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6th Edition Guidebook
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The Guide to Translation
and Localization
Communicating with the Global Marketplace
Lingo Systems and MultiLingual Computing are pleased to present the sixth edition of our award-winning
book, The Guide to Translation and Localization. Over the last eight years we have distributed more than 20,000
copies worldwide. We are often told by readers that they consider it to be the definitive source for information
about translation and localization. While accolades are always flattering, our objectives in creating “The Guide”
remain unchanged: to present clear, effective solutions that reduce costs, save time, and educate the marketplace
®
about the localization process.
For those who are new to localization, we define key terms, explain various options for translating materials,
identify issues to consider when procuring localization services, describe the localization process itself, and
®
provide many tips to control costs and improve quality. Localization veterans will find discussions about
The Guide to Translation and Localization
integrating content management systems, automating workflows, and multi-media localization. Learn how you
too can maximize the ROI from your localization dollars.
The Guide to Translation and Localization was published using the AuthorIT single-source
content management system. See www.author-it.com for more information.
About Lingo Systems
Lingo Systems, a division of Coto Global Solutions, provides customer-focused solutions to help global
companies reach new markets.
• Translation and localization • Interpretation (170 languages)
• Quality assurance testing • Cultural training and assessment
• Multi-media / Flash engineering • Integration of content management solutions
• Internationalization consulting • Global branding and marketing
As one of the largest language service providers in the world, Lingo Systems supports more than
100 languages and can easily handle any size or type of project. What truly differentiates us, however,
is our focus on customer satisfaction. Our unparalleled metrics tell the story:
- Lingo Systems has never caused a late release, ever!
- 97% of our customers rate us a 6 out of 6 in satisfaction surveys.
For more information, see www.lingosys.com or contact Lingo Systems at 800-878-8523 / info@lingosys.com.
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OPTIONS FOR TRANSLATING MATERIALS IDENTIFY ISSUES TO CONSIDER WHEN PROCURING
LOCALIZATION SERVICES DESCRIBE THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS ITSELF AND PROVIDE
MANY TIPS TO CONTROL COSTS AND IMPROVE QUALITY ,OCALIZATION VETERANS WILL lND
USEFUL INFORMATION ON EMERGING TRENDS AS WELL AS TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT
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WAY THAT WILL RESONATE WITH VARIED AUDIENCES AND CULTURES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
0RESIDENTS ,ETTER
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SUPPORT -OREOVER RATHER THAN BEING WRITTEN IN hONE VOICE v EACH CHAPTER
REmECTS THE PERSONALITY OF ITS AUTHOR ALLOWING YOU TO DEVELOP A FEEL FOR THE
DIVERSITY OF CULTURES TALENTS AND EXPERIENCE HERE AT ,INGO 3YSTEMS 0ICTURES OF
THE CONTRIBUTORS ARE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE 'UIDE TO LET YOU PUT A FACE TO THE
NAMES YOU WILL lND IN THE ACKNOWLEDGMENT SECTION
7HILE WE INVITE YOU TO READ 4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION IN ITS
ENTIRETY EACH CHAPTER HAS BEEN WRITTEN TO STAND ALONE AND TO BE READ AS NEEDED
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STAFF OTHERS FOR YOUR ENGINEERING STAFF AND YET OTHERS FOR YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE
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WERE PROVIDED TO US BY PROFESSIONAL LINGUISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO WERE
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YOU WILL lND THEM TO BE HUMOROUSBUT WE ALSO WANT TO ILLUSTRATE AN IMPORTANT
POINT LOSING MARKET SHARE BECAUSE YOUR PRODUCT SEEMS hFOREIGNv OR hLOW
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7E HOPE YOU ENJOY 4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION AND lND IT A
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UNDERSTANDING THESE TERMS IS A CRITICAL lRST STEP WHEN CONSIDERING EXPANSION INTO
THE COMPETITIVE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE
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THOUGHT OF AS YOUR GLOBAL MARKETING STRATEGY AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH ALL MARKETING
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ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD CAN DRINK #OCA
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#HAPTERS AND FOR MORE DETAILS ON HOW TO INTERNATIONALIZE YOUR PRODUCTS
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A TARGET MARKET SO THAT WHEN THEY USE IT THEY FORM THE
IMPRESSION THAT IT WAS DESIGNED BY A NATIVE OF THEIR OWN
COUNTRY
4RANSLATION
4HE PROCESS OF ACTUALLY CONVERTING THE WRITTEN WORD
OF A SOURCE LANGUAGE INTO THE WRITTEN WORD OF A TARGET
LANGUAGE 4RANSLATION IS A CRUCIAL COMPONENT OF
)N A 0ARIS HOTEL ELEVATOR
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h0LEASE LEAVE YOUR VALUES AT THE FRONT DESKv
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER ,EARNING THE ,INGO
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IS PERFORMED SO THAT THE PRODUCT CAN THEN BE LOCALIZED &INALLY TRANSLATION
IS THE hBASEv COMPONENT OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS AS IT REPRESENTS THE LANGUAGE
TRANSFORMATION
4O BETTER UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THESE TERMS IMAGINE THAT
YOU ARE A PRODUCT MANAGER FOR
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MANAGES SALES CONTACTS 9OUR PRODUCT
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*EFF 7ILLIAMS COMMENTS FROM DISTRIBUTORS
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WORLD !LTHOUGH 0ORTLAND IS DEVELOPED A GLOBAL BRANDING CAMPAIGN 9OUR DESIGN TEAM BEGINS WORK ON THE
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MILES AWAY WITH ALL OF
PLAY 9OU AND YOUR TEAM MUST CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING
THE DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES THAT
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% ! READILY ADAPTABLE USER INTERFACE TO ALLOW "RITISH CUSTOMERS TO READ FROM
LEFT TO RIGHT OR !RABIC CUSTOMERS TO READ FROM RIGHT TO LEFT
3ELLING YOUR CONTACT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE TO THE CUSTOMERS IN YOUR NEW
MARKETS WILL LIKELY REQUIRE LOCALIZING THE USERS MANUAL SOFTWARE HELP lLES
AND USER INTERFACE FROM %NGLISH INTO EACH TARGET LANGUAGE &ORTUNATELY PROPER
INTERNATIONALIZATION MAY LOWER YOUR COSTS /NE SOFTWARE MANUFACTURER FOUND
THAT NEARLY OF ALL SUPPORT COSTS CAME FROM CONSUMERS IN FOREIGN MARKETS
WHO COULD NOT UNDERSTAND %NGLISH DOCUMENTATION
2WKHUNH\WHUPV
4HERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER RELATED TERMS THAT YOU SHOULD ALSO BE FAMILIAR WITH
WHEN YOU ARE READY TO REACH A MULTILINGUAL AUDIENCE
)NTERPRETATION
4HE PROCESS OF CONVERTING THE SPOKEN WORD OF A SOURCE LANGUAGE INTO THE SPOKEN
WORD OF A TARGET LANGUAGE 4HIS IS DONE IN TWO MAIN WAYS 4HE lRST AND MOST
IMPRESSIVE TO WATCH IS SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION )N THIS PROCESS A PERSON IS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER ,EARNING THE ,INGO
ACTUALLY hTHINKINGv IN TWO LANGUAGES AT ONE INSTANT HEARING THE SPEAKER IN ONE
LANGUAGE AND IMMEDIATELY CONVERTING IT INTO THE TARGET LANGUAGE AND SPEAKING
THAT TARGET LANGUAGE FOR OTHERS TO HEAR 4HE MORE TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION
PRACTICE IS DELAYED INTERPRETATION WHERE AN ENTIRE THOUGHT IS EXPRESSED BY THE
SPEAKER THE SPEAKER PAUSES AND THE INTERPRETER CONVERTS THE CONTENT FOR THE
THE ,INGO
,EARNING
TARGET LANGUAGE SPEAKERS TO HEAR
#ONTENT -ANAGEMENT
! SOFTWARE APPLICATION FOR CREATING MAINTAINING STORING AND PUBLISHING
CONTENT THAT MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO ORGANIZE AND PUBLISH IN MULTIPLE MEDIA FROM
ONE CENTRAL DATABASE
#ULTURAL !SSESSMENT
!NALYZING AN INDIVIDUALS CULTURAL PREFERENCES THROUGH COMPARATIVE ANALYSES
!LLOWS INDIVIDUALS TO ACQUIRE THE AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE NECESSARY
FOR BUILDING EFFECTIVE SKILLS AND BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS FOR MULTICULTURAL
MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS
#ULTURAL /RIENTATION
$EVELOPING CULTURAL SELF
AWARENESS AND EFFECTIVE BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES TO
MINIMIZE THE CULTURAL GAPS THAT OCCUR WHEN CONTRASTING VALUE ORIENTATIONS OF
DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS
)NTEGRATION 4ESTING )NTEROPERABILITY
#ONlRMATION THAT TWO OR MORE SYSTEMS COMPUTERS COMMUNICATION DEVICES
NETWORKS SOFTWARE AND OTHER INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS ARE ABLE TO
INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER AND EXCHANGE DATA ACCORDING TO A PRESCRIBED METHOD
IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE PREDICTABLE RESULTS
6ERIlCATION 4ESTING
#ONlRMATION OF ANY TESTABLE REQUIREMENT INCLUDING FUNCTIONAL TESTING OF
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEM COMPONENTS COMPATIBILITY TESTING OF ONE
COMPONENT TO ANOTHER DESIGN VERIlCATION COMPLIANCE TO INDUSTRY STANDARDS
AND THIRD PARTY INTEROPERABILITY
9OU MAY ALSO HEAR PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY USE THE FOLLOWING TERMS WHEN TALKING
ABOUT LOCALIZATION VENDORS 3,0 SINGLE LANGUAGE PROVIDER IS A COMPANY THAT
SPECIALIZES IN ONE LANGUAGE ONLY WHEREAS AN -,6 MULTIPLE LANGUAGE VENDOR
OFFERS MANY LANGUAGE COMBINATIONS 9OU WILL ALSO HEAR A LOT OF DISCUSSION
ABOUT TRANSLATION MEMORY 4- WHICH IS A DATABASE WHERE PREVIOUS
TRANSLATIONS AND CORRESPONDING SOURCE TEXT ARE STORED FOR FUTURE RE
USE 4-S
CAN SIGNIlCANTLY REDUCE LOCALIZATION COSTS WHILE INCREASING BOTH QUALITY AND
CONSISTENCY 3EE #HAPTER FOR MORE INFORMATION ON 4-S
,OCALIZING YOUR PRODUCT WHILE SOMETIMES CHALLENGING PAYS HANDSOME
REWARDS -AJOR SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE MANUFACTURERS REPORT THAT OR
MORE OF THEIR BUSINESS REVENUES ARE NOW EARNED OUTSIDE THE 53 "Y OFFERING
YOUR PRODUCTS AROUND THE WORLD IN VERSIONS THAT APPEAL TO EACH LOCALE YOUR
ORGANIZATION CAN INCREASE ITS DISTRIBUTION EXTEND THE SHELF LIFE OF PRODUCTS AND
ULTIMATELY BE LESS DEPENDENT UPON THE !MERICAN MARKET
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7HAT !RE -Y /PTIONS
#HAPTER
7HAT ARE -Y /PTIONS
9OUR EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT lNALLY MADE THE COMMITMENT TO SELL YOUR
COMPANYS PRODUCTS TO INTERNATIONAL MARKETS AND YOU WERE JUST GIVEN THE
RESPONSIBILITY FOR MANAGING THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS 4HIS IS AN EXCITING TIME
FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION AND A SIGNIlCANT CHALLENGE FOR YOU
,OCALIZING YOUR PRODUCTS IS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR COMPANY 7HEN DONE
$AN *OHNSON
CORRECTLY IT WILL DRAMATICALLY EXPAND YOUR MARKETS INCREASING BOTH REVENUES
$IRECTOR OF )NTEGRATED AND PROlTS 9OUR COMPANY WILL ALSO DEVELOP STRATEGIC AND TACTICAL INTERNATIONAL
3OLUTIONS EXPERIENCE THAT WILL BE INVALUABLE IN THE FUTURE
,OCALIZATION THE CROSSROADS 3O HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY THE MANY OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR LOCALIZING YOUR
WHERE COMMUNICATION PRODUCTS OR MATERIALSAND HOW DO YOU SELECT THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOUR COMPANY
LANGUAGE STYLE AND COMPUTER !FTER READING 4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION IT IS TIME TO DElNE THE
SCIENCE MEET -AY WE SCOPE OF YOUR PROJECT 4O ENSURE THAT YOUR EXPECTATIONS ARE MET ACCURATE AND
REALISTIC GOALS FOR TIMELINE COST AND QUALITY MUST BE MADE PRIOR TO PROJECT
CONTINUE TO LIVE IN INTERESTING
START AND YOU MUST DECIDE WHICH TWO OF THESE VARIABLES ARE MOST IMPORTANT
TIMES
/NCE YOU HAVE A CLEAR IDEA REGARDING WHAT IS NEEDED WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
AND WHEN YOU NEED TO ARRIVE YOU WILL BE IN A GREAT POSITION TO DISCUSS PROJECT
PLANNING WITH LOCALIZATION PROVIDERS &IND OUT WHAT SERVICES THEY OFFER HOW
MUCH TIME THEY WILL TAKE AND HOW MUCH THE LOCALIZATION WILL COST
