Independent research firm Common Sense Advisory releases MarketFlex™, a structured analysis for corporations committing capital and resources to optimize translation management

(BOSTON) – Independent market research firm Common Sense Advisory (CSA Research) has released “MarketFlex™ for Comprehensive TMS,” the first in a series of research reports on language supply chain management tools. Any company managing a global brand faces logistical and supply chain challenges, including the large number of languages their content is available in. An increasing number of enterprises choose to adopt a comprehensive Translation Management System (TMS) in order to cope with the volume and complexity of translations.

MarketFlex adds a new and elevated level of market research for language technology, equivalent to that afforded to other major software markets. It evaluates a field of 11 solutions for TMS, including product feature strength today and the ability of their developers to continue innovating in the future. The initial report focuses on TMS solutions based on CSA Research’s independent qualitative and quantitative analysis. Solution vendors evaluated in this report include: Across, Memsource, Ontram, RR Donnelley, SDL International, Star Group, Text United, Translations.com, Wordbee, and XTM International.

Comments Ben Sargent, senior analyst at CSA Research and TMS expert, “Anyone who is dealing with a multilingual or global content strategy will ultimately need a translation management system to deal with the people and resources involved in the flow. MarketFlex™, in conjunction with our TMS Live™ comparison tool, allows global enterprises to pick the best platform and avoid wasting time and money evaluating systems that won't work efficiently for their company.”

Methodology:

MarketFlex evaluations measure the feature strength of software platforms as they exist today, as well as each vendor’s current state of corporate development. The data selected from TMS Live for this MarketFlex™ report focuses specifically on business process support for corporate customers that retain internal project managers while outsourcing most or all translation activities.

Using a proprietary research methodology, this MarketFlex examines: 124 basic and advanced features in 11 functional areas; 21 factors for customer satisfaction as reported by current users; and, dozens of datapoints and analyst assessments of vision, strategy, organization, and execution. CSA Research’s evaluation of the 11 solutions draws on data from five quantitative and qualitative methods:

• TMS Live.This online shortlist comparison tool documents the current functions available in each platform, measuring feature completeness.
• Product demos. Analysts received in-person demos of each product from their respective company between June and October 2014.
• Executive interviews. Analysts conducted interviews of one or more executives at each participating vendor, discussing product and corporate vision, product strategy, sales and marketing organization, and development and support operations.
• Customer survey. CSA Research surveyed 686 TMS users in September and October 2014 about satisfaction with their primary translation management system platform. We asked them about product performance, implementation support and ongoing service from the vendor, ROI results, and more.
• Web searches and website reviews. Researchers performed web searches to determine online visibility of the solutions.

The resulting MarketFlex is a data visualization with written assessments and analysis of competing software solutions in a specific category of language technology. CSA Research evaluates each system and vendor along two axes, “product viability” and “company sustainability.” The resulting scores provide data coordinates for plotting the solutions onto a grid, showing relative market strengths and weaknesses. 



“This research de-mystifies the TMS landscape and identifies critical differences in the approach and capabilities of the vendors and systems,” comments CEO of CSA Research, Tahar Bouhafs.

MarketFlex supplements TMS Live,the research firm’s interactive online tool for comparing features and functions. The majority of the TMS Live features are now open access, including filters to narrow down the field, comparison to weigh feature strength by functional area, and detail tabs with a company profile and product overview. In total, 23 TMS vendors are available for comparison and review, updated from the 17 vendors included in the first version of TMS Live.

For more information about Common Sense Advisory’s research on TMS or to use TMS Live, visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

Members of the media may request a complimentary copy of “MarketFlex™ for Comprehensive TMS” or preview the TMS Live tool by contacting Melissa Gillespie, Melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com,+1 760-522-4362.

About Common Sense Advisory

Common Sense Advisory is an independent market research company helping companies profitably grow their international businesses and gain access to new markets and new customers. Its focus is on assisting its clients to operationalize, benchmark, optimize, and innovate industry best practices in translation, localization, interpreting, globalization, and internationalization. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.