SDL International Announces SDLWebFlow 3.0—First Multilingual Content Management System to Feature Real-time Translation

SDLWebFlow 3.0 now supports real-time translation from SDL International's Enterprise Translation Server, automated change detection to streamline the management of multilingual websites and improve translation consistency.

Internet World, London, ,
05 June 2001

SDL International® (London: SDL plc), a leading provider of globalization technology and services, today announced availability of SDLWebFlow™ 3.0. The SDLWebFlow 3.0 multilingual content management system now offers real-time translation capability, content transfer API with automatic change detection and notification, increased throughput and multi-threaded security features.

 
SDLWebFlow 3.0 offers an optional integration with SDL International's Enterprise Translation Server™ that enables translations in real-time. This translation capability allows SDLWebFlow 3.0 to provide instant multilingual translations to increase the cost-effectiveness and breadth of user applications delivered by SDLWebFlow. Real-time translation provides a "gisted" draft-quality translation that is ideal for obtaining a general understanding of foreign language text. The significant cost savings realized with real-time translation allows SDLWebFlow 3.0 to support multilingual applications such as corporate intranets, extranets and portals. Moreover, by pairing real-time translation with SDLWebFlow's existing translation memory functionality, globally minded companies now have the fastest, most reliable multilingual content management solution currently available.

"The addition of real-time translation to SDLWebFlow is proof that SDL is delivering on its vision of providing a complete and sophisticated range of globalization solutions," said Steve McClure, research vice president, software research group at IDC. "SDL is unique in offering machine translation, human translation and translation memory in a multilingual content management system. This integrated solution will become a critical tool for global corporations tasked with meeting the varied translation demands of maintaining a multilingual Web presence."

The Content Transfer API (CTA) included with SDLWebFlow 3.0 provides the client with greater flexibility and control over how content is sent and retrieved within the system. The CTA automatically detects any changes in both static and dynamic site content and alerts the designated site administrator via e-mail enabling the administrator to initiate a workflow job. This seamless process is readily integrated with virtually any content management system.

An advanced security program manages the SDLWebFlow 3.0 content in encrypted XML request-response pairs, all transactions being initiated from within the content-server's firewall.

"Today, global corporations realize the critical importance of effectively managing the content of their various online initiatives, but have been struggling with how to deliver and maintain content in multiple languages quickly and cost-effectively while meeting the custom needs of their local offices," said Floyd Bradley, executive vice president of sales and marketing at SDL International. "SDLWebFlow's multilingual content management system meets the needs of corporate headquarters as well as those of the foreign offices by enabling each to participate in the content management and translation selection, ensuring that information is suitably translated and uploaded to the appropriate site."

About SDLWebFlow
SDLWebFlow is designed to meet the many challenges of today's global online initiatives. An integrated and scalable multilingual content management solution, SDLWebFlow's workflow system detects changes to content, manages content translation, review and approval and publishes to the appropriate local language site. SDLWebFlow's translation technology offering includes translation memory, real-time translation and professional services enabling clients to select the most appropriate solution.

About Enterprise Translation Server
With the capability of translating more than 3 million words per hour, the Enterprise Translation Server gives organizations the ability to offer instantaneous on-the-fly translations of e-mail, instant messages, presentations, documents and web pages to their employees and customers. The powerful dictionary editing tools included with the server allow translation administrators to easily create and update topic-specific dictionaries that can further enhance accuracy.

About Real-time Translation
Real-time translation systems such as the Enterprise Translation Server are linguistically sophisticated machine translation (MT) products programmed with comprehensive dictionaries and a collection of linguistic rules that translate one language into another without relying on human translators. An MT system interprets the structure of sentences in the source language (the language the user is translating from) and generates a translation based on the rules of the target language (the language the user is translating to). The process involves breaking down complex and varying sentence structures, identifying parts of speech, resolving ambiguities, and synthesizing the information into the components and structure of the new language.

About SDL

SDL is the leader in Global Information Management (GIM) solutions that empower organizations to accelerate the delivery of high-quality multilingual content to global markets. Its enterprise software and services integrate with existing business systems to manage the delivery of global information from authoring to publication and throughout the distributed translation supply chain.

Global industry leaders rely on SDL to provide enterprise software or hosted services for their GIM processes, including ABN-Amro, Best Western, Bosch, Canon, Chrysler, CNH, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Philips, SAP, Sony, SUN Microsystems and Virgin Atlantic.

SDL has implemented more than 480 enterprise GIM solutions, has deployed over 150,000 software licenses across the GIM ecosystem and provides access to on-demand translation portals for 10 million customers per month. Over 1,000 service professionals deliver consulting, implementation and language services through its global infrastructure of more than 50 offices in 30 countries. For more information, visit www.sdl.com

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Nicola Bogle (SDL)
+44 (0)1628 417225
nbogle@sdl.com