STAY TUNED

HERES WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO FIND IN THIS FIRST EDITION:

Who are we? An introduction to the Vendor Management team in SDL

An introduction to the SDL Foundation
Regular feature: Spotlight on an SDL freelance translator
HELP! Where to go for help with our CAT tools
Tips, tricks and tools

Welcome to the very first edition

of STAY TUNED, the newsletter
created
by
SDLs
Vendor
Management team as a means of
staying in touch with our valued
external freelancers and to
update you all on the latest news
and developments in SDL.

WHO ARE WE?

SDL has an industry-unique in-house model with 1150 full-time translators based in our in-country offices. But as we translate in excess of 1 billion words
every year in more than 200 language combinations, we cant do it alone! We therefore have a strong network of external vendors who we partner with
for translation, post editing and review, and associated linguistic tasks. Thats you guys! Our relationship with our vendors is very important to us and we
want to keep you up to date with whats happening in SDL via a twice-yearly newsletter. I hope you find it informative and fun! Melissa Kane Senior
Director, Supply Chain Solutions
Heres a handy guide to
knowing who your local
Vendor Manager is in your
region some have even
shared fun facts about
themselves!

INTRODUCING THE SDL

FOUNDATION
Since its creation five years ago, the SDL Foundation has donated to
more than 80 projects across the world, supported more than 16,000
people in local communities globally and facilitated projects in 28
countries.

SDL puts a strong emphasis on employee engagement and employee

involvement from SDLs global offices in CSR activities. Wherever
possible, the SDL Foundation seeks to support projects where SDL
employees are able to participate in the projects as well as organise
fundraising events to supplement the funds provided.
The following examples highlight key employee-led endeavours
supported by the SDL Foundation:

The remit of this UK-registered charity is to support projects in

disadvantaged communities across the world, helping people to
become self-sufficient. These aspects are at the heart of the SDL
Foundation as it seeks causes and charities that mirror its objectives
of supporting structural and sustainable projects. The Foundation
enables recipients to build a better future for themselves and their
families through income-generating activities or educational and
vocational training, assisting people to achieve full-time
employment and improve their quality of life.

The SDL Foundation has renewed its partnership for a

further year with The Princes Trust, the UKs largest
youth charity supporting young people into education
and employment. SDL employees in the UK, and in
particular the Sheffield office, have embraced this
charity by using their skill sets and life experience to
help underprivileged teenagers to move into vocational
positions and the employment market.

In December 2015, several SDL offices took part in a

Global Bead Sale, selling handmade beads made out of
colourful recycled paper, to support women in Uganda.
The money raised for Beads for Life helps to provide
training and coaching to help women expand their
business.

For further information visit the SDL Foundation website at:

http://www.sdl.com/about/corporate-citizenship/foundation/

SPOTLIGHT: INTERVIEW
WITH ROWENA WOOLNER
SDL: How long have you been a translator?
RW: Ive been a freelance translator now for over 20
years, which makes me feel very old when I say it, but
honestly Im not!
SDL: What was your path into translation/freelancing?
RW: I did a French and history degree in Nottingham and
then got my first job after graduating working for an
engineering company where one of my primary roles was
to liaise with the overseas customers. After five years in
a high-stress environment I needed a change! I was also
desperate to have a dog and doing freelance translation
from home seemed to fit the bill as it meant I could use
the skills and contacts I had and also look after and enjoy
a dog properly. I left my job, got my beautiful dog from
the RSPCA and started working for myself after attending
a course on how to set up in business.
SDL: How long have you been working with SDL?
RW: Ive been working for SDL for probably around 18
years, maybe more. SDL approached me when they took
over a local company in Sheffield that I was already
working for.
SDL: How have you seen things change over the years?
RW: In my view, freelance translation has seen a lot of
changes, particularly in terms of QA requirements, which
have ramped up considerably, and, whilst sometimes it
can be tedious to complete checklists and logs, etc., I do
actually think that quality checks in translation are highly
important. Job sizes range from tiny (a couple of lines)
to jobs that can take several weeks on their own. I also
get a very diverse workload from SDL which is no longer
just straight translation, but includes foreign language

