Dublin, Ireland USA - December 11, 2008 - Less than one month prior to the release of the open source GlobalSight Translation Management System (TMS), Welocalize opens the door to the beta version of the software by inviting members of the community to participate in the final integration testing. Participants include four members of the Steering Committee: AOL, Autodesk, Salesforce.com and Sun Microsystems, and four Language Service Providers (LSPs): Afghan Translation Service, Applied Language Solutions, Lloyd International Translations and VistaTEC.
The Beta Testing period begins today and will run until January 4, one day shy of the product launch. From www.globalsight.com [1], participants will be downloading the software package, reviewing the installation instructions and documentation on third-party applications, and reporting bugs using the issue tracking functionality. Both Windows and Linux versions of the GlobalSight software will be tested at user sites. Participants will not only be testing the software, but all of these related components.
"GlobalSight is an open source product, and we are serious about involving the community as soon as possible," explains Gary Prioste, VP of Technology Services at Welocalize. "The eagerness and enthusiasm of participating Enterprises and LSPs has been extremely encouraging. We're hoping it will be a mutually beneficial experience. The open beta testing marks the first step in a true open source development model for GlobalSight."
"Traditionally a pioneer of localization technology and processes, Autodesk has always tried to influence where the localization industry as a whole is heading," explains Mirko Plitt, CMS Team Manager at Autodesk and member of the GlobalSight Steering Committee. "Drawing from our in-depth and large-scale experience with commercial TMS solutions, we have now a keen interest in contributing to what is one of the most promising technology initiatives in the localization arena today."
"VistaTEC is passionate about technology. We have repeatedly been able to demonstrate enhancement to process and quality; improved integration and collaboration; and additional reliability and robustness in our service offerings," states Phil Ritchie, Chief Technology Officer at VistaTEC. "We have always asserted our independence and commitment to providing client‑centric solutions. What better way to illustrate this than by showing our interest in and involvement with GlobalSight."
"We are very excited about GlobalSight and strongly believe that it will change the way translation business is conducted. We encourage all LSPs to adopt GlobalSight and support this initiative to bring change in the industry," comments Sultan Ghaznawi, President of Afghan Translation Service.
"We have always been at the forefront of technology in the technical translation area, using innovative technology tools to streamline processes," states Mike Lloyd, Chairman and CEO of Lloyd International Translations. "We fully recognise the value of an open source TMS and are keen to participate in the testing of GlobalSight, a solution that we believe fully complements our policy of offering bespoke solutions to each and every one of our clients."
About GlobalSight
GlobalSight is a collaborative, open source initiative to develop a flexible and sustainable Translation Management System (TMS) that leverages the best ideas and addresses the true needs of the industry. In this non-captive community, participants are free to discuss, discover and build upon a translation process automation tool that provides choice and flexibility-and can be shared by all.
The direction and development of the GlobalSight Open Source Initiative is dictated by community members. For more information and to join the community, please visit www.globalsight.com [1].
About Welocalize
Welocalize offers integrated globalization services for the fluid and rapid deployment of enterprise content and applications to international markets. In response to unique customer needs, we provide globalization consulting, translation, localization and testing solutions that manage risk, improve repeatability and ensure transfer of knowledge from project to project.
Our clients include Autodesk, Inc.; Canon; Cisco Systems; Computer Associates; IBM; Microsoft; Sun; Symantec and Xerox . With over 400 employees worldwide, Welocalize maintains 10 offices in the United States, Germany, Ireland, Japan and China . Please visit www.welocalize.com [2] for more information.
Links:
[1] http://www.globalsight.com/
[2] http://www.welocalize.com/