Articles for Translators
and Translation Companies
Localization
4,300+ Translation Agencies! Click Here to Buy the Database!
Internationalization
tips
There are two kinds of software internationalization you
can refer to – built in to the product from
the start, and performed on existing code. The kind of
internationalization (i18n) this article invokes isn’t the
sort that’s designed into a product right from conception…
Read
the full article…
Best
Practices for Software Internationalization
Before moving a software project to the localization phase,
there are a few things that can save time and money by addressing
the issues ahead of time. Depending on your software, there
may be existing behaviors that are inappropriate for localized
versions. Data entry involving proper names, addresses,
phone numbers and currency are all areas that could cause
problems during the localization phase…
Read
the full article…
Using
XML For Localization
XML is one of the safest, most powerful and flexible ways
to store, manipulate, localize and present data in different
languages. With the vast array of internationalization features
and companion technologies, XML provides many advantages
in translation and localization projects…
Read
the full article…
Preparing
for Translation - Part II of Series. The Localization Kit
I would like to expand on last month's article about how
to create a translation kit and move into the technical
world of creating a localization kit. A localization kit
differs in that it deals with issues associated with localizing
web sites, CBT systems and software…
Read
the full article…
Maturity
Levels for Localization Suppliers
In the software publishing and testing industries, CMM (Capability
Maturity Model) levels give a clear indication of how well
defined and robust the processes are in a given company.
In a recent white paper, Common Sense Advisory (CSA) for
the first time provides a maturity assessment proposal for
the localization industry…
Do's
and Don'ts in Software Development Before Localization
Given the constant competitive pressure on executives to
expedite product time-to-market, many developers are given
tight deadlines to deliver functional software. This software
is often geared for localization once the source language
version is ready for release…
Read
the full article…
Translation
Kits – Roadmaps for Your Language Services Provider
Translation kits range from the very simple to the very
complex. In either case, translation kits provide your vendor
with vital information about every project you award them.
The purpose of a translation kit is to provide us with your
expectations: the subject matter and target audience, files
and format to be translated, delivery expectations, special
considerations and any other relevant information all in
one place…
Read
the full article…
Localizing
Online Help: Robohelp vs. Flare
Successful companies know that the effort of translating
content from one language to another does not lie solely
on the localization teams. The right selection of authoring
tools, as well as the content development methodology, plays
a crucial role in global technical publication…
Read
the full article…
Resources in Microsoft
.NET
Sometime around the year
2000, Microsoft Corporation released its .NET (read as “dot
net”) integrated programming environment to consolidate
and simplify the disparate set of tools (COM, database operations,
Win32 programming, code pages verses Unicode, etc.) that
had emerged over a period of 20+ years of Windows development.
Indeed, .NET was most welcome to those of us with a strong
interest in internationalization, localization, and a transparent
approach to Unicode…
The Basics of Software Internationalization
Software internationalization builds support for multiple locales in an application, where a locale is “[a] subset of a user’s environment that defines conventions for a specified culture,” typically including language. Supporting multiple locales lets the user choose the most appropriate one, allowing for easier use of the given application. It is best to complete the internationalization process as the application is being built, since adding in such support after the fact can be expensive and complicated…
Translation
is NOT enough - localization makes the difference
Marketing executives and web designers spend lots of time
worrying about why, when, and where visitors leave their
websites. As such, Common Sense Advisory sought to uncover
the reasons visitors leave across the buying experience
as visitors transitioned from casual visitor to browser
to shopper to buyer to customer…
Read
the full article…
The
Open Global Web Architecture
Many techniques exist for creating and maintaining websites
and applications that support multiple languages. The most
established sites use Unicode for text, use proper date,
currency, and numeric formats, and they store error messages
in resource files. All of these practices are thoroughly
documented and supported by modern web implementation platforms,
such as Java and .NET, which makes it possible for web teams
with limited prior knowledge of these practices to get up
to speed…
Read
the full article…
Building
a Localization Kit
This document was created to address a typical common problem
afflicting localization managers, localization vendors,
and project managers.
This document is intended for readers with years of experience
in the localization industry, as well as for newcomers.
However, it is not intended to be comprehensive…
Read
the full article…
Mainstreaming L10n Purchasing
Why is localization sourcing and procurement not recognized more as a strategic and critical business activity within client-side organizations? Which aspect of the universal business construct—people, processes, or technology—can we point to for this failure? Do localization
buyers lack the esteemed higher education pedigree that managers of other cost centers seem to have?…
Read the full article…
“Con mala escoba mal se barre”: los problemas de la localización de productos informáticos no internacionalizados
En este artículo estudiamos los graves problemas a los que se enfrenta la traductora-localizadora a la hora de traducir-localizar un producto informático mal internacionalizado. Tras definir los conceptos claves de internacionalización y localización, se hace un repaso de los mencionados problemas, haciendo uso de ejemplos reales. Se proponen tres posibles orígenes de los problemas…
Read the full article…
What the future of localization holds
As I write this, two piles of paper overflow the left corner of my desk. One stack contains notes, articles and case studies about the best practices for buying services online. The other mound — much bigger — is an eclectic assortment of consumer, business, cultural, automotive, sports and other news items about globalization and its positive, humorous and surprising consequences. This second pile will feed my idea factory for a future report…
What Do We Want From Localization Tools?
A few years ago, the preparation of certain files for translation was a task that took hours. Depending on the lot of files being prepared, it could take days! Even with a good deal of time allotted to the pre-production process, the hours spent did not always result in a project that would be free of problems during the actual production phrase or the phases to follow…
Website Localization Tips
Continuing with our tips on the types of website programming and the ways to deal with these types for later localization, we will examine in this edition what can be done and how to do it…
Localization of Content Management System (CMS) Websites
In this edition, we will be wrapping up our series on website localization with a discussion of Content Management System, better known as CSM. However, before we go into the localization process itself, allow me to provide a brief introduction of how this type of system works…
Volumizing: Good for Hair, Bad for Content
Life in the 21st Century centers around information. In practically every waking moment, we create it, we receive it, we process it, we pass it on, we ignore it, but most of all, we need it. Those who process information for a living have developed a relentless informational imperative: If it can be written, it must be written. So, content developers fall into "volumizing" their content instead of preparing if for the global workflow and end users. In this article, I'll examine why content volumization occurs, what its effects are, and what you can do about it…
Read the full article…
Customer Elements within Glocalization
Despite international initiatives on global branding, advertisement campaigns, and product features, the linchpin that transforms a "call to action" into resulting customer purchases is an understanding of the Customer Elements: the combined discipline encompassing online site usability, focus groups, controlled surveys, market metrics, etc…
Read the full article…
Evolving Localization and its Brand Extension
"Frog at the bottom of a well" is an old Asian proverb which states that a frog at the bottom of a well steadfastly believes heaven is only the size of a small circle. Only when one climbs out of the well can heaven's true vastness and magnitude be comprehended. Ageless as this proverb may be, it is also an appropriate description of the current commoditization challenge within the localization industry…
Read the full article…
Translation of Italian Recipes: Localization?
What are you cooking? Is it a translation of an original Italian recipe or is it modified for the tastes of another country?
Localization - Then translation may involve localization. This is when the translation is completed ‘and’ adjusted for the target audience. The meaning remains…
Read the full article…
Wikipedia: Localization in a Free Content Community
Wikipedia is now the second most visited reference web site on the internet. Run by volunteers, its goal is to create and maintain a free encyclopedia with a neutral point of view in every language on the internet. Gerard Meijssen, an active volunteer with the Dutch Wiktionary and Initiator of the Ultimate Wiktionary, explains how the Wikimedia Foundation works and describes some of its latest projects…
Read the full article…
May Flowers
OSCAR Releases a New Crop of Standards
The work of standards bodies is usually characterized by slow and steady work on standards that take years to define. This slowness is caused partially by the fact that companies have vested interests in making sure that the standards reflect their ways of doing business, and when there are conflicts between contributors, hammering out compromises can take years. Recent work by the OSCAR group, however, has been decidedly different from the slow progress we normally expect from standards bodies…
Read the full article…
Designing for a Non-English Audience
Having worked as a digital publishing specialist at a large corporation at my previous job, I did not think being in charge of foreign language typesetting would be too difficult. After all, the layout and the images are already prepared and I only need to flow in the text - how hard could that be? I was sure that a simple Copy and Paste, or text importation, would do everything. This was my point of view when I initially began managing DTP projects in different languages
…
Read the full article…
The “Good Ol’ Days” Are Gone
You can be sure that the current economic slowdown in Silicon Valley is definitely different than past ones, when you hear engineers complain about it. I have been working in the hi-tech industry in Silicon Valley since 1988, and I’ve never heard of a lack of jobs for technical people. As a matter of fact, this area has always been considered “nirvana” by anyone with a scientific background and entrepreneurial spirit
…
Read the full article…
Discovering the Joys of Internationalization in Australia
My perspective is that of the academic computer scientist, a member of a department that produces remarkably good software developers who, up until recently, wouldn’t have known “Unicode” from “Unilateral.” Their complacency has been shared for many years by a software industry that has drawn adequate sustenance from local development work
…
Read the full article…
Risky Business: Risk Management for Localization Project Managers
In his first article on localization (L10n) project management, The Life, or Lack Thereof, of a Localization Project Manager, Willem Stoeller provided five critical success factors for localization project management and placed them in context for the overall project lifecycle. In this second article in the series, Stoeller presents the case of incorporating the “kittens, puppies, alligators and tigers” of risk management into the L10n Project Manager’s “toolkit.” A simple spreadsheet is enough to get started; and the payoff in retaining long-term customers will far outweigh the initial effort required
…
Read the full article…
The Digital Divide - Why Localization Matters More Than We Know
In a recent article in Scientific American entitled “Demystifying the Digital Divide,” Mark Warschauer of the University of California, Irvine reports on the failure of attempts to eliminate the “Digital Divide,” the differential rates in access to high-technology products and services between groups and locations around the world
…
Read the full article…
An Update on the EU’s In-Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Directive
New European Union legislation completing the Medical Device Directive is due to come into force at year’s end, which is bringing added challenges to product compliance in this field. This article looks at the implications of this complex Directive for the multilingual information management of product labeling in different countries and recommends relevant strategies
…
Read the full article…
With a Clear Vision and His Feet on the Ground
You’re known for having a rather astute and unique perspective on the GILT industry. Where does this come from?
There’s really no magic to it… I’m now an old hand at this business, if not according to my age, at least in terms of when I started in 1984. If you look at the other CEOs in our industry now, most, if not all, have been in the business probably half of my time. Also, I’m free to say what I want since SimulTrans continues to be independent and privately owned.
…
Read the full article…
What Planet Are They On?
"I firmly believe that programming language (PL) developers are very intelligent people, who, for some reason, have not yet noticed that we now live on such a small planet. They should have already realized that successful applications must be multilingual to be easily translated and localized
…"
Read the full article…
Return on Investment in Multilingual Websites from a Marketing Perspective
It is critical for global companies to build long-term trust with their customers worldwide. One of the most effective ways to do this is to address audiences in their local languages. By nature, the Internet is a truly international and multicultural engine that crosses global barriers. Effective content localization enables companies to leverage corporate assets in ways that reduce overall costs, accelerate revenues and build better relationships with customers and employees all around the world. The effectiveness of this localization effort can be measured by the development and analysis of metrics
…
Read the full article…
Global to the Core
At a time when the GILT industry is fighting for visibility this sounds like bad news. Is this a return to the "bad old days" when localization was so chaotic that no one knew what they were spending, or what they were getting for their money? As it turns out, IBM's inability to say how much money it spends on GILT may herald the start of a new era of globalization
…
Read the full article…
Making Sim Ship Work
Simultaneous shipment ("sim ship") of all language versions of a product is an ideal that few companies actually achieve. In this article Tony Gray of Oracle describes the results of a project to improve Oracle's sim ship capabilities that has allowed Oracle to consistently deliver products in thirty languages at the same time. The key? Support from senior management and building the right team
…
Read the full article…
Minority Report on Localization 2003
It is always a risky business to try to predict the future, particularly in view of erratic human behavior and rapid technological changes. Then again, we are not totally clueless; the future is built on the present and affected by the actions we take today. Looking back at the language industry in 2002, one may conclude that there were no dramatic developments
…
Read the full article…
Localization Solved?
Is localization "solved"? If so, what does that mean for internationally-active businesses? Are they then "in the market"? Arle Lommel argues that localization is only part of the picture and that post-localization issues will become increasingly important for companies doing business around the world
…
Read the full article…
Localization2: Selling the 21st Century Across the Digital Divide
Most of us live in a 21st century society with easy access to information and entertainment when we want it, where we want it. We grumble when we go to a conference hotel and have to use a modem to get our e-mail (how archaic is that?), and we complain when our cell phones don’t work on the “wrong” side of the Atlantic (I won’t give my opinion as to which side that might be). Our clients want the impossible done yesterday, and they want to pay less for it than they paid for the merely possible a few years back
…
Read the full article…
Quality Assurance – The Client Perspective
Quality GILT results depend on balancing quality desires and requirements with real-world constraints. Clients often have unrealistic or unstated expectations for quality and are then disappointed with the results. Making expectations explicit and understanding how they will/will not be met (and at what cost) can help clients make appropriate decisions and investments
…
Read the full article…
Time-to-Market: It’s Standards or Die!
F-Secure was an early supporter of the TMX standard and continues to be an extremely strong advocate on the customer side for encouraging language tools vendors to play to their individual strengths, rather than investing in proprietary tools and processes. The company depends on an open environment to meet its critical time-to-market goals in the extremely competitive security market. Mika Pehk onen describes how the Localization and Development Teams are integrated at F-Secure to produce a security service that ideally responds to threats even before they materialize
…
Read the full article…
From Tokyo to Barcelona: Translating Japanese Anime into Catalan
What is common between Japanese and Catalan – how can Japanese humor be expressed within the context of Catalan culture? This is the equation that the Catalan translators have to figure out in order for Japanese anime and manga to be enjoyed by Catalan viewers. Dr Jordi Mas López, translation studies scholar and freelance translator, shares his insights into the process
…
Read the full article…
Mission Impossible: Improve Quality, Time and Speed At the Same Time
It is the accepted wisdom of the translation world that translation quality, speed and cost are all locked in some sort of zero sum game. Any improvement in one comes at the expense of one or both of the others. If you need to improve quality, translation takes longer and is more expensive due to extra quality assurance steps
…
Read the full article…
A Passage to Localization Down Under
New Zealand is not just all scenery. It is gearing up for a full-fledged localization industry to emerge. What does it take for a translation company to become a one-stop localization shop in a country where there is no existing localization industry? Evelyn Olsen, who works for a local translation company, insists that New Zealand is ready for localization and draws attention to its urgent need for the training of localization professionals
…
Read the full article…
The GILT Industry and the Cultural Gap
The theme for this Asia-Pacific edition of the Globalization Insider is cultural gaps — not only between countries, but also within the GILT industry itself. At a recent international screen translation conference I attended, DVD subtitling was a hot topic, and it became quite clear to me that the emergence of global DVD markets will necessitate the convergence of screen translation (subtitling and dubbing) and localization if multilingual digital content is to be delivered efficiently
…
Read the full article…
Is Localization a Mouse or a Rat?
Many of us know Umberto Eco for books
such as The Name of the Rose and Foucalt’s
Pendulum, both of which were international best
sellers, translated into dozens of languages. Aside
from his career as an author of best sellers, Eco
is professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna
and one of the best-known thinkers about language
and literature
…
Read the full article…
Spotlight: Hanspeter Siegrist
Globalization Insider: What are the two most critical issues facing the language technology industry right now?
The interoperability between technologies and enabling true collaboration among all players.
The interoperability between technologies (including competing technologies). For example, if a telephone is incompatible with another telephone, it is useless
…
Read the full article…
Culture and Website Localization
With the rise in ownership of computers and internet usage growing daily, the internet is fast becoming the primary port of call for information, shopping and services. In addition, those computer and internet users are increasingly from non-English speaking countries. At the end of 2002, it was estimated that 32% of internet users were non-native English speakers. This figure is constantly rising. In response, businesses have quickly become aware of the benefits of website localization
…
Read the full article…
The Translation of Advertisements: from Adaptation to Localization
The translation of advertisements has evolved during the last decade towards what is now called “Advertising Localization”. It is not a mere change of designation stemming from computer science vocabulary but a radical change of perspective concerning the real nature and modes of linguistic and cultural transfer from one language into an other. The present article explains, in detail, the evolution that took place, its expressions and its stakes in the profession and training of translators in the field of localization
…
Read the full article…
Why Foreignizing
Translation Is Seldom Used in Anglo-American World in Information Age
This thesis mainly looks at the issue of foreignization and
domestication of translation from a perspective of information
transfer. In a literary translation process two kinds of information
can be classified: direct information and aesthetic information. The
reasons behind the dominant domestication method in the
Anglo-American world are that the translators focus on the transfer
of direct information not aesthetic information of the source text
and that the reader doesnt possess enough backup information to
understand a translation of foreignization.
Read the full article…
Stylistic Features
of the Advertising Slogan
A slogan is a form
of verbal logo. In a print ad, it usually appears just beneath or
beside the brand name or logo. A slogan sums up what one stand for,
ones specialty, the benefit, and ones marketing position, and
ones commitment. It is especially useful to reinforce ones
identity. A slogan can prove to be more powerful than a logo. People
can remember and recite your slogan while they are unlikely to
doodle your logo…
Read the full article…
Submit your article!
Read more articles - Free!
Need translation jobs? Click here!
Translation agencies are welcome to register here - Free!
Freelance translators are welcome to register here - Free!
Subscribe to TranslationDirectory.com newsletter - Free!
Take part in TranslationDirectory.com poll - your voice counts!
|
