#26164
Designing for a Non-English Audience
I've discovered that foreign language typesetting can be very challenging - even when using the right software and platform, or having the help of a very experienced foreign typesetter. Through solving the problems encountered in the process, I also developed a new appreciation for simple, 'internationalized' designs that are much easier to 'localize' than others. Many problems can be avoided if the graphic designer keeps in mind that the document may be later translated into other languages. Sometimes, an attractive and very professional design in English can be a nightmare for other languages.
Bratu, Felicia. WTB Language Group. Articles>Language>Localization
#19975
Designing Hypertext: What We Can Learn from Linguistics and Discourse Research 
Hypertext are implied in complex linear texts like literary analysis. These texts 'model' hypertext nodes and links in their linguistic properties and constitute a system of semantic messages and cohesive ties. A conceptual bridge between conventional and hyper-texts can be constructed for technical and scientific applications based on these linguistic properties. Linguistic analysis can also serve as a cohesive construct extending to visual and auditory displays in hyperdocuments. Hypertext instructional designers are challenged to impose comparable mappings as analogues to these cohesive relationships to test memory, distance, and other variables.
Eiler, Mary Ann. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Language>Linguistics>Semantic
#20072
Designing Multilingual Documents: Some Principles, Observations, and Guidelines
This paper summarizes some basic problems associated with designing, producing, and delivering multiple languages within one document, and our approach to resolving those problems, 'Multilingual in this context is defined as containing one or more languages within a page design, as opposed to 'internationalized' (containing universal symbolic or pictorial text) or 'serially translated' (repeated translated content) documents.
Lorence, Paul. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Language>Localization
#18445
Developing A Website for Users of Languages Other Than English
Today, the Internet is positioned to be an international mechanism for communication and information exchange, the precursor of a global information superhighway. For this vision to be realized, one important requirement is to enable all languages to be technically available via the Internet, so that when a society is ready to absorb Internet technology, the language capability comes prepackaged. This is a nontrivial multilingual-information processing problem. To appreciate the extent of this issue, it is enough to know that few years ago, English was the native language of 80% of web users. Today, English is the mother tongue of less than half of web users. However, statistics show that the language of about 80% of web sites is English with only about 8% could be classified as multilingual. From the numbers above, making a website universally usable is an important issue and ignoring it may lead to groups of users suffering isolation, rather than enjoying the true interoperability alluded to by the very name of the World Wide Web. However designing websites in languages other than English or multilingual websites confronts designers with many requirements. These requirements generally fall into three categories: data representation, data display and data input requirements. This paper studies these requirements, gives general recommendations for meeting them and provides a list of guidelines for web pages designers. It also gives examples of successful websites implemented in different languages.
Ghanem, Nagia M. Universal Usability (2001). Design>Language>Localization
#20026
The year 2000 is a big duh for computers. But 2020 is when today's kids will rule the universe, as they already seem to rule the language. We'll have a State of the Union address consisting of 'duh!' with a rebuttal of 'DUH-uh' followed by the analysis, 'Excuse me?' I'm not sure whether this is a bad thing, given the present state of adult rhetoric and the occasional charms of juve-talk, or kid-lish. Concise and animated, the sardonic/ moronic idiom of school kids can slice through our stale officialese. Some of it -- the more cuddly terms, not the hard-edged hip-hop -- tickles that laugh-spot recently located in the brain. Yet, when millions of grown-ups, even those who communicate for a living, start aping little people in baggies, one has to fear for the range of human expression.
Plotnik, Arthur. Editorial Eye, The (2003). Articles>Language>Editing
#23497
Different Types of Controlled Languages
There has been much discussion on the topic of Controlled Language (CL) in the past issues of TC-Forum. With several years of experience as a translator, as a trainer of Controlled English writing and translation post-editing, and as a developer of Machine Translation (MT) and Translation Memory (TM) systems, I would like to clarify some points that do not seem to have been presented in other articles. These points do not indicate all of the details of possible CL systems, but I hope that they open up the discussion to cover both past and recent developments in CL system and application research and development.
