OTM Update version 8.6

The update contains improvements for file and e-mail handling as well as numerous adaptations and updates of the underlying systems and frameworks.

Please view the changelog details at 

https://lsp.net/lsp-net-news.html#otm86 (English)

or 

https://de.lsp.net/lsp-net-news.html#otm86 (German)

OTM Update version 8.5

The OTM update 8.5 includes extensions for risk management and team management.

Please view the changelog details at 

https://lsp.net/lsp-net-news.html#otm85 (English)

or 

https://de.lsp.net/lsp-net-news.html#otm85 (German)

OTM Update version 8.2

The OTM update 8.2 includes a couple of improvements in the project management workflow.

Please view the changelog details at 

http://lsp.net/lsp-net-news.html#otm82 (English)

or 

http://de.lsp.net/lsp-net-news.html#otm82 (German)

OTM Update version 7.0 rolled out

The OTM 7.0 update is about quality management, focusing on scoring and ranking of linguists.

OTM users now can fine-tune formal and liguistic quality criteria, refining results when searching for the project's best matching linguists. The new OTM QM tools are easy to use and well documented.

Please view our _changelog

OTM speed-up

Jump-starting the New Year, our relentless IT team finally succeeded after 2 weeks of hard data base forensics in speeding up most of the OTM pages by factor 3 to 4. Feels like a delayed x-mas present – nice to have :-)

OTM 6.5.1 update

Our OTM update version 6.5.1 includes two convenient new features:

Maintaining confidentiality agreements

Marking OTM e-mails as unread

OTM update version 6.0

Another outstanding feature has been added to the Online Translation Manager in the OTM 6.0 update:

The OTM SDL Trados^® Studio Wizard

The wizard enables project managers to process Trados XML analysis files, apply weighting factors and use the results for line items in quotations or invoices.

The OTM multi-stage follow-up module

OTM offers the option to follow up quotations not yet converted to orders by sending e-mail to the customer.

Set the number of days after a quotation for this option to be active and visible under >Administration >Preferences >Project management settings. The default setting is three days.

If the option is active, the status bar for order receipt is set to yellow and an e-mail icon appears.

Clicking the icon opens an e-mail form with a default text. The last quotation generated is automatically appended to the e-mail as a PDF file. After the e-mail is sent, “(1)” appears after the e-mail icon.

Clicking the icon again opens another e-mail form with a second default text differing from the first text. After the second e-mail is sent, “(2)” appears after the e-mail icon.

If desired, further e-mail messages can be sent for follow-up, but in that case the messages should be adapted individually.

E-mail sent with this module is saved in the customer e-mail section for the particular project. The default e-mail texts (Stage 1 and Stage 2) can be edited under >Administration >Standard texts >E-mails.

OTM SDL TRADOS Studio Connector preview

Automating workflows between OTM and SDL TRADOS® Studio Professional

 

Secure connection between OTM (SaaS) and a local installation of SDL Trados Studio Pro via the Internet.

Our middleware tool, the "OTM SDL Trados Studio Connector", makes quotation calculation even easier.
Install this little application on your computer with SDL Trados Studio Professional, and project files are taken directly from the Online Translation Manager (OTM) and passed to SDL Trados Studio, where a project and/or packages and translation memories are created automatically.

Existing TMs can be used for the analysis of the source files.

The Connector uploads the analysis files produced by SDL Trados Studio to the relevant project in OTM, where the quotation’s line items can be generated with just a mouse click.

The Connector is not included in the regular OTM license. If you are interested in using the software, please contact LSP.net support.

SDL TRADOS® is a registered trademark of SDL

Free online CAT weighting tool available

How do you use a CAT analysis to determine the price of a translation project?

Most colleagues probably use an attentively maintained Excel spreadsheet. With lots of concentration and a quick mouse, they are happy to have the (hopefully) correct answer within minutes. But if the project contains several files and a separate price is required for each one, even copy & paste pros sometimes get lost in the process. And as the pros also know, the irresistible customer need for quantification and prices in standard lines is the maximum penalty.

LSP.net has developed an online tool that saves time and soothes nerves. It speeds up the process significantly and yields precise figures: upload the analysis file, enter the price per word or standard line, and click on the Start button – instant results. Then set your weighting factors as required – process completed!

 

Unrestricted use, free of charge. Currently, the tool can only process SDL Trados analysis files (XML) from Studio 2009 and 2011 – but it will gradually be expanded to include analysis files from additional CAT environments. Visitors to LSP.net are invited to forward their wishes and suggestions for improvement to the developers using a convenient online form.

