Market research firm Common Sense Advisory’s latest report for buyers of language services details the findings and best practices from more than 100 companies.

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/14/2011 -- Producing localized content has always required teams of people. Crowdsourced translation is one way to reach more markets and constituencies. To separate perception from reality, independent market research firm Common Sense Advisory test-drove 104 crowdsourced websites for its newest report, "Crowdsourced Translation: Best Practices for Implementation." The research offers insight into the current state of implementation practices, detailed reviews of typical community translation projects, and an overview of the governance models most commonly applied.

"Crowdsourced translation is an enabler for globalization," comments Rebecca Ray, Senior Analyst at Common Sense Advisory. "As more organizations use community translation across various industries, it will become a requested tool to support globalization.

Implemented properly, crowdsourced translation allows organizations to create lasting and meaningful engagement with a larger segment of their customers and constituencies."

Geared toward buyers of translation and localization services, the 51-page report also covers:

* Primer on how to get started with crowdsourced translation: strategic planning; budgets; recruitment and vetting; workflow and tools; recognition, rewards and remuneration; quality; challenges and pitfalls; and success factors

* Review of three business models for community translation that enable faster delivery of larger amounts of adapted and localized content

* Detailed descriptions of the four most common work environments for crowdsourced translation

* Overview of typical incentive and reward programs for translators and validators

* Forty-eight screenshots with examples of crowdsourced translation settings

* Glimpse into the future of collaborative translation

An additional report for translation suppliers, "Trends in Crowdsourced Translation: What Every LSP Needs to Know," answers these questions and more:

* How is trust established and maintained within crowdsourced translation communities?
* What is the workflow within the translation communities?
* What are the appropriate roles for community managers and moderators?
* What roles do leader boards and voting mechanisms play?
* Do online translation communities self-manage in any way?
* Who is responsible for final review and sign-off?
* How does a translation community scale?
* How are confidentiality, copyright, and security issues handled?
* How do organizations manage the perceived quality risks?

For additional information about Common Sense Advisory's research, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melissa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Research by Common Sense Advisory helps companies localize products for new countries more quickly and cost-effectively.

Lowell, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/09/2011 -- What is localization? Companies often define it as adapting their products and services into the languages and needs of local markets. Translation comes with the territory. But, as a new collection of research from Common Sense Advisory shows, localization is a more complex process, one that requires business adaptations for companies to market, sell, and support products in other countries, or in communities that use other languages.

The new research, which consists of two reports and four guides, introduces Common Sense Advisory's updated localization maturity model and shows global businesses how they can move from one level of maturity to the next. Based on a global survey of 157 organizations, the reports also reveal detailed information about the average time it takes for companies to move from one phase to another.

"Now that we've charted the typical timeline for moving through the phases of maturity, we can easily identify when a company is lagging behind or moving ahead of the curve," explained Common Sense Advisory founder and Chief Strategy Officer Don DePalma. "Through the findings we present in this research, companies can learn exactly what they need to do in order to localize more quickly and cost-effectively, gaining a distinct advantage over their competitors."

Key findings include:

* More than half (52.83%) of the companies surveyed favor a corporate-wide model for localization management.

* Localization managers commonly oversee the language conversion of content for online help, websites, technical publications, and marketing materials, but they also deal with mobile applications, packaging, customer care, employee information, and other content types.

* Top drivers for localization efforts include increased product and country revenue, improved customer experience, and greater market share.

* More than three-fifths (63.6%) of respondents had heard a senior executive talk about translation or localization in a company speech, and nearly three-quarters (73.8%) had read about localization in a broadly distributed corporate communication such as a newsletter, blog, or intranet posting.

"One major trend we identified in this research is that localization is steadily gaining visibility at the corporate level," DePalma explains. "Executives are more aware than ever before of localization as a revenue enabler."

The research includes:

* Drivers and priorities for localization and how they change with time and experience

* Detailed suggestions for speeding up the process of building a mature localization practice

* A set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for localization maturity

* The roles that vision, execution, and mastery play in localization maturity

* A discussion of where and how industry suppliers can help companies become more mature

For additional information about Common Sense Advisory's localization maturity reports and guides, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory :
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melissa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

New Study from Common Sense Advisory details the characteristics of fastest-growing language services providers.

Lowell, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/24/2010 -- The language services industry experienced double-digit growth throughout the economic downturn. So why do some translation and interpreting companies increase revenue at breakneck speeds while others fail to gain momentum? A new report from market research firm Common Sense Advisory, "Language Service Provider Growth Factors," explores this question.

The report, based on revenue data for 839 language service businesses over three fiscal year periods, shows that growth rates are influenced by an array of factors including location, attitude toward technology, acquisition strategies, and service expansion decisions.

"We noticed a clear correlation between the location of the company and their ability to achieve high rates of growth," observed report lead analyst Nataly Kelly. "Companies based in Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, and Asia outperformed providers in other regions, including North America, perhaps due in part to the weakened state of the American economy."

Key research findings include:

Translation firms that embrace technology come out on top. Companies that are in favor of technology grow nearly three times as fast (63.94%) as companies that have mixed feelings about it (18.33%) and companies that are against it (18.73%).

Mid-sized LSPs are growing faster than competitors. Suppliers with between 21 and 50 full-time employees (FTEs) reported a staggering growth rate of 157.33% for the three-year period from 2008 to 2010.

Overall, Northern European firms report the fastest growth. Their average growth rate – a whopping 153.51% – is nearly double that of the next fastest-growing region, Eastern Europe (79.28%). Asia also displayed strong performance, with a growth rate of 39.75%, followed by North America (27.23%).

