SDL International (London Stock Exchange: 'SDL'), the world’s leading provider of translation services and technology solutions, announced today that Plantronics, the world’s leading manufacturer of communication headsets, has selected SDL’s leading Translation Management software, SDLWorkFlow™, to provide managed localization facilities to its international marketing team.

 Communication is about connecting, and the most effective means of connecting is the human voice. Plantronics is devoted to enhancing personal communication through the use of headsets, a small piece of technology with profound implications on how people communicate. With offices in over 20 countries, Plantronics knows the value of talking in its customer’s language. SDLWorkFlow brings tighter collaboration between Plantronics’ product marketing team and local office content reviewers along with SDL’s own translation services team.

SDLWorkFlow will manage translation of corporate and direct marketing material into ten languages for the European markets. Plantronics requires simple and fast submission of texts, so files are uploaded for translation through SDLWorkFlow’s built-in portal. Translation Memory, a capture of previously translated material, is applied automatically to the new content, reducing both translation effort and cost. The translation is then completed and reviewed under the software’s management and using workflows defined by Plantronics. This high level of automation reduces the administrative overhead otherwise associated with managing frequent updates in multiple languages, and dramatically reduces Plantronics’ involvement in the translation management process.

As Uwe Bormann, Marketing Services Manager from Plantronics, said, “The simplicity with which we can now manage our translation requirements is very exciting. Our translation management effort has dropped noticeably since we started using SDLWorkFlow, and the translation process runs very smoothly. Coupled with the benefits of automatic quoting, Translation Memory and reduced engineering effort we are already seeing savings in both time and cost.”

Terry Lawlor, VP worldwide marketing at SDL, confirmed: “Effective communication is an important aspect of any business process and translation is no exception. SDLWorkFlow enables translators and authors to converse quickly and effectively, thereby improving the service Plantronics receive. Up to the minute status information provided by the solution keeps everyone informed on the progress of translations and ensures a rapid response from those involved.”


About Plantronics

Plantronics introduced the first lightweight communications headset in 1962 and is recognized as the world leader in communications headsets. A publicly held company with approximately 2,500 employees, Plantronics is the leading provider of headsets to telephone companies and the  business community worldwide. Plantronics headsets have been featured in numerous motion pictures and high-profile events, including Neil  Armstrong's historic "One small step for man" transmission from the moon in 1969. Plantronics, Inc., headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, was founded in 1961 and maintains offices in 20 countries. Plantronics products are sold and supported through a worldwide network of  authorized Plantronics marketing partners. Information about the company and its products can be found at www.plantronics.com or by calling  0800 410014.

Plantronics is a registered trademark of Plantronics, Inc