editing is quickly accomplished as the CMS allows you to search and index documents as well as specify keywords to optimize search engines.

If you plan to globalize your websites and localize the content, then it’s important to think about a CMS that supports multilingual content and offers features for translation tasks.

Unicode is typically used in a multilingual CMS to support encoding and representation of characters in most or all languages you would choose for your business, including those that read from left to right and use non-Roman scripts. You should also be able to easily swap to different currencies, times and numerals.

Another important consideration when going global with your system’s content is to ensure the CMS has an integrated or linked translation memory tool. This tool, used by professional translators, finds similar and repeated translated text when localizing web sites or documents, therefore making future updates and revisions even easier.

Below are a few details about some well-known CMS tools for your consideration:

Joomla!

Joomla! is an open source application, so it can be used anyone, whether small businesses and large corporations.

Joomla! is ideal for a business that has a number of user groups who need access to documents for editing without losing control. It offers 66 languages, which means that you have a wide choice when it comes to putting your websites into another language. Keeping Joomla! up to date is simple as they have a one click update feature.

You can organize folders and files for your content by using the Media Manager tool, which also allows you to seamlessly access images and any other files because its integrated with the Article Editor.

You don’t need to know any coding to add content to your website. Pictures and photos can be dragged and dropped and you have a choice of layouts. Content can be easily found and changes tracked by using content versioning.

Drupal

Drupal is another open source application for commercial enterprises. Drupal has an easy to use interface, which makes it easier for users who don’t have a lot of HTML knowledge. It has a web-based translation module, which means that translations are managed from a central location and translators don’t need to know anything about Drupal.

Completed translations can be viewed together with any new information and content that needs updating. Translated content from whatever translation tool is used can be uploaded back to Drupal after completion.

Drupal is ideal if you have a large quantity of website content in different languages.

DITA

Not strictly a CMS, DITA is an authoring tool used by global businesses that have a lot of content in different languages. It makes brochure writing and updates of instruction manuals easy to control.

Content is written in segments so that text can be built up piece by piece until the work is completed. That means each piece can be accessed and used again without the need to revise and replace the whole body of content. Authors also have the benefit of using the system in Microsoft Word, so they don’t need any XML training.

Revisions to content in DITA also make the translation process more efficient. For example, when updating an instruction manual, you only need to have the translation updated for the revised segment. This saves time and money.

The most important consideration when implementing a CMS is to ensure it will best fit your company’s current and future needs. Though you may not be translating content now, you may open new markets that require materials in another language. Should you ever have a question about CMS and translation, don’t hesitate to contact your localization partner who should be able to help support your efforts.

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Terralingua is a professional ISO certified translation company specializing in localization and desktop publishing. We have worked with many of the world’s industry leaders and if you would like to talk to us about your company’s global communications, please visit our website for further information.

Why it Makes Sense to Use a Content Management System

Why it Makes Sense to Use a Content Management System

Why it Makes Sense to Use a Content Management SystemA Content Management System (CMS) is an application that manages the creation, distribution and publishing of corporate material. It ensures all of your information is up to date, secure and efficiently managed from the content’s creation, through to publishing and filing.

Do I need it?

If your company regularly produces newsletters, press releases, instructional information and product updates and does so in more than one language, then a CMS will provide updates of previous information and create new content faster than a manual system.

What are the other benefits?

Ease of Use

First, it can be used by people who do not have any technical knowledge. You do not need to use a programmer or an HTML expert to assist with your content management strategies.

The CMS provides content developers with templates in order to create tailor made designs, formats and structures. Once the templates have been created, they are stored for use again and again. A CMS system separates content from design, meaning that the design of a website can be changed completely but the content remains untouched.

Flexibility

Users can access the system from multiple locations simultaneously, meaning that the marketing department and the sales department can use the system independently at the same time. This increases efficiency and makes content creation faster.

Functionality

Using a CMS is as easy as using Word. Type in new content and press save. You can add or delete content at the click of a mouse. There are automatic updates for some tasks and reminders for others.

The database archive allows for the re-use of previous content without copying and pasting. If you need to produce content in a different language, you only have to translate the new content, which will mean a significant saving on translation costs.

Efficiency

A CMS allows you to make changes to the system at any time and from anywhere, which ensures that you get your content where it needs to be, quickly.

You can write and prepare content for an upcoming event in advance, set the release date and the system will publish your content automatically on the date you have specified.

Search Engine optimization is completed for you. A CMS will ensure that the technical work required to keep your web site noticed by search engines is carried out, so that your business will be found on a search browser.

In a nutshell, a CMS will help your company to efficiently manage your corporation’s content by:
• Enabling non-technical employees to use the system
• Allowing individual departments to work at the same time
• Updating remotely
• Re-using old content
• Allowing faster publishing time

The cost of implementing a CMS varies according to the size of your organization and the tools you want to use. Seek professional advice before the investment to ensure you find the right match to your needs, and not more or less.

Terralingua is a professional localization agency with extensive experience utilizing CMS and can assist your company with effective global communication. We have worked with many of the world’s top brands. Please visit our website for further information.