TMS in Corporate Language Policy

It is good to know which companies should choose a TMS and how what their concerns are.

From a business perspective, a Corporate Language Policy is a must for every multinational and multilingual corporation engaged in international operations. It should be drafted at the beginning of their globalization process along other important regulations and procedures such as Security Policy or Data Protection Policy. However, it is often not the case, which is a pity.

A Corporate Language Policy is a comprehensive strategy that defines the organization's approach to the language that is used in external and internal communication to be more diverse and inclusive. The best option is to write it down in the form of an official document and make it available to all the employees worldwide.

It defines in particular:

  • one global corporate language (e.g. English)
  • what needs to be translated and into which languages
  • how the language policy helps achieve corporate objectives
  • what tools are used and by whom
  • if the translation process is kept in-house or outsourced
  • aspects of inter-cultural communication
  • impact on other internal regulations e.g. employment policy, marketing strategy

While being a rather general and high-level document, a Corporate Language Policy may contain a more detailed localization strategy which focuses more on target markets and customers buying company's products. And here is where you should look when deciding upon a TMS. Its features must correspond to the goals set by the organization on how to communicate its message.

For example, if your company wishes to make only websites and customer service communication available in other languages, you may decide on a more localization-oriented TMS (such as Localise). However, when your targets are both marketing materials, IT software strings and corporate communication, then choose a comprehensive Translation Management System instead (e.g. XTM, Memsource).