Make or buy g11n automation tools?

In order to improve efficiency, we need to use more and more automation
in the g11n end to end process, from translation workflow and
translation memory management to localization engineering, from release
engineering to localization testing, from project management to
business operation, etc.



Should we implement those automation tools internally or buy commercial
products? There sure have pros and cons in both solutions, but the
following are some pros of commercial products in the context of a
market system which rely on specialization (Campbell R. McConnell and
Stanley L. Brue, 2005, "Economics"):



The majority of consumers produce virtually none of the goods and
services they consume, and they consume little or nothing of  what
they produce. The worker who devotes 8 hours a day to installing
windows in Fords may own a Honda. Many farmers sell their milk to the
local dairy and then buy margarine at the local grocery store. Society
learned long ago that self-sufficiency breeds inefficiency.



Human specialization - called the division of labor - contributes to a society's output in several ways:

• Specialization makes use of differences in ability.
  Sepcialization enables individuals to take advantage of existing
  differences in their abilities and skills. If A is strong and swift and
  good at tracking animals, and B is weak and slow but patient, their
  distribution of talents can be most efficiently used if A hunts and B
  fishes.
  
  


• Specialization fosters learning by doing. Even if the abilities
  of A and B are identical, specialization may still be advantageous. By
  devoting all your time to a single task, you are more likely to develop
  the skills it requires and to devise improved techniques than you would
  by working at a number of different tasks. You learn to be a good
  hunter by going hunting every day.
  
  


• Specialization saves time. By devoting all your time to a single
  task, you avoid the loss of time incurred in shifting from one job to
  another.
  
  

So if someone is already providing a great tool with a reasonable
price, should we implement another similar or worse tool with limited
internal resources?



But buying commercial products might demotivate internal people who are
very interested in the same technology or tools, then it would be very
important to talk to those people to understand their wants, to
motivate them according to Herzgerg's two factor theory which I 
explained in the "Motivation issue in G11n group"

Posted at 09:10PM Oct 29, 2006 by byuan in Globalization  |  Comments[0]