$URING ANALYSIS AND PLANNING KEEP IN MIND THAT LOCALIZATION IS A TEAM SPORT -OST
PROJECTS ARE RELATIVELY COMPLEX AFFAIRS THAT REQUIRE NUMEROUS SPECIALIZED RESOURCES
EACH FUNCTIONING TO PROVIDE UNIQUE AND CLOSELY INTERRELATED CONTRIBUTIONS
4HE FOLLOWING TABLE PROVIDES A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS YOU CAN
SELECT TO TRANSLATE YOUR MATERIALS !LTHOUGH NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF ALL POSSIBLE
ALTERNATIVES IT DOES COVER MOST OF THE COMMON AND OBVIOUS WAYS TO LOCALIZE
WRITTEN MATERIALS INTO YOUR TARGET LANGUAGES !S YOU WILL SEE YOU HAVE MANY
OPTIONS FOR TRANSLATING FROM !LBANIAN TO :ULUAND EVERYWHERE ELSE IN BETWEEN
&ROM AN )TALIAN TRANSLATION COMPANY IN AN EMAIL
/UR OFlCES WILL BE OPEN ALL OVER THE 35--%2
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7HAT !RE -Y /PTIONS
,OCALIZATION #HARACTERISTICS "ENElTS ,IMITATIONS #ONSIDERATIONS
/PTIONS
!CQUAINTANCE 3OMEONE YOU 6ERY LOW OR NO s .OT A LOCALIZATION s 3PEAKING A FOREIGN
OR FAMILY KNOW WHO COST PROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE DOES NOT QUALIFY
HAPPENS TO SPEAK s ,IMITED CAPACITY SOMEONE AS A TRANSLATOR
FRIEND OR HAS STUDIED THE
-Y /PTIONS
7HAT !RE
s .O 1! STEPS s 9OU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
TARGET LANGUAGE
s .O TOOLS
s .O PROCESS
s .O TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
s %XTENDED TIMELINES
s #ONSISTENCY AND QUALITY ARE
PROBABLY POOR
s (IGH RISK OF MISSING
DEADLINES
s (IDDEN COSTS
s 5PDATES ARE TIME
CONSUMING
"ILINGUAL 3OMEONE IN YOUR s ,OW OUT OF s .OT A LOCALIZATION s #OMPETING RESPONSIBILITIES
EMPLOYEE COMPANY WHO POCKET COST PROFESSIONAL AT WORK
SPEAKS THE TARGET s -AY HAVE s ,IMITED CAPACITY s 7ILL THEY BE AVAILABLE
LANGUAGE SUBJECT WHEN YOU NEED THEM
s .O 1! STEPS
MATTER s 5SING IN HOUSE RESOURCES
EXPERTISE s .O TOOLS
TO 2%6)%7 THE lNAL
s .O PROCESS DELIVERABLE IS HIGHLY
s 4IMELINES UNCERTAIN RECOMMENDED
s #ONSISTENCY AND QUALITY ARE
LIKELY POOR
s (IGH RISK OF MISSING
DEADLINES
s (IDDEN COSTS
s 5PDATES ARE EXPENSIVE
/VERSEAS s &OREIGN s ,OW OUT OF s .OT A LOCALIZATION s 3HOULD BE NEGOTIATED
DISTRIBUTOR DISTRIBUTOR POCKET COST PROFESSIONAL hUP FRONTv WHEN THE
AGENT OR s -AY HAVE s ,IMITED CAPACITY DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT IS
REPRESENTATIVE SUBJECT MATTER s .O 1! STEPS PREPARED
s 4RANSLATION EXPERTISE s 9OU MAY LOSE CONTROL OVER
@COST MAY BE s .O TOOLS CONTENT AND QUALITY
s 3OMEONE ELSE
NEGOTIATED IS RESPONSIBLE s .O PROCESS s /WNERSHIP COPYRIGHT AND
AS PART OF FOR PROJECT s %XTENDED TIMELINES )0 ISSUES ARE ALL A CONCERN
OVERALL SALES
AGREEMENT s #ONSISTENCY AND QUALITY s 5NAUTHORIZED CHANGES
MAY BE POOR MIGHT BE MADE AND GO
s (IGH RISK OF MISSING UNDETECTED
DEADLINES s #ONTENT CONSISTENCY
s (IDDEN COSTS BETWEEN DIFFERENT TARGET
LANGUAGES CAN BE DIFlCULT
s 5PDATES ARE EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7HAT !RE -Y /PTIONS
,OCALIZATION #HARACTERISTICS "ENElTS ,IMITATIONS #ONSIDERATIONS
/PTIONS
/NLINE *UST TO GET THE &REE OFTEN -ACHINE TRANSLATES THE WRITTEN 0ROCEED WITH CAUTION YOU GET
MACHINE BASIC IDEA OF HUMOROUS RESULTS TEXT BACK INTO THE SOURCE WHAT YOU PAY FOR
TRANSLATION WRITTEN TEXT LANGUAGE FOR MORE HUMOROUS
RESULTS
)NDIVIDUAL s )NDEPENDENT s 4RANSLATION s -AY NOT HAVE TRANSLATION s &OR SMALL SINGLE LANGUAGE
TRANSLATOR CONTRACTOR PROFESSIONAL MEMORY AND OTHER PROJECTS THIS MIGHT BE THE
SOPHISTICATED TOOLS RIGHT SOLUTION
s 3PECIALIZES IN s %ASY ACCESS
ONE LANGUAGE s ,IMITED CAPACITY s %XPECT TO PROVIDE A LOT
s 1UICK
OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
s )S OFTEN LOCALLY TURNAROUND ON s ,ONGER TIMELINES ON LARGER
SUPPORT FOR ONGOING SINGLE
AVAILABLE SMALL PROJECTS PROJECTS
OR MULTIPLE LANGUAGE
s .O INDEPENDENT 1! IF ANY TRANSLATION EFFORTS
s 1UALITY MAY BE AN ISSUE s 7ITH ONLY ONE LINGUISTIC
s 5PDATES CAN BE EXPENSIVE STEP QUALITY MAY BE
SUBSTANDARD
s -AY HAVE NO $40 CAPABILITY
s /NE LANGUAGE PAIR ONLY
&ULL 3ERVICE !N ORGANIZATION s ,OCALIZATION s #AN BE OVERKILL FOR PROJECTS s 5SE THE RIGHT RESOURCES FOR
MULTIPLE DEDICATED TO PROFESSIONALS WITH EXTREMELY LIMITED THE RIGHT JOB
LANGUAGE PROVIDING A BROAD SCOPE
s 5NLIMITED s /UTSOURCING LOCALIZATION
VENDOR RANGE OF LINGUISTIC CAPACITY ALLOWS YOU TO FOCUS ON
SERVICES
s (IGH QUALITY WHAT YOU DO BEST
CONSISTENCY
s !GGRESSIVE
DEADLINES CAN
BE MET
s -ULTIPLE 1!
STEPS
s 3OPHISTICATED
TOOLS 4-S
s 4ECHNICAL
EXPERTISE
s 5PDATES ARE
QUICK AND
CHEAP
s 0ROVEN
PROCESS
s !NY NUMBER
OF LANGUAGES
s 0ROJECT
MANAGEMENT
PROVIDED
s &ULL RANGE OF
LOCALIZATION
SERVICES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7HAT !RE -Y /PTIONS
:KR'RHVWKH7UDQVODWLRQ"
,ETS BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND HOW DO YOU WANT YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE TO
PERCEIVE YOUR COMPANY IN THE MARKETPLACE )S SO
SO GOOD ENOUGH )F YOU
COMMAND A PREMIUM PRICE BY OFFERING THE BEST PRODUCT CAN YOU AFFORD TO HAVE
SECOND
RATE DOCUMENTATIONIN ANY LANGUAGE 3IMILARLY IF YOU VALUE BEING lRST
-Y /PTIONS
7HAT !RE
TO MARKET WITH A NEW PRODUCT IS IT WORTH SAVING A FEW DOLLARS ON LOCALIZATION
BUT TAKING AN EXTRA COUPLE OF WEEKS TO RELEASE IT
7HEN DELIVERING A FULLY LOCALIZED PRODUCT IT SHOULD NOT BE APPARENT TO THE
END USER THAT THE CONTENT THEY ARE READING OR THE PRODUCT THEY ARE HOLDING
HAS BEEN TRANSLATED INTO THEIR LANGUAGE FROM ANOTHER 4HE FACT THAT YOUR
PRODUCT WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED IN %NGLISH FOR EXAMPLE AND THEN LOCALIZED
INTO THE CONSUMERS NATIVE LANGUAGE SHOULD BE TOTALLY UNDETECTABLE ! PROPERLY
LOCALIZED PRODUCT SHOULD HAVE THE LOOK AND FEEL OF HAVING BEEN CREATED
SPECIlCALLY FOR THE TARGET MARKET
)F YOU WANT TO PRODUCE WELL LOCALIZED PRODUCTS THEN A FEW OF THE OPTIONS LISTED
ABOVE CAN BE ELIMINATED FROM YOUR CONSIDERATION )N MOST CASES USING EITHER
MACHINE TRANSLATIONS OR NON PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES SUCH AS BILINGUAL FAMILY
MEMBERS ACQUAINTANCES OR CO WORKERS WILL NOT PRODUCE CONSISTENTLY ACCURATE
STYLISTICALLY NATURAL OR PROFESSIONAL QUALITY LOCALIZED CONTENT
4HE USE OF LOCALLY BASED SINGLE LANGUAGE TRANSLATORS CAN BE AN EFFECTIVE
SOLUTION FOR SMALL PROJECTS WITH ONE TARGET LANGUAGE 4HIS OPTION WORKS BEST
WHEN TRANSLATING FROM %NGLISH INTO A COMMON LANGUAGE SO THAT IT IS EASY TO
lND A LINGUIST THE FORMATTING IS SIMPLE SUCH AS -ICROSOFT 7ORD SUBSEQUENT
UPDATES ARE UNLIKELY TIMELINES ARE mEXIBLE AND PROJECTS ARE INFREQUENT !S
THE VOLUME OF MATERIAL ANDOR THE NUMBER OF TARGET LANGUAGES INCREASES THE
LIMITATIONS OF THIS APPROACH WILL BECOME INCREASINGLY OBVIOUS +EEP IN MIND
THAT WITH SINGLE LANGUAGE TRANSLATORS YOUR MANAGEMENT AND COORDINATION
LOAD WILL INCREASE EXPONENTIALLY AS THE NUMBER OF TARGET LANGUAGES GROWS
&URTHERMORE THE EFlCIENCY AND COST SAVINGS GAINED THROUGH THE USE OF A
DYNAMIC MULTI STEP LOCALIZATION PROCESS AND SOPHISTICATED LOCALIZATION TOOLS
DISCUSSED IN #HAPTERS AND WILL BECOME MORE IMPORTANT AS WELL
'RPHVWLFYV2YHUVHDV
9OU MIGHT BE TEMPTED TO USE YOUR OVERSEAS OFlCE TO LOCALIZE YOUR PRODUCT
4HEY SPEAK THE LANGUAGE AFTER ALL SO IT SHOULD BE EASY RIGHT 4HE TEMPTATION
IS EVEN GREATER IF YOU HAVE AN IN
COUNTRY SUBSIDIARY OR DISTRIBUTOR OFFERING TO
DO THE TRANSLATION FOR YOU 7HILE IT IS TRUE THAT THESE OPTIONS MAY BE THE BEST
SOLUTION IN SOME CASES IT CAN ALSO LEAD TO OTHER PROBLEMS
% ,ESS CONTROL FROM HEADQUARTERS
% $IFlCULTY IN PROJECT COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION IF NOTHING ELSE THE
TIME ZONES WILL BE AN ISSUE
% 5NAUTHORIZED CHANGES TO THE CONTENT
% 2ISKS TO SCHEDULE AND
% )NCORRECT TRANSLATIONS THESE PEOPLE ARE LIKELY NOT PROFESSIONAL TRANSLATORS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7HAT !RE -Y /PTIONS
7HEN YOU SEND YOUR MATERIALS TO AN OVERSEAS OFlCE OR DISTRIBUTOR YOU CREATE
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO MODIFY BOTH YOUR CONTENT AND MESSAGE 4HE IN
COUNTRY TEAM MAY HAVE DIFFERENT PRIORITIES FROM YOUR 53 BASED TEAM RESULTING
IN CHANGES TO BRANDING USE OF TERMINOLOGY AND PERHAPS FEATURES THAT HAVE
BEEN DISABLED OR REMOVED FROM THE 53 VERSION
5NFORTUNATELY YOU MIGHT NOT BECOME AWARE OF THESE MODIlCATIONS UNTIL
A PROBLEM ARISES OR SOMEONE TRANSLATES THE IN
COUNTRY TRANSLATIONS BACK TO
%NGLISH !T ,INGO 3YSTEMS WE HAVE A CLIENT WHO TOOK THIS ROUTE AND WAS
ALARMED TO DISCOVER THAT THEIR FOREIGN OFlCE HAD DELETED ALL CONTACT INFORMATION
FOR IN
COUNTRY TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND INSTEAD SUBSTITUTED A COMMENT INSTRUCTING
THE CONSUMER TO CONTACT THE RESELLER WITH ANY PROBLEMS
#RAIG -EUSER
$IRECTOR OF 3ALES AND 3TORIES SUCH AS THESE CAN BE AVOIDED BY CHOOSING THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR THE
-ARKETING RIGHT JOB )N MOST CASES THE BEST RESULT IS OBTAINED BY HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
LOCALIZATION RESOURCE FOR TRANSLATION AND THEN USING YOUR IN
COUNTRY
) LIKE TEAMS )M A BIG SPORTS REPRESENTATIVES FOR TERMINOLOGY LIST DEVELOPMENT AND lNAL REVIEW OF THE
FAN AND ) SPEND A LOT OF LOCALIZED CONTENT 4HIS STRATEGY ENABLES YOU TO COORDINATE THE LOCALIZATION
LEISURE TIME WATCHING MY EFFORTS CENTRALLY WHILE ENCOURAGING YOUR OVERSEAS PARTNERS TO BUY IN ON THE
SONS COMPETE IN FOOTBALL lNAL PRODUCT
BASKETBALL BASEBALL AND
TRACK "UT DURING THE 9OUR lNAL CHOICE IS BETWEEN HIRING INDIVIDUAL TRANSLATORS OR A FULL
SERVICE
BUSINESS DAY )M A FAN OF THE LOCALIZATION VENDOR TO MANAGE ALL OF YOUR LOCALIZATION EFFORTS 4HE CONSIDERATIONS
HERE INVOLVE TIME QUALITY BUDGET AND THE NEED FOR VALUE
ADDED SERVICES $O
DEPARTMENTS THAT MAKE UP THE
YOU HAVE THE TIME AND STAFF TO HIRE AND MANAGE TRANSLATORS AND ASSESS THE QUALITY
,INGO 3YSTEMS TEAM 7ORKING
OF THEIR RESULTS ! FULL
SERVICE VENDOR CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL THE RESOURCES
AT ,INGO IS LIKE BEING ON AN
NECESSARY TO RECEIVE HIGH
QUALITY TRANSLATIONS ON TIME AND ON BUDGET REDUCING
!LL
3TAR LOCALIZATION TEAM YOUR NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE DAY
TO
DAY EXECUTION OF THE PROJECT
WITH A WINNING RECORD
!S YOU CONSIDER ALL OF THE AVAILABLE OPTIONS LET YOUR PROJECT GOALS LEAD YOU TO
THE BEST SOLUTION
&ROM AN ARTICLE IN 4HE /REGONIAN NEWSPAPER IN 0ORTLAND /2 ASKING FOR
READER CONTRIBUTIONS CONCERNING BADLY TRANSLATED SIGNS IN THE METRO AREA
!LREADY THEYVE RECEIVED MORE THAN CONTRIBUTIONS INCLUDING SUCH NUGGETS AS
THE h0ARK OF %THNIC -INORITIES v WHICH IS IDENTIlED AS h2ACIST 0ARKv AND hSLIPPERY
WHEN WETv SIGNS TRANSLATED AS h4HE SLIPPERY ARE VERY CRAFTYv
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL ,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
#HAPTER
0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL
,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
9OU HAVE RECEIVED THE GREEN LIGHT FOR YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE TO GO GLOBAL AND
,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL
NOW YOU MUST DECIDE HOW TO MANAGE THE PROJECT 4HERE ARE SEVERAL OPTIONS
FOR LOCALIZING YOUR MATERIALS 3ELECTING THE CORRECT RESOURCE HOWEVER IS ONLY
THE lRST OF MANY ISSUES THAT WILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IN ORDER TO CHOOSE THE
BEST SOLUTION 4HE ANSWERS TO SOME hBIG PICTUREv QUESTIONS THAT WILL AFFECT YOUR
LOCALIZATION CHOICES ARE
% 7HAT IS YOUR LONG
TERM GLOBALIZATION STRATEGY
% (OW IS YOUR COMPANY POSITIONED )S IT A MARKET LEADER OR SPECIALTY
SUPPLIER TOP
OF
THE LINE STANDARD
SETTER OR LOW COST ALTERNATIVE CUSTOM
MANUFACTURER OR COMMODITY PRODUCTION HIGH
QUALITY PROVIDER OR LOW
QUALITY SOLUTION
/THER BASIC QUESTIONS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO ANSWER ARE
% 7HICH PRODUCTS AND COMPONENTS WILL YOU LOCALIZE
% 7HAT TARGET MARKETS AND LANGUAGES DO YOU NEED
% 7HAT ARE THE LEGAL REGULATORY LIABILITY AND COMMERCIAL REQUIREMENTS IN
THE TARGET MARKETS
% 7HAT IS YOUR TIMELINE
% 7HAT LEVEL OF QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY WILL YOU NEED
% 7HAT IS THE LIKELIHOOD AND EXTENT OF ON
GOING FUTURE UPDATES
% (OW OFTEN WILL YOU HAVE NEW PRODUCTS FOR LOCALIZATION
% !RE THERE ENGINEERING AND FUNCTIONALITY ISSUES
% !RE THE %NGLISH SOURCE FORMATS COMPATIBLE WITH THE LANGUAGES TARGETED FOR
LOCALIZATION
% )S VOICE
OVER REQUIRED AND IF SO WHAT ARE THE GENDER REQUIREMENTS AND
AUDIO SPECIlCATIONS
% )F THE lNAL PRODUCT IS AN INTERACTIVE WEBSITE OR APPLICATION HOW MUCH
FUNCTIONALITY TESTING WILL BE REQUIRED
7ITH SO MANY QUESTIONS TO ANSWER PERHAPS THE QUESTION OF PARAMOUNT
IMPORTANCE IS h(OW ARE YOU GOING TO DO IT v 4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND
