“TMS or not to TMS, that is the question” on the lips of many CMS buyers. Last year we wrote that many web (WCM) and enterprise content management (ECM) solutions provide a solid basis for multilingual content management. More recently we wrote that “buyers seeking deep technology support for translation and its related work processes” will also need a TMS, since the content applications ignore business management and sidestep translation tools. In April we visited hordes of CMS vendors at the AIIM Conference in Boston and still found none taking up the globalization cause. But the pace of CMS-TMS partnering and integration has accelerated, bringing automated translation and authoring into the mix as vendors scurry to offer broader and deeper support for cross-border information management.

• FatWire launched Content Server 7 last month and trumpeted its globalization capabilities, including “data model” support. You usually don’t find messaging like this from U.S.-based software makers.
• XyEnterprise said it would integrate its Contenta CMS solution with Idiom’s WorldServer. Two years ago Xy Xy plugged SDL TMS product into its workflow, but today it looks to be covering more bases following SDL’s acquisition of Tridion.
• Stellent added two integration points with captive TMS systems from Translations.com and Sajan, both language service providers with “captive” TMS systems. However, Translations will sell you its translation manager without requiring you to buy its language services. Such captive vendors typically add purpose-built connectors at the request of specific clients and then make them available to other customers using the same CMS. Sajan has a special relationship with Stellent — its VP of product development is former Stellent CEO Vern Hanzlik.
• Web content management vendors DocZone and Sitecore incorporated support for translation middleware provider Clay Tablet Technologies (CTT). Rather than force each vendor to maintain connectors to dozens of other systems, a universal hub such as CTT’s shows great appeal in the many-to-many galaxy of content applications. Expect CTT to announce integrations with both CMS and TMS providers at a steady clip over the next 2 years.
• Globalization Partners International (GPI) received a “certified partner” rating from WCM provider Ektron. This is a smart option for LSPs with technical expertise. Putting themselves forward as experts on a specific system does not keep them from working with whichever CMS a client uses.
• TMS providers Across and Idiom each announced integrations with statistical machine translation vendor Language Weaver. A few weeks later Idiom said it would also link up with SYSTRAN, the biggest supplier of MT software. Both Across and Idiom look to offer in-line MT, 3 years after SDL integrated its MT engine with its translation management workflow. Eventually we expect CMS vendors to follow that path to eliminating zero translation, but don’t hold your breath until then.
• Reaching deeper into the CMS stack, Idiom announced a strategic partnership with Acrolinx, a developer of quality assurance tools for technical information. That pits Idiom against the authoring sector in CMS and SDL, which is getting more active with its global information management positioning and its own AuthorAssistant.

As the CMS and TMS software segments mature, we expect the categories to remain largely distinct for 3 to 5 years. The SDL acquisition of Tridion could advance this timeframe, but we see no immediate evidence of that. During this period we will see a continued proliferation of TMS options and an increasing focus on seamless integrations between CMS and TMS technology. Don’t be surprised to see more acquisitions as suppliers on both sides of the CMS-TMS divide bundle in support for more and more information life cycle functions. Ultimately, we think buyers will benefit as tight integration and outright acquisition streamline the flow of content within and across borders.