SDL International, the leading provider of Global Information Management (GIM) solutions, announced today that Siemens Automation & Drives (A&D), one of the world's largest electrical engineering and electronics companies, has endorsed the SDL TRADOS Certification program as part of its implementation strategy to ensure the quality and efficiency of delivering multilingual content through their localization providers.

The SDL TRADOS Certification program is the industry’s premier technology based certification and provides corporations with a recognized standard of excellence when looking to utilize the services of freelancers and Language Service Providers within the translation supply chain.  The program has been designed to help address some of the key business challenges corporate language departments face and to shorten localization lifecycles. 

“By endorsing SDL TRADOS Certification as a preferred credential, we expect to increase localization production efficiency by ensuring translators are competent using the most up to date technology”  said Thomas H. Hecht, Head of Technology Group, Siemens Automation & Drives Translation Services.

All the localization engineering teams across Siemens Automation & Drives will be undergoing SDL TRADOS Certification. Siemens is aiming to have all their localization engineers go through the initial stage of Certification before the end Q1 2007. Starting in March 2007, Certification training will be undertaken with the aim of having all localization teams Certified by the end of the German fiscal year, September 2007. Siemens will also be encouraging all their vendors to become SDL TRADOS Certified, and will be adding an SDL Certification status to their Vendor profiles, by which Language Service Providers and translators are classified.

“Siemens has become a pioneer and thought-leader in the translation industry by implementing a strategy to ensure quality and efficiency to their employees and customers worldwide.  We are delighted to be a critical part of this,” said Keith Laska, Vice President of SDL TRADOS Technologies. “The process of undergoing SDL TRADOS Certification is not an easy task, but the benefits are clear. Increased knowledge of key terminology and translation management features enable greater efficiency, quicker time to market and most importantly higher quality localized content.”

To find out more about the SDL TRADOS Certification program please visit: www.sdl.com/certified

About Siemens Automation and Drives (A&D)
A&D supplies standard products for the manufacturing and processing industries, electrical installation technology, and system- and sector-specific automation solutions.

Manufacturers and industrial equipment makers everywhere face the same problems. They have to convert limited inventories into affordable and customized products for the maximum number of consumers, and they have to increase the efficiency of their extraction, transport and production processes in order to offset rising energy and raw materials costs. To master these challenges, producers need energy-saving industrial systems and equipment, networked manufacturing facilities and logistics systems, and advanced IT systems that provide precise information on production processes and goods flows.

As the No. 1 supplier of automation technology worldwide, A&D is a leader in the development of innovative manufacturing methods and systems. Our offerings range from standard products for the manufacturing and processing industries to electrical installation technologies, system- and sector-specific solutions, and complete automobile production lines and chemical plants. We also develop software for optimizing production workflows and linking manufacturing and administrative IT systems (horizontal and vertical IT integration).

Our Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) platform comprises a fully integrated range of products and systems designed to efficiently automate entire production processes. TIA can be adapted to all sectors and products, enabling manufacturers to optimize production workflows, improve process flexibility, shorten time-to-market and cut production costs while minimizing process complexity and maximizing investment security.