Common Sense Advisory Analysts Don DePalma and Benjamin Sargent wrote about Language Weaver’s global partnership deal with SDL today on their firm’s blog, Global Watchtower. Here’s an excerpt of their analysis:

“This partnership is a win-win for both companies. SDL gets new SMT technology to upgrade its oft-updated but long-in-the-tooth rules-based MT engine (RBMT), while government-centric Language Weaver gains a commercial sales channel without having to build out its own expensive sales force. While it’s not the hybrid SMT-RBMT technology that we predicted in our 2006 “Automated Translation Technology” report, this approach melds two engines with mainstream and emerging-marktet languages into SDL’s product line. Customers will benefit from the broader palette of languages and integrated workflow. With MT use set to climb steadily in the coming years, SDL is now positioned to ride the tiger.”

Click here to read the rest of the Global Watchtower post.

Enterprises can reach new global audiences and expand language translation capacity using automated translation integrated with SDL Global Information Management solutions

Maidenhead, UK & Los Angeles, USA – 28 April 2009 – SDL, the leading provider of Global Information Management (GIM) solutions and Language Weaver today announced a strategic partnership to deliver Language Weaver’s translation software tightly integrated into SDL’s GIM platform and as part of SDL Knowledge-based Translation System® (SDL KbTS™).

[Click here to read the complete media release about today's news.]

SDL customers such as Best Western, CNH, IFS, Renault and RIM have already deployed SDL’s automated translation as part of an enterprise GIM solution for applications such as online support, technical documentation and e-commerce.

Language Weaver automated translation solutions have been deployed for the enterprise and large web properties to deliver compelling translations of digital content. This partnership will give SDL customers the opportunity to deliver effective communication to customers across many more languages. In the following podcast, Hannah Grap, Director of Corporate Marketing at Language Weaver (left) and Sophie Hurst, Director of Product Marketing at SDL (right), discuss the new global partnership and what it means for the companies and their customers:

[Click here to learn how the new SDL-Language Weaver partnership program can help your business now.]

Language Weaver President and CEO Mark Tapling will present at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Human Language Technology (HLT) Showcase in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, April 14.

The HLT Showcase is sponsored by the DIA’s Directorate for Human Capital - Foreign Language Management Office. The event brings language technology professionals and industry leaders together to display, demonstrate, and discuss language tools, technologies, software applications and programs that benefit the intelligence community.

In his session, Mark Tapling will discuss the market drivers for automated translation and how Language Weaver products have been designed to address current and future government and market requirements. A broad number of solutions that currently incorporate automated translation will be discussed, including broadcast monitoring, speech-to-speech translation, multilingual search, and cross-lingual chat.

In addition to participating in the HLT Showcase, Language Weaver will exhibit at the 2009 DoDIIS Worldwide Conference May 17-21 in Orlando, FL and will host a Government User Event on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

Stay tuned to www.languageweaver.com for more details as they become available.

Despite current economic challenges, the majority of web companies plan to spend more on their global initiatives in 2009 than they did last year, reports Forrester Research. With an eye toward efficiency and savings, these companies are going to rely on innovations like automated language translation to spend their dollars wisely.

According to Forrester, 60 percent of online businesses with a global presence are going to boost their spending in 2009, while just 42 percent of those with only a domestic footprint are planning to do so.

While spending may be going up, Forrester says that global firms are making a conscious effort to be smarter about how they’re spending their dollars.

Forrester Senior Analyst Zia Daniell Wigder recently wrote on The Forrester Blog for EBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals that there “is a renewed focus on how and where this spending is being allocated.”

A key area of investment is translation and localization, according to Zia, and retailers with an international presence are seeking ways to reduce these costs. One solution that companies are talking about — and using — is automated language translation:

“… [M]achine translation has reached a level at which it’s being deployed on some prominent consumer-facing websites. TripAdvisor is currently using the technology for consumer reviews and Intel has used machine translation in its customer service initiatives … [I]nterest in the technology is increasing given that many companies cannot otherwise justify translating large volumes of content.”

You can read the full blog post here.

Language Weaver President and CEO Mark Tapling is featured in an interview with BeyeNETWORK cofounder and editorial director Ron Powell. Language Weaver is the focus of BeyeNETWORK Spotlight, a podcast with an accompanying slide show. BeyeNETWORK websites provide news and information for business intelligence and data warehousing professionals.