review, target-only review, conversions from one flavour

of English to another, and LSO (Linguistic Sign Off aka
layout checking) among others. I really enjoy this variety
as it means you dont get stuck in a rut. Personally, the
volume of work I receive has increased over the years, as
has the range of subjects. As technology evolves, so the
amount of technology-based texts increases. However,
the mass of information available on the net on all
manner of topics means this growing range is easier to
accommodate.
SDL: How is SDL different to other work-givers?
RW: In terms of procedure, SDL has a highly structured
system which works very well. I would say it is
comparable to other workgivers of a similar size, whereas
small companies do tend to provide original format files
and have fewer QA requirements on the whole. SDL
achieve a highly successful balance between
professionalism and friendliness! For me, the relationship
is one of equals. Plus I know that SDL are always fair and
transparent, as well as being efficient and 100% reliable.
Plus SDL is an excellent payer. I never have any concerns
over payment.
SDL: Is there a personal element to your contact with
SDL?
RW: Yes, freelancing can sometimes feel a little solitary,
so building a rapport with workgivers is very important. I
have many contacts at SDL, some long-standing and some
more recent, and there is always room for humour or a
quick chat or exchange of news and photos in amongst
the business talk!
SDL: Does it make a difference having a workgiver who
understands translation and its challenges?
RW: Yes it does. Its far easier to discuss a linguistic issue
with someone with a similar background, and also to
bounce ideas around and share opinions. I get feedback

on my work from SDL obviously the positive feedback

is great, but sometimes there are negatives and you have
to be prepared to accept this for the constructive
criticism that it is and learn from it. Feedback is part of
any job and translation is no exception! It is possible for
complacency to creep in when youre working alone and
feedback is important to prevent that and keep you on
your toes!
SDL: What is the weirdest text youve ever had to
translate?
RW: The variety of texts is immense and I can go from a
risk report to a fashion catalogue to a contract of sale all
in one day! I cant recall any particularly weird and
wonderful texts, but some descriptions of ancient
artefacts and works of art can be quite graphic(!), while
human interest documents such as the two sides of a
personal dispute can make for very interesting and
absorbing reading!
SDL: Have you ever had anything go wrong and was SDL
understanding and supportive of that?
RW: So far, touch wood, no real disasters have ever
happened, apart from the odd power cut or computer
blip that was quickly fixed! SDL are very prompt to try
and fix any issues with Studio or other software niggles,
and any questions or queries are dealt with efficiently
and in good time. With SDL, I do feel like more of a
colleague and less of a subcontractor. I like to say
that I work with rather than for SDL and feel that
this is reflected in the day-to-day relationships with my
contacts. I visited SDL some years ago and was warmly
welcomed and shown around the offices. It was lovely to
be able to meet the people Id been working with and put
faces to names.

HELP IS AT HAND. MORE ABOUT

OUR CAT TOOLS
multifarious, OpenExchange and SDL Community
Three years after releasing Studio 2009 in June 2009, we were
still seeing the same great questions appearing in places like
ProZ, TW_users or via email. We had a knowledgebase and
training certification, but seemed to be missing a place to
tackle real-life technical issues that translators and project
managers face on a daily basis. So, we decided to create
multifarious as a place where I could share interesting ideas
about how to use the tools we provide, share what I was
learning and, most importantly, engage with our users! Ideas
for the blog were easy to find they came directly from the
problems that our users were trying to solve! If there is
something that you would like to see in the blog, just send me
an email or add a comment on one of the posts. No subject is
too small, and your suggestions might stop me writing too
many geeky posts!
Studio is one thing, but SDL OpenExchange is my favourite
topic. Im lucky because I get to spend time with our users and
with software developers, who take advantage of the unique
platform provided by OpenExchange to create solutions that
enhance the capabilities of the products. Today, most of the
ideas for OpenExchange applications that we create through
the SDL Community Developers come from listening to our

users, so I often write about these as well. In 2015 we started

to see an interesting trend developing where some users had
a go at developing apps themselves. If youre interested in
doing this, youll find some tips for getting started in this blog
by Romulus Crisan. 2016 is already looking very exciting for
the Studio Language Platform as we implement a whole host
of improvements that will benefit everyone, so keep an eye on
the SDL OpenExchange!
I cant finish this piece off without mentioning the SDL
Community. We put a lot of effort into this during 2015 and
you can find communities for all the SDL products in
there. You can ask any question you like, start a discussion
about business or technical challenges, or just spend some
time learning from posts created by other community
members. You dont need a support contract for this, and its
completely free. Engage with your peers and directly with SDL
staff. This quick link, http://xl8.one, takes you directly to the
Translation Productivity Community for all the desktop
products, including a forum where you can ask questions about
OpenExchange applications.
Paul Filkin Client Services Director, Customer Care
Team & Creator of multifarious

Did you know that as a freelancer you can purchase a Premium Support and Maintenance (PSMA) contract for around 200 a year?
This gives you:

Free upgrades

Telephone support from a dedicated support engineer

Think of it as your insurance! Log in to: http://oos.sdl.com to purchase a PSMA.

