Translizer
Encyclopedia
Translizer Group, commonly known as Translizer, is an international technology company with offices in Portsmouth
, United Kingdom
and Houston, Texas
. Translizer's core operation is the facilitation of foreign language translation through an aggregator search function similar to sites like Moneysupermarket.com, Confused.com
or Hotels.com
. Translizer's technology development team is based in Houston and it maintains a service centre and industry insight research operations in Trafalgar Wharf
, Portsmouth
, England
. In addition, Translizer has its Scandinavian service centre in Naantali
, Finland
.
The concept behind Translizer was first made public at the Enterprise Challenge competition run by the University of Portsmouth
in 2008. It was branded as the Spinnaker Translation System, named after the Spinnaker Tower
in Portsmouth. The first system was wholly manual so it lacked the speed and ease of use of the later releases. The competition judges feedback called for the service to be automated before it could be taken to mass markets. The blueprint for the automated system was drawn up soon after.
Translizer began to develop a tool that would simplify translation services procurement based on the familiar concept that is widely used in travel and financial services industries as well as in the home utility services markets. The most visible feature of Translizer is its price comparison search engine. Translizer is currently the only service where users get instant quotes for translation services from multiple vendors. This allows buyers of translation services to do market research in real-time without the usual wait for translation companies to respond to quote requests. As of August 2010, Translizer held over 120,000 individual prices from various translation companies.
Translizer also includes a number of procurement features that allow corporate procurement teams to plan and monitor their translation spending through the use of statistics and reports.
Translizer uses 256bit encryption with an Extended Validation Certificate from GoDaddy.com. Due to the requirement for large amounts of secure storage space for documents, Translizer uses Amazon S3
to store client files securely.
Although Translizer incorporates a price comparison function, the key concept is its ability to find the best suited translation provider for each search. Translizer is not open for translation companies to freely incorporate themselves into the system. All translation companies are pre-vetted to ensure they represent the very best of the industry and Translizer matches the search criteria (source language, target language, industry and specialisation) with the translation vendors who are experts in those specific areas. This provides users the peace of mind that their translations are handled by industry professionals who are experts in their specific needs.
This feature takes away the possibility for user (buyer) error. Translizer will not allow the buyer to purchase translations from a vendor who is not independently certified to be an expert in the required field and, thus, improves translation quality. This also safeguards buyers of translation services from falling prey to unscrupulous operators. In support of the buyer protection offered by the system, Translizer carries a Web of Trust certificate from internet security community MyWOT.com.
(HITA) and Kouvola Innovation (KITES) .
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Translizer's core operation is the facilitation of foreign language translation through an aggregator search function similar to sites like Moneysupermarket.com, Confused.com
Confused.com
Confused.com, part of the Admiral Group, is a British price comparison website specialising in insurance and financial services.-History:Confused.com launched in 2002, becoming the UK’s first car insurance comparison site. It is based in Cardiff, Wales with its offices located near the headquarters...
or Hotels.com
Hotels.com
Hotels.com is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. that provides reservation services for hotel rooms and other places to stay.The company was founded in Dallas, TX in 1991 as Hotel Reservations Network by Dave Litman and Bob Diener as a toll-free telephone service, offering consumers a one-stop...
. Translizer's technology development team is based in Houston and it maintains a service centre and industry insight research operations in Trafalgar Wharf
Trafalgar Wharf, Portchester, Portsmouth
Trafalgar Wharf is a shipyard in Portsmouth accommodating marine engineering businesses ranging from sailmakers and boat brokers to boat builders. It was formerly the VT Halmatic shipyard, owned by VT Group and latterly by BVT Surface Fleet.-History:...
, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In addition, Translizer has its Scandinavian service centre in Naantali
Naantali
Naantali is a city in south-western Finland, known as one of the most important tourist centres of the country. The municipality has a population of , and is located in the region of Finland Proper, west of Turku....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
History
It is generally acknowledged that the language services industry, according to the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies (EUATC), carries a “historical weakness” of being “extremely dispersed and unorganised.” There are tens of thousands of Language Service Providers (LSP) scattered all over the world, most of which are small online agencies. This creates a business environment that is very difficult to negotiate for those who seek to employ their services and thus the procurement of language services effectively has become a task that requires a high degree of industry specific expertise that is not readily available in most organisations.The concept behind Translizer was first made public at the Enterprise Challenge competition run by the University of Portsmouth
University of Portsmouth
The University of Portsmouth is a university in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The University was ranked 60th out of 122 in The Sunday Times University Guide...
in 2008. It was branded as the Spinnaker Translation System, named after the Spinnaker Tower
Spinnaker Tower
Spinnaker Tower is a –high landmark tower in Portsmouth, England. It is the centrepiece of the redevelopment of Portsmouth Harbour, which was supported by a National Lottery grant. Its shape was chosen by Portsmouth residents from a selection of concepts...
in Portsmouth. The first system was wholly manual so it lacked the speed and ease of use of the later releases. The competition judges feedback called for the service to be automated before it could be taken to mass markets. The blueprint for the automated system was drawn up soon after.
Translizer began to develop a tool that would simplify translation services procurement based on the familiar concept that is widely used in travel and financial services industries as well as in the home utility services markets. The most visible feature of Translizer is its price comparison search engine. Translizer is currently the only service where users get instant quotes for translation services from multiple vendors. This allows buyers of translation services to do market research in real-time without the usual wait for translation companies to respond to quote requests. As of August 2010, Translizer held over 120,000 individual prices from various translation companies.
Translizer also includes a number of procurement features that allow corporate procurement teams to plan and monitor their translation spending through the use of statistics and reports.
Translation Procurement System
Translizer's proprietary translation procurement system was fully developed in-house by their Houston-based development team. The first Translizer release included the search engine and price comparison feature, accounting functions and a translation ordering and delivery system. Later feature additions include customer satisfaction feature and a credit card processing function.Translizer uses 256bit encryption with an Extended Validation Certificate from GoDaddy.com. Due to the requirement for large amounts of secure storage space for documents, Translizer uses Amazon S3
Amazon S3
Amazon S3 is an online storage web service offered by Amazon Web Services. Amazon S3 provides storage through web services interfaces...
to store client files securely.
Although Translizer incorporates a price comparison function, the key concept is its ability to find the best suited translation provider for each search. Translizer is not open for translation companies to freely incorporate themselves into the system. All translation companies are pre-vetted to ensure they represent the very best of the industry and Translizer matches the search criteria (source language, target language, industry and specialisation) with the translation vendors who are experts in those specific areas. This provides users the peace of mind that their translations are handled by industry professionals who are experts in their specific needs.
This feature takes away the possibility for user (buyer) error. Translizer will not allow the buyer to purchase translations from a vendor who is not independently certified to be an expert in the required field and, thus, improves translation quality. This also safeguards buyers of translation services from falling prey to unscrupulous operators. In support of the buyer protection offered by the system, Translizer carries a Web of Trust certificate from internet security community MyWOT.com.
Translation Consultancy Services
Translizer offers translation consultancy services to organisations who regularly create multi-lingual content. The aim of the consultancy service is to streamline organisational multi-lingual content production through clearly defined processes, industry best practises and the use of technology.Affiliations
Translizer is a corporate member of the Houston Interpreters & Translators AssociationHouston Interpreters & Translators Association
The Houston Interpreters & Translators Association was established in 1993 to create a forum for individuals, businesses, and institutions interested in sharing their experiences, to promote the interests of translators and interpreters in Houston, Texas and surrounding areas, and to serve in...
(HITA) and Kouvola Innovation (KITES) .