Q: What are the key features of IBM Websphere Translation Server (WTS) and how will they allow customers to do something they couldn't
do before?
A: IBM has been researching machine translation for well over 30 years. IBM’s focus on slot grammars and the analysis of English has resulted in one of the best analyzers
in the field of computational linguistics, delivering leading accuracy in language translation.
IBM’s machine translation engines are designed and built expressly for the enterprise and
therefore are highly scalable. Depending on the processor load and the amount of memory available, IBM WTS translates from approximately 200 words per second to 500 words per second.
WTS will allow enterprises to obtain quick, inexpensive, convenient “gist” translations whenever a professional translation is unfeasible because of availability, time, or cost. WTS
will provide these translations without the need to re-create separate Web pages in different languages.
Q: Who will be using WTS and what will it do for business?
A: Today's systems run on Web servers and client PCs. With the advent of the Internet, Machine
Translation will take on a prominent role. A major goal of Internet entrepreneurs is the creation of global communities. A major obstacle to creating these global communities is the language barrier.
Machine translation, on a small scale for now, has successfully created language
transparency within these communities through multi-lingual chat, e-mail translation and Web page translation.
Any enterprise wishing to offer text translation can use IBM WTS. Contact centers and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) will find this of particular use. The CIO is the buyer and depending
on if one is looking to provide dynamic translation of Web pages or dynamic translation of chat, the buying criteria will vary.
As an example, Deutsche Bank is looking at WTS for chat via Sametime between employees in Germany and the US via its intranet. In this scenario, users will type in their native language and recipients
will receive the message in the translated language. This enhances communications and reduces language barriers.
Both small- and medium-sized businesses in the NetGen space as well as major enterprises are looking at WTS. The smaller enterprise can dramatically increase its global reach and sell worldwide
with a minimal investment; the major player can extend its investments, reusing existing pages for worldwide business needs
Q: How will IBM WTS help customers save time, money and worry?
A: IBM's customers will now be able to offer to their customers the ability to interact with the Web site in their native language, thus improving on the experience and also
extending the amount of time they spend on the site. Since English is not the primary language for a large portion of all people on the Web, IBM WTS enables greater access to the data, without
requiring the enterprise to publish separate pages for each language, providing greater efficiency and dramatic cost savings.
Language is a major barrier to communications with one’s customers. IBM WebSphere Translation Server breaks down that barrier and enables communication across languages, either through
chat or dynamic Web page translation.
The current cost of a professional translation service is estimated at 20 cents per word, compared to a one-time investment of approx. $15,000 per language pair with WTS. Depending on the frequency
of Web page update or other translation activities, IBM WTS will deliver payback in a very expeditious fashion. The higher the dynamics, the greater the savings and earlier break-even.
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