Some countries in Eastern Europe also show impressive growth. Ukraine topped our list of the fastest-growing countries with a growth rate of 471.43%. Fellow Eastern European country Hungary was the nation with the second-highest rate of growth (141.67%).

"The good news is that a translation company's attitude toward technology appears to shape its destiny, no matter where it is headquartered," Kelly points out. "This is also positive for the end clients, since technology typically reduces costs and improves efficiency, making it possible for them to convert even more content that would otherwise never be translated."

The report includes several takeaways and roadmaps for LSPs, including 10 suggestions for language service business growth and lessons from the world's largest LSPs.

For more about "Language Service Provider Growth Factors," and the firm's research, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

New report from Common Sense Advisory helps developers benchmark their spending on localization and translation as part of global expansion efforts.

Lowell, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/30/2010 -- Facebook is now available in more than 70 languages. Google search is possible in 136. How many languages does your company offer? Multilingual software products and applications are not a passing trend. As businesses of all sizes attempt to grow in today's global high-tech marketplace, multi-language support is critical. But what do these firms spend on localization and translation services in order to obtain more international revenue?

New research from Common Sense Advisory, "How to Benchmark Your Localization Budget," answers this question. The firm surveyed 156 global product developers to determine what they were spending on localization. The majority of respondents worked for firms headquartered in North America and Northern Europe with revenue between US$1 and US$9 billion.

"To understand the value of localization, you only need three words – international revenue enablement," explains report lead analyst Rebecca Ray. "Most global software developers generate up to 50% of their total corporate revenue by spending a miniscule 1 to 2% of their development budgets on localization."

The report found that the demand for localized versions of all types of software is exploding. The vast majority of software and application developers (84.21%) said that they planned to increase their localization activities over the next 12 months. "Respondents do not plan to hire more internal localization staff – instead, they plan to outsource more work to language service providers," Ray points out. "So, the scalability of third-party localization companies will be an essential consideration for developers as they aim to unlock more global revenue."

The 33-page report contains helpful benchmarks that enable software and application developers to calculate what they should be spending on localization and translation, including:

* Localization budget size by domestic versus international revenue split
* Language-related expenditure as a percentage of total software budget
* Size of internal localization team based on region of headquarters and corporate revenue
* Spending on outsourced localization services by region of headquarters
* How budget ownership influences localization spending

Key findings from the study include:

* Spending on third parties consumes most localization budgets. Most companies rely heavily on outsourcing, spending 60 to 100% of their total localization budget on third-party services. Companies with higher international revenue relied even more heavily on external providers.

* Companies plan to send more work to third-party suppliers next year. A large portion of the companies surveyed (40.91%) said that they expected to contract with more third-party localization companies within the next year. However, more than half (52.73%) also intended to send greater volumes to their existing providers.

* Small internal localization teams are common. Most organizations favored team s with two to five people, or more than 10. Neither the companies' total revenue nor their percentage of international revenue affected this preference. For more on the firm's research, visit htt://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melissa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

New study from Common Sense Advisory shows steady pay increases, overall employment stability, and high levels of job satisfaction for workers in the language services industry.

Lowell, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/28/2010 -- Global business depends heavily on the translation and localization services industry, which market research firm Common Sense Advisory estimates will generate US$26 billion in 2010. And, as globalization increases, more content is created in more languages than ever before. These two factors help to explain the findings of "Language Services Industry Compensation," the latest report from Common Sense Advisory.

The new research, based on a survey of 1,037 people in 64 countries, reveals that individuals employed in the language services industry continued to see pay raises and increased demand for their services throughout the economic downturn.

"On average, translation and localization workers expected to receive annual compensation of US$63,130 in 2010, compared to US$60,673 in 2009," observed report lead analyst and Chief Research Officer Nataly Kelly. "The language services market grew steadily throughout the recession, and salaries continued to increase throughout this period as well."

Key research findings include:
* Compensation in emerging markets is rising at a faster pace. Translation professionals in China saw their income grow by 46.09%, while those workers living in Russia, Brazil, Israel, and Romania also saw increase in excess of 25%.

* Job title and location determine pay grade. In North America, the most highly paid individuals worked in executive management, sales, and content creation. In Asia, those working in compliance, customer support, and human resources reported earning the most. In Europe, the workers with the highest compensation were found in executive management, sales, and account management.

* Large companies have been giving better raises. Professionals experiencing the largest increases in pay were those working at firms with US$100 billion or more in revenue – those individuals saw their pay rise by 17.37% from 2008 to 2010.

* Gender disparities exist. Across the global sample, men earned an average of US$65,901 compared with women, who earned just US$55,790. However, in six countries – Denmark, France, India, Singapore, South Africa, and Switzerland – women earned more than men during each of the three years analyzed.

"While most translation and localization professionals saw wage increases, earning levels fell for workers located in some countries, such as Ireland and South Africa," Kelly points out. "Still, on the whole, compensation on both the supply and the demand sides of the language services market grew steadily throughout the economic downtown, reinforcing our past findings that this is a recession-resistant industry."

For more on the firm's research, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melissa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
+1 760-643-9140
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

New Common Sense Advisory report sheds light on how global organizations are managing their vendors and developing partnership approaches with language service providers (LSPs).

Lowell, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/24/2010 -- Organizations that seek success on the global stage have no choice but to market their products and services in other languages. To do this, they have long relied upon translation agencies and localization firms. New research from Common Sense Advisory shows these relationships are becoming more strategic in nature, and businesses are beginning to view their translation agencies as partners.

