Introduction to TMS

Learn who needs this manual and when a TMS is a better choice than a CAT tool.

This manual will help you go through the process of choosing the right Translation Management System (TMS) for your company. A TMS is a software platform designed for managing translation and localization projects in a single place.

Who is this manual for?

It provides hands-on information for translation and localization professionals working both in enterprises and for language service providers. It will be useful for those who already have some experience with CAT tools, but are now looking for more comprehensive solutions. The target audience also includes persons wishing to bring their work onto a new level by starting to use a TMS or by switching to another one.

It is not another marketing presentation. Quite the contrary: it is a very practical documentation on TMS features important from business perspective. There is no one-fits-all solution. Every company has different needs. However, there are some common features that you should take into account when choosing your ideal tool. And you will find them here.

By creating this documentation, I have collected all the knowledge and experience I have gained so far in the translation and localization industry. There is a lot of information on this topic on the web, but it is mostly dispersed so you have to spend a lot of time searching and browsing through data you need. Therefore, this compact manual is perfect for you if you need to decide what to look for in a TMS.

What can you find in this manual?

  • Brief description and overview of TMS available in the market (2022)
  • Reasons for and against having a TMS
  • Steps that you should take when deciding to buy a TMS
  • Analysis of key features of a TMS and how they can help your company tackle translation and localization challenges
  • Practical information shown on an XTM example
  • What to do after you have launched a TMS in your company

Why have I chosen XTM?

Because I know this system and I work with it every day. Please note that I am not related to XTM International, the software provider, in any way and this is not a promotional text. What’s more, XTM’s documentation is very complex, it is available in so many different places and is not much user-friendly. That’s why I wanted to make its key parts more accessible and succinct for future users.

Your goal? My answer.

So if you have a goal: to find the right translation solution for your company, but you don’t know what and how, I hope it will be clearer once you have read everything.

For your convenience, you can download this manual also as a pdf file.