Personal settings can be saved in a browser cookie (on the user's computer), so users are not required to enter the price and weighting factors again every time they revisit the website. The results can also be printed as required.

CAT Weighting Tool –> www.LSP.net/cat

Data privacy protection: LSP.net saves neither your data nor your files. After it is uploaded, the analysis file is used for a few seconds to read and display the count data and display it in the browser. Then the analysis you upload is deleted immediately and permanently from our server.

The CAT weighting tool in OTM Version 6
The release of OTM 6 also includes the calculator tool and will enable lines items for quotation to be created with just a click.

SDL TRADOS® is a registered trademark of SDL

OTM customer communication – Polish added!

The OTM modules for customer communication have been localized in a number of languages: English, German, Spanish, Catalan, French, Dutch, Portuguese and Finnish. 
Now we added Polish to the client interface.

Customer and resource log-in for your web site

You might want your customers to log in to their OTM service pages directly from your web site. Here's the HTML code:

<form action="https://subdomain.qtn.net/customers/index.php" method="post"> Username: <input name="login" type="text"> <br/> Password: <input name="pw" type="password"> <br/> <input style="display: block;" name="submit_bt" value="Log In" id="loginbutton" type="submit"> </form>


Here is how it works with the resources' log-in:
<form action="https://subdomain.qtn.net/resources/index.php" method="post"> Username: <input name="login" type="text"> <br/> Password: <input name="pw" type="password"> <br/> <input style="display: block;" name="submit_bt" value="Log In" id="loginbutton" type="submit"> </form>

Please replace subdomain with your OTM subdomain.

OTM Feature: Job description templates

The new OTM feature "Job description templates" is very helpful if you manage projects with complex or numerous jobs.

In a project with numerous target languages, you can copy one job description text to all other jobs with just one click.

Any job description text can be saved as a template. Templates can be edited or deleted.
If you need a certain template, you can load it from the repository. Load a text from your stored templates or templates from co-workers in your company.

_changelog OTM Update 5.6 – 2012-04-12

NEW OTM FEATURE: CERTIFICATE OF TRANSLATION
The project manager or administrator can generate a certificate in OTM to attest to the quality and correctness of a translation. The issuer of the certificate is the respective agency. The recipient of the certificate is the particular end customer.





















The certificate text can be edited and can be changed under >Administration >Standard texts >Documents (PDF) below the invoices section.

 Files for which certificates are required must be marked in the project's file repository:

Generating the certificate is optional and only possible if the relevant project has at least one line item with a translation service. Only one certificate can be issued per project. In case of an error, a certificate can be re-issued.

The certificate for translations in a project is generated as a separate PDF document and saved in the project’s document repository. A certificate can be previewed before it is generated.

The certificate is produced at the same time as the final invoice if the option to create the certificate is checked. The certificate and invoice are generated as two separate documents and sent as two different e-mail attachments as required.

A standard e-mail text from >Administration >Standard texts >E-mails is used automatically if a certificate is created together with the invoice and the option to send by e-mail is marked.
The certificate will be printed on the agency’s letterhead.

Editable text sections

1. Certificate subject line
2. Certificate body text

Placeholders in the body text:
- the project number [% PROJECT_NUMBER %],
- the project description [% PROJECT_NAME %] (if there is one),
- the file names of translated file(s): [% PROJECT_CERTFILES %],
- the source and target language(s) [% PROJECT_LANGUAGES %]

Certificates can have two signatures

As a custom tag for signatures, you can use
a) both custom tags [% SIGNATURE_PM %] and [% SIGNATURE_SECOND %] together or individually or b) the combined tag [% BOTH_SIGNATURES_SIDEBYSIDE %].

New menu item

The signature files (file format: PNG or JPG) can be uploaded to OTM at >Administration >Corporate Identity >Signature files. The image is scaled automatically to a standard size and can be used at the desired position by setting a placeholder in the document. You can define whether the certificate should always bear the signature of a particular person (such as the managing director) or the signature of the respective project manager, or both.

The certificate is associated unambiguously with the project via the file name and can be downloaded from the project documents.

New Video Tutorial: Redirecting E-Mail Requests to OTM

Our new 100-second video tutorial shows how to redirect a quote request of an existing customer from your e-mail programm directly to your OTM account.