Common Sense Advisory conducted a detailed survey of 73 organizations that purchase translation services. The resulting report, "How Buyers Manage Translation Suppliers," highlights the characteristics that companies consider most important when selecting their providers, shows why they end relationships, and reveals details about how the practice of translation vendor management is evolving.

Comments report lead analyst Nataly Kelly, "The largest group of respondents spend between US$2 and $10 million per year on translation, and many report spending far more than this. With such vast amounts of resources dedicated to language services, global companies are developing a more refined palate when it comes to choosing translation suppliers."

Key survey findings include:
Multi-language vendors receive most of the work. Companies that offer translation services in many languages receive more than two-thirds (67.46%) of the client's total volume.

More clients send work to freelancers than to single-language vendors. On average, buy-side organizations send 8.80% of their work directly to freelance contractors than to single-language vendors, which only receive 4.82% of the work.

Reliance on many suppliers is common. Buyers frequently reported engaging two to five vendors (52.5%), followed by the next largest group which consisted of six to 10 vendors (27.9%). Very few buyers reported relying on just one translation agency (4.9%).

Buyers in Europe have longer relationships with vendors. Europeans were significantly more likely to have relationships of six to 10 years (41.30%) with vendors, compared with far fewer of their North American counterparts (17.32%)

Firms want just a few trusted partners. The survey found that buyers overwhelmingly prefer to stick to a select group of trusted translation vendors (91.7%) versus adding them on an ongoing basis (8.3%).

"We spotted significant differences based on geography and budget size, but one thing was the same across all variables – the single most important factor to buyers was on-time delivery. Time is money where translation projects are concerned," adds Kelly.

"How Buyers Manage Translation Suppliers" contains 27 figures and 33 tables detailing these and other survey findings. The report enables companies to benchmark their own translation vendor management efforts, and includes average language services budgetary ranges as a percentage of total company revenue.

For more on the firm's research, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
760-522-4362
Boston, MA
Melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Industry pricing report, based on Common Sense Advisory’s survey of 651 language service providers, details cost of services across 156 language pairs.

Lowell, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/17/2010 -- Translation underpins successful business globalization. While technology, business practices, regulatory compliance, and marketing issues support the international or domestic multicultural outreach of any organization, words always convey information about what an organization does, sells, or offers. And, according to new research by Common Sense Advisory, these words are getting cheaper. The net result of global supply, advances in technology, economic troubles, and more aggressive buyers has conspired to drive down the prices of most major and up-and-coming language pairs since the firm last collected data on pricing in late 2007.

Common Sense Advisory based these findings on a detailed global survey of 651 language service providers (translation firms) and freelancers in 75 countries about their pricing structures, processes, and customer bases. The firm's report, entitled, "Translation and Localization Pricing," includes pricing data in average prices for 156 language pairs. Further, it includes the major 10 languages with the greatest global economic impact (French, Spanish, Chinese, et. al), as well as 23 "next-wave languages" used in rapidly developing markets or in countries that are important to the global supply chain (for example, Arabic and languages of India).

How services are priced:
Most respondents (72.5%) base their pricing on the source content that they receive versus just 13% who charge by the words that they generate. The balance of respondents said other factors contributed to the structure including the client and complexity of the job. Invoices may include extra-cost fees including: terminology research, project management, testing, quality control checks, preparation of final materials, and more.

Adds report lead analyst and Chief Research Officer Don DePalma, "Whether you're buying translation or comparing your prices with those of a competitor, you should ask for the fully loaded cost. This will vary by geography. For example, European LSPs and smaller firms elsewhere tend to bundle services in their pricing, while larger American companies are more likely to break them out in their proposals."

Key survey findings include:
Demand is up, but price is down. While demand for language services has continued to grow (at a rate of over 13% per year), for the most part the price of translation and localization services has dropped. Few language pairs were spared substantial price decreases since 2007 – only French and German emerged as relatively safe havens for pricing stability. Among the world's top 10 languages, English into Russian showed the most price compression over that period.

Automation benefits buyers. Businesses can obtain substantial cost savings by working with translation providers that partially automate the translation process.  The research found that most providers discount the per word price by as much as 48% when using translation memory to process previously translated text. Machine translation with human post-editing generates even larger savings.

Less than half give discounts. Price anxiety remains a big concern among suppliers. Forty-two percent of the respondents give some type of discount, based on customer loyalty, frequency, or volume. Respondents overwhelmingly stated that they face price pressure and client sensitivity driven by competition from large LSPs and low-cost (and sometimes unqualified) translators both in their home markets and abroad.

Common Sense Advisory regularly helps companies with revenue growth and cost reduction in a global business environment; advising them on local best practices, including translation and localization services.

"With some 23,000 vendors across the globe offering translation services, buyers of language services want to know how and where to get the best value and what charges should be included," said Tahar Bouhafs, the company's Chief Executive Officer. "Suppliers want to find out whether their prices are competitive against a nearly unlimited number of mostly unknown rivals. That's what this industry research report explains."

For more on the firm's research, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact :
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Common Sense Advisory report provides insight into how global product localization is changing in the face of increased customer expectations.

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/21/2010 -- There is no let-up in the exploding demand for products in more and more languages, nor in the ever-increasing need for speed to reach local markets from day one. Common Sense Advisory's latest report, "Global Product Localization," serves as a wake-up call to global product developers who are worried about staying competitive.

The new report underscores the need for software development organizations to focus on the transition to worldwide scalability for their global product development process, including localization. Explains Common Sense Advisory senior analyst, Rebecca Ray, "Customers require local language content on demand, according to their lifestyles and business requirements. Tweaking current globalization models will not provide enough flexibility to stay ahead of local and regional competitors that are laser-focused on becoming global brands."