Allen, Jeff. TC-FORUM (1999). Articles>Language>Localization>Controlled Vocabulary
#26357
Firms that export to the USA are faced with the challenge of having to deliver accompanying TD that meets the requirements of that country. This is true not only in legal or safety-relevant terms, but also in terms of the language used. Production and translation of multi-lingual documentation are part of an overall process. Even while creating the source text, the technical writer must keep in mind the translation into the target language. Unambiguous rendering, consistency in the terminology, wording that is appropriate for the target group and reader-friendliness are some of the highest criteria which would justify the use of a controlled language.
Féneyrol, Christian. tekom (2005). (German) Articles>Language>Localization>Controlled Vocabulary
#14949
Do We Really Speak the Same Language?
At least England and America speak mostly the same language. What happens when we translate foreign languages and add what we think are correct nuances or words? Sometimes even the best intentions can go a bit stale, as witnessed by some of these translation guffaws that prove we're not alone in our confusion or mistakes. Even the big guns can misfire. I've inserted by own comments at the end of each item.
Gleason, Ruthmeri. STC Williamette Valley (2002). Articles>Language>TC
#19165
Dr. Grammar may provide help with your grammar questions.
#26465
DTT: Deutscher Terminologie-Tag
Der DTT e.V. ist ein Forum für alle, die sich mit Terminologie und Terminologiearbeit beschäftigen. Er hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, durch Beratung und Koordination sowie durch die Veranstaltung von Symposien und Workshops zur Lösung fachlicher Kommunikationsprobleme beizutragen.
DTT. (German) Organizations>Language>Linguistics>Controlled Vocabulary
#13755
The Effect of Inductively Versus Deductively Organized Text on American and Japanese Readers 
When document designers localize documents for readers in other cultures, they should consider what text organization will best suit those readers. The study presented here examines American and Japanese readers’ comprehension of and preference for expository text that contains a thesis and is organized either inductively or deductively. The results revealed that while Americans performed equally well with either organizational structure Japanese readers recalled more information from inductively organized text. The implications for document designers in English and Japanese speaking countries are discussed.
Spyridakis, Jan H. and Waka Fukuoka. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (2002). Articles>Language>Rhetoric
#13246
The Effect of Text Structure on Text Comprehension of Japanese and American Readers
This paper presents the preliminary findings from a study that sought to determine whether Japanese and American readers’ comprehension of expository text is similarly affected by text organization. Results are presented and discussed with regard to their implications for technical communicators.
Spyridakis, Jan H. and Waka Fukuoka. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Language>International>Writing
#20487
#23650
Electronic Resources and Aids for Writing, Editing, and Translation
The popularity of online dictionaries is growing, so new criteria for evaluating these reference works should be established to help technical communicators evaluate their choices. These criteria could come from the following sources: (1) the criteria that have been used for the evaluation of printed dictionaries, (2) the criteria derived from the characteristics of the electronic form of the online dictionaries, and (3) the studies of the ways technical communicators use online dictionaries. This paper addresses all three of these issues.
Menagarishvili, Olga and William O. Coggin. STC Proceedings (2003). Articles>Language>Software>Assessment
#22642
Eleven Commandments of Localization
Rapid global acceptance of ISO 9000 ensures that quality must be defined in each customer's terms.
Winters, Elaine. bena.com (2003). Articles>Language>Localization>ISO 9000
#20316
The Emerging Role of the Translation Coordinator
Career opportunities for technical communicators are expanding by leaps and bounds. Ask a roomful of technical writers to define their jobs and you receive a myriad of answers, with responsibilities ranging from the specific and focused to the broad and encompassing. As the business world goes global and multilingual, technical communicators are being brought into this trend as translation coordinators, creating new opportunities and challenges. We’ll explore these new roles and possibilities from both the macro and micro perspectives—that is, the larger trend within technical communication, and the specific skillsets, methodologies and case histories from several positions in the work flow.