If you already have a PSMA and need help, log in to your account area here http://oos.sdl.com and select Support. If you do not have a
PSMA, go to: http://kb.sdl.com/

SDL LANGUAGE PLATFORM

When you buy SDL Trados Studio 2015, you are not just investing in a world-renowned CAT tool, you are also gaining access
to the full SDL Language Platform:

Studio 2015 provides translation memory technology. This is a

linguistic database that captures your translations as you work so
you never have to translate the same sentence twice. And you
can create as many TMs as you like.
o Translation productivity tools: Achieve faster and more
accurate translations with a collection of productivity
features that come with your standard licence such as
AutoSuggest 2.0, Retrofit, AnyTM and AutoCorrect. If you
want to know whats behind the names, take a look on
www.translationzone.com
o Translate any file type: The most extensive file format
support, so now you only need one CAT tool to accept any
client project, including scanned PDFs.
SDL OpenExchange: The first CAT tool application in the
industry. Take a look at the different applications available that
extend the base capability of
Studio. www.translationzone.com/openexchange
Terminology management: SDL MultiTerm provides a searchable
database containing lists of terms and associated term data to
ensure consistency throughout your translation.
www.translationzone.com/multiterm
Machine translation: Access to SDL Language Cloud offers
translations from trained engines and is now accessible directly
from your Studio interface.
www.translationzone.com/products/sdl-tradosstudio/freelance/industry-engines.html
SDL Studio GroupShare: SDLs team collaboration platform for
sharing TMs and Termbases.

Looking to learn more?

Visit www.translationzone.com

Get started with the essentials there is a library

of product tutorials, videos and webinars to take
you on your journey
Want to get technical? Go deeper and access our
knowledgebase or online product help or ask the
Studio community.
Just want to talk to someone? Contact our
dedicated Freelance Customer Experience Desk
Come and meet us take a look at our event
calendar
Manage your SDL account or upgrade to the latest
version
Inspired to become a professional CAT tool
user? Take our certification programme with
formal training on SDL Trados Studio, MultiTerm
and Post-Editing practice.
Want to buy a Studio licence? Take a look to see
whats on offer.

Have you visited http://www.translationzone.com

recently? If not, grab a cup of coffee, take a short
break from that text you are translating and take a
look. Heres what you can expect to find on there:
SDL would like 2016 to be the year you empower
yourself, energise your business and excite your
clients, so weve invited some of the best localisation
professionals, business development and personal
wellbeing coaches to give us their expert opinion and
tips on improving the professional health, wealth and
happiness of translators. We have grouped together
our contributors guidance under three how to
sections: 'Marketing advice', 'Practical tips', 'Impress
potential clients' and weve added a bonus 'Personal
wellbeing' section to encourage you to take some
time out to think about your personal wellbeing.
Enjoy your journey through 2016 and let us know via
our interactive webinars what personal developments
you manage to achieve we are looking forward to
hearing from you!

TRANSLATION PRODUCTIVITY ROADSHOW

SERIES
The Roadshows give us the opportunity to meet with customers face to face and to develop
more personal relationships. We send invites to the entire language supply chain: freelance
and professional translators, language service providers and corporate localisation teams, as
well as educational establishments. The Roadshows give us the opportunity to update our
customers on industry news, new product information, and tips and tricks to get the best out
of our Translation Productivity products.
Last year, over 2000 delegates attended the 42 events held over two seasons, spring and
autumn, in locations that included New York, London, Paris, Zurich, Berlin, Stockholm and
Ottawa. The Autumn Roadshow was timed to coincide with the pre-launch of SDL Studio 2015
and our customers really appreciated the advanced preview. We received extremely positive
feedback from both existing and prospective customers on our new release.
Following customer feedback, we are trialling two formats for the roadshow. The spring series
will consist of a morning business seminar aimed at corporates and LSPs and the afternoon will
offer an intensive training session for freelance translators. Any delegates who attend the
morning session will be welcome to stay for the afternoon. The autumn series will revert back
to the usual full-day roadshow format. Here is the schedule for spring.

So why not check out the NEW campaign webpage

here: Empower yourself, Energize your business
and Excite your clients in 2016
We would love to hear feedback from you on this first edition of STAY TUNED and
welcome suggestions for topics you would like to see covered in future. Any
feedback can be sent directly to your Vendor Manager or to me at mkane@sdl.com.
Finally, on behalf of the Vendor Management team, I would like to take this
opportunity to thank you all for your continued commitment to SDL and for enabling
us to achieve 94% customer satisfaction with our end clients.
Melissa Kane Senior Director, Supply Chain Solutions

Toronto

Wednesday 4 May

Bilbao

Thursday 5 May

Helsinki

Tuesday 10 May

Chicago

Wednesday 11 May

Copenhagen

Thursday 12 May

New York

Thursday 19 May

London

Thursday 19 May

Hamburg

Tuesday 24 May

Paris

Thursday 26 May

Zurich

Thursday 2 June

Milan

Thursday 9 June