Global software developers are predicting high levels of demand for their products over the next year. One-third of those recently surveyed by the research firm perceive that the demand from markets that have not traditionally bought their companies' products is currently greater than normal. More than 50% expect this new market demand to continue over the next year.

The report focuses on how organizations can build the collaborative ecosystems that will enable them to scale worldwide and provides guidelines on how to leverage a Gen-Y localization model. Based on analysis of data from 150 people responsible for global product localization, the 43-page report also covers:

· Seven strategies that companies are using to release localized products more quickly

· How localization for mobile devices, SaaS, and web applications differs from more traditional localization

· Seven drivers that are pushing tighter development timeframes

· Top six language groups for emerging markets

· Seven ways in which the application of Agile is changing the localization process and decreasing delivery times

· How teams can break out of product development and localization silos to build ecosystems that will allow them to scale their processes worldwide

· Best practices that developers should adopt to ensure localization-ready deliverables for their localization colleagues

· How the convergence of global software product development and localization services is affecting localization engineering

Adds Ray, "Gen-Y localization is upon us in the form of collaborative tools, shared processes, and user communities. Social media phenomena such as Facebook and Twitter are reinventing the localization process. This is great news for smaller companies, software developers new to the global products game, and companies from various industry sectors outside of high-tech. It will allow them to achieve faster-time-to-market with their multilingual products, which is critical to remaining competitive these days."

For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research on global product localization, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melisa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, USA
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Common Sense Advisory report includes six-step process for breaking the siloed approach to content creation, translation, and publishing.

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/08/2010 -- The process of global content creation is complex. Content source optimization requires the author be clear and concise, use correct terminology, avoid national or cultural references in verbal or graphical imagery, and comply with international style guides. Market research firm Common Sense Advisory surveyed and interviewed dozens of global product manufacturers on their authoring technologies, processes, and tools for its authoring best practices research report, "Content Source Optimization."

The report highlights organizational change, process improvements, and technology solutions among advanced global content producers, many of whom employ more than 50 authors on internal teams. Leading practitioners have begun to adopt tools for source optimization, including terminology development and style guide checkers (used by 30% of respondents). Fewer companies systematize multilingual terminology management (13%); "authoring memory" software is used in only 17% of the advanced authoring environments examined. Common Sense Advisory found that glaring gaps still exist in the software solutions due the early stage of market development, but also stemming in part from confused goals and inadequate planning among information producers.

Comments report lead analyst, Ben Sargent, "Tools that help content creators do better work, increase efficiency, and collaborate across regions, languages, and corporate functions are badly needed. But to succeed, the organizational and process barriers between technical authoring, marketing, and translation must be broken down."

The findings from the research show that quality and price are key drivers for content source optimization:

* Companies seeking to reduce the cost of customer support were 14 times more likely to favor technology implementation over other approaches.

* To reduce cost of translation, information producers were four times more likely to favor training and professional development over other approaches.

* To improve the quality and consistency of translated content companies flagged technology, process re-engineering, and training in nearly equal measure, indicating that no single approach gets the intended results.

But improving quality and reducing cost were not the only factors driving change. To increase agility and reduce time-to-market, companies may reform various parts of the global content creation process. For example, firms addressing markets across the European Union expand to as many as 23 languages. If their plans include Russia, Turkey, the Middle East, and East Asia, the tally quickly climbs to 35 or 40 (see "The Top 40 Global Online Brands," Nov09). That means dozens of streams of information depend on the quality and accuracy of the original materials.

To tackle the challenges of global content creation, Common Sense Advisory recommends a six-step process:

Step 1: Find a Content Optimization Champion
Step 2: Trace "the secret life of shared words" (to map content transformations)
Step 3: Align organizational goals across multiple functions within the enterprise
Step 4: Assemble and prioritize business needs for global communications
Step 5: Determine success factors for measurement of information quality, cost, and time-to-market
Step 6: Plan the implementation (often a multi-year process)

Adds Sargent: "These six steps will go a long way toward addressing the current chaotic state of content development and translation; improving a company's ability to forecast and direct the flow of information through an organization. But technology vendors must help information producers to bridge process gaps by unifying terminology and style guide definition and enforcement across source and target language content creation processes."

For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research on source content optimization and authoring best practices, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melissa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, USA
+1 760-643-9140
Melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Market data, interpreter pay rates, and other results to be revealed at Washington DC summit.

Washington, DC -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/17/2010 -- They enable courts, hospitals, schools, and businesses throughout North America to convey messages to millions of people each day. Leaders of nations cannot communicate without them. Even athletes and celebrities need them to reach out to their fans. No, it isn't Twitter, Facebook, the latest feature from Google, or even the newest iPhone.  The communication tool in question?  Human interpreters.
 
According to a research study conducted by Common Sense Advisory and commissioned by InterpretAmerica, interpreters are instrumental to both the public and private sectors. The report, which highlights the results of a survey of 1,135 interpreters throughout North America across every major industry sector, reveals that interpreters earn between US$43.14 and US$65.96 per hour on average, depending on their location and specialization. However, the study points out that only 24% of the interpreters surveyed had full-time employment.  "About a quarter of the interpreters we surveyed – 26.9% – earn more than US$50,000 per year, making it an attractive profession," explained Nataly Kelly, the lead author of the study, "Our research has repeatedly shown that the interpreting market is growing at a fast pace, fueled by legislation and increased awareness of the need for interpreting services."
 
