Still Another Rule?  

Bush questions the wisdom of rigid grammatical rules that do not take into consideration the complexities of English.

Bush, Donald W. Intercom (2000). Articles>Language>Style Guides

String-Related Issues (part of Globalization and Localization Issues)

This article discusses common occurring problems related to string resources include the text that appears in an application's user interface and tips on how to avoid them.

Microsoft (2004). Articles>Language>Localization

Stylistic Differences in Multilingual Administrative Forms: A Cross-Linguistic Characterization    

This article studies the stylistic variation in the design of administrative forms in three European countries--the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain-- through the linguistic analysis of a small corpus of multilingual administrative forms dealing with pension benefits and other kinds of allowances written in four different languages--English, Spanish, Italian, and German. The analysis included both monolingual administrative forms--written in English, Spanish, and Italian--and bilingual Italian/German and Italian/ English forms. The purpose of the study was to search for cross-linguistic regularities in the design of administrative forms which would enable their characterization as a genre, both in terms of its staging structure and of the linguistic and formatting features of the elements which configure it as such. The analysis performed on the small corpus yielded interesting stylistic differences and tendencies in the design of comparable administrative forms in the different countries, characterized by different socio-cultural backgrounds. It is suggested that these differences are a reflection of the social attitudes of the different administrations toward their citizens.

Lavid, Julia and Maite Taboada. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2004). Articles>Language>Business Communication>Forms

Successfully Crossing the Language Translation Divide  

Going global is a familiar phrase in today’s competitive business environment. When we hear the phrase “going global” what comes to mind? Most of us think of products being sold in a foreign country. Providing documentation in your customer’s language gives your company the competitive advantage in the global marketplace. For those products to be sold successfully, a clear understanding and communication of the language is imperative. Language translation into each target language presents a host of challenges and choices that must be anticipated and resolved in the source language prior to translation.

Dilts, David W. ACM SIGDOC (2001). Presentations>Language>Localization

Survey of the State of the Art in Human Language Technology

The field of human language technology covers a broad range of activities with the eventual goal of enabling people to communicate with machines using natural communication skills. Research and development activities include the coding, recognition, interpretation, translation, and generation of language.

Oregon Health and Science University (1996). Books>Language>Technology

Synonym Rings and Authority Files

In part 3 of the continuing series on controlled vocabularies and faceted classification, the authors explain synonym rings and authority files and how their use can bridge the gap between natural language and complex controlled vocabularies (taxonomies and thesauri).

Fast, Karl, Fred Leise and Mike Steckel. Boxes and Arrows (2003). Articles>Information Design>Indexing>Language

Taking Words to the Bank

Lexicographers call a collection of writing and speech samples used to analyze words, meanings, grammar, and usage a corpus. Since 1991, Cobuild (a special division of HarperCollins Publishers in Glasgow) and the University of Birmingham, England, have been working together to assemble an electronic corpus. The intent was to acquire contemporary (post-1975) samples that illustrate the everyday English most people read, write, and speak.

Ivey, Keith C. Editorial Eye, The (1996). Articles>Language>Linguistics

Technical Communication and Cross Cultural Miscommunication: Usability and the Outsourcing of Writing      

Writing is a culturally situated activity. When writing is outsourced to other cultures, because of a lack of knowledge of the users' culture and also because of influences from the writer's local culture, those doing the writing and designing, despite various strategies adopted for overcoming the disadvantage of not knowing the users' culture, may not know how to culturally situate writing. It is, therefore, important that bicultural people, who know the users' culture, as well as the culture of those doing the outsourced work, give writing teams feedback about the users' culture. Doing so can make outsourced writing more culturally situated.

Jeyeraj, Joseph. IEEE PCS (2005). Articles>Language>Localization>Offshoring

Technical Writers Gain Control

In the field of technical writing the use of Controlled Language (CL) attracts more and more public interest. However, the merits of controlling language in the context of technical documentation are not uncontroversial.

Reuther, Ursula. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Language>Localization>Technical Writing

Technocratic Discourse: A Primer    

This article describes the linguistic and semantic features of technocratic discourse using a Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) framework. The article goes further to assert that the function of technocratic discourse in public policy is to advocate and promulgate a highly contentious political and economic agenda under the guise of scientific objectivity and political impartiality. We provide strong evidence to support the linguistic description, and the claims of political advocacy, by analyzing a 900-word document about globalization produced by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

McKenna, Bernard J. and Philip Graham. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2000). Articles>Language>Government>Scientific Communication

Technology-Enabled Translation  

With ever-rising demands for translation finding ways to improve the entire process of multilingual publication becomes essential. One way for such improvement is the use of computer tools in the process. Translation is central to the multilingual publication process, but must be seen in the entire context. This panel provides a forum for the exploration of the issues involved in the multilingual publication process with particular emphasis on translation and the technology that enables the process from authoring to publication.