,OCALIZATION HAS THIS ANSWER AND MANY MORE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL ,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
+RZ0XFKWR/RFDOL]H"
4HE lRST QUESTION MANY COMPANIES ASK IS h(OW MANY COMPONENTS SHOULD
) LOCALIZE v 4HE ANSWER CAN BE ANYTHING FROM hONLY THE ESSENTIALSv TO hALL
CONTENT FOR ALL PRODUCT COMPONENTSv 4HE SECOND QUESTION OFTEN ASKED IS
h(OW MUCH CAN ) AFFORD TO LOCALIZE v 7HEN TRYING TO ANSWER THE MONEY
QUESTION HOWEVER A BETTER QUESTION MIGHT BE h7HAT IS THE lNANCIAL IMPACT
OF NOT DOING IT v "Y CHOOSING NOT TO LOCALIZE CERTAIN PRODUCTS YOU RUN THE RISK
OF MISSING POTENTIAL SALES OR EVEN WORSE OFFENDING THE TARGET CONSUMERS IN A
NEW MARKET BY NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION IN THEIR LANGUAGE $EPENDING ON THE
PRODUCT YOU COULD ALSO lND YOURSELF IN VIOLATION OF VARIOUS LEGAL OR REGULATORY
+IM 6ILLEMYER REQUIREMENTS POSSIBLY EVEN PREVENTING DISTRIBUTION OF THE PRODUCT IN THE TARGET
MARKET !T ,INGO 3YSTEMS WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU SEEK LEGAL COUNSEL
!CCOUNT -ANAGER
REGARDING THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF NOT LOCALIZING SOME OR ALL CONTENT WHEN
EXPANDING INTO A NEW MARKET
,INGO 3YSTEMS AND ) GO WAY
BACK ) USED TO WORK FOR ,INGO
5NFORTUNATELY WHEN EVALUATING THE BUSINESS CASE FOR LOCALIZATION MANY
3YSTEMS VERY lRST CLIENT AND COMPANIES ONLY FACTOR IN HOW MUCH IT WILL COST $O NOT MAKE THIS MISTAKE
) HAVE WATCHED IT GROW FROM TOO !N EQUALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION IS h(OW MUCH ADDITIONAL REVENUE CAN WE
A TINY START
UP TO ONE OF THE REASONABLY EXPECT TO GENERATE v )N OUR EXPERIENCE YOUR INTERNATIONAL SALES AND
LARGEST LANGUAGE COMPANIES MARKETING STAFF WILL MOST OFTEN DRIVE THE COMMERCIAL JUSTIlCATION TO LOCALIZE
IN THE WORLD .OT ONLY DO )
HAVE THE PLEASURE OF WORKING !NOTHER ITEM TO CONSIDER WHEN DECIDING HOW MUCH TO LOCALIZE IS WHETHER
WITH THE BEST CLIENTS IN THE ECONOMIES OF SCALE ARE AVAILABLE /NCE A LOCALIZATION PROGRAM IS ESTABLISHED
BUSINESS ) ALSO GET TO WORK FOR ONE LANGUAGE THE lLE PREPARATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND BACK
OFlCE
WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OF ADMINISTRATION ARE ALREADY ESTABLISHED ,OCALIZING INTO ADDITIONAL LANGUAGES CAN
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE INITIAL INVESTMENTS
PEOPLE ) HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF
CALLING MY FRIENDS "EST CAREER
&INALLY DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES YOU MAY NOT HAVE
MOVE ) EVER MADE MUCH CHOICE IN WHETHER TO LOCALIZE OR NOT &OR EXAMPLE IF SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS
WANT TO INCREASE CUSTOMER USABILITY IN ADDITION TO LOCALIZING THE SOFTWARE
INTERFACE THEY WILL NEED TO CONSIDER LOCALIZING THE APPLICATION ITSELF 4HIS INCLUDES
HELP lLES hREAD MEv lLES INSTALLERS LEGAL WARRANTIES USER GUIDES AND INSTALLATION
INSTRUCTIONS AS WELL /THER EXAMPLES INCLUDE DEVELOPERS OF TRAINING MATERIALS WHO
MUST DECIDE WHICH COURSES SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN WHICH LANGUAGES AND CONSUMER
ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURERS WHO NEED TO EVALUATE THE MERITS OF SUPPLEMENTING USER
DOCUMENTATION WITH CUSTOMER SUPPORT WEBSITES AND OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES
&ORTUNATELY LOCALIZATION OF VIRTUALLY ANY COMPONENT IS STRAIGHTFORWARD WITH
THE RIGHT PLANNING AND THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY 3EVERAL TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES
HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED THAT ALLOW YOU AND YOUR LOCALIZATION PARTNER TO hRECYCLEv
TRANSLATED CONTENT ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT MEDIA TYPES 4HESE INCLUDE TRANSLATION
MEMORY DATA BASES DISCUSSED IN #HAPTER AND SINGLE SOURCE CONTENT
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS DISCUSSED IN #HAPTERS AND "Y REDUCING THE VOLUME
OF NEW TEXT THAT NEEDS TO BE LOCALIZED AND KEEPING CHANGES TO A MINIMUM COSTS
ARE REDUCED TIMELINES ARE SHORTENED AND CONSISTENCY IS IMPROVED ACROSS ALL
COMPONENTS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL ,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
3ODQ(DUO\
4HERE IS AN OLD CARPENTERS SAYING h-EASURE TWICE CUT ONCEv )N OTHER WORDS
PLAN CAREFULLY AND EARLY FOR LOCALIZATION &OR EXAMPLE IF YOUR DOCUMENTATION
INCLUDES SCREEN CAPTURES FROM THE SOFTWARE USER INTERFACE 5) THE 5)
SHOULD BE LOCALIZED BEFORE THE DOCUMENTATION SO THAT TERMINOLOGY THAT IS
FROZEN AND TRANSLATED IN THE 5) CAN BE PROPAGATED TO THE DOCUMENTATION
ANDOR HELP lLES
,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL
7HEN TIGHT TIMELINES REQUIRE THAT 5) AND DOCUMENTATION LOCALIZATION OCCUR
SIMULTANEOUSLY AGGRESSIVE LOCALIZATION SCHEDULES MAY STILL BE POSSIBLE "ECAUSE
THESE PROJECTS FREQUENTLY INVOLVE THE TRANSLATION OF THOUSANDS OF WORDS VENDORS
FORM TEAMS OF LINGUISTS TO WORK ON BOTH COMPONENTS AT THE SAME TIME !T
SOME POINT IN THE SCHEDULE AFTER THE 5) IS FROZEN TIME IS ALLOCATED TO ALLOW THE
DOCUMENTATION TO hCATCH UPv SO THAT REFERENCES TO BUTTONS MENUS AND OTHER
ITEMS IN THE TEXT OF THE DOCUMENTATION MATCH THE TERMINOLOGY USED IN THE 5)
&ORTUNATELY OTHER COMPONENTS SUCH AS TRAINING MATERIALS AND 7EB CONTENT CAN
USUALLY WAIT UNTIL THE BULK OF THE PRODUCT LOCALIZATION IS COMPLETE !FTER ALL END
USERS CANT BE TRAINED UNTIL YOU HAVE SOMETHING ON WHICH TO TRAIN THEM
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-ANY INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES PREFER TO ROLL OUT NEW PRODUCTS TO ALL OF THEIR
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GOAL OF SOME MULTINATIONALS THEY ARE NOT A COMMERCIAL PRIORITY FOR EVERYONE
! SIMULTANEOUS RELEASE POSES TWO MAIN CHALLENGES FOR LOCALIZATION &IRST IN
ORDER FOR A COMPANY TO RELEASE %NGLISH AND LOCALIZED PRODUCTS AT THE SAME
TIME LOCALIZATION GENERALLY NEEDS TO BEGIN WHILE THE %NGLISH IS STILL UNDER
DEVELOPMENT 4HIS MEANS THAT EACH LAST MINUTE CHANGE TO THE 5) ONLINE HELP
OR OTHER DOCUMENTATION MUST ALSO BE INCORPORATED BY THE LOCALIZATION TEAM
!S YOU CAN IMAGINE SUCH hSTOPS AND STARTSv MAKE CONlGURATION MANAGEMENT
MORE COMPLICATED AND THE PROJECT MORE EXPENSIVE
'IVEN THESE CHALLENGES CONSIDER AN ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE WHERE
YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR IS PROVIDED WITH THE hALPHAv OR hBETAv VERSION OF
THE SOFTWARE ,ATER WHEN THE PRODUCT IS hFUNCTIONALLY COMPLETE v THE VENDOR
CAN lNALIZE THE TRANSLATIONS 4HIS APPROACH MEANS A LITTLE MORE WORK BUT
EVERYTHING CAN BE lNISHED FOR A hSIM
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DELAYED RELEASELOCALIZING YOUR COMPONENTS AS THEY ARE NEEDEDYOU CAN LAY
THE GROUNDWORK WITH YOUR VENDOR SO THAT EACH COMPONENT IS hREADY TO ROLLv
THROUGH THE PRODUCTION PROCESS ON YOUR SIGNAL
4HE SECOND MAIN CHALLENGE INVOLVES MANAGING LOCALIZATION TEAM COMPLEXITY AND
RESOURCE LIMITATIONS $EPENDING ON THE WORD COUNT TIMELINE AND NUMBER OF
LANGUAGES YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR MAY NEED TO ASSEMBLE TEAMS OF TRANSLATORS
COPY EDITORS AND PROOFREADERS TO TRANSLATE THE CONTENT 4HERE MAY ALSO BE
SEVERAL TEAMS OF DESKTOP PUBLISHERS TO LAY OUT EACH PAGE TWO THREE FOUR OR
MORE 1! REVIEWERS TO INSPECT THE WORK AS IT IS DONE AND MULTIPLE LOCALIZATION
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DELIVERED LARGE ROLLOUTS TO COUNTRIES THAT REQUIRED A TEAM OF MORE THAN
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THE RESOURCES AND EXPERIENCE TO HANDLE YOUR PROJECT
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-ULTI,INGUAL -AGAZINE 9OU HAVE SPOKEN TO YOUR COUNTERPARTS IN THE 3OCIETY FOR
4ECHNICAL #OMMUNICATION 9OU MAY HAVE EVEN CHECKED YOUR LOCAL TELEPHONE
DIRECTORY OR PERHAPS CONDUCTED A WEB SEARCH !ND AFTER COMPILING A LIST OF
POTENTIAL VENDORS YOU WANT TO HEAR WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR YOU
!S YOU BEGIN YOUR DISCUSSIONS MANY MORE QUESTIONS MAY BE POSED THAN
ANSWERS DELIVERED 5NDOUBTEDLY YOU WILL BE ASKED TO CLEARLY ARTICULATE YOUR
REQUIREMENTS AND PROVIDE ELECTRONIC SOURCE lLES FOR THE VENDORS TO ANALYZE
4HIS STAGE IS ALL ABOUT EXCHANGING INFORMATION 7HAT INFORMATION DOES YOUR
VENDOR NEED 7HAT INFORMATION DO YOU WANT BACK $EPENDING ON THE SIZE
OF YOUR PROJECT YOU MAY EVEN CONSIDER FOLLOWING A FORMAL 2&) REQUEST FOR
INFORMATION OR 2&1 REQUEST FOR QUOTE PROCESS 2EMEMBER ASSUMPTIONS
REPRESENT RISK FOR BOTH YOU AND THE VENDORS 3O THE MORE INFORMATION YOU
PROVIDE AND THE CLEARER AND MORE CONCISE YOUR INSTRUCTIONS THE MORE ACCURATE
THE ESTIMATE AND MORE REALISTIC THE PROJECT PLAN WILL BE IN RETURN
4O HELP DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN VENDORS MANY COMPANIES ASK FOR A SAMPLE
TRANSLATION AS PART OF THE BIDDING PROCESS 4HIS CAN BE A USEFUL TOOL IF YOUR
MATERIALS ARE HIGHLY TECHNICAL AND YOU WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE LOCALIZATION
PROVIDER IS QUALIlED TO HANDLE THE TRANSLATIONS WITH LINGUISTS THAT HAVE THE
APPROPRIATE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE ! WORD OF CAUTION SINCE LOCALIZATION
PROVIDERS WANT TO MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION THEY WILL MOST LIKELY USE THEIR BEST
LINGUIST TO TRANSLATE YOUR SAMPLE 5NFORTUNATELY IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY FOLLOW
THAT THE SAME LINGUIST WILL BE AVAILABLE OR UTILIZED IF THE VENDOR IS AWARDED
THE WORK
!SKING FOR REFERENCES CAN BE A FANTASTIC WAY TO EVALUATE AND COMPARE POTENTIAL
VENDORS !S WITH SAMPLE TRANSLATIONS YOU WILL ALMOST ASSUREDLY BE PROVIDED
WITH CONTACTS WHO WILL PROVIDE POSITIVE FEEDBACK SO YOUR OBJECTIVE SHOULD BE
TO GET A FEEL FOR THE STYLE AND STRENGTHS OF EACH VENDOR IN ORDER TO DETERMINE
WHICH ONE WILL BE THE BEST lT FOR YOUR COMPANY 3TART BY ASKING FOR COMPANIES
WHOSE PROJECTS WERE SIMILAR IN SIZE SCOPE AND TYPE TO YOURS 4HEN WHEN
SPEAKING WITH THE REFERENCES ASK THEM TO DESCRIBE THEIR EXPERIENCE WORKING
WITH THE VENDOR WHAT WAS HELPFUL HOW LONG DID THE PROJECTS TAKE AND HOW
WAS THE CUSTOMER SERVICE &IND OUT HOW LONG THE REFERENCES HAVE WORKED WITH
THE VENDOR 2ELIABILITY AND LONG
TERM CONSISTENCY WILL BE IMPORTANT FACTORS IN
YOUR SELECTION
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL ,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
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THAT EACH LOCALIZATION PROVIDER HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAY OF PRESENTING THEIR
ESTIMATE TO YOU 3OME VENDORS WILL RESPOND WITH A GREAT DEAL OF INFORMATION
DETAILING THE SPECIlC TASKS THEY PROPOSE TO PERFORM THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT THAT
IS REQUIRED AND A BUSINESS CASE FOR WHY THEY ARE THE BEST CHOICE TO PERFORM THE
WORK /THERS MAY ONLY SUBMIT A STANDARD FORM WITH MINIMAL DETAIL
,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL
4HE PROCESS THAT EACH VENDOR PROPOSES TO FOLLOW ON YOUR PROJECT THE NUMBER
OF LINGUISTIC AND 1! STEPS EMPLOYED THE QUALIlCATION AND LOCATION OF THE
RESOURCES AND THE TOOLS THAT THEY USE VARY SIGNIlCANTLY 4HESE DIFFERENCES
CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON COST "UT HOW DO YOU CHOOSE BETWEEN COMPETING
PROPOSALS WHEN ONE VENDORS ESTIMATE IS HIGHER FOR WHAT AMOUNTS TO
MORE EFFORT
/BTAIN THE BEST VALUE FOR YOUR DOLLAR BY MAKING AN APPLES
TO
APPLES COMPARISON
BUT BE FOREWARNED THIS IS EASIER SAID THAN DONE 3TANDARDIZING LOCALIZATION
ESTIMATES CAN BE DIFlCULT AND TIME CONSUMING !S WITH MOST THINGS IN LIFE
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR AND LOCALIZATION IS NO EXCEPTION 4AKE THE TIME TO
INVESTIGATE EACH VENDORS SERVICES THOROUGHLY "EGIN BY ASKING A POTENTIAL
VENDOR THESE QUESTIONS
% 7HAT SUBJECT MATTER AND INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE
% (OW DO YOU QUALIFY YOUR LINGUISTS
% 7HO WOULD MANAGE MY PROJECT WHERE WOULD THEY BE LOCATED AND WHAT
WOULD BE THE PROCESS
% )F REQUIRED WOULD YOU BE WILLING AND DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE STAFlNG A
PROJECT MANAGER ONSITE AT THE CLIENTS LOCATION
% (OW OFTEN WOULD ) RECEIVE STATUS REPORTS ON MY PROJECT AND WHAT
INFORMATION WOULD BE IN THEM
% 7HO WOULD BE MY PRIMARY CONTACT DURING THE PROJECT
% $O YOU USE STATE OF THE ART LOCALIZATION TOOLS AND IF SO WHICH ONES
% 7HEN ANALYZING MY ELECTRONIC SOURCE lLES DO YOU CALCULATE LEVERAGING
% (OW DO YOU CHARGE FOR REPETITIONS FUZZY MATCHES AND UNIQUE TEXT
% 7ILL YOU CREATE A 4- TRANSLATION MEMORY DATABASE AND WILL ) OWN IT