The study shows that interpreters are a highly educated group. More than three quarters (78.9%) of the respondents reported having a bachelor's degree, and nearly half (44.7%) had a master's or doctoral degree. However, only 28.9% of respondents reported having a university degree in interpreting, and 7.6% of interpreters reported that they had no formal training whatsoever in interpreting. "Training and education for interpreters are critical regardless of where or how they work, and the core skills of interpreting are quite similar across all sectors," says Barry Slaughter Olsen, co-founder of InterpretAmerica. "This is one of the primary reasons we decided to gather leaders from all areas of interpreting at a single event, to discuss these common interests."
 
However, the report also points out that the interpreting profession is quickly aging. Forty-seven percent of interpreters have worked in the field for more than 15 years. "Interpreting is a vastly undermarketed, underpublicized profession, especially within younger generations," explains Katharine Allen, co-founder of InterpretAmerica. "Many bilingual staff pressed into interpreting at work may not even realize they are taking part in a professional activity that not only requires training, but which also offers a pathway to a dynamic career. An interpreter might be working one day for a high-profile court case, the next day for a business executive, and the next day in the emergency room of a hospital. The life of an interpreter is certainly never boring."
 
The full findings of the study will be presented at the 1st North American Summit on Interpreting, which takes place on June 17th, 2010 at the Doubletree Crystal City – Reagan National Airport Hotel in Washington, DC.
 
The report includes the following major findings:
 
Average daily and hourly rates and salaries for interpreters throughout North America
Average rates paid by buy-side organizations for interpreting services
Average rates charged by interpreting agencies
Most common languages requested
Data on attitudes toward interpreter certification, training, and technology
Anonymized verbatim quotes from interpreters, vendors of interpreting services, and purchasing organizations

Members of the media will be provided with a copy of the report upon request. A limited number of free media passes for the event are also available. 
 
About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com  or www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.
 
About InterpretAmerica
InterpretAmerica, LLC was established to provide a national forum for the interpreting profession. Through conferences, discussion groups, its website, and other activities, it brings together the community, conference, legal, medical, military, and signed language interpreting sectors, as well as and buyers and vendors of interpreting services.  InterpretAmerica seeks to elevate the profile and reach of the interpreting industry to the benefit of all. For more information, visit: http://www.interpretamerica.net or http://www.twitter.com/interpamerica.
 
Media Contact:
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Washington, DC
760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Common Sense Advisory details best practices and methodologies for determining return on investment and establishing the corporate value of localization expenditure.

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/28/2010 -- In both good economic times and bad, people responsible for translation and localization struggle to prove the value of what they do. In its latest research report, "Localization Return on Investment," market research firm Common Sense Advisory details why companies need to take their analysis to a new level to highlight the benefits of adapting products and services to local markets in order to show the business value of localization.

Common Sense Advisory interviewed executives and managers in U.S. and European technology-focused companies in the software, internet, consumer, and medical device industries as a baseline for the research. It found that non-financial key performance indicator (KPI) metrics have overtaken financial ROI metrics in importance at many companies, especially those firms that are heavily invested in the internet.

"While saving money is important to show that budgets are being spent wisely, a cost-only ROI model demonstrates efficiency and productivity," explains report lead analyst Don DePalma. "To really show the business value of localization, companies need to dig deeper and analyze more to highlight the benefits of adapting products and services to local markets."

In the past, Common Sense Advisory's research found that companies stayed in markets that they invested in. Now, in more restricted financial conditions, companies are now using their ROI metrics to make decisions to pull out of markets to invest in other markets – especially emerging markets.

"For example, if a company is looking to enter a new market, increased web traffic might be a better measure of return on investment than how much money they can save," DePalma explains. "Companies are no longer just looking at how much money they'll save through localization, but rather how much revenue they'll miss out on if they fail to adapt their products for the markets they seek to enter."

The report reviews and analyzes several topics related to quantifying localization ROI. Included within the 50-page report are:

• Findings from interviews about localization strategy
• Best practices and methodologies for determining ROI
• Who makes the ROI case within an organization, and who needs to hear it
• Checklist for establishing the corporate value of localization expenditure
• Tips for centralizing localization expenditures for better measurement
• Training, infrastructure, and tools to improve ROI practices

ROI is a multi-faceted tool to aid localization managers in making the best decisions they can with the information available. While ROI and saving money are often synonymous, using ROI and cost savings alone to prove the value of the localization department can limit results.

"In order to make ROI efficient, a company must make demonstrable localization ROI a priority, adopt the measures that matter to their company, overcome the ROI data deficit disorder, increase the visibility of localization, and review and exterminate costly inefficiencies," adds DePalma.

"Localization Return on Investment" is the latest in a series of reports focused on maximizing localization and globalization ROI. For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact :
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Lowell, MA
+1-760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

New Global Leaders Research service developed exclusively for corporations, governments, and non-governmental organizations operating internationally or in domestic multicultural markets.

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/06/2010 -- Common Sense Advisory today announced the launch of a complete line of research dedicated exclusively to corporations, governments, and non-governmental organizations operating internationally or with large multilingual populations. The new Global Leaders Research service provides independent insight to these organizations as they expand business operations to new markets and globalize their business processes. It expands the firm's research platform, which also includes a program for language services industry providers.

Common Sense Advisory's research is informed by a variety of inputs, incorporating interviews and surveys with practitioners, briefings with service and technology suppliers, market data, and consultation with subject matter experts. The topics addressed in the Global Leaders Research service include return on investment, international product design and development, website globalization, authoring for multilingual content, global content management, transcreation, vendor management, translation pricing, and more.