_changelog OTM Update 5.1 – 2011-10-26

1) Customer e-mail wizard

The new e-mail wizard helps you organize multiple e-mail recipients on the side of the customer. The wizard is available everywhere e-mail is written to customers.

Any number of e-mail addresses can be set up for a customer and commented. The e-mail addresses of all contact persons for a customer can be imported with just a click.

The saved addresses can be inserted in the TO, CC or BCC field automatically or using a convenient selection dialog.

Moreover, general notes can be saved, which are displayed when writing e-mail to customers. This function is useful for showing notes which are not related to the e-mail configuration but which contain information to be considered in the relevant project.

The e-mail addresses and their settings are stored project specifically, i.e. changes in the settings of a project do not change the settings of existing projects. The last e-mail configuration in each case is used as a default for new projects of the customer.

An exception is when sending mail for invoices, partial invoices, payment requests and customer credit notes: the TO, CC and BCC fields must be filled in manually as required.

Here's an example of how it works:
The quotation is sent to the customer’s purchasing department. However, in the rest of the workflow, the original contact for the customer is responsible for matters. Moreover, one or more other persons are to receive CC or BCC copies of e-mail for the project. The invoice for the project is sent to the customer’s bookkeeping department.

2) Extended functionality of customer service pages
An administrator of customer service pages can archive projects of co-workers.

3) Bug fixes and a few improvements of details

OTM 5.0 certified according to EN 15038

EN 15038 certificate

LSP.net has published OTM 5.0.  

The Online Translation Manager (OTM) is now the first commercial project management tool for the language industry to receive EN 15038 certification!

.

New Guided Tutorials for Online Translation Management

In order to support our growing user community in mastering the essential processes for successful management of a language services business with the Online Translation Manager (OTM), we are creating a series of guided tutorials in which common workflows are explained interactively, step by step in a test project using the software.

At the other end of the tutorial project correspondence is a “live” support staff member, so any difficulties or specific questions can be handled quickly and easily.

The first two tutorials cover quotation requests via the OTM web form and include file uploads, correspondence, quotation, project acceptance, assignment to a translator (the OTM user in the case of a freelancer or translating PM or another translator if the OTM user is an outsourcer), delivery of the finished project to the client, invoicing and closing the project with a request for feedback.

Other guided tutorials deal with project requests which arrive via e-mail with varying degrees of information. These tutorials are an excellent way for those who test OTM on a free 30 day trial to get up to speed quickly on critical processes.

Other important sources of information for learning to use are the webinars in German and English offered by LSP.net, static web tutorials covering various aspects of use and the comprehensive context help in the program, with its innovative display technique that allows you continue to work alongside and benefit from the explanations. LSP.net support staff are also available during CET business hours to answer questions by e-mail or telephone.

Version 3.0 of the Online Translation Manager (OTM®) sets new standards in online project management for language service providers

Berlin, August 3, 2010 – LSP.net, the provider of unique solutions and quality management tools for the language industry, today announced the production release of its workflow solution OTM 3.0. The new version offers significantly expanded functions for the LSP online project management platform.

LSP.net CEO Ulrich Scheffler explained, “The new release enables our licensees to customize project communication with their customers individually in any language. We have also continued to optimize the business components of the software to offer users unobtrusive guidance for commercial correct processes. OTM is an all-round solution for language service providers and sets new standards for online project management with respect to functionality, transparency, security and availability.”

Along with the standard system languages English, Spanish and German, customer interface components for the OTM platform are now also available in Dutch and Portuguese. And the new OTM localization interface enables additional language localizations to be added quickly and easily.

The Online Translation Manager (OTM) directs and manages project processes for translations, editing, localization and desktop publishing. It is an expert software as a service (“SaaS”) system that is simple to operate and is available around the clock. All you need is an Internet connection.

OTM service starts at only € 29 per month. A free 30-day trial of OTM 3.0 with full functionality can be requested at the LSP.net web site.

_changelog OTM Update 2.6 - 2010-07-16

1. Partial invoices can now be created as postable documents in a project. They are taken into account on the final invoice.
2. Customer credit notes (for example, a goodwill credit note) can be created for a project.
3. A payment request can now be generated for a project. This is the commercially correct solution for customers subject to prepayment. A proper invoice can be generated after the prepayment is received or the project is concluded.
4. Features 1, 2 and 3 can be tracked appropriately in the OTM bookkeeping module.
5. Further improvements were made to the token editor for localization. This is not seen directly by licensees.
6. Various other minor improvements were implemented.

The OTM 3.0 update is scheduled for August 2, 2010.