% (OW MANY PROJECTS LIKE MINE HAVE YOU MANAGED BEFORE
% #AN ) SPEAK WITH YOUR PREVIOUS CLIENTS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES
% (OW MANY LINGUISTIC STEPS WILL YOU PERFORM
% 7HAT IS YOUR 1! PROCESS
% (OW WOULD YOU DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN A TERMINOLOGY LIST SPECIlC TO MY
PROJECT
% 7OULD MY IN
COUNTRY TEAM BE ABLE TO SPEAK DIRECTLY WITH YOUR LINGUISTS IF
NECESSARY
% (OW WOULD CHANGES BE HANDLED DURING THE COURSE OF A PROJECT
% 7HAT IS YOUR RECORD FOR DELIVERING ON TIME
% )S YOUR ESTIMATE lRM OR IS IT SUBJECT TO CHANGE
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#HAPTER 0LANNING A 3UCCESSFUL ,OCALIZATION 0ROJECT
! QUALIlED LOCALIZATION VENDOR SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE AN ESTIMATE THAT IS
COMPREHENSIVE ACCURATE AND CLEARLY DElNED 4HE TABLE BELOW OFFERS A SAMPLE PRICING
STRUCTURE COVERING VARIOUS SERVICES AND HOW THEY MIGHT BE BILLED
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3ELECTING THE RIGHT LOCALIZATION PARTNER IS A CRITICAL COMPONENT TO THE OVERALL
SUCCESS OF YOUR EXPANSION INTO NEW INTERNATIONAL OR MULTILINGUAL MARKETS 4HE
VALUE OF DEVELOPING A LONG
TERM PARTNERSHIP CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED 3UCH A
RELATIONSHIP PROVIDES A MEANS FOR THE LOCALIZATION TEAM TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR COMPANY
CONSTITUENTS AND PRODUCTS AND TO UNDERSTAND YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS
INSIDE AND OUT /FTEN THIS RESULTS IN IMPROVED WORKmOWS SHORTER TIMELINES AND
LOWER COSTS FOR YOU 4HE BETTER YOUR PARTNER UNDERSTANDS YOU AND YOUR PRODUCT LINE
THE MORE SMOOTHLY THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS CAN PROCEED AND THE MORE EFFECTIVELY
PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS CAN BE lNE
TUNED 4HE LONG
TERM
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER IS ULTIMATELY THE BEST WAY
TO ACHIEVE COST
EFFECTIVE HIGH
QUALITY WORK FOR EACH AND EVERY PROJECT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0ROCESS IS +EY TO 3UCCESS
#HAPTER
0ROCESS IS +EY TO 3UCCESS
7HAT CONSTITUTES A SUCCESSFUL LOCALIZATION PROJECT &OR THE CLIENT IT PROBABLY
MEANS RECEIVING HIGH QUALITY DELIVERABLES ON TIME AND ON BUDGET OR EVEN
BETTER EARLY AND UNDER BUDGET &OR THE LOCALIZATION PROVIDER IT SHOULD
MEAN PRODUCING PROlTABLE HIGH QUALITY DELIVERABLES ON TIME EVERY TIME
4HE SIMILARITY OF GOALS FOR BOTH THE CLIENT AND THE VENDOR IS CLEAR AND THIS
TO 3UCCESS
0ROCESS IS +EY
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PROCESS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
4O REMAIN COMPETITIVE IN THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE OR PERHAPS MORE
APPROPRIATELY THE ONLINE MARKETPLACE COMPANIES ARE LOCALIZING MORE
PRODUCTS AND MATERIALS THAN EVER 4O EFFECTIVELY MANAGE AND ENSURE CONSISTENT
HIGH
QUALITY RESULTS YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR NEEDS WELL
DElNED PROCESSES
AND WORKmOWS 4RANSLATIONS USED TO BE SIMPLE THE CLIENT WROTE A TECHNICAL
PUBLICATION SENT IT OUT TO A LOCALIZATION VENDOR AND RECEIVED THE TARGET
LANGUAGE VERSIONS SOME WEEKS LATER 4ODAY COMPANIES OF ALL SIZES REALIZE THAT
THEY CAN GROW INCREASE REVENUE AND MAXIMIZE THE RETURN ON THEIR LOCALIZATION
INVESTMENT BY COMMUNICATING WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS IN THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE IN
AS MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AS POSSIBLE INCLUDING
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WHEN TRANSLATING YOUR MATERIALS 3OME EMPLOY A SINGLE
STEP OTHERS TWO AND THE BEST THREE 6ENDORS ALSO HAVE
A CHOICE WHEN SELECTING THE LINGUISTS WHO WILL PERFORM
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0ROCESS IS +EY TO 3UCCESS
THE TRANSLATIONS 3OME TRY TO SAVE COSTS BY HIRING COLLEGE STUDENTS OR OTHER
NON
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EXTRA BUCKS WORKING PART
TIME IN THE EVENING /THERS EMPLOY ON
SITE LINGUISTS
OR FORM LONG
TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH IN
COUNTRY LANGUAGE PROFESSIONALS
WHO WORK FULL TIME AT THEIR CHOSEN PROFESSION &INALLY THE QUALITY ASSURANCE
REVIEWS PERFORMED BY LOCALIZATION PROVIDERS MAY BE NON
EXISTENT MINIMAL OR
THOROUGH WITH THE BEST ONES UTILIZING REGRESSION CHECKS AND OTHER STATISTICAL
PROCEDURES
!T ,INGO 3YSTEMS A TYPICAL DOCUMENTATION PROJECT WILL INCLUDE PROCESS
STEPS AND EVEN SIMPLE PROJECTS HAVE AT LEAST SEPARATE STEPS "ECAUSE NO
TWO PROJECTS ARE THE SAME THERE IS NO ONE STANDARD WORKmOW THAT CAN BE
$AN 2OTH
APPLIED )NSTEAD WE CUSTOMIZE THE ACTUAL NUMBER AND TYPE OF STEPS DURING THE
/PERATIONS -ANAGER PLANNING PHASE TO ENSURE THAT CLIENTS RECEIVE THE BEST SOLUTION BASED ON THEIR
REQUIREMENTS AND BUDGET
9OGI "ERRA SAID h)F YOU COME
TO A FORK IN THE ROAD TAKE ITv 4HE STEPS WE PERFORM FALL WITHIN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING EIGHT DISCIPLINES %ACH IS
) LIKE THAT -AKE A DECISION A UNIQUE SPECIALIZATION THAT IS IDEALLY PERFORMED BY SKILLED PROFESSIONALS WHO
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,INGO 3YSTEMS ) WORK WITH A % 0ROJECT -ANAGEMENT
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4HE NEED TO EFFECTIVELY COORDINATE AND EXECUTE THESE TASKS IS WHY PROCESS IS THE KEY
TO SUCCESS ! GOOD VENDOR WILL HAVE WELL DOCUMENTED AND PROVEN PROCESSES FOR ALL
TYPES OF PROJECTS AND lLES DOCUMENTATION SOFTWARE HELP ANIMATED MOVIES WITH
VOICE OVERS ETC 3UCH PROCESSES PROMOTE COST EFFECTIVENESS CONSISTENCY QUALITY
AND mEXIBILITY
#OSTS ARE CONTROLLED BECAUSE EACH MEMBER OF THE TEAM IS CLEAR ON THE TASKS THEY
NEED TO COMPLETE AND THE TIMEFRAME ALLOTTED TO DO SO #ONSISTENCY IS ACHIEVED
BECAUSE ASSIGNED TASKS ARE EXECUTED ACCORDING TO THE REQUIRED STANDARDS THE SAME
WAY EACH TIME !ND PERHAPS MOST IMPORTANTLY BY HAVING A DOCUMENTED PLAN
THERE IS A RELIABLE STARTING POINT FOR PROBLEM
SOLVING AND ADAPTING TO A VARIETY OF
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
4ECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS PLAY AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ROLE IN LOCALIZATION
WORKmOWS 7HETHER YOUR COMPANY IS IN THE &ORTUNE OR A GRASS
ROOTS START
UP CHOOSE A LOCALIZATION VENDOR THAT USES ADVANCED LOCALIZATION TECHNOLOGY
TO HELP YOU CUT COSTS IMPROVE CONSISTENCY AND QUALITY AND INCREASE LONG
TERM
VALUE BY PROPERLY MAINTAINING YOUR TRANSLATION ASSETS !UTOMATED WORKmOWS
#-3 INTEGRATION AND CUSTOMIZATION AND SINGLE
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ENABLED ACCESS CAN
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DRASTICALLY REDUCE TIME
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4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0ROCESS IS +EY TO 3UCCESS
!S MORE CONTENT IS TRANSLATED TRANSLATION MEMORIES AND TERMINOLOGY
MANAGEMENT BECOME LARGER AND MORE COMPLEX AND FORM CRITICAL COMPONENTS
IN THE PROCESS -ULTILINGUAL TERMINOLOGY lLES AND GLOSSARIES ARE THE FOUNDATION
OF TRANSLATION MEMORIES 4OGETHER THESE COMPONENTS ARE THE CENTERPIECE OF
A COMPANYS LOCALIZED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY %NSURE THAT YOUR VENDOR HAS THE
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN AND PROTECT THESE VALUABLE
ASSETS 0LAN AHEAD AND VERIFY THAT THE VENDOR YOU CHOOSE HAS THE RESOURCES
TO MEET YOUR FUTURE NEEDS AND THE EXPERTISE TO USE THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND
SPECIALIZED TOOLS TO MAKE YOUR LOCALIZATION PROJECTS A SUCCESS
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WORKING ON YOUR PROJECT AND SIMILARLY COMMUNICATE ISSUES THEY IDENTIFY BACK
TO YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES
4YPICALLY EMPLOYEES FROM BOTH THE CLIENT AND THE LOCALIZATION PROVIDER
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COMMUNICATION CONDUIT -OST OFTEN THE CLIENT SIDE HAS A KEY CONTACT PERSON
THAT FUNCTIONS AS AN IN
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SOFTWARE ENGINEERS DESKTOP PUBLISHERS QUALITY ASSURANCE SPECIALISTS AND
LINGUISTS !NY ISSUES RAISED BY A MEMBER OF THE LOCALIZATION TEAM ARE FUNNELED
BACK TO THE CLIENT BY THE 0- FOR RESOLUTION
#LEARLY COMMUNICATE YOUR EXPECTED DELIVERY DATES DELIVERY FORMAT AND MEDIA
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT 3IMILARLY YOUR LOCALIZATION TEAM SHOULD
CONlRM THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR REQUIREMENTS TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE IS
ON THE SAME PAGE /N MANY PROJECTS THE LOCALIZATION PROVIDER DETERMINES THE
TIMELINE AT THE PROJECT START BASED UPON YOUR SPECIlCATIONS AND THE AVAILABILITY
OF LINGUISTIC AND TECHNICAL RESOURCES )N THIS SITUATION THE 0- SHOULD ALSO
CONlRM THE DELIVERY DATE WITH YOU SO THAT YOUR EXPECTATIONS ARE MET
2EMEMBER 9OU KNOW YOUR PRODUCT BETTER THAN ANYONE SO COMMUNICATE AS
MUCH INFORMATION AS POSSIBLE TO YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR BEFORE YOUR PROJECT
STARTS 4HIS INCLUDES ANYTHING THAT MAY BE HELPFUL FOR TRANSLATORS TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND YOUR PRODUCT SUCH AS EXISTING GLOSSARIES TERMINOLOGY LISTS OR
PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS
"EYOND THE EFFECTIVE TRANSFER OF INFORMATION BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR PROJECT
MANAGER CLEARLY DElNED STATUS REPORTS ANDOR REPORTING ANALYTICS SHOULD BE
GIVEN TO YOU BY YOUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER 3TATUS REPORTS CAN BE AS INFORMAL
AS AN EMAIL OR AS FORMAL AS A POSTED REPORT VIA A USER INTERFACE ON A WEBSITE
2EQUEST SUMMARY REPORTS THAT MEET YOUR SPECIlC NEEDS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0ROCESS IS +EY TO 3UCCESS
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4HE 0- ASSIGNED BY YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR COORDINATES ALL RESOURCES
MONITORS PROGRESS TROUBLESHOOTS ISSUES AND PROVIDES NECESSARY INFORMATION
FOR ALL RESOURCES TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE THE PROJECT ON TIME )N ADDITION
THE 0- INFORMS YOU OF THE STATUS OF YOUR PROJECT BASED ON YOUR REQUESTED
METHOD AND FREQUENCY !SIDE FROM THESE STATUS REPORTS YOU MAY NOT HEAR A
LOT FROM YOUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER $O NOT BE ALARMED 2EST ASSURED THAT THE
LOCALIZATION TEAM IS HARD AT WORK COMPLETING YOUR PROJECT
)N ,INGO 3YSTEMS VIEW A HIGH QUALITY TRANSLATION PROCESS SHOULD INVOLVE THREE
$IANA *OYCE DISTINCT LINGUISTIC STEPS TRANSLATION COPYEDITING AND PROOFREADING $EPENDING
ON YOUR WORD COUNT THIS COULD BE AS SHORT AS A COUPLE OF DAYS OR AS LONG AS
!CCOUNT -ANAGER
SEVERAL MONTHS .OTE THAT SOME PROVIDERS MAY TRY TO COMBINE THE TRANSLATION
AND COPYEDITING PHASES INTO A SINGLE STEP 4HIS CAN REDUCE COSTS AND SHORTEN
) WAS BORN IN SUNNY 3OUTHERN
TIMELINES BUT IT RISKS LOWERING QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY "E SURE YOU KNOW HOW
#ALIFORNIA WHERE ) WAS
MANY STEPS YOUR PROVIDER WILL PERFORM AND BE CERTAIN TO DOCUMENT IT IN YOUR
RAISED ON FAMILY FOOTBALL CONTRACT OR WORK ORDER
AND FOOD -Y ROOTS ARE NOW
lRMLY PLANTED AMONG THE !FTER TRANSLATION YOUR LOCALIZATION TEAM SENDS YOUR lLES THROUGH DESKTOP
/REGON TREES AND MY TRUE PUBLISHING ENGINEERING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE STAGES 4HE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
INTERESTS ARE IN THE LANGUAGE
INVOLVED AND THE TYPE OF WORK DONE TO YOUR lLES IS PREDICATED ON THE TYPE
BASED WORK ) HAVE HAD THE OF MATERIALS BEING LOCALIZED ! SMALL MARKETING mYER TRANSLATED INTO A SINGLE
OPPORTUNITY TO DO OVER THE LANGUAGE WOULD LIKELY REQUIRE A SIX
PERSON TEAM THREE LINGUISTS ONE EACH
LAST YEARS WITH HEARING FOR TRANSLATION COPYEDITING AND PROOFREADING A DESKTOP PUBLISHER A QUALITY
IMPAIRED CHILDREN 4HE ASSURANCE SPECIALIST AND THE 0-
COMMUNICATION CHALLENGES
!LTERNATIVELY A LARGE OPERATORS MANUAL TRANSLATED INTO MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
OF PARENTING TEACHING AND
WILL REQUIRE A MUCH LARGER AND COMPLEX TEAM $EPENDING ON THE WORD COUNT
ADVOCATING FOR CHILDREN WITH TIMELINE AND NUMBER OF LANGUAGES YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR MAY ASSEMBLE
MILD TO PROFOUND HEARING LOSS MULTIPLE TRANSLATORS AND EDITORS TO PROCESS THE WORD COUNT MORE QUICKLY WHILE
MAKES A GREAT TRANSITION INTO STILL USING A SINGLE PROOFREADER WHO ACTS AS A GATEKEEPER FOR CONSISTENCY AND
THE WORLD OF TRANSLATION AND QUALITY )N ADDITION TO THE LINGUISTS THERE MAY BE SEVERAL TEAMS OF DESKTOP
LOCALIZATION PUBLISHERS LAYING OUT THE PAGES OF THE MANUAL TWO THREE FOUR OR MORE 1!