"Buy-side organizations have been requesting research that is completely tailored to their unique needs," commented Tahar Bouhafs, chief executive officer at Common Sense Advisory. "Thanks to the continual expansion of our research team, we have more than doubled our output, broadening our platform and enabling us to launch this new service," he added.

Common Sense Advisory's Global Leaders research service includes:
·12 reports per year: Each month, clients receive a new, comprehensive report on a topic that is customized for language and globalization services buyers.

·Access to research database: Since 2002, Common Sense Advisory has published approximately 300 pieces of research of interest to buyers of language and globalization services.

·4 quarterly webinars: Research is also presented in a convenient webinar format followed by an interactive Q&A session.

·24 briefs per year: Two member-driven briefs are published each month, to provide clients with timely analysis on the topics that matter most.

·Client inquiry service: Analyst support on challenging global business issues.

"When I founded the firm eight years ago, it was clear to me that buyers of language and globalization services have targeted needs for data and benchmarking on very specific topics within the realm of localization and global business," commented Don DePalma, chief research officer at Common Sense Advisory. "The Global Leaders Research service empowers those individuals charged with localization tasks to directly link their efforts to bigger corporate issues that affect their organizations," he added.

For more information on Common Sense Advisory's Global Leaders Research or Industry Providers Research services, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or call +1 978-275-0500.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research firm specializing in the online and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, translation, interpretation, and localization. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of global business. For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research, reports, and globalization and localization consulting services, http://visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

Contact:
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
+1 760-522-4362
Melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Latest translation and localization industry research report from Common Sense Advisory shows the majority of transcreation projects relate to international marketing and advertising.

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/12/2010 -- As companies attempt to sell their products and services to more demographics in more markets around the world, they are discovering that they must adapt or recreate their messaging and content through a process called "transcreation." A new report from market research firm Common Sense Advisory, "Reaching New Markets through Transcreation," confirms growing demand for transcreation services through 2010.

The firm's survey of 380 language services industry respondents revealed that transcreation is not only here to stay, but on the rise. Twenty-five percent of those surveyed stated that they expect transcreation – as a percentage of total translation activities – to grow between six and 10 percent during 2010, while almost 30 percent anticipate that it will increase by more than 10 percent.

Common Sense Advisory's enterprise globalization strategist Rebecca Ray notes, "The key word is resonance in local markets – whether it's a market defined by geography or one defined by language and culture within a larger domestic market."

The report details how the "internet of things" – mobile devices, cars, cameras, appliances, roadways, and pipelines – projected to be composed of a trillion devices by 2011, is a key driver for the increase in transcreation demand.

The report also includes:

* Analysis of data from 380 survey respondents related to the various definitions of transcreation, growth in demand, industries that purchase transcreation most frequently, types of content where transcreation is most common, who owns the budget, and how the services are priced
* Insights from 30 interviews with decision makers and practitioners on how to build and maintain the transcreation ecosystem, adapt workflow, and ensure quality
* Why transcreation is just as relevant in home markets as in foreign markets
* Implications for SEO
* Ten steps that will enable buyers to achieve transcreation quality

International businesses and providers of translation and localization services can benefit from knowing when, why, and how to incorporate transcreation into their workflows and product offerings.

Adds Ms. Ray, "Over the last five years, the larger buyers of language services have focused on rationalizing and automating the globalization function within their organizations. One of the most important findings that emerged from our research is that this investment now allows more budget for the transcreation of strategic content that can really impact their bottom line."

"Reaching New Markets through Transcreation" is the latest in a series of research reports produced by Common Sense Advisory that focus on transcreation and international marketing.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research firm specializing in the online and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, translation, interpretation, and localization. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of global business. For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research, reports, and globalization and localization consulting services. http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

Contact:
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Lowell, MA 01852
100 Merrimack St.
+1 760-522-4362
Melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Latest market research report from Common Sense Advisory provides detailed review of 18,900 unique data points from 300 translation and interpreting company websites

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/08/2010 -- Thousands of companies around the globe offer translation services, spoken language interpreting, and website localization, competing for business in a market estimated by market research firm Common Sense Advisory at US$17 billion in 2010. However, as a new report from Common Sense Advisory reveals, many of these firms fail to make their own websites available in multiple languages. The report, titled, "Marketing Language Services Online," provides a detailed review of 300 websites of translation and interpreting businesses based in 48 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

The report finds that 35 percent of language services supplier websites are monolingual. By contrast, just two percent of companies offered their website in 20 or more languages. "Fifty-four of the websites reviewed in our study cited 'website localization' as one of the services they offered, even though their own websites were available in just one language," explained Nataly Kelly, senior analyst at Common Sense Advisory, who led the research initiative. "This is the language services industry equivalent of the shoemaker's son going barefoot."

The 36-page report includes:
• A comprehensive review of 18,900 unique data points from 300 translation and interpreting company websites
• Detailed evaluation of company website characteristics in five major categories: location and size, marketing strategies and visitor engagement, languages and orientation, corporate branding, and information accessibility
• Breakdown of percentages of language services firm websites available in English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish
• Analysis of color palettes most commonly used, including the color that 75 percent of LSPs use as their most dominant website color
• Frequency of common keywords on company home pages, including "translation," "language," "localization," and "multilingual"
• A discussion of the one basic website feature that 83 percent of language services companies fail to provide

The report also shows differences between the behaviors of the companies that earn the most according to the company's annual ranking of Top 30 language services firms and their competitors. "The top-earning firms were far more likely to build confidence among their potential customers and provide transparency as part of their online marketing strategy," comments Kelly. "For example, nearly half of the top-ranked companies made a point to showcase relationships between themselves and their clients via case studies, compared to just 16 percent of their smaller competitors."

