ASP in practice – terminology network for federal authorities
With its database solutions in the BundOnline 2005 programme, euroscript has shown a practical example of application service providing (ASP).
Government administration without electronic information networks is no longer conceivable. The Berlin-Bonn Information Group (IVBB – www.ivbb.de) serves as the infrastructure for electronic information, communication and transaction services, as well as the internal communication means for the federal authorities in Germany. Users include the Bundestag, Bundesrat, Foreign Office and all federal ministries, the Federal Audit Office and Federal Constitutional Court, as well as lower federal authorities such as the Federal Language Office. The infrastucture is based on a concept in accordance with the application service providing (ASP) model.
Solutions partner: docConsult and TRADOS
During the BundOnline 2005 initiative, the Federal Interior Ministry chose TRADOS GmbH's MultiTerm Server® and the partner docConsult GmbH (a subsidiary of euroscript Deutschland GmbH, Berlin) to provide its terminology solutions.
A central terminology database environment was chosen as the solution, with which translation and interpreting services of the highest federal authorities can link their stored data. It is a reference source for several million technical terms from other departments and their translations, and includes source and context data. Shared knowledge for approximately 24 different locations can be called up via a central server.
The federal authorities currently use several terminology solutions. Until now they have used a combination of products developed in-house, externally developed systems and standard products. In order to unify the systems and products economically in the medium term, a central terminology management system was made available to the federal authorities. Costly orders for research tools have already been cancelled at other locations.
Solutions concept
A framework contract has been concluded for hosting the database with docConsult, a subsidiary of the euroscript Group. This involves installing and developing a tailor-made customer solution and consulting, training, and technical support, as well as the provision of further translation memory licences for the federal authorities.
The project is based on the MultiTerm Server® client/server platform developed by TRADOS with adaptations made by docConsult for the individual requirements of the offices involved. This terminology solution enables the federal authorities' specific requirements to be outlined flexibly and in a process-oriented manner, and ensures that information is found quickly and that the central terminology databases are linked to the various translation processes in 45 languages.
Thomas Wedde (docConsult, Bonn)