On 27 and 28 September, the Translation Centre took part in the European Trados User Group Conference in Vienna. This conference serves as a platform for bringing together RWS (formerly SDL) language technology users. It facilitates discussions about their various use cases, allowing them to learn from one another and contribute valuable insights to improve RWS technologies.

The conference welcomed a diverse array of participants, including language service providers from various European Union institutions, intergovernmental organisations (e.g. the United Nations), national banks and private-sector companies. This diverse mix of attendees enriched the learning experience by enabling comparisons of the different business models employed by each participating entity.

The language technology tools employed by the different participants encompass a wide range of use cases in areas such as translation, terminology management, machine translation and workflow management. These diverse use cases showcased a broad spectrum of customisations by the different participants to consistently enhance the quality and productivity of their work.

This year, the Translation Centre collaborated with the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) to deliver a joint presentation on a particularly challenging use case: Revamping the EUIPO Guidelines – CMS and Translation Technologies for Enhanced Efficiency and Quality. Managing these files presents significant challenges due to several factors, ranging from the drafting process to multiple review cycles; from the tools used for authoring, versioning, reviewing, translating and publishing to the number of languages involved and the time needed to complete the whole workflow. 

While the EUIPO has adopted best practices in content management, particularly regarding the use and implementation of XML-based standards during the authoring stage, the Translation Centre has aligned its processes and tools to ensure the seamless handling of these files for translation purposes, with a focus on increasing quality and maintaining consistency. Some of the challenges in managing such files stem from the volume of changes made, which affects the translator’s ability to access previous versions, while another challenge is determining efficient interoperability settings in the tools used by the two agencies. In addition, the EUIPO has embraced cutting-edge technology to present its guidelines online in a user-friendly and comprehensive manner, establishing its website as a valuable reference point.

The Translation Centre’s active participation in conferences like this one is essential to staying up to date and ensuring that the highest-quality services are delivered to its EU partners.