Bennett, Winfield Scott. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Language>Localization

Ten Things To Remember When Translating Documents  

There are many ways you can help your translation projects go more smoothly. It's important to trust the translation provider you've chosen, and to communicate your needs clearly. With an attitude of cooperation and partnership, you can iron out details and come up with a system that works for both of you. Here's a list of ten fundamentals that will contribute to the process.

Smith, Jackie. STC International TC SIG. Articles>Language>Localization

Terminologicentrum TNC

The overall aim of Terminologicentrum TNC is to meet all kinds of terminological needs of users of languages for special purposes.

TNC. Organizations>Language>Standards

Terminologiemanagement

Der Unterschied zwischen dem richtigen Wort und dem beinahe richtigen ist derselbe Unterschied wie der zwischen dem Blitz und einem Glühwürmchen.

Transline (2008). (German) Articles>Language>Localization>Controlled Vocabulary

Terminology Management: Six Steps to a Custom Solution  

Terminology Management is a building block for successful translations. Owning and maintaining a comprehensive company glossary can save time, expense, and aggravation during translation projects. Our company’s search for a terminology management system that would meet our specialized requirements led us to a custom solution. This paper discusses the planning, design, implementation, and natural outgrowths of our terminology database management system.

Filippo, Elizabeth G. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Language>Glossary

Testing for Globalization and Localization

This article discusses key testing phrases needed for a successful world ready software application: globalization testing, localizability testing and localization testing.

Microsoft (2004). Articles>Language>Localization

Testing Translated Information Across Twelve Languages, Three Continents, and Five Time Zones  

When budget constraints prevent bringing overseas testers to the development lab to verify product translation, Web conferencing sessions allow the testers to work in their own countries but still communicate directly with the lab.

Varin, Amy. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Language>Translation>Localization

Text Models in the USA and The Netherlands  

Text models are handy tools for planning or recognizing the global structure of a text. In this paper we compare a few modern communication handbooks in the USA and The Netherlands as to their treatment of text models. The Dutch “vaste structure” may contribute to the tool kit of American technical writers. After that we present a short discussion of the characteristics of ideal text models and their ideal users. The first text model in history, the classical 'partes orationis,' and the first text models for Environmental Impact Statements from the 1970’s prove to possess a series of deficiencies. We conclude our paper with a proposed procedure for pretesting new text models for new documents.

Bulter, Willem J. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Language>Theory>Rhetoric

The Devil is in the Details: How Errors in Grammar and Spelling Can Derail Your Business

If an agency is lax in their attention to detail on an important invitation for themselves, well, what is there to reassure me that they'll cross the T's and dot the I's when it comes to my projects?

Aull, Diane M. Nine Yards (2003). Articles>Language>Quality

The New Word Order: Or, the Awful English Language

Will the global interconnectedness of our conversations freeze the features of our languages in place? If so, farther into the future than anyone can foresee, much of the human race will be stuck with English as we now know it.

Garrison, Ronald W. Carolina Communique (2006). Articles>Language>History>Writing

Thesaurus Construction

A tutorial on the basics of constructing an information retrieval thesaurus. It includes a glossary of thesaurus terms.

Craven, Timothy C. University of Western Ontario (1998). Articles>Language>Information Design>Metadata

Think Globally, Write Locally

Companies operating in a global marketplace know they need to translate documents for their audiences. But some documents actually need more than translation – they need localization. Although a document’s words can be translated perfectly, the document can still be ineffective in another market, due to differences in the way local businesses operate and in the way people think.

Giovanis, Kristen. Writing Assistance (2006). Articles>Language>Localization>International

Thinking and Speaking

This book is a study of one of the most complex problems of psychology, the interrelation of thought and language. As far as we know, it has not yet been investigated experimentally in a systematic fashion. We have attempted at least a first approach to this task by conducting experimental studies of a number of separate aspects of the total problem.

Vygotsky, Lev. Marxists.org (1934). Books>Language>Theory