"Marketing Language Services Online" is the first detailed review of language services company web marketing practices produced by Common Sense Advisory, and is available as part of a membership to the firm's research. For more information, visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the online and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, translation, interpretation, and localization. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of global business. For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research, reports, and globalization and localization consulting services visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Common Sense Advisory outlines the functions that matter most in managing multilingual websites and documents, and which CMS vendors do the best in implementing these critical features

Lowell, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/15/2010 -- Which content management system (CMS) delivers the best support for multilingual and multiregional use? Most organizations turn to some form of CMS to handle authoring, transforming, publishing, and storing their multilingual content assets.

In its latest content management research, market research firm Common Sense Advisory studied the features and functions of 16 systems commonly used in international operations. The results, which are published in its report "Global Content Management," define which functions matter most in managing multilingual websites and documents, and which CMS vendors do the best in implementing these critical features. To complete the research and rankings, the firm reviewed features and functions, but also considered organizational capabilities of the companies or open-source communities developing the products. The report scores the solutions along four axes: 1) multilingual content handling; 2) multiregional process management; 3) multilingual user support; and 4) resources for multiregional implementation.

"As organizations increasingly address international markets and domestic multicultural audiences, content goes through a translation process before being shared with the information consumer," advises the report's lead analyst, Ben Sargent. "Any organization that operates internationally sooner or later finds itself dealing with multiple languages. Even companies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations that believe their audience today is monolingual should select software in anticipation of future multilingual needs."

Common Sense Advisory interviewed the following companies and reviewed their technology solutions: Astoria, Author-It, CrownPeak, DocZone, Drupal, Ektron, EMC, IBM, Kentico, Kinetic, SCHEMA, SDL, Sitecore, and Vasont. These solutions were selected based partly on frequent citation by companies using systems for global information management. The results are published in the 30-page report, which includes:

• Global business requirements for web content management (WCM), component-based content management (CCM), and enterprise management (ECM)
• System characteristics of web- and document-oriented contenders
• Discussion of the three classes of users that interact with global content technology
• WCM, CCM, and ECM rankings for global content and process
• WCM, CCM, and ECM rankings for global users and implementation
• Graphical representation of the relative strength of specific vendor solutions to help prospective buyers short-list the most appropriate systems for RFPs and evaluation.

"Global Content Management" is the latest in the firm's ongoing research on multilingual content management, which originated in 2003 with its report "Rage Against the Content Management Machine." For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research on content management, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact :
Melissa C. Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
100 Merrimack St., Suite 301
Lowell, MA 01852
978-275-0500
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

The accomplished global software marketing consultant and author will lead the firm’s Europe- and Asia-focused market research projects

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/22/2010 -- Market research firm Common Sense Advisory announces the addition of Ms. Rebecca Ray to its analyst team. Ms. Ray is a highly accomplished global software marketing consultant and author. Her specialties include enterprise globalization, international marketing, and global product development. As an analyst, she will oversee the firm's Europe and Asia-focused translation, localization, and globalization industry research projects.

Prior to joining Common Sense Advisory, Ms. Ray was the Managing Editor for the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA). During her tenure, she was responsible for the Association's research and publications including the Globalization Insider, Industry Insights Reports, and Best Practice Guides.

Ms. Ray has been a pioneer in designing, testing, adapting, and marketing software outside of the U.S. She has managed worldwide product design, localization, marketing, and distribution for successful products sold internationally by such companies as IBM, Netscape Communications, Remedy Systems, Symantec Corporation, and Sun Microsystems.

"Rebecca can quickly pinpoint exactly where and why an organization will experience the most pain and stress as it expands globally. With close to 50% of our research clients now headquartered or operating in Europe and Asia, adding a Senior Analyst full-time to help cover these regions is essential. Rebecca is a perfect fit for our research and consulting teams," comments Tahar Bouhafs, Common Sense Advisory's CEO.

A Silicon Valley veteran, Ms. Ray is fluent in English, French, and Spanish, and proficient in Portuguese and Turkish. She has lived and worked in Europe, Asia, and Latin America for many years.

For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research and analysts, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, localization, translation, and interpretation. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of their global business operations. For more information, visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact :
Melisa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
100 Merrimack Street, Suite 301
Lowell, MA 01810
(978) 275-0500
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Sharing, centralization, consolidation, community, and diplomacy pegged as the watchwords for the linguistic New Year

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/21/2009 -- What's in store for the translation, localization, and interpreting industries in 2010? Market research firm Common SenseAdvisory announces the release of its industry predictions for the coming year, as well as a review of how it fared with its 2009 predictions. Common Sense Advisory's research team summarizes the topwatchwords for the linguistic New Year as: sharing, centralization, consolidation, community, and diplomacy; predicting the following for2010:

1. Buyers and suppliers will find that "it takes acommunity. Driven by Facebook's widely cited success in having the crowd translate its website, Common Sense Advisory's analysts expect online communities to sprout like mushrooms after a storm. Even language service providers (LSPs) like Lionbridge will create communities around their technology.

2. Machine translation and translation memory buyers will assess shared data. With IT-centric TAUSTDA leading the way, a variety of commercial, semi-commercial,government, and free suppliers of shared translation assets will fightfor mindshare, data uploads, active users to download and rate quality,and reference studies — Asia Online, BigTM.net, EuroMatrixPlus,EuroTermBank, Linguee, OPUS, and translated.net.