Romano, James V., Carol Peterson, Lynda Shindley and Bogo Vatovec. STC Proceedings (1998). Careers>Language>Translation>Localization
#18800
An End-to-End Multilingual Content Management System
This article will not try to answer why there's no end-to-end content management solution that supports the whole process from single-source authoring to multilingual publishing. At least, it cannot be bought off-the-shelf. Only companies with the size of J.D.Edwards are able to integrate the various components. They will even find the resources and the necessary expertise to implement vital components that are not readily available on the market (e.g. multilingual terminology management system).
Vangilbergen, Ludo. STC Proceedings (2002). Design>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Language
#26459
English for Specific Purposes: The Development of Technical Communication in China's Universities
Along with China’s rapid development in science and economy, technical communication between Chinese and Westerners is becoming more and more important. The purpose of this study is to promote the teaching of technical communication in China by introducing it into China’s college English for specific purposes. Postgraduate classes from grades 2001 to 2004 at Capital University of Medical Sciences in Beijing were assigned to study English for Technical Communication, a course that integrated the concepts of technical communication into English for specific purposes. In the survey of Grade 2004, over 96% of the graduates claimed that it was necessary for them to study English for Technical Communication; more than 90% of the students confirmed that the course was practical; and 90% of them claimed that the course had significantly improved their abilities in technical communication. Therefore, introducing technical communication in English for specific purposes would be a feasible way to develop the teaching of technical communication in China.
Duan, Ping and Weiping Gu. Technical Communication Online (2005). Articles>Language>Regional>China
#13183
English in Technical Communication - Global Language, Global Culture?
English is used in global communication even between people who do not speak English as their mother tongue. Even though we may feel there are world wide subcultures such as modern technology we should note how much culture affects communication from the surface level of language to the more deeper level of our 'mental programming'. Keeping this in mind we should ask who actually owns the English language, if those who have it as mother tongue talk with people who have different mental models and their own culture as the background for the communicative event.
Kuusto, Marjo. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Language>International
#19579
English is one of the most powerful tools in the world today. Why English and not another language? Writer Jeff Leiper offers some answers.
Leiper, Jeff. Writer's Block (1998). Articles>Language>Globalization
#30492
Establishing a Technical Translation and Software Localization Professional Interest Committee
Conservative estimates suggest that the translation market is currently over $1 billion and growing at a rate of 15% annually. The impact of an increasingly global economy continues to be felt by many business people, not the least of whom are the technical communicators who are charged with the mission of writing with international audiences in mind. Producing culturally appropriate, quality translations requires an awareness of how documents intended for foreign markets should be written. The purpose of the proposed Technical Translation and Software Localization PIC is to increase awareness of localization issues and to provide a forum for discussion, information exchange and education for those technical communicators who are involved in international communication.
Burns, Ann Lyn. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Language>Localization>Technical Translation
#26702
Ethical Implications of Intercultural Audiences
Argues that it is crucial that technical writing courses raise the awareness of the implications of intercultural communication, and specifically, how to include the translator as the target audience.
Heitzman, Lisa. Orange Journal, The (2005). Articles>Language>Ethics>Rhetoric
#27735
Euro 2002 Information Campaign: Analysis and Evaluation of the National Advertising Campaigns
This research is aimed at analysing the mass media information campaigns carried out for the introduction of the Euro.
Valentini, Chiara. Chiara Valentini Communication Management (2003). Books>Language>Marketing>Europe
#25792
The European Association for Machine Translation
The European Association for Machine Translation (EAMT) is an organization that serves the growing community of people interested in MT and translation tools, including users, developers, and researchers of this increasingly viable technology.
EAMT (2005). Articles>Language>Translation>Machine Translation
#23431
European Association for Terminology
The European Association for Terminology (EAFT) was formed in 1996 and the first few years of its existence were largely taken up with organisational issues. Recently, however, the EAFT has become more active setting up a European Terminology Information Server (ETIS) and co-organising conferences. The EAFT has also established a number of special interest groups, including SIGs in terminology training and in minority languages.
Lervad, Susanne. TC-FORUM (2000). Articles>Language>Glossary
