October 2, 2000

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Translation Software Synchronizes Multilingual Sites

Idiom Worldserver Upgrade lets users localize web content, track content from employees

By Beth Bacheldor

More on language translation:

Internet Week: Content Manager Handles Multiple Languages (9/25/00)

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Running a global E-business involves everything from language translation to content management. Idiom Inc. this week will roll out a new version of its software designed to help companies tackle those challenges around the world.

Idiom WorldServer 3.0, a software suite that helps companies develop and synchronize multilingual, multicultural Web sites, includes new features that make it easier to localize content and keep track of content coming from employees.

WorldServer consists of three parts: a Web-content interface that links WorldServer to a variety of back-end systems; a business-rules engine that lets companies establish processes; and a set of tools that help businesses edit content and access more than 60 character sets to translate content.

Idiom has redesigned the graphical user interface so it can be personalized to each user. For example, a marketing director in London will have access to a different set of functions than a translator in China.

Idiom has also enhanced the software's collaborative capabilities. A bulletin board lets users from around the world share information, and a graphical feature displays a bird's eye view of all the people and workflow processes involved in content creation and synchronization. Idiom also unveiled WorldWise, a free online service that offers globalization advice, best practices, and links to articles.

"The objective of localizing content in a Web environment is to ensure that everyone has the same quality experience,'' says Fred Lizza, Idiom's president and CEO. "We look at the whole experience and focus on our customers' business goals."

Travelocity.com LP uses Idiom's WorldServer to help manage its U.S., Canadian, and U.K. sites. WorldServer has reduced site maintenance costs by 25% because it eases the burden on the IT staff to manage the content, says Ned Booth, VP of global market development at Travelocity.com. "We used to call programmers to kick off the process of changing or adding content,'' he says. "Now, employees at local offices use WorldServer to make changes.'' Available now, the software starts at $125,000.

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