3. The web becomes more worldwide with support for emerging languages. As the internet drives to its next billion or two users, companies will addmore languages and mobile phone access ("there's a language app forthat!" to get there. Microsoft plans to add five more African languages. Wikipedia content shows up in 240+ languages for information consumers around the globe. ICANN's multi-script support for top-leveldomains will make home pages in other scripts, well, homier.

4.Demand for interpreting services in Europe will grow. Common Sense Advisory's research on the European language services market showedthat spoken language services comprised a small part of the overall market as compared to the U.S. market. Fueled by wording in the Lisbon Treaty and initiatives supporting individuals' rights to receive interpreting services in criminal proceedings, interpreting services will grow throughout 2010. Expect to see more government tenders and increased competition in this arena.

5. The U.S. government demand for linguists will continue to surge. The Obama administration will place a stronger emphasis on diplomacy through effective multilingual communications in all defense-related, intelligence, andState Department agencies comprising the Interagency Language Round table. Assuming that ground operations in Afghanistan don't eat up the entire budget, the U.S. military will dedicate more funds to supporting languages. The focus will be on increasing resources insurge languages such as Dari and Pashto.

The full list of predictions for 2010 is available at the firm's blog, Global Watchtower http://www.globalwatchtower.com).

About Common Sense Advisory
CommonSense Advisory, Inc. is an independent market research firm committed to the objective analysis of the business practices, services, andtechnology driving translation and interpreting services, localization,and business globalization. For more information, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

Contact :
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
Boston, MA
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Common Sense Advisory to present market research findings at upcoming conference sponsored by the European Commission Directorate-General for Translation

Boston, MA and Brussels, Belgium -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/27/2009 -- Which European countries offer the largest opportunities for multilingual services? A new report from market research firm Common Sense Advisory finds that three nations, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, top the list. The report details the estimated amount of language services business for these and 43 other European nations.

"Businesses in Europe are increasingly using language services to achieve global success with their services and products," points out Tahar Bouhafs, Chief Executive Officer of Common Sense Advisory. "Expansion into new markets is a critical piece of any business's growth plan -- translation, localization, and interpreting services are the tools that make it possible."

To compute the amount of translation, localization, and interpreting business in each market, the firm developed an algorithm that takes into account multiple market drivers, such as gross domestic product (GDP), export volumes, and levels of immigration.

"Europe is already home to some of the most progressive attitudes toward multilingualism in the world, and the European Union has gone to great lengths to promote the development of language services technologies, such as translation memory and machine translation," commented Nataly Kelly, lead researcher for the report. "The next developments on the horizon in Europe include community-based translation and translation into diverse output formats -- essentials in the age of Web 3.0."

Kelly will present preliminary findings from Common Sense Advisory's research into the European market for language services on Friday, November 27, 2009 in Brussels, Belgium, at "Study on the Size of the Language Industry in the EU" conference, which is sponsored by the European Commission Directorate-General for Translation. The presentations will broadcast via a live web feed at the European Commission webTV portal: http://webcast.ec.europa.eu/eutv/portal/index.html.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent research and analysis firm specializing in the on- and offline operations driving business globalization, internationalization, translation, interpretation, and localization. Its research, consulting, and training help organizations improve the quality of global business. For more information about Common Sense Advisory's research, reports, and globalization and localization consulting services visit: http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com or http://www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Contact:
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
BOSTON, US
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

New research report from Common Sense Advisory shows best practices and worst mistakes businesses make on their global websites

Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/23/2009 -- In 2009, 1.6 billion people crowd the internet seeking news, information, entertainment, goods, services, social interaction, and more. These individuals are located in over 200 countries and territories, speak hundreds of languages, and have a combined spending power, both online and off, of more than US$35.7 trillion per year. How do the most successful online brands succeed or fail in reaching out to international visitors? Market research firm Common Sense Advisory answers this question in its new report, "The Top 40 Global Online Brands." The report sets out best practices for creating the optimal customer experience for global visitors and reviews the most common navigation schemes, including which techniques work best and which ones should be avoided.

"To make content available to 80 percent of the total online population holding 90 percent of the world online wallet now requires a minimum of 15 human languages. Of the 250 sites examined, along with each language and country on offer, the company found only 58 that met this challenge," said Benjamin B. Sargent, senior analyst at Common Sense Advisory, and the lead researcher for the study.

Common Sense Advisory collected data from the world's top brands and most-visited websites, drawing on Interbrand's "100 Best Global Brands" list of the most valuable global brands and a ranking of most-visited web properties worldwide, as tracked by alexa.com. The 42-page best practices report includes:
A detailed analysis of site organization and metanavigation based on 250 websites of leading brands, including Budweiser, Facebook, Google, Louis Vuitton, Microsoft, New York Times, Twitter, and many others.

Best practice recommendations on global gateways and zero-click metanavigation schemes such as geolocation and content negotiation.

A method for evaluating unnecessary clicks and navigational "bad practices" that hamper international and multicultural visitors.

A scored ranking of the top 40 global online brands.

"Global brand managers, designers, and web strategists can use the information in this report as they combine invisible site logic and clear navigational signposts to guide each visitor without delay to country-specific and language-appropriate content," explains Sargent. "By understanding the best and worst navigation schemes, they can improve their own sites' customer experience."

"The Top 40 Global Online Brands" is available as part of a Common Sense Advisory research membership. For more information, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

About Common Sense Advisory
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is an independent market research firm committed to the objective analysis of the business practices, services, and technology driving translation and interpreting services, localization, and business globalization.  For more information, visit http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com.

Contact:
Melissa Gillespie
Common Sense Advisory
BOSTON, US
+1 760-522-4362
melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com
http://www.commonsenseadvisory.com

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm