Localization

The Culture of China's Internet

With China fast overtaking the United States as the world's largest online market, Rogers provides helpful information on how technical communicators can tailor their Web sites to appeal to Chinese visitors.

Prepare Your Site for the Global Market

Are you looking for ways to maximize your company's global Web presence? Look no further, as the authors have laid out a step-by-step plan for creating and designing a multilingual site.

Multilingual Websites with Open Source Content Management Systems

Open source content management systems can be installed free of charge on an entity's servers or web hosting account, and provide a way for organizations to develop multilingual web sites. There are some challenges in finding a good open source content management system, but there are several that can fit a variety of needs. An example CMS is Plone, which has strong support for different languages, and which also integrates tools for managing the translation of content.

Comparing the Usability of Three Dual-Language School Websites

This study evaluated the usability of three websites for Spanish-English Dual Language K-8 schools. Twelve participants (6 parents, 6 teachers) reviewed and performed tasks on the three public school websites. Site usability was determined through both objective and subjective measures, including task completion time, first-click, total number of pages visited, task success, perceived task difficulty, user satisfaction, and overall ranked preference. Results indicated that one site was preferred more than the others by both user groups and resulted in more efficient search behavior. Clear navigation, link terminology, and proper use of both languages were found to be critical factors contributing to the sites’ usability.

Externe Links

Wörterbücher, Glossare, Ausgangspunkte für die Recherche, weitere Links für Übersetzer.

Terminologiemanagement

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

Unexpected ROI (Return on Investment) from Terminology

Personal experience shows that all localization clients are interested in terminology--without exception. Only very large organizations, however, actually seem to maintain terminology databases.

Understanding Usability Issues of Bidirectional Bilingual Websites

Over the past ten years, there has been an ever-increasing amount of usability recommendations for improving website design. Much of the data has focused on navigation of single-language websites. But few studies have tackled the problems of bilingual sites, and virtually no information has been gathered about usability of bilingual or multilingual sites where the languages are not written in the same direction (for example, English, which is read from left-to-right, and Hebrew, which is read from right-to-left).

Editing for International Audiences

To remain competitive, companies must increase content reuse and multilingual usability while reducing volume and eliminating culturally sensitive language. Rushanan shows how editors can increase their value to their employers by functioning as leaders in the translation and localization process.

SAPHelp: A Multilingual Authoring Tool

SAPhelp is a proprietary authoring tool for documenting and translating on-line. It allows development, documentation, and translation to function concurrently. Its documentation structure lessens the need for redundant storage of texts. It provides version and authorization control and assigns work to authors and translators.

Multi-Language Working in a Unix Environment: The Concept of Internationalization

Worldwide communication, international markets and growing needs of local customers today demand globally competitive software products that are able to satisfy multiple user requirements. This paper looks at the problems arising when software supporting local languages, conventions and cultures is designed. It then describes a new programming concept called 'internationalization' and finally leads into a discussion of possible influences on the documentation process.

Planning for Translation: What We've Learned the Hard Way

For software products to succeed in the international marketplace, the documentation team needs to plan for translation from the beginning of product development. Experience shows that the following factors can contribute to the elusive goal of simultaneous release of software domestically and internationally: early freeze of the product interface, a well-thought-out translation plan, agreed-upon procedures and goals, standard tools for creating art and text files, and early editing. This paper gives practical tips for avoiding problems in translation.

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.

Localization Management of a Horizontal Software Product

Successful localization of software and documentation for foreign-language markets requires thorough planning, effective systems, skillful project management and excellent communication. Working as a team, Rocky Mountain Translators, a 17-year old translation company based in Boulder, Colorado, and a Hewlett-Packard Division in California, describe a successful association localizing a horizontal software product. The unique perspectives of each company provide the backdrop to an in-depth discussion of the steps involved in this partnership process.

A Layered Approach to Translating Online Documentation

Localizing a large online documentation system is a significant, expensive, and ongoing project. SAP AG has adapted a layered approach to translation to help manage an online help system in 12 languages. This approach is based on an analysis of online documentation categories, and it is implemented by an analysis of the target markets. Technologies such as hypertext linking and text embedding need to be carefully controlled in order for this approach to be successful.

Creating Effective Translations

Use active voice, because it is easier to understand. If the material is being translated into a language which frequently uses passive voice, such as German, the translator will make the accommodation for that language.

Localization

In addition to creating product specifications in support of locale-specific conventions, savvy localization managers will ensure that developers have coding practices to enable localization and adaptation. Double-byte enabling, for example, must be part of the code base.

Multilingual Web Sites: Reaching International Clients

You can add to customer satisfaction by letting customers know you are committed to the market in their country, when you provide information in their own language. You can increase sales because buyers can find your company Web site; learn about your products in their own language, get connected to the nearest outlet, or place orders online.

User Interface Design: An International Approach

A well-thought-out design and well-written content reduces the time required for good international products and saves money. As a bonus, most internationalization issues apply across all languages and usually help improve the quality of the American-language product as well.

What to Expect from a Translation Agency

Leverage, CAT, translation memory, and aligning are quite interrelated and build on each other in the process.

Improving Translatability And Readability With Syntactic Cues

'Syntactic cues' are function words and punctuation marks that indicate syntactic relationships. Research in psycholinguistics, reading, and reading in a foreign language has shown that readers rely heavily on these cues to help them analyze and predict sentence structure. Yet technical writers and editors routinely eliminate many of these cues from their writing in the mistaken belief that they are improving readability. This workshop will show you how to use syntactic cues not only to improve readability, but also to eliminate ambiguities that cause problems for translators. This approach does not require knowledge of grammatical terminology, and it will increase your sensitivity to many subtleties of the English language.

Lost in Translation?

The task of communicating in a global environment requires planning, sensitivity and expert help. The authors have developed a series of check lists and tips to guide writers, editors, and other members of the localization team through the process.

Global Transitions

This panel will examine continuous publishing movement from paper to HTML formats, and localization management, which are currently in global transition. Panelists from a translation agency, a consulting firm, and a hardware computer corporation will address how the technical communications organizations must transition in these areas to meet the global requirements of the industry.

Reducing Costs and Maximizing Localization ROI

The percentage of revenue that companies are generating from global markets is increasing rapidly. Not only does the global nature of sales help to increase overall corporate revenue, it also aids in building global brand equity, maintaining competitiveness against global competition and reducing geographical market reliance. In today's challenging economic environment, though, international efforts are often given low priority within the corporation. With this backdrop, localization teams are forced to do more with less in order to meet global market needs. Consequently, achieving a high Return On Investment (ROI) from localization initiatives is more important than ever.

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.

Localization. It's Big in Japan

How do you carry out usability research in a country where you don't speak the language and where the customs are very different from you own? How can you perform a study where you need to largely rely on an interpreter for communications between you and your participants? And most importantly, how do you translate research findings into a design that is culturally appropriate and yet in alignment with corporate directives?

Crossing National and Corporate Cultures: Stages in Localizing a Pre-Production Meeting Report

Localization includes translating, explaining, and adapting a document for use in a specific culture. This article presents the case of a form for reporting the findings and decisions of pre-production meetings held during development of electronic products. The need to localize such a document may seem less obvious or critical than the need for sales documents like manuals, but this case demonstrates the same cultural requirements and, furthermore, the requirements of corporate differences. To meet local needs, the comprehensive preparation that localization requires should follow specific methods in each step of a process corresponding to the general writing process, like the stages defined in common technical writing texts. The deliberate use of an effective writing process to localize documents will improve results.

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.

INDLISH: A Book for Every English-Speaking Indian

At last, a book on what ails English in India! Why do we speak the way we do? Why do we switch to the passive voice in English, though we keep to the active in our mother tongues? Why are our letters long and wordy and yet can't get the point across? Why are our textbooks so wordy, and yet so vacuous?

Closing the Content Gap: Converging Authoring and Translation

As companies strive to improve themselves by rethinking their global content strategies and redesigning these for the new world of continuous and multilingual deployment, they must unify their authoring and translation processes--not an easy task. Fenstermacher explains why authors and translators should work to close the content gap that often exists.

Using In-Country Reviews to Ensure Quality Translations

Too often, in-country translation reviews are overlooked, even though they can document valuable feedback and save customers time and money on translation projects. The author provides several criteria for deciding whether such a review is right for your project.

Translating the Web: Web Site Development for an Asian Audience

In all aspects of marketing, the Eastern world is breaking through to the West. More and more businesses are expanding product lines and services into a new market that involves countries in East Asia. Whether a business forms an alliance with a Chinese company to use its resources for a project, or it sells directly to Japanese consumers, it is clear that key media materials should be appropriate for Asian audiences.

The Impact of Globalization on User Interface Design

Did you ever try to use a machine that has been programmed in a foreign language? Or perhaps, even with an unfamiliar character set? Suddenly everything seems to be different although only the language has changed. This is the situation faced by many foreign users that work with German machines.

Managing Content in Regulated Industries

Global organizations, particularly those in regulated industries, have to juggle a wide range of competing priorities. They must have thorough documentation, clear internal and external communication, audience-appropriate marketing materials and many types of “fine print” carefully crafted. That means that many different departments, sometimes spread across geography, must be involved in all layers of the business. In a regulated field, multiple touchpoints mean multiple opportunities for triggering a regulatory error.

Single-Source Content Management

More and more businesses are expanding into international markets. A critical success factor for this expansion is high-quality, cost-effective and timely translated written content. Responsibility for this typically falls on internal translation departments or localization partners. Translation comes at a high price, exceeding the cost of writing the original content after only a few languages.

Technical Documentation for Europe: Italian

Italian belongs to the family of Romanic languages. The traditional Italian alphabet has just 21 letters, but since recent times, five new letters j, k, w, x, y, have been added, thanks to the use of several words of foreign origin. Typical features are the use of the apostrophe ('l'amore') and the accent.

A Position Paper on Cross-Cultural Usability Issues of Bilingual Mobile Phones

Variety of information services like Short Message Service (SMS), e-mail, news, market reports, educational applications and other reading materials are now available on mobile phones. The size of mobile phone and its display is shrinking day-by-day, whereas the volume of information content and services are growing. More importantly, mobile phones introduced in the Indian market have now become bilingual; they support various services in English and Hindi languages. Mobile manufacturers have consciously or unconsciously resorted to English oriented approaches, and as a result of this, they have diluted the culture specific rules and the original form of Hindi language. We have studied the usability of Hindi in four bilingual (Hindi and English) mobile phones manufactured by different companies like Nokia / Reliance 3105 CDMA, LG RD5130, Motorola C118 and Samsung / Reliance C200.

Nine Things Your Translators Wish You Knew

What are the secrets of a stress-free and productive translation experience? Davis's article highlights some important tips to keep in mind as you work on your next translation project.

Going Global with Technical Writing

Despite your best efforts, it is not uncommon for mishaps to occur when attempting to localize documentation. Learn how to align your technical writing and localization processes and how to optimize the solution you choose for this alignment.

Building a Case for Global E-learning

As globalization of business continues at a rapid pace, employees are increasingly being asked to absorb and learn from materials that are not written in their first language. These materials range from key corporate policies and procedures that all employees must follow to specific training on products, health, safety or compliance. Very often this is training content created in English at the American parent company and distributed to regional and global offices, where in many cases employees are expected to have a â€œworking knowledgeâ€Ω of English as a second or third language. But there are serious problems with this approach that stem directly from poor reading comprehension and also from learnersâ€™ misperceptions of the level of language facility they have actually achieved.

From English to Cyrillic to Chinese

The increasing number of languages that companies need to translate into requires careful planning when preparing translation projects. Thus, choosing appropriate tools, finding qualified project teams, and applying suitable concepts to avoid additional work become crucial tasks for the project manager. If all these issues are considered beforehand, a perfect balance can be achieved within the magic triangle of time, cost and quality.

Technical Documentation for Europe: Belgium

Belgians do not have a language of their own. But the country has three equivalent languages instead: the partition of the Dutch language zones has been the result of a question of faith: With the freedom of Munster (1648), the first partition of the Netherlands took place, and, in 1830, Belgium was first founded as the catholic counterpart to the protestant Netherlands.

Technical Documentation in the Enlarged EU: First Round-Up on the Organisational, Technical and Economic Impacts

After the enlargement in May 2004, the EU has now 25 member states and 20 official languages (not taking into account 48 minority languages). What does the enlargement of the EU mean in the context of Technical Communication and what are the challenges of the on-going internationalisation in general? The industry has to find a way to make linguistic diversity compatible with efficiency within the set parameters of time, cost and human resources.

Turn Off The Tap: Limiting Word Wastage

Sophie Hurst explains how, rather than leaving it all to the translators, authors can influence how their texts appear in other languages.

Managing Multilingual Documentation

The author discusses the importance of integrating translation early in the documentation process to avoid translation problems. Explore how multilingual documentation also has an impact on writing style, layout, review procedures, and a variety of other elements.

Creating Multilingual Websites - Part 1

Extend the existing globalization capabilities of .NET to create flexible and powerful multilgual web sites. First, create a custom ResourceManager, and then create custom localized-capable server controls to easily deploy multilingual functionality.

Creating Multilingual Websites - Part 2

Creating Multilingual Websites - Part 3

Extend the existing globalization capabilities of .NET to create flexible and powerful multilgual web sites. This third part won't focus on the fundamental but rather enhancements to what we've already covered.

Internationalizing Online Training

Online training is becoming increasingly popular; however, geographic and cultural distance can work to your disadvantage. St.Amant outlines how to set up a training program that both attracts and benefits communicators in locations around the globe.

Multilingual Publishing with a Content Management System

Sheds light on the benefits of using a content management system (CMS) when publishing in multiple languages. Included are tips for shopping for a CMS, managing unique character sets, and managing the translation process.

When You Need to Localize and Categorize

Internationalization -- or 'I18N', a very geeky abbreviation referring to the number of letters left out -- is commonly defined as a set of practices intended to make software more 'localizable' by introducing layers of abstraction in the code and the data of an application. That way, it is easier to later modify the language, currency, date, and number format according to the requirements of a specific locale.

Reducing Translation and Localisation Costs

These days, staff in localisation departments spend their time essentially on project management, translation and quality assurance. However, by using one of the emerging systems that integrate content creation, localisation and content management into an efficient system, many of these activities can be automated or avoided all together. We are now seeing the emergence of technical content control systems that can be used to improve the turn-around time, translation costs and the quality of the translations themselves. In recent projects, where these systems have been implemented, organisations have seen substantial savings in localisation costs, with word count reductions and translation costs of around 30%.

西方可用性指南在中国电子商务站点设计过程中的应用和文化差异考虑

摘要电子商务成功的关键是理解什么是使人们在网上购买东西的诱因，并且为他们提供方法进行购物交易。电子商务网页设计者必须充分理解目标市场的消费者行为。对于在线顾客的心理和期待的研究不仅能够帮助消费者和电子商务，而且可以帮助支持提供这些商务设备和电信基础设施的制造者。这篇文章将讨论我们在我们研究中遇到的一些事项：1）理解是什么促使中国消费者在线消费。2）西方网络可用性指南是否适合于中国的消费者

Use the Unicode Database to Find Characters for XML Documents

The Unicode consortium is dedicated to maintaining a character set that allows computers to deal with the vast array of human writing systems. When you think of computers that manage such a large and complex data set, you think databases, and this is precisely what the consortium provides for computer access to versions of the Unicode standard. The Unicode Character Database comprises files that present detailed information for each character and class of character. The strong tie between XML and Unicode means this database is very valuable to XML developers and authors. In this article Uche Ogbuji introduces the Unicode Character Database and shows how XML developers can put it to use.

Why Web 2.0 Matters: Preparing for Glocalization

Technologists and designers have differing views focused on either the technology and standards or the experience. Even Wikipedia seems confused and cumulative definitions are not inclusive. Buzzwords associated with Web 2.0 include: remix, tagging, hackability, social networks, open APIs, microcontent, personalization. People discuss how the web is moving from a read-only system to a read/write system and they focus on technologies like GreaseMonkey, Ajax, RSS/Atom, Ruby on Rails. Of course, others talk about the paradoxical relationship between openness and control. The reality is that when people talk about Web2.0, they're talking about a political affiliation with The Next Cool Thing, even if no one has a clue what it is yet. Personally, i don't find comfort in any of the business, technological or experiential explanations. Yet, i do believe that a shift is occurring and i find myself emotionally invested in it. So then i had to ask myself: what is Web2.0 and why does it matter? The answer is glocalization.

Web-Based Translators in the Technical Communication Classroom: What Use Are They?

The author discusses the usefulness of web-based translators in the technical communication classroom. He reports on the pedagogical application of web-based translators in a technical communication course. The author concludes that while web-based translators do not offer accurate translations, they do offer possibilities to the instructor who wants the students to learn about the benefits and hazards of using web-based translators to localize technical documents.

The Direct Road

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.

Word Games

Without a doubt, delivering translation and localization services for the game and toy industries is more than child’s play. These days, with billions of dollars in revenue from international sales at stake, companies are becoming more and more aware of the importance of delivering quality localized products to specific markets. With incredible growth rates in segments such as computer and video games (which make more money than the US film industry these days), but also with learning toys, board games and many other products trying to find their ways into playrooms worldwide, the industry is a strong player that demands to receive quality services from translation and localization vendors. While many of the same questions that affect any translation and localization project are also valid for these markets, there are a variety of issues unique to the game and toy industry that need to be addressed.

Compendium of Translation Software

A directory of commercial machine translation systems and computer-aided translation support tools.

An Introduction to Machine Translation

The mechanization of translation has been one of humanity's oldest dreams. In the twentieth century it has become a reality, in the form of computer programs capable of translating a wide variety of texts from one natural language into another. This book introduces methods adopted in current systems

Machine Translation: General Overview

This chapter introduces the main concepts and methods used for machine translation systems from the beginnings of research in the 1950s until about 1990; it covers the main approaches of rule-based systems (direct, interlingua, transfer, knowledge based), and the principal translation tools; and it concludes with a brief historical sketch.

Towards a Definition of Example-Based Machine Translation

The example-based approach to MT is becoming increasingly popular. However, such is the variety of techniques and methods used that it is difficult to discern the overall conception of what example- based machine translation (EBMT) is and/or what its practitioners conceive it to be. Although definitions of MT systems are notoriously complex, an attempt is made to define EBMT in contrast to other MT architectures (RBMT and SMT).

Java Localization with Translation Memory eXchange Standard

One of the main concerns of internationalization consists of separating the main source code from the texts, the labels, the messages and all the other objects related to the specific language in use. This article briefly explain the TMX standard and a simple TMX Java bridge.

Assessing "Translation Readiness": A Maturity Model

Generally, cost increases and quality decreases when turn-around time decreases. Explore the latest technology for making the translation process more efficient.

Babel Not: Machine Translation for the Technical Communicator

Machine Translation, though useful in certain cases, is still not, and may never be the one-size-fits-all solution for translation needs. Any translation used for commercial or professional purposes must be at the very least checked and double-checked by human translators.

Best Practices for Globalization and Localization

Dos and don'ts from pros! This article advises on technical, cultural and political issues of software localization.

Formatting Issues (part of Globalization and Localization Issues)

This article addresses all formatting concerns related to software localization. It discusses country and regional differences in addresses, currency, dates, numerals, paper sizes, telephone numbers, time and units of measure. Very thorough!

Language Issues (part of Globalization and Localization Issues)

This article is a very good primer on the language issues involved in localization software. It touches upon topics such as language direction, capitalization, code pages, fonts and input methods, to name just a few. It gives a reader a solid understanding of the complexity and factors involved in localizing software into different languages.

Localization Planning

Localization is the process of customizing your application for a given culture/locale. Localization consists primarily of translating the user interface. Proper planning will help ensure your application is localized in a timely and cost effective manner.

Need a Quote? What You Should Have Ready

When you need a quote for your translation, you simply call or email the agency and ask for one. What you don't expect, is the array of questions about your translation from the agency quoting your request. From what format the documents are in, to how you would like the files delivered to you and everything in between--when requesting a quote for translation, or typesetting services, there is certain information that you will be required to provide to the translation agency. If you have this information readily available, you will save a great deal of time.

Overview of Globalization and Localization

In the past, the term localization often referred to a process that began after an application developer compiled the source files in the original language. Another team then began the process of reworking the source files for use in another language. The original language, for example, might be English, and the second language might be German. That approach, however, is prohibitively expensive and results in inconsistencies among versions. It has even caused some customers to purchase the original-language version instead of waiting months for the localized version. A more cost effective and functional model divides the process of developing world-ready applications into three distinct parts, globalization, localizability, and localization.

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.

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.

Translation Company Owners: Do You Have a Job or a Business?

Since everyone has only one life to live; I would like mine to be an enjoyable one, enriched by interesting experiences and by meaningful relationships with the people that I care about. I want to have a lot of time for myself and experience other cultures from around the world. So how do I achieve this goal and still be highly effective at work--thus obtaining financial independence, as well as self satisfaction from work?

Translation Word Count: Why Do Word Counts Vary From Agency to Agency?

From generating a word count using the Word Count tool in MS Word, or using a counting tool such as PractiCount and Invoice, to using translation tools such as Trados or Wordfast, it's hard to produce similar results when each of these tools have their own way of counting.

User Interface Issues (part of Globalization and Localization Issues)

Loads of tips on how to design world ready user interface. It addresses issues that might occur in messages, menus and dialog boxes, icons and bitmaps, access and shortcut keys as well as user interface controls.

Achieving High Visibility on the Global Web - How to Prepare Your Web Site for Translation

Is there a demand for your products or services outside of your domestic market? If so, how are you marketing to this group of potential customers? How do you overcome language and cultural barriers? Web Localization, which is the process of translating your web site into your customers' languages and adapting to local markets, is an essential step toward establishing a market presence.

Best Approach for Chinese into English Translation!

By managing large projects involving Chinese translation into English in the past two years, it has taught me that in handling this language pair, the ideal candidate is not native English-speakers, but native Chinese-speakers living abroad.

Five Ways to Use Web Site Translation to Help the Bottom Line

In what aspects does the global web impact business? How can we use it to embark on new opportunities and save cost on running our existing business?

Punctuation by Languages

Not too long ago, I was managing a translation project in Access (English to Greek) when I discovered that the translator hadn't used question marks similar to those used in the English source. Instead of question marks, he was using semicolons. I was sure that this was a mistake and that the computer was acting strange again. But it wasn't a mistake. In the Greek language, the question mark is like a semicolon, and the semicolon is instead a raised period. I've started to check on other projects as well, and I've learned quite a few interesting things about punctuation and their separators.

Search Engine Visibility in China

With China emerging as an economic superpower, more and more companies are launching Chinese web sites to establish a presence. The Chinese language has the second largest share on the World's Internet market, with English in the top spot, and Japanese in third.

Translating Business Cards: Time and Money Saving Tips

If it is your first time dealing with typesetting foreign language business cards, you may start out thinking it is a simple task. So did we. Later we learned that without proper preparation and accessible information, it can turn out to be a very time consuming job with changes and changes following initial layout and translation. After many trials and errors, we have summarized the lessons we learned here for you.

Visibility in Italian Search Engines

Visibility in Italian search engines is a matter of content, design and organization just as it is in the English-language engines. As Jill often points out to us, the better your content is, the more targeted traffic your Web site will generate.

The Dangers of Publishing Your Website in Another Language

Publishing your website in another language is like managing a brand new website. It demands people who are expert in writing and editing in that language. The standard of English on the Web, for example, is often poor, even for those whose native language it is. It can be embarrassingly bad for websites publishing English as a foreign language.

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.

Free Website Localization

"Free Website Localization" is a collaborative translation project to help webmasters get free multilingual versions of their web site. There are many webmasters who understand English but are native speakers of another language. Thanks to the multicultural nature of its users, Free Localization effectively enables online peer to peer translations. Users can manage, coordinate and exchange website translations by means of a complete set of online localization tools. The service is free.

Demystifying Software Globalization

Representing a growing segment of the translation industry, software globalization (G11N) remains shrouded in mystery to many. What is Globalization? G11N ensures availability of a software product in languages besides the language of origin, traditionally US English. It is driven by huge revenue opportunities outside the Anglophone world for software companies and translators alike. This presentation will introduce both the basic concept of globalization and how it involves the translator, in particular. In this paper we will describe the process from early design and coding to release in the global marketplace.

Preparing Your Web Site for Machine Translation

Machine translation is a sophisticated technology. However, it is not as sophisticated as human language. Understanding how MT works on the Web helps designers and developers prepare Web pages for MT. Preparatory tactics improve the usability of MT output.

Cultural User Interfaces, A Silver Lining in Cultural Diversity

Many software applications marketed outside the country of origin are internationalised and/or localised. In this article, I propose a strategy to localise the software by creating a Cultural User Interface (CUI) for each of the target cultures. A CUI is a user interface that is intuitive to a particular culture.

i18n Gurus

An open directory of links to internationalization (i18n) resources and related material.

Perspectives on Design and Internationalization

We have not really given much attention to what most people think of when they think about the topic of internationalization as applied to the design of computer systems. For most people the issue is one of making a system (generally developed for a particular national audience) acceptable in another country.

UTF-8: Documents With a Lot of Character

Did you ever built a webpage in Homesite and then you didn’t encode the html-entities? Then, probably when the client has a look on it, all the german Umlaut characters look awkward on a mac? And did you figure out why? It’s because of the charsets and the encoding of the characters in the saved file!

Resources for Translators

This page contains a categorized list of resources that are especially relevant to translators and anyone wanting to gain an in-depth view of the translation industry and translation technology.

Localization of Digital Games: The Process of Blending for the Global Games Market

The process of localizing digital games can be significantly different from the process of localizing productivity software.

Walking Backwards: Supporting Non-Western Languages on the Web

IBM apparently be building Hebrew support in the Mozilla project, but AOL/Netscape has of yet not said a word about their plans, if any, for including the BiDi support code in the upcoming Netscape 6.

Is Localization of a Product Essential to Ensure Usability and Customer Satisfaction?

Do you believe that localization of a product is essential to ensure usability and customer satisfaction?

Using Macromedia Flash MX as a Multilingual Authoring Tool

This tutorial offers procedures and strategies that allow you to adapt a Macromedia Flash MX movie to the language and culture of a target audience. Macromedia Flash MX supports localization through Unicode and the various ways in which you can include different languages in a movie.

Outsourced Technical Translations: Assuring Quality

Technical communicators who serve international audiences must prepare for and manage translations, yet they cannot read the outsourced translation, may have no knowledge of the target culture, and rarely have access to resident linguists who can verify the quality of the work. As well, the time frame in which material is translated is usually short and associated funding is vulnerable. Still, practitioners are expected to maintain corporate standards of language style, grammar, and accuracy. This paper examines the fundamental challenges of outsourcing technical translation, and offers tools and techniques that can be used to assure quality, at armsâ€™ length, in the absence of access to a native speaker of the target language.

Cultural Considerations and Applicability of Western Usability Guidelines in the Design of Chinese E-commerce Websites

The key to the success of e-businesses is to understand what entices people to buy things online and to provide them with the means to carry out these shopping transactions. E-business Web page designers must also have a sound understanding of the consumer behaviors in the targeted markets. Research to understand the psychology and expectations of online shoppers will not only help consumers and e-businesses but also the makers of the equipment and telecommunication infrastructure which supports these businesses. This paper discusses some of the issues in our research to i) understand what motivates Chinese consumers to buy online and ii) whether the Web usability guidelines derived in the West are appropriate for Chinese consumers.

Localization Takes Hold in Turkey

Describes the current state of the localization market in Turkey, how EU membership will impact the industry and the importance of standards. In a sidebar, Rebecca Ray, Global Business Editor, explains how the Turks’ longstanding custom of linguistic and cultural assimilation makes doing business in the country a refreshing and enjoyable challenge for global business people.

Translation Memory 2004: Room to Grow

In 2002, LISA examined Translation Memory (TM) usage and trends. In 2004, LISA returned to the subject with an expanded survey that revisited the questions of 2002 and added questions on specific tool use and interest in new developments of TM. The report, The LISA 2004 Translation Memory Survey, is available free of charge from the LISA website. In this interview, we asked Arle Lommel, LISA’s Publications Manager and author of the survey report, about the significance of the findings and what they mean for the industry.

Coping with Babel: How to Localize XML

Outlines pitfalls that are often encountered by authors, programmers and localizers when first using XML, as well as ways to avoid these problems. Following Zydron’s advice can save developers time, money and headaches, and can help them reach out effectively to the world.

Global to the Core, or, Why IBM Can't Tell You How Much Money It Spends on Globalization

LISA is in the process of updating its Localization Primer, a publication read by people around the world interested in learning about localization. As part of this process LISA decided to update some figures about how companies spend their localization budget, so Mike Anobile called up Bill Sullivan of IBM to ask him how IBM spends its localization budget. Bill replied that he couldn't say, that he had no idea how much money IBM spends on globalization or what areas the money is spent in. What's more, he said that he was "delighted and indeed proud that [IBM does] not have that data".

Visual Communication: Crossing International Boundaries

Technical communicators often produce documents that are then translated into another language. Much has been written about creating a text that is “translatable” by eliminating analogies and metaphors; using short, clear sentences; organizing information according to the cultural preference for order; and eliminating jargon. whenever possible. Because technical communicators often provide both text and graphics, such attention to the translatability of graphics is essential to producing documents that fit the cultural conventions of the country in which the document is to be used.

My Changing Approach to Localization

As members of the Technical Communication Delegation to Russia and the Czech Republic, we had the unusual opportunity of discussing our communication concerns with Russian and Czech technical professionals who use many of our products and do or teach technical writing.

Internationalization and Translatability

Internationalization prepares products and documentation for translation. It accompanies the production process, helping to ensure that all internationalization factors are considered. It prevents costly and time-consuming retrofitting and increases the chance of a successful product introduction into foreign markets.

Machine Translation and Multilingual Technical Communication

The demand by the global market for products which have been localized has brought a whole set of issues and concerns to international technical communication. Of particulur interest is the need to translate technical documentation into a number of languages without sacrificing the necessary timeto-market. Old solutions and processes are insufficient. This paper explores some of the computational tools now offered by the machine translation industry for the facilitation of multilingual document translation as modern corporations need it.

Lost in Translation?

The first two hours are spent in the simulation Elaine’s Game - which gives participants the experience of temporarily belonging to another culture and interacting across cultures with other members of the workshop. It is a proven way to expand awareness of other points of view. The first two handouts explore culturally biased material in a concrete way; participants are expected to collaborate and rewrite a portion of an article. The third handout is an example of how meaning changes through translation into two languages (Japanese and French) from American English.

Multimedia, Beyond the Language Barrier Building Better Communication Bridges Across the Pacific Ocean

While multimedia is a very popular tool today, simple animation and sound no longer have the pull they did. Effective use of multimedia technology depends on matching it to your overall purpose. Depending on the combination of media, you can reduce the cost of localization and speed-up information delivery. In this presentation, I will introduce two multimediarelated projects for considering the possibilities and limitations of multimedia.

Observations on the Function of Document Styles in Cross-Cultural Communication

This presentation will give a functional account of style in English technical communication and point out the differences in style shown by native speakers and non-native speakers of English.

Preparing World-Ready Information Products

Learn the skills, processes, and international attitude you need to create information products that effectively address multilingual and multicultural audiences. This seminar covers the basics of working with translators; accommodating cultural differences; designing documents, graphics, and multimedia for global appeal; writing for international audiences; and project management issues that arise as you prepare your information products for the world.

The Translation Process: From Concept to Final Version

The process of translating a technical document from English to another language is challenging. Problems in the source language can create numerous difficulties for the translator. Other problems center on localization, language, and production. Localization issues arise in selecting an international team and translators and in considering cultural differences and foreign audiences. Language issues involve grammar, sentence structure, terminology, and text used in headings and in graphics. Production issues include fonts, layout and design, and production media. The translation process can be greatly facilitated if you analyze all of these issues before beginning your project.

Translation and Localization Trends in the Baltic States

When I first got into the business twenty years ago, most translation work was limited to the FIGS languages: French, Italian, German, and Spanish. But today, to reach markets opened by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the opening of the Chinese economy beginning in 2001, competitive businesses must tap into 'minor' languages.

An Unfair Test

Machine translation has improved greatly over the years, but one type of human communication, figurative language, remains difficult for computers to tackle. When we hear 'You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink,' we know that the speaker is probably commenting on human, not equine, nature.

Cybermarketing in English and German: Observations on the Multilingual Web Site of a Finnish Company

Cybermarketing is a recent aspect of marketing strategy, which involves establishing company presence in cyberspace, in other words on the World Wide Web, or on the Internet. The instrument used in cybermarketing is the company web site - or the company home page as it was first called. The company web site is, likewise, a new concept; the first, most innovative business enterprises only established their web site presence in the second half of the 1990s. Indeed, business professionals have been slower than academics in adopting the communication potentials incorporated in electronic media on the whole, including the World Wide Web and the Internet.

Localization Guidelines for Language and Terminology

How does your writing style affect localization? The following list of suggestions provides some language and terminology guidelines that should ease localizing your application.

Localization Guidelines for Your User Interface

When delivering your product in foreign languages, it is important to consider how the user interface will appear to users around the world. While there are no hard-fast rules, the following suggestions provide some guidance in facilitating localization in regard to your user interface.

United Nations Multilingual Terminology Database

This database was compiled over the years in response to diverse and wide-ranging demands of United Nations language staff for terminology and nomenclature. It is being put on the Internet to facilitate the efforts of people around the world who participate in the work of the United Nations but do not have access to the Secretariat's intranet.

From Plain English to Global English

Make your documents easy for EFL users to read and understand, and communicate successfully with people all over the world. About one billion people use English as a foreign language (EFL). You can avoid most pitfalls of cross-cultural communication by using global English.

Cross-Language Information Retrieval: Layout Strategies for Gloss Translation

In this experiment, we study some issues on the user interface design of Cross-Language Information Retrieval (CLIR). In particular, we study some enhancements to the current user interface design for the University of Maryland Translingual Information Retrieval System web page.

Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies

If your Web site is not designed for or understood by a global audience, you are excluding an estimated 200 million people, according to John Yunker in Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies.

Multilingual Technology 101: A Lite Introduction

Authoring for international communication has become a common requirement for the technical communicator. Few writers, illustrators or editors have any concept of the translator's on-screen view of the creator’s work. Multilingual software and technology are a complex array of systems, programs and appliances. Engineering resources provide the many thousands of beautiful language characters from far-off lands and ancient times. Translation tools make it possible to compare, store, edit and translate work into those languages. Workflow systems allow the authoring team to co-manage the distribution of its work from end-to-end of the document, software and Web translation supply chains.

Software-Localization

A threaded web-based discussion forum about software localization.

Web Globalization Strategies: Building the Global Gateway

A 'Global Gateway' ensures that Web users from around the world quickly and easily find their localized Web sites. Too often, companies overlook the global gateway, resulting in lost users and decreased traffic to the localized sites. A global gateway is more than just a pull-down “select country” menu on the home page, it is a multi-layered strategy that relies on visuals, text, and technology. The best global gateways “degrade gracefully” to accommodate any user, regardless of browser, language or locale.

Maintaining Documentation Across Several Languages

As more companies move into markets beyond their borders, many technical communicators are faced with this new situation of having to deal with more than one language for their documentation The costs and time involved in localising and maintaining these documents can be substantial. This paper briefly discusses some of our experiences and gives some pointers on how a technical communicator can ensure the successful maintenance of documentation across several languages.

Technical Writing For Multi-Lingual Audiences

In the global marketplace today, wise companies are learning an important fact about translation. Survival in today’s international environment means not making translation an afterthought. You gain precious competitive advantage if, as you develop your product and its accompanying documentation for simultaneous release in international markets, you plan for translation from the outset.

Development of Japanese-Language CD-ROM Manuals Using SGML

Fujitsu Limited publishes as many as 10,000 manuals a year. Efficient, standardized manual production is, therefore, indispensable. Our department has created a manual on CD - ROM as a pilot project of electronic publishing using the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML). The use of CD - ROM provides the manual with a convenient reformation search feature and high portability that can not be achieved with conventional paper manuals. This paper discusses our methodologies, problems involved in Japanese language SGML manual production, and how we solved them.

Authoring and Documentation Workflow Tools for Haitian Creole: A Minority Language

Although research has been conducted by several institutes on how to process written text for minority and vernacular languages, no academic research project thus far seems to have produced a usable, functional, authoring or translation tool for end-user native speakers of these types of languages. On the other hand, a set of software programs has been in the making for twenty years outside of academia.