REVIEWERS WHO WILL INSPECT THE WORK AS IT IS DONE AND THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE
LOCALIZATION ENGINEERS PROCESSING AND PREPARING ALL THE lLES FOR EACH STEP !LL OF
THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE COORDINATED BY A KEY CENTRAL lGURE THE 0-
!S YOU CAN SEE DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF PROJECT THERE MAY ONLY BE A HANDFUL
OF PEOPLE WHO TOUCH YOUR PROJECT OR A WHOLE ARMADA !T ,INGO 3YSTEMS
WE HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO SIMULTANEOUSLY ROLL OUT TRANSLATIONS IN OR MORE
LANGUAGES REQUIRING TEAMS OF MORE THAN PROFESSIONALS 2EGARDLESS OF THE
TYPE OF PROJECT OR THE SIZE OF THE TEAM IT IS IMPORTANT TO SELECT A VENDOR WITH
AN ESTABLISHED EFFECTIVE FORMALIZED PROCESS THAT IS ALWAYS FOLLOWED TO ENSURE
GOOD COMMUNICATION QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY
! GOOD PROCESS CAN ALSO MITIGATE DISRUPTION IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE OR MODIFY
THE SOURCE DOCUMENT AFTER A PROJECT HAS ALREADY STARTED (OWEVER THERE ARE
SEVERAL IMPORTANT ISSUES TO KEEP IN MIND &REQUENT CHANGES DURING THE COURSE
OF A PROJECT CAN BE EXPENSIVE AND CAN SEVERELY IMPACT THE ORIGINAL TIMELINE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 0ROCESS IS +EY TO 3UCCESS
)N THE EVENT THAT CHANGES ARE REQUIRED MID PROJECT CLEARLY COMMUNICATE
THE DETAILS OF THESE CHANGES SO THAT YOUR 0- CAN QUICKLY INCORPORATE THEM
INTO THE lNAL PRODUCT #HANGES TO THE ORIGINAL PROJECT SCOPE MAY CAUSE AN
INCREASE IN LOCALIZATION COSTS ANDOR A DELAY IN DELIVERY (AVE YOUR LOCALIZATION
PROVIDER SUBMIT AN ESTIMATE FOR EACH NEW CHANGE SUBJECT TO YOUR APPROVAL
4HIS ESTIMATE SHOULD ADDRESS BOTH ADDITIONAL COSTS AND ANY DELIVERY DATE
ADJUSTMENTS THAT MAY BE NECESSARY PRIOR TO INCORPORATING THE CHANGES
&RPSOHWLQJWKH3URMHFW
TO 3UCCESS
0ROCESS IS +EY
&OR MANY PROJECTS AN IN
COUNTRY REVIEW )#2 STEP IS PERFORMED BEFORE THE
lNAL lLES ARE DELIVERED 4HIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ONE OF YOUR COLLEAGUES OR
BUSINESS PARTNERS IN THE TARGET MARKET TO REVIEW THE LOCALIZED lLES AND PROVIDE
EXPERT FEEDBACK TO YOUR VENDOR !N )#2 ACCOMPLISHES SEVERAL THINGS PRIOR
TO RELEASE IT PUTS THE lLES IN FRONT OF AN EXPERT WITH lRST
HAND KNOWLEDGE OF
THE MATERIAL IT CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN BUY
IN FROM YOUR INTERNATIONAL
PARTNERS AND IT CAN INCREASE YOUR CONlDENCE IN THE QUALITY OF YOUR VENDORS
WORK 2EAD MORE ABOUT THESE IN
COUNTRY REVIEWS IN #HAPTER
&EEDBACK TO THE LOCALIZATION VENDOR IS AN IMPORTANT CLOSING STEP TO EVERY
PROJECT "Y COMMUNICATING TO YOUR PROVIDER THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EVENTS
YOU EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT THE LIFE OF THE PROJECT PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS
CAN BE MADE THAT WILL HELP IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF FUTURE DELIVERABLES /FFER A
CANDID CRITIQUE OF AREAS WHERE YOUR VENDOR FAILED TO MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS
AND PRAISE FOR TASKS WELL DONE
0ROCESS IS CLEARLY IMPORTANT ! LOT OF TIME MONEY AND RESOURCES GO INTO A
LOCALIZATION PROJECT SO THE MORE YOU LEVERAGE THE RESOURCES OF A QUALIlED
VENDOR WITH AN ESTABLISHED PROCESS THE MORE LIKELY YOULL BE SATISlED WITH THE
OUTCOME "Y USING A WELL DOCUMENTED AND PROVEN PROCESS YOUR LOCALIZATION
PROVIDER WILL HAVE THE FRAMEWORK AND CONTROLS IN PLACE TO ENSURE A POSITIVE
EXPERIENCE FOR YOU 0ROCESS REALLY IS THE KEY TO MAKING SURE YOU RECEIVE THE
HIGHEST QUALITY LOCALIZATION SERVICE
7HEN 0ARKER 0EN MARKETED A BALL
POINT PEN IN -EXICO
ITS ADS WERE SUPPOSED TO SAY h)T WONT LEAK IN YOUR
POCKET AND EMBARRASS YOUv (OWEVER THE COMPANY
MISTAKENLY THOUGHT THE 3PANISH WORD hEMBARAZARv
MEANT EMBARRASS )NSTEAD THE ADS SAID THAT h)T WONT
LEAK IN YOUR POCKET AND MAKE YOU PREGNANTv
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
#HAPTER
/BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY
4RANSLATIONS
)N THE GLOBAL NETWORK OF LOCALIZATION THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF VENDORS AGENCIES
AND LINGUISTS ALL CLAIMING THAT hQUALITY IS JOB ONEv .O DOUBT YOU HAVE HEARD
THAT TAGLINE BEFORE "UT WHAT IS QUALITY (AS IT BEEN REDUCED TO LITTLE MORE
THAN A TIRED MARKETING PHRASE 0ERHAPS BUT THERE ARE QUANTIlABLE METHODS FOR
*OSEPH 3TARNES ASSESSING QUALITY SO THAT IT BECOMES EMPIRICAL AND NOT ETHEREAL )N THIS CHAPTER
3ENIOR 0ROJECT -ANAGER WE OUTLINE THE STEPS AND STRATEGIES YOU CAN AND SHOULD EMPLOY TO ENSURE THE
!CCOUNT -ANAGER HIGHEST LINGUISTIC QUALITY FOR YOUR LOCALIZATION PROJECT
7HAT 0ICASSO IS TO PAINTING 3O JUST WHAT DOES QUALITY MEAN WHEN IT COMES TO LOCALIZATION 3OME PEOPLE
WHAT 7HITMAN IS TO POETRY TRANSLATE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PROPER WAY TO INSTALL A DElBRILLATING DEVICE IN A
PATIENTS CHEST /THERS TRANSLATE MATERIALS THAT WILL BE USED ONLY ONCE DURING A
WHAT -OZART IS TO MUSIC
TRAINING CLASS !ND A FEW JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE EMAIL FROM THEIR 4URKISH
HE IS TO LOCALIZATION 0ROJECT
DISTRIBUTOR SAYS &ROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT EACH OF THESE SCENARIOS REQUIRES
-ANAGEMENT 4IGER ,ANCE
A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF QUALITY 4O DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL FOR YOUR PROJECT
3HAQ -ANTLE %ACH REQUIRED lRST IDENTIFY WHAT YOUR NEEDS ARE HOW YOUR MATERIALS WILL BE USED AND WHO
JUST ONE NAME .OW SO DOES YOUR AUDIENCE IS 4HEN COMMUNICATE YOUR REQUIREMENTS TO YOUR VENDOR SO THAT
HE 3TARNES *OSEPH 3TARNES THEY CAN DELIVER THE QUALITY THAT YOU WANT AND NEED /NCE YOU HAVE DElNED IT
7IND POWERED CROSSING OF THE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ASK FOR IT AND THEN YOU WILL KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT
!TLANTIC 3OLO ASCENTS IN THE
!NDES 2EVOLUTIONIZING 0ROJECT 4HE QUALITY OF YOUR lNAL LOCALIZED DELIVERABLE IS LARGELY DEPENDENT UPON THE
-ANAGEMENT !ND THATS QUALITY OF THE ORIGINAL SOURCE TEXT 4O PUT IT ANOTHER WAY hGARBAGE IN GARBAGE
JUST HIS DAY JOB 9OU DONT OUTv ! POORLY WRITTEN SOURCE DOCUMENT WILL APPEAR AS A POORLY TRANSLATED
BELIEVE ME )T HAS TO BE TRUE TARGET DOCUMENT REGARDLESS OF THE QUALITY OF THE TRANSLATION
7IKIPEDIA SAYS SO
"EFORE YOUR SOURCE MATERIALS EVER GO TO TRANSLATION THEY SHOULD BE hLOCALIZATION
READYv 4HE EASIEST WAY TO ENSURE THIS IS TO DEVELOP THEM WITH LOCALIZATION IN
MIND )F YOUR TECHNICAL WRITERS NEED ASSISTANCE PUT THEM IN TOUCH WITH YOUR
LOCALIZATION VENDOR !LTERNATIVELY IF THE MATERIALS HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEVELOPED
YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR CAN ASSIST WITH INTERNATIONALIZING THEM %ITHER WAY YOU
WILL HAVE SOURCE MATERIALS THAT ARE READY TO BE TRANSLATED THE RIGHT WAY 4HIS IS THE
lRST STEP TOWARD OBTAINING QUALITY TRANSLATIONS /THER IMPORTANT STEPS INVOLVE
% 3TYLE GUIDELINES
% ! GLOSSARY IN THE SOURCE LANGUAGE
% ! TERMINOLOGY LIST IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE
% 3ELECTION OF LINGUISTS
% 5SE OF A THREE
STEP TRANSLATION PROCESS AND
% )N
COUNTRY REVIEW
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
6W\OHJXLGHOLQHV
3TYLE GUIDELINES OR STYLE SHEETS ARE A LIST OF SPECIlC hRULESv FOR THE LINGUIST
TO FOLLOW DURING THE TRANSLATION PROCESS 9OU MAY ALREADY HAVE CORPORATE
STYLE GUIDELINES THAT CAN BE ADAPTED FOR USE DURING TRANSLATION )F YOU DO NOT
HAVE THEM YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR CAN HELP YOU CREATE THEM *UST ASK 3TYLE
GUIDELINES TYPICALLY ADDRESS THE FOLLOWING ISSUES
% $ESIRED TONE FORMAL VS CONVERSATIONAL OF THE LOCALIZED DOCUMENTATION
% ,IST OF TERMS THAT SHOULD BE TRANSLATED AND THOSE THAT SHOULD NOT $O .OT
4RANSLATE ,IST
1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
/BTAINING .ATIVE
% 2ULES FOR CAPITALIZATION SPELLING OF NUMBERS PUNCTUATION AND ACCENT
MARKS
% 4RANSLATION OF TITLES AND SUBTITLES
% #ONVERSION OF MEASUREMENTS
% ,IST OF DOS AND DONgTS
% 5SE OF ABBREVIATIONS AND
% #ULTURAL CONVENTIONS CONSIDERATIONS AND TABOOS
3TYLE GUIDELINES DEVELOPED IN CONSENSUS WITH ALL STAKEHOLDERS HELP CREATE HIGH
QUALITY DOCUMENTS APPROPRIATE FOR THE END USER FOR MEETING COMPANY AND COUNTRY
STANDARDS AND FOR MAINTAINING GEOGRAPHIC AND CULTURAL SUITABILITY
*ORVVDU\
! GLOSSARY IS A LIST OF WORDS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE DElNITIONS THAT EXPLAIN DIFlCULT
TECHNICAL PRODUCT
SPECIlC COMPANY
SPECIlC OR INDUSTRY
SPECIlC TERMS
4YPICALLY THE GLOSSARY IS PREPARED AT THE START OF THE PROJECT BY TECHNICAL WRITERS
OR SOFTWARE ENGINEERS TO HELP GUIDE THE LINGUIST IN UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING
AND CONTEXT FOR EACH OF THE SPECIALIZED TERMS SO THAT THEY CAN IN TURN SELECT THE
BEST TRANSLATION )N MOST CASES JUST THE TERMS ARE TRANSLATED NOT THE DElNITIONS
UNLESS THEY APPEAR IN THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT /NCE CLIENT REPRESENTATIVES
HAVE APPROVED THE LIST OF TRANSLATED GLOSSARY TERMS IT FORMS THE BASIS OF THE
TERMINOLOGY LIST
7HUPLQRORJ\OLVW
! TERMINOLOGY LIST AND ITS TRANSLATIONS CONTAINS THE MOST IMPORTANT TERMS
FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIALS 4HESE TERMS MAY BE DERIVED FROM A VARIETY
OF SOURCES
% 4HE GLOSSARY DEVELOPED BY THE TECHNICAL WRITER OF THE SOURCE DOCUMENT
% 4HE ALREADY LOCALIZED USER INTERFACE TERMINOLOGY OF MAJOR SOFTWARE
DEVELOPERS EG -ICROSOFT
% 3OFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION THAT THE CLIENT MAY HAVE PREVIOUSLY LOCALIZED
% /THER LOCALIZED RESOURCE MATERIALS SUCH AS MARKETING COLLATERAL AND
PRODUCT LISTS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
% #OMPANY STANDARDS SUCH AS PART NUMBERS TECHNICAL AND PRODUCT SUPPORT
INFORMATION WARRANTIES LICENSE AGREEMENTS COPYRIGHTS REFERENCES TO OTHER
SOFTWARE PROGRAMS PRODUCT NAMES BRAND NAMES AND NON
TRANSLATED
TERMS AND
% #OUNTRY STANDARDS FOR EXPRESSING FUNCTIONAL OR CULTURAL DICTATES SUCH AS
PUBLISHING STANDARDS SORTING OF LISTS ABBREVIATIONS TIME DATES HOLIDAYS
CURRENCY AND MEASUREMENTS
4HERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO CREATE A TERMINOLOGY LIST 9OU OR SOMEONE IN YOUR
COMPANY MAY PUT IT TOGETHER BASED ON EXPERTISE WITH THE MATERIAL )F YOU OPT
TO HAVE YOUR VENDOR COMPILE THE LIST THEY CAN USE EITHER A MANUAL PROCESS OR
ONE OF SEVERAL AUTOMATED TOOLS TO IDENTIFY THE KEY TERMS !NOTHER OPTION IS
2ANIA !YOUB TO HAVE A LINGUIST DEVELOP AND TRANSLATE THE LIST SIMULTANEOUSLY 4AKE CAUTION
$40 3PECIALIST HOWEVER WHEN DOING THIS FOR MORE THAN ONE LANGUAGE )F SEPARATE LINGUISTS ARE
CREATING LISTS FOR SEVERAL LANGUAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY CHANCES ARE YOU WILL END UP
&ROM THE FEROCITY OF THE .ILE WITH TERMINOLOGY LISTS OF VARYING QUALITY AND COMPLETENESS
CROCODILE TO THE MILDNESS
OF THE /REGON BEAVERS ) 2EGARDLESS OF HOW THE TERMINOLOGY LIST IS DEVELOPED IT NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED
COME FROM A LAND FARAWAY AND APPROVED BY A COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE BEFORE BEING USED 4HE LIST IS ONLY
AS GOOD AS THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS AND ALL STAKEHOLDERS NEED TO BE
) REMEMBER BEING BORED
IN FULL AGREEMENT REGARDING THE TERMS AND TRANSLATIONS ON THE LIST PRIOR TO
EVERY TIME WE HAD A SCHOOL
THE PROJECT START )F A DISPUTE ARISES OVER THE TRANSLATION OF A KEY TERM LATER IN
TRIP TO THE 0YRAMIDS AND
THE PROJECT IT COULD HAVE A SEVERE IMPACT ON BUDGET TIMELINE AND OF COURSE
NOT LISTENING TO ANY OF THE QUALITY
TOUR GUIDES 7HEN ) GET
ASKED SOMETHING LIKE h3O /NCE APPROVED THE TERMINOLOGY LIST BECOMES THE BASIS OF THE INITIAL TRANSLATION
MEMORY SEE #HAPTER FOR A DETAILED DISCUSSION OF 4-gS AND IS USED BY ALL
WHATS THE SIGNIlCANCE OF THE
LINGUISTS INVOLVED IN THE TRANSLATION PHASE )F ANY ADDITIONS DELETIONS OR
3PHINX v ) THINK TO MYSELF
MODIlCATIONS TO THE TERMINOLOGY LIST ARE NECESSARY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT ONCE
h4HAT OLD TOUR GUIDE WAS
AGAIN ALL INVESTED PARTIES SIGN OFF ON THEM 2EMEMBER SINCE THIS LIST CONTAINS
SAYING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS THE KEY TERMINOLOGY FOR YOUR PROJECT BE CERTAIN EVERYONE AGREES IT IS RIGHT
IN @ ) WISH ) PAID ATTENTIONv
3O IF YOU NEED TO TRANSLATE TO 7HAT IF YOU DECIDE NOT TO DEVELOP A TERMINOLOGY LIST )N SOME CASES THAT IS
THE RIGHT DECISION FOR THE LEVEL OF QUALITY REQUIRED ON A PROJECT )F YOU ARE ONLY
!RABIC )M HAPPY TO HELP )F
TRANSLATING AN EMAIL FOR COMPREHENSION THEN A TERMINOLOGY LIST IS PROBABLY NOT
YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT
NEEDED "UT IF THIS IS YOUR CORPORATE WEBSITE INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO INSTALL AND
ANCIENT %GYPTIAN HISTORY )LL
USE YOUR NEW PRODUCT OR TRAINING STEPS FOR NEW 3!0 PROCEDURES NOT DEVELOPING A
GRAB THE ENCYCLOPEDIA TERMINOLOGY LIST COULD BE A COSTLY AND CRITICAL MISTAKE
5NFORTUNATELY PREPARING A TERMINOLOGY LIST DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOUR LINGUIST
CAN SIMPLY ACCEPT THE APPROVED TRANSLATION EACH TIME THE KEY TERM APPEARS 4HE
TRANSLATION OF CERTAIN TERMS CAN VARY DEPENDING ON THE CONTEXT EG WHETHER
THEY REFER TO SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE OR WHETHER THEY ARE BEING USED IN A FORMAL
INFORMAL OR IMPERATIVE FORM &URTHER SOME TERMS DO NOT TRANSLATE WELL AND
ARE BETTER LEFT IN %NGLISH OTHER TERMS ARE BETTER ABBREVIATED ! TERMINOLOGY LIST
IS NOT JUST ANOTHER WAY FOR YOUR VENDOR TO CHARGE FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES
! TERMINOLOGY LIST FORMS THE BACKBONE OF YOUR TRANSLATION PROJECTS DIRECTLY
CONTRIBUTING TO YOUR PROJECTS CONSISTENCY AND QUALITYFROM YOUR lRST PROJECT
TO THE ONES MONTHS AND YEARS DOWN THE ROAD 9OU SHOULD CONSIDER THE PROS
AND CONS OF HAVING OR NOT HAVING A TERMINOLOGY LIST AND BE READY TO BUILD INTO
YOUR SCHEDULE THE NECESSARY TIME AND BUDGET TO DEVELOP ONE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
3OME OF THE DIRECT QUANTIlABLE GAINS IN QUALITY THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED BY USING A
TERMINOLOGY LIST INCLUDE
% 4HE TRANSLATOR COPY EDITOR AND PROOFREADER ALL USE THE SAME INDUSTRY SPECIlC
TERMINOLOGY THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT AND OVER ALL PROJECT COMPONENTS
% #ONSISTENCY OF ABBREVIATIONS PRODUCT NAMES NON
TRANSLATED TERMS AND
MEASUREMENTS
% #ONSISTENCY BETWEEN COUNTRY AND COMPANY STANDARDS
% ,OCAL IE IN
COUNTRY SUITABILITY AND
% #ONSENSUS AMONG CLIENT DISTRIBUTOR AND LOCALIZATION PROVIDER
([DPSOHVLQ6SDQLVK
1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
/BTAINING .ATIVE
!GREEMENT ON TERMINOLOGY
h#ONGRATULATIONSv CAN BE TRANSLATED CORRECTLY INTO &ELICITACIONES OR
%NHORABUENA
,OCAL SUITABILITY
h#ONGRATULATIONSv AS WELL AS h7ELCOME TOxv ARE FREQUENTLY USED IN USER
MANUALS TO INTRODUCE A NEW PRODUCT 3HOULD THE 3PANISH AUDIENCE BE ADDRESSED
IN THIS RATHER COLLOQUIAL !MERICAN WAY )S THERE A MORE FORMAL WAY TO ADDRESS THE
USER OR SHOULD THIS GREETING NOT BE USED AT ALL
!BBREVIATION
5+ 2EINO 5NIDO 5NITED +INGDOM
)N ALL CASES THE ABBREVIATION IS WRITTEN lRST WITH THE NAME FOR WHICH IT STANDS
WRITTEN IN PARENTHESES (OWEVER THERE APPEARS TO BE NO SET STANDARD ON THE
PLACEMENT OF THE TRANSLATED TEXT #LIENT AND LOCALIZATION VENDOR NEED TO AGREE IF
THE TRANSLATED TEXT SHOULD BE PLACED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ABBREVIATION OR AFTER
THE NAME FOR WHICH IT STANDS
([DPSOHVLQ-DSDQHVH
$EPENDING ON THE PLATFORM COMMANDS AND BUTTONS ARE TRANSLATED DIFFERENTLY
3AVE !S 別名保存 名前を付けて保存
#UT 切り取り カット
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$EPENDING ON THE CONTEXT AN %NGLISH WORD CAN BE TRANSLATED INTO MULTIPLE TERMS
IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE
!DDRESS アドレス、住所
4ITLE 題名、タイトル、呼称
#LASS クラス、級、レベル
4IME 時間、タイム
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
/N THE OTHER HAND SOMETIMES MULTIPLE TERMS IN %NGLISH CAN BE TRANSLATED INTO
A SINGLE TERM IN *APANESE
4ALL 高い
(IGH 高い
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0RETENSIOUS 高い
3OME WORDS AND ABBREVIATIONS BY CONVENTION STAY IN %NGLISH
LPI LINES PER INCH
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([DPSOHVLQ*HUPDQ
6ARIATION BETWEEN SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE TECHNOLOGY
h3ETUPv IS TRANSLATED INTO %INRICHTEN IF THE TERM REFERS TO SETTING UP THE
SOFTWARE AND !NSCHLIEEN IF THE TERM REFERS TO SETTING UP A PERIPHERAL DEVICE
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)N PROJECTS WHERE THE DOCUMENTATION IS TRANSLATED BUT THE USER INTERFACE STAYS
IN %NGLISH THERE SHOULD BE AN AGREEMENT ABOUT WHETHER THE %NGLISH TERM IS
FOLLOWED BY THE LOCALIZED TERM IN PARENTHESES OR VICE
VERSA
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3CHLIEEN 3IE DEN $RUCKER AN DEN #OMPUTER AN
/R IN THE IMPERATIVE VOICE
$RUCKER AN DEN #OMPUTER ANSCHLIEEN
/R IN THE PASSIVE VOICE
$ER $RUCKER MUSS AN DEN #OMPUTER ANGESCHLOSSEN WERDEN
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
/LQJXLVW6HOHFWLRQ
0ROFESSIONAL TRANSLATIONS REQUIRE PROFESSIONAL LINGUISTS )T IS REALLY THAT SIMPLE
/N AN ABSTRACT LEVEL MOST PEOPLE INTUITIVELY UNDERSTAND THAT A PROFESSIONAL
LINGUIST WILL PRODUCE HIGHER QUALITY TRANSLATIONS THAN AN EMPLOYEE WHO
HAPPENS TO SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OR A PART
TIME COLLEGE STUDENT TRYING TO EARN
A FEW BUCKS ON THE SIDE 4HEY ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT AS WITH ALL PROFESSIONS
NOT ALL LINGUISTS HAVE EQUAL SKILLS OR SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE .EVERTHELESS
THE ALLURE OF SAVING A FEW DOLLARS IS HARD TO IGNORE 4IME AND AGAIN A NATIVE
*APANESE OR 3PANISH SPEAKING EMPLOYEE WHO MAY OR MAY NOT EVEN BE FAMILIAR
WITH THE PRODUCT IS ASKED TO HELP WITH THE TRANSLATIONS
1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
/BTAINING .ATIVE
)N DEVELOPING THE %NGLISH SOURCE YOU PROBABLY USED PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL
WRITERS TO ENSURE THAT THE %NGLISH CONTENT WAS CORRECT AND APPROPRIATE FOR THE
END USER &OR PRECISELY THE SAME REASONS IT ALSO MAKES SENSE TO HIRE PROFESSIONAL
LINGUISTS TO TRANSLATE THESE MATERIALS %NGINEERS SHOULD DO WHAT THEY DO BEST
DESIGN SOFTWARE BRIDGES CARS AND STAPLERS -OST ENGINEERS ARE NOT TECHNICAL
WRITERS 3O IF YOU WOULD NOT CONSIDER ASKING YOUR SOFTWARE ENGINEER TO WRITE
YOUR %NGLISH USER GUIDE WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO USE A SOFTWARE ENGINEER AS
A TRANSLATOR 4RANSLATORS ARE HIGHLY TRAINED PROFESSIONALS WHO KNOW HOW TO
GET YOUR MESSAGE ACROSS CLEARLY AND CORRECTLY SO THAT YOUR END USERS CAN EASILY
UNDERSTAND THE INFORMATION
,OCALIZATION INVOLVES MUCH MORE THAN WORD FOR WORD hTRANSLATIONv "ECAUSE
DIFFERENT CULTURES USE DIFFERENT GRAMMAR AND SENTENCE STRUCTURES STRAIGHT WORD
FOR WORD TRANSLATIONS OFTEN DO NOT REmECT PROPER LINGUISTIC STYLE OR ACCURATELY
CAPTURE COMPLEX CONCEPTS 3OMETIMES THEY NO LONGER EVEN CONVEY THE ORIGINAL
MEANING OR MESSAGE !N EXPERIENCED LINGUIST HOWEVER CAN ACCURATELY TRANSLATE
THE MOST DIFlCULT MATERIALS AND ALSO CONVEY NUANCES IDEAS AND REGISTER TONE
STYLE FORMALITY COMPLEXITY ETC
,OCALIZATION QUALITY IS DIRECTLY LINKED TO THE TRANSLATORS EXPERIENCE WITH THE
TOPIC AND KNOWLEDGE OF BOTH THE SOURCE AND TARGET LANGUAGES 4HE TRANSLATORS
WORKING ON YOUR PROJECT SHOULD PROVIDE NATIVE
QUALITY WORK .ATIVE QUALITY
MEANS THAT THE MATERIAL ONCE TRANSLATED READS AS THOUGH IT WAS ORIGINALLY
WRITTEN IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE 4HIS USUALLY REQUIRES THE EXPERTISE OF SOMEONE
RAISED AND EDUCATED IN THE TARGET COUNTRY /F COURSE THERE ARE NON
NATIVE
TRANSLATORS WITH EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE IN A SPECIlC
LANGUAGE WHO ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE NATIVE
QUALITY WORK BUT THAT TAKES TRUE
TALENT
3O JUST WHAT MAKES GOOD A TRANSLATOR ! PROFESSIONAL LINGUIST WILL POSSESS
% .ATIVE mUENCY IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE
% ! THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF THE SOURCE LANGUAGE
% %XCELLENT WRITING SKILLS INCLUDING A GRAMMATICAL MASTERY OF THE TARGET
LANGUAGE AND KNOWLEDGE OF VARIOUS WRITTEN FORMS AND STYLES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
% &AMILIARITY WITH CURRENT TERMINOLOGY IN THE DESIRED lELD EXPERIENCED
TRANSLATORS MAINTAIN EXTENSIVE REFERENCE LIBRARIES
% ! WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS
% !CCESS TO APPROPRIATE TOOLS SUCH AS UP
TO
DATE COMPUTERS MULTIPLE
SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS AND INDUSTRY
SPECIlC SOFTWARE TOOLS SUCH AS 4RADOS
AND
% !N ACUTE AWARENESS OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND LANGUAGE SUBTLETIES
4O OBTAIN THE HIGHEST QUALITY TRANSLATIONS YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR SHOULD
HAVE WELL
DOCUMENTED LINGUISTIC QUALIlCATION PROCEDURES AND FOLLOW THEM
FOR EVALUATING AND HIRING INDIVIDUAL LINGUISTS OR TRANSLATION AGENCIES 4HE
!NNETTE #HAY LINGUISTS THEY USE FOR YOUR PROJECTS SHOULD BOTH BE EXPERIENCED TRANSLATORS AND
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"USINESS $EVELOPMENT
COMPETENCY AND NO SINGLE METHOD IS NECESSARILY THE hRIGHTv WAY (OWEVER TO
-ANAGER
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PROCEDURES IN PLACE TO VERIFY THAT ONLY QUALIlED PROFESSIONALS WITH APPROPRIATE
!NNETTE #HAY A NATIVE OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE ARE ASSIGNED TO YOUR PROJECT
-ILWAUKIE /REGON BORN INTO
AN )TALIAN FAMILY .OW MARRIED !T ,INGO 3YSTEMS WE BELIEVE THAT A TRANSLATOR SHOULD MEET THE FOLLOWING CLEARLY
AND RAISING THREE BOYS DElNED MINIMUM CRITERIA
SHE ENJOYS THEIR HOBBIES OF
% ! "ACHELORS OR -ASTERS DEGREE IN AN APPROPRIATE lELD
FOOTBALL WRESTLING GOLF AND
% &IVE YEARS OF GENERAL TRANSLATION EXPERIENCE
TRACK 9ES OUTSIDE OF ,INGO
3YSTEMS SPORTS IS WHAT IT IS ALL % 4HREE YEARS OF TRANSLATION EXPERIENCE WITH MATERIAL SIMILAR TO THE SOURCE
ABOUT IN THE #HAY HOUSEHOLD MATERIAL
% 4RANSLATION CERTIlCATIONS SUCH AS THOSE PROVIDED BY THE !MERICAN
4RANSLATORS !SSOCIATION AND
% ! DEMONSTRATED COMMITMENT TO THE PROFESSION THROUGH PROFESSIONAL
AFlLIATIONS
4HE QUALITY OF YOUR lNAL DELIVERABLE DEPENDS ON THE PROFESSIONAL ABILITIES
OF MANY INDIVIDUALS AT EVERY PHASE OF YOUR PROJECTS DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE
(ELP lLE ENGINEERING LINGUISTIC 1! DESKTOP PUBLISHING ETC +EEP IN MIND
THAT EACH ONE OF THESE DISCRETE TASKS REQUIRES INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LOCALIZATION
PROFESSIONALS 5SING QUALIlED AND EXPERIENCED TRANSLATORS WILL INFUSE YOUR
PRODUCTS WITH A PROFESSIONAL STYLE AND CLARITY OF CONTENT THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE
SUCCESS OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL RELEASE
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%VEN THE VERY BEST LINGUISTS ARE NOT PERFECT 4HUS ANOTHER IMPORTANT FACTOR
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VENDOR PERFORMS -ANY VENDORS USE ONLY ONE OR TWO LINGUISTIC STEPS TO LOCALIZE
SOURCE MATERIALS !T A MINIMUM A BASIC TRANSLATION STEP IS ALWAYS PERFORMED
! SECOND COPYEDIT STEPHOPEFULLY BY A SECOND LINGUISTIS OFTEN EMPLOYED
AS WELL 4O PROVIDE THE HIGHEST QUALITY HOWEVER A THREE
STEP PROCESS WITH A
DIFFERENT LINGUIST PERFORMING EACH STEP IS THE BEST WAY TO ENSURE AN ACCURATE
TRANSLATION !T ,INGO 3YSTEMS UNLESS INSTRUCTED OTHERWISE BY OUR CLIENT WE
PERFORM THREE SEPARATE LINGUISTIC STEPS EACH BY A DIFFERENT LINGUIST
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
% 4RANSLATOR
% #OPY EDITOR AND
% 0ROOFREADER
4HE TRANSLATOR IS THE hLEAD LINGUISTv ON YOUR PROJECT AND IS RESPONSIBLE FOR
CONVERTING THE SOURCE MATERIAL CONTENT INTO THE TARGET LANGUAGE 4HE COPY
EDITOR THEN REVIEWS WORD FOR WORD THE LEAD TRANSLATORS WORK VERIFYING THE
ACCURACY OF THE TRANSLATION INCLUDING DOUBLE CHECKING IT AGAINST THE GLOSSARY
TERMINOLOGY LIST OR STYLE GUIDELINES THAT WERE DEVELOPED AT PROJECT START ,ASTLY
THE PROOFREADER EXAMINES THE COPY
EDITED VERSION ON A hSTAND
ALONEv BASIS FOR
CONSISTENCY PROPER FORMAT AND mOW OF THE LANGUAGE
1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
/BTAINING .ATIVE
7HILE MOST COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS SHOULD USE A THREE
STEP LINGUISTIC PROCESS
THERE ARE CASES WHERE THIS IS hOVERKILLv )F YOU SIMPLY NEED TO HAVE YOUR
CONTENT UNDERSTOOD IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE ONE TRANSLATION STEP OR TRANSLATION
FOLLOWED BY EITHER COPYEDITING OR BY PROOFREADING MAY BE SUFlCIENT ! TWO
STEP
APPROACH IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL FOR INTERNAL DOCUMENTS LIKE TRAINING MATERIALS
AND MEMOS
9OUR VENDOR SHOULD BE mEXIBLE IN ASSEMBLING A TRANSLATION TEAM THAT BEST
SATISlES YOUR BUDGET TIMELINE AND QUALITY REQUIREMENTS &OR EXAMPLE YOU
MAY HAVE A WORD PROJECT THAT YOU NEED IN THREE WEEKS 4HE AVERAGE
NUMBER OF WORDS A PROFESSIONAL LINGUIST CAN TRANSLATE IN ONE WEEK IS
SO CLEARLY YOUR DEADLINE CAN NOT BE MET IF ONLY ONE TRANSLATOR IS ASSIGNED TO
THE PROJECT )NSTEAD A TEAM IS NEEDED THAT CONSISTS OF THREE OR FOUR TRANSLATORS
WORKING ON DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE PROJECT TWO OR MORE COPY EDITORS AND
ONE PROOFREADER WHO IN ADDITION TO ENSURING CONSISTENCY OF TERMINOLOGY
WOULD ALSO MAKE SURE THAT ALL TRANSLATED MATERIAL READS AS ONE VOICE )N THIS
CASE GIVEN THE LARGE NUMBER OF WORDS AND A SHORT TIMELINE YOU CAN SEE THAT
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GLOSSARY A TERMINOLOGY LIST AND A STYLE GUIDE WOULD GO A
LONG WAY TOWARD PROVIDING A HIGH QUALITY DELIVERABLE
4HERE ARE MANY POSSIBLE LINGUISTIC TEAM CONlGURATIONS THAT YOUR VENDOR
CAN USE TO SUCCESSFULLY DELIVER A HIGH QUALITY PRODUCT 3OMETIMES A TEAM OF
MULTIPLE TRANSLATORS COPY EDITORS AND ONE PROOFREADER MAKE THE MOST SENSE
/N ANOTHER PROJECT A SINGLE TRANSLATOR MULTIPLE COPY EDITORS AND MULTIPLE
PROOFREADERS WORKS BEST 9OUR VENDOR MIGHT ALSO USE MULTIPLE TRANSLATORS AND
THEN HAVE THEM COPYEDIT ONE ANOTHERS WORK BEFORE SENDING THE CONTENT ON
TO THE PROOFREADER 4HE KEY TO QUALITY WHEN MULTIPLE LINGUISTS ARE WORKING ON
YOUR PROJECT IS HAVING YOUR VENDOR DEVELOP A SOLUTION THAT ENSURES THAT THE
lNAL PRODUCT READS AS ONE VOICE AND THAT TERMINOLOGY IS APPLIED CONSISTENTLY
5SUALLY THAT MEANS THAT ONE LINGUIST ON THE TEAMWHETHER IT IS THE TRANSLATOR
COPY EDITOR OR PROOFREADERWILL REVIEW THE CONTENT OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT
4HE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT mEXIBILITY AND A LITTLE CREATIVITY ALONG WITH CAREFUL
PREPARATION WILL SERVE YOU WELL ON VIRTUALLY ANY PROJECT NO MATTER HOW BIG THE
WORD COUNT AND HOW TIGHT THE DEADLINE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER /BTAINING .ATIVE 1UALITY 4RANSLATIONS
,QFRXQWU\5HYLHZ
4HE lNAL PROCEDURE THAT SHOULD BE EMPLOYED TO MAXIMIZE QUALITY IS AN IN
COUNTRY REVIEW #HECKING THE QUALITY OF YOUR VENDORS WORK BY USING YOUR
OWN IN
COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVES EMPLOYEES DISTRIBUTORS CUSTOMERS OR
AGENTS TO REVIEW THE TRANSLATION IS AN EXCELLENT WAY FOR YOU TO BE SURE THAT
ALL MATERIALS WERE CONSISTENTLY TRANSLATEDx AND THAT YOUR MESSAGE HAS BEEN
ACCURATELY REmECTED 7HOMEVER YOU SELECT THE BEST RESULTS WILL BE OBTAINED IF
THE REVIEWER IS FAMILIAR WITH YOUR PRODUCTS 4HESE REVIEWERS CAN THEN EVALUATE
THE SPECIlCATIONS OF YOUR PRODUCT AGAINST THE CULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC ELEMENTS
OF THE RELEVANT COUNTRY )F POSSIBLE IN
COUNTRY REVIEWERS SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN
THE GLOSSARY DEVELOPMENT STAGE SO THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF ALL THE TERMINOLOGY
CHOICES "RINGING AN IN
COUNTRY REVIEWER ON BOARD AT THE PROJECTS START AVOIDS
COSTLY REVISIONS DUE TO MERE STYLISTIC DIFFERENCES IN THE TRANSLATION LATER IN THE
GAME
4HE MATERIALS YOU ENTRUST TO YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR REPRESENT YOUR COMPANY
TO YOUR CUSTOMERS )T IS HOW THEY MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU 1UALITY HAS
TO BE MORE THAN A CATCHPHRASE USED TO SELL A SERVICE )T HAS TO BE AT THE CORE
OF THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS 4HE QUALITY OF YOUR lNAL DELIVERABLE DEPENDS ON
THE PROFESSIONAL ABILITIES OF MANY INDIVIDUALS AT EVERY PHASE OF YOUR PROJECT
"Y UTILIZING LOCALIZATION PROFESSIONALS WHO FOLLOW THE STEPS AND PROCEDURES
DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL GAIN AN EDGE ON YOUR COMPETITION MAXIMIZE
YOUR INVESTMENT AND MAYBE EVEN SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT YOUR
ORIGINAL PRODUCT LOOKS FEELS AND SOUNDS JUST AS IT WAS INTENDED FOR EACH OF
YOUR TARGET MARKETS WHICH IS JUST AS IT SHOULD BE
#OUNCIL OFlCIALS IN 7ALES WERE LEFT RED
FACED AFTER DISCOVERING
CYCLISTS WERE BEING CONFUSED BY A ROAD SIGN BETWEEN 0ENARTH
AND #ARDIFF /FlCIALS HAD TRANSLATED THE COMMAND hCYCLISTS
DISMOUNTv FROM %NGLISH INTO 7ELSH HOWEVER THE RESULT HAD BEEN
THE BAFmING PHRASE h,LID Y BLEDREN DYMCHWELYD v WHICH ROUGHLY
TRANSLATES AS hBLADDER INmAMMATION OVERTURNv
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
#HAPTER
%NGINEERING AND
#OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
5ROHVRIWKH(QJLQHHULQJ*URXS
4RUE LOCALIZATION IS A MULTI
DISCIPLINE ACTIVITY THAT INCLUDES LINGUISTICS
FORMATTING ENGINEERING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE %NGINEERING IS AN INTEGRAL
COMPONENT OF THIS SERVICE AND IS ONE OF THE SERVICES OFFERED BY A LOCALIZATION
#OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
%NGINEERING AND
PROVIDER THAT DIFFERENTIATES SIMPLE TRANSLATION FROM COMPREHENSIVE
LOCALIZATION
,OCALIZATION ENGINEERS ARE INVOLVED AT EVERY STAGE OF THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS
/FTEN THEY CONSULT ON INTERNATIONALIZATION MATTERS BEFORE THE MATERIALS
ARE EVEN DEVELOPED /NCE SOURCE lLES ARE CREATED THE ENGINEERS ANALYSIS OF
THEM PROVIDES VITAL INFORMATION FOR PROJECT PLANNING AND BUDGET ESTIMATION
,INGUISTS RELY ON ENGINEERS TO EXTRACT TEXT STRINGS FROM SOURCE CONTENT AND
PREPARE MARKED
UP lLES TO FACILITATE TRANSLATION 4HEY ALSO MANAGE THE ENSUING
TRANSLATION MEMORY AND USE TOOLS SUCH AS 4RADOS #ATALYST AND -ULTILIZER TO
IMPROVE CONSISTENCY AND LOWER COSTS 0RIOR TO DELIVERY ENGINEERS MAY PERFORM
THE FUNCTIONAL TESTING OF THE LOCALIZED PRODUCTS
!T ,INGO 3YSTEMS MEMBERS OF OUR ENGINEERING GROUP CLOSELY INTERACT WITH THE
OTHER PRODUCTION DEPARTMENTS TO PROVIDE FURTHER SUPPORT &OR OUR FORMATTING
GROUP THEY IMPORT AND EXPORT TEXT FROM DESKTOP PUBLISHING APPLICATIONS &OR
OUR 1! DEPARTMENT THEY PERFORM FUNCTIONAL TESTING OF TECHNICAL PROJECTS SUCH
AS USER INTERFACES WEBSITES AND HELP SYSTEMS !ND THEY ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR
A QUICK GAME OF POOL OVER LUNCH
)LUVW7KLQJV)LUVW ,QWHUQDWLRQDOL]DWLRQ
-ANY COMPANIES DEVELOP THEIR PRODUCTS WITH ONLY A 53 CUSTOMER IN MIND
7HEN THESE DOMESTIC PRODUCTS ARE SLATED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO FOREIGN MARKETS
THE PROCESS OF LOCALIZATION OFTEN REVEALS LIMITATIONS IN THE PRODUCT DESIGN
)NTERNATIONALIZATION IS THE PROCESS OF ENGINEERING A PRODUCT SO THAT IT CAN BE
LOCALIZED FOR EXPORT TO ANY COUNTRY
/FTEN INTERNATIONALIZATION IS QUITE SIMPLE &OR EXAMPLE SOME LANGUAGES
USE MORE CHARACTERS AND TAKE UP MORE SPACE THAN OTHERS ! PROPERLY
INTERNATIONALIZED SOURCE lLE WILL LEAVE ROOM FOR TEXT EXPANSION !NOTHER
COMMON INTERNATIONALIZATION STEP IS TO RESIZE AN v X v DOCUMENT TO
%UROPEAN ! PAPER SIZE
)N ADDITION TO CONSIDERING OVERALL DESIGN AND LAYOUT THE INTERNATIONALIZATION
PROCESS FOCUSES ON BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING POINTS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
% $OES THE DESIGN ACCOUNT FOR CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN VARIOUS METRICS SUCH AS
CURRENCY UNITS OF MEASURE DATE FORMAT PHONE NUMBERS AND ADDRESSES
% !RE ALL THE LOCALIZABLE STRINGS ISOLATED FROM VARIABLES AND OTHER CODE FOR
EASY EXTRACTION
% !RE UNIQUE STRINGS RE
USED IN DIFFERENT CONTEXTS THROUGHOUT THE PRODUCT
% )S THE PRODUCT FREE OF EMBEDDED AND CONCATENATED STRINGS
% )S THE INTERFACE DESIGNED FOR DYNAMIC LAYOUT SO THAT IT CAN ACCOMMODATE
TEXT EXPANSION
% $O AUTOMATED LISTS TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ANY SORTING ORDER DIFFERENCES IN THE
TARGET LOCALE
#ÏDRIC 6EZINET 4O AVOID INTERNATIONALIZATION SURPRISES INVOLVE YOUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER
$IRECTOR OF %NGINEERING DURING THE PRODUCT DESIGN STAGE SO THAT LOCALIZATION REQUIREMENTS CAN BE TAKEN
INTO CONSIDERATION DURING DEVELOPMENT )F THIS IS NOT DONE YOUR LOCALIZATION
!FTER YEARS IN THIS INDUSTRY VENDOR WILL LIKELY HAVE TO PERFORM SOME PRODUCT INTERNATIONALIZATION PRIOR TO
BEGINNING LOCALIZATION 4HIS MAY NOT ONLY COMPROMISE TIMELINES BUT MAY ALSO
) STILL lND EVERY DAY AS
HAVE AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOUR BUDGET
EXCITING AS THE VERY lRST ONE
ON /CTOBER TH WHEN
) STARTED MY ,INGO CAREER AS (QFRGLQJ 3LFN<RXU3RLVRQ
A &RENCH LINGUIST "Y LOOKING ! MAJOR QUESTION TO ADDRESS WHEN YOU BEGIN THE INTERNATIONALIZATION PROCESS
AT MY PICTURES IN THE PREVIOUS IS CAN OR WILL YOUR APPLICATION USE SOME mAVOR OF 5NICODE AS ITS ENCODING
VERSIONS OF THE GUIDE ONE CAN FORMAT "EFORE 5NICODE WAS INVENTED THERE WERE DOZENS OF DIFFERENT ENCODING
TELL THAT ) HAVE LOST A LOT OF HAIR SYSTEMS .O SINGLE ONE CONTAINED ENOUGH CHARACTERS TO REPRESENT EVERY POSSIBLE
OVER THE YEARS BUT ) HAVE NOT LANGUAGE &OR EXAMPLE THE %UROPEAN 5NION ALONE REQUIRED SEVERAL DIFFERENT
LOST THE MOTIVATION ENCODINGS JUST TO COVER ITS LANGUAGES %VEN FOR A SINGLE LANGUAGE LIKE %NGLISH
NO SINGLE ENCODING WAS ADEQUATE FOR ALL THE LETTERS PUNCTUATION AND TECHNICAL
SYMBOLS IN COMMON USE
4O ADD TO THE CHALLENGE MANY OF THESE ENCODING SYSTEMS ALSO CONmICT WITH
ONE ANOTHER 4HAT IS TWO ENCODINGS WILL USE THE SAME NUMERIC ASSIGNMENT
FOR TWO DIFFERENT CHARACTERS OR USE DIFFERENT NUMERIC ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE
SAME CHARACTER #OMPUTERS ESPECIALLY SERVERS MUST BE ABLE TO SUPPORT MANY
DIFFERENT ENCODINGSBUT IT STILL MAY NOT BE ENOUGH 7HENEVER DATA IS PASSED
BETWEEN DIFFERENT ENCODINGS OR PLATFORMS IT RUNS THE RISK OF BEING CORRUPTED
5NICODE ELIMINATES MOST OF THESE PROBLEMS )T IS WELL ESTABLISHED WORKS ON ALL
PLATFORMS AND SUPPORTS MANY MORE CHARACTERS THAN MOST OF US HAVE EVER HEARD OF
OR WILL EVER USE 5NICODE PROVIDES A UNIQUE NUMBER FOR EVERY CHARACTER NO MATTER
WHAT THE PLATFORM NO MATTER WHAT THE PROGRAM NO MATTER WHAT THE LANGUAGE
)T ALSO ALLOWS DATA TO BE TRANSPORTED BETWEEN MANY DIFFERENT SYSTEMS WITHOUT
CORRUPTION $UE TO THE NATURAL PROGRESSION OF TECHNOLOGY THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT
5NICODE FORMATS "IG
%NDIAN 54&
54&
54&
54&
AND ON INTO THE
FUTURE )N GENERAL 54&
WILL BE MOST COMMON ON THE 7EB 54& 54&,%
54&"% ARE MOSTLY USED BY *AVA AND 7INDOWS 54& 54&,% 54&"% ARE
MOSTLY USED BY VARIOUS 5.)8 SYSTEMS &ORTUNATELY THE CONVERSIONS BETWEEN ALL OF
THEM ARE ALGORITHMICALLY BASED AND QUICK TO IMPLEMENT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
3LFN(DUO\7HVW2IWHQ
-ANY INTERNATIONALIZATION ISSUES CAN BE IDENTIlED EARLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS BY PERFORMING INTERNATIONALIZATION TESTING OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL -ACHINE
TRANSLATION -4 TECHNOLOGY IS OFTEN USED FOR THIS PURPOSE SINCE IT CAN GENERATE
PSEUDO
TRANSLATED CONTENT THAT HAS THE LOOK AND CHARACTERISTICS OF TRANSLATED
MATERIAL WITHOUT A COSTLY INVESTMENT IN TRANSLATION -ACHINE 4RANSLATION IS BASED
ON ADVANCED COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS AND BECAUSE IT IS CHEAP CAN QUICKLY
GENERATE LOTS OF TRANSLATED CONTENT FOR TESTING PURPOSES 3UCH TESTING CAN HELP
PINPOINT ISSUES IN THE LOCALIZATION PROJECT BEFORE THEY BECOME MAJOR HEADACHES
&OR INSTANCE A PSEUDO
TRANSLATION CAN IDENTIFY VARIABLES IN THE SOFTWARE THAT SHOULD
NOT BE TRANSLATED ALLOWING YOU TO ISOLATE THEM PRIOR TO ACTUAL LINGUISTIC WORK
#OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
%NGINEERING AND
)T IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT -4 HAS MANY DRAWBACKS WHEN IT COMES TO ACTUAL
TRANSLATION EG IT REQUIRES THE USE OF CONSTRAINED VOCABULARY OR IT MAY NOT
CONVEY COMPLEX OR ABSTRACT CONCEPTS BUT IT IS A VERY VALUABLE TOOL IN THE
INTERNATIONALIZATION PHASE
)NTERNATIONALIZATION IS NOT A SERVICE COMMONLY OFFERED BY LOCALIZATION
COMPANIES AS IT REQUIRES HIGHLY SKILLED AND SPECIALIZED PERSONNEL WITH A VERY
STRONG UNDERSTANDING OF THE PLATFORMS AND DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENTS BEING
USED -OREOVER A WELL EXECUTED INTERNATIONALIZATION REVIEW WILL NOT NECESSARILY
RID YOUR lLES OF ALL POTENTIAL LOCALIZATION HEADACHESBUT IT WILL REDUCE THEM TO
A MANAGEABLE LEVEL AND AVOID THE INTRODUCTION OF ADDITIONAL DEFECTS DURING THE
LOCALIZATION PROCESS
)N GENERAL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SUCCESSFUL PROJECT AND ONE PLAGUED BY
PROBLEMS IS A DIRECT FUNCTION OF THE AMOUNT OF INTERACTION BETWEEN THE CLIENT
AND VENDORS ENGINEERING DEPARTMENTS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE PROJECT
)NTERNATIONALIZATION EVALUATION AND TESTING IS A VERY COST EFFECTIVE WAY TO ENSURE
THAT YOUR PRODUCT IS READY FOR LOCALIZATIONESPECIALLY WHEN MEASURED AGAINST
THE DELAYS AND COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH TRYING TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES DURING THE
LOCALIZATION PROCESS
2Q2XU:D\ /RFDOL]DWLRQ%HJLQV
/NCE ALL INTERNATIONALIZATION ISSUES HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED THE LOCALIZATION
PROCESS CAN BEGIN ON A GOOD FOUNDATION &OR THE ENGINEERING GROUP THIS
USUALLY MEANS PREPARING THE SOURCE lLES FOR TRANSLATION (OW THIS IS DONE
VARIES DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF MATERIALS 4HE FOUR MAIN CATEGORIES ARE
DOCUMENTATION LOCALIZATION HELP LOCALIZATION 5) LOCALIZATION AND WEB
LOCALIZATION
0AGE BY 0AGE $OCUMENTATION
7ANT TO SEE US PULL A RABBIT OUT OF OUR HAT 7ELL PERHAPS THATS A STRETCH BUT
THIS IS WHERE THE MAGIC STARTS )MAGINE YOU HAVE JUST PURCHASED THE LATEST AND
GREATEST 7IDGET 4HE lRST THING YOU DO IS READ THE MANUAL RIGHT #MON
WORK WITH US HERE .OW IMAGINE LIFTING ALL THE %NGLISH OUT OF THAT MANUAL
CRUNCHING IT ALL UP AND THEN CAREFULLY UNFOLDING IT TO REVEAL A BRAND NEW
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
LANGUAGE )TS A BIT OF A STRANGE NOTION BUT THATS PRETTY MUCH HOW DOCUMENT
LOCALIZATION WORKS )N THE SIMPLEST TERMS DOCUMENTATION ENGINEERING IS THE
PROCESS OF IMPORTING AND EXPORTING TEXT FROM A DESKTOP PUBLISHING APPLICATION
3INCE MOST TRANSLATORS WORK WITHIN -ICROSOFT 7ORD USING #OMPUTER
!IDED
4RANSLATION #!4 SOFTWARE THE SOURCE MATERIAL WHICH CAN BE IN ANY MEDIUM
MUST BE CONVERTED TO AN 24& lLE OR 448 lLE WHILE PRESERVING THE FORMATTING OF
THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT IN ORDER FOR THE LINGUIST TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH IT 4HIS
IS DONE BY USING DIFFERENT TAGGED TEXT FORMATS CODES TO ISOLATE THE FORMATTING
FROM THE TRANSLATABLE TEXT "Y PROTECTING THE FORMATTING THE TRANSLATORS CAN
THEN USE THEIR #!4 TOOLS AND FOCUS EXCLUSIVELY ON WHAT NEEDS TO BE TRANSLATED
WITHOUT BEING CONFUSED BY FORMATTING CODES WHICH CAN BE VERY NUMEROUS
#HRIS VAN 'RUNSVEN
ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF 1UARK DOCUMENTATION
3ENIOR ,OCALIZATION
%NGINEER 4HE VAST MAJORITY OF DOCUMENTATION IS DEVELOPED USING !DOBE )N$ESIGN
!DOBE &RAME-AKER 1UARK80RESS AND !DOBE 0AGE-AKER !S YOU CAN SEE
)N MY MANY YEARS HERE ) !DOBE 3YSTEMS )NC HAS QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT WRITING TOOLS BUT AS TIME GOES
HAVE BECOME THE h+EEPER OF BY THEY SEEM TO BE MOVING TOWARD ONE VERSATILE APPLICATION THAT WILL ADDRESS
5SELESS +NOWLEDGE v LIKE (OW ALL DOCUMENTATION DEVELOPMENT NEEDS )N *ANUARY !DOBE BEGAN
TO COUNT TO WITH ONE HAND TRANSITIONING ITS 0AGE-AKER USERS TO )N$ESIGN )F )N$ESIGN CONTINUES TO GAIN
WITH TWO HANDS (OW POPULARITY IN THE TECHNICAL WRITING COMMUNITY IT WILL MAKE THE LOCALIZATION
TO CONVERT 7ORD 24&S TO PROCESS MUCH EASIER )N$ESIGN IS A TERRIlC APPLICATION FOR LOCALIZATION )T OFFERS
7ORD 24&S WITH A TEXT FULL 5NICODE SUPPORT AND IS WELL
SUITED FOR CROSS
PLATFORM WORK )T ALSO ALLOWS
EDITOR SO THEY WILL WORK ON FOR 8-, INTEGRATION WITH CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS "UT WE MUST ADMIT
THAT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW DElCIENCIES IN THE ).8 )N$ESIGN %XCHANGE AND
7INDOWS 7HERE THE
4AGGED 4EXT FORMAT WHICH MAKES THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS A LITTLE BIT TRICKY "UT
COPIES OF 3WEDISH 7INDOWS
WE ALWAYS HAVE A BIT OF ENGINEERING MAGIC UP OUR SLEEVES TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM
*APANESE 7ORD AND
THE $/3 USERS MANUALS 2EGARDLESS OF THE APPLICATION USED TO DEVELOP THE MATERIALS WHEN THE 24& OR 448
ARE SHELVED !ND IF YOU CANT lLES COME BACK FROM TRANSLATION THEY HEAD STRAIGHT TO %NGINEERING 7ITH A WAVE
lND THE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS ) OF A WAND AND SOME FEVERISH KEYBOARD TAPPING ENGINEERS POUR THE LOCALIZED TEXT
KNOW WHERE THEY ARE TOO BACK INTO THE SOURCE DOCUMENTS AND HAND THEM OFF TO THE $40 DEPARTMENT WHERE
THEY ARE POLISHED TO PERFECTION
3TOP THE 0RESSES (ELP &ILE ,OCALIZATION
!S A MEANS OF DISSEMINATING INFORMATION PRINT DOCUMENTATION IS QUICKLY
LOSING GROUND TO INTERACTIVE HELP SYSTEMS 7ELL
STRUCTURED ONLINE HELP
PROVIDES USERS WITH INCREDIBLE SEARCH CAPABILITY ALLOWING THEM TO lND MORE
INFORMATION IN LESS TIME THAN WITH CONVENTIONAL PRINT DOCUMENTATION -ANY
HELP USERS SAY THIS LEADS TO A RICHER EXPERIENCE 7E COULD NOT AGREE MORE
(ELP SYSTEMS ARE NOT ONLY GETTING BIGGER THEY ARE GETTING SMARTER 0ERHAPS
MOST IMPORTANTLY HOWEVER THEY ARE BECOMING EASIER AND LESS COSTLY IF NOT
DOWNRIGHT CHEAP TO CREATE 3INGLE
SOURCE PUBLISHING TOOLS SUCH AS !UTHOR)4
!RBOR4EXT 7EB7ORKS OR 2OBO(ELP ARE NOW ABLE TO IMPORT PREVIOUSLY
GENERATED 7ORD OR &RAME-AKER DOCUMENTS AND THEN LEVERAGE THEM TO CREATE
INTERACTIVE HELP SYSTEMS ,ETS NOTE HERE THAT LOCALIZATION SAVVY APPLICATIONS
SