Scenario 1: Project packages

The client has a Business Management System (BMS) and they upload standard translation packages as payload for each job. They receive a job from an end client, which they processed in SDL Trados or a similar tool that produces packages, and created one package per language, in our example in SDLPPX format. These packages are uploaded into the client’s BMS and the Automator is assigned as a translation provider to the task.

The Automator connects to the client’s vendor portal, accepts the job, creates a new project in its own BMS and downloads the project package from the vendor portal.

How the Automator is able to deal with this job, largely depends on the capabilities of its BMS. It may automatically assign the translation package to a sub-vendor / translator and make the package available for download.

In a perfect continuous localization setup, the client would send well-prepared project packages, preferably one per language pair, as this facilitates workflow automation. In some cases it is inevitable to manipulate the package content, so we recommend liaising with the client to ensure the packages are sent in a way that supports automation. As a last resort the Automator may also develop a script that helps process these packages.

When the sub-vendor / translator delivers the translation job through the Automator’s vendor portal, the package can be uploaded directly to the client’s vendor portal – in continuous localization, we aim to avoid compulsory PM checks slowing down the process -, and the job can be marked completed both in the client’s vendor portal and in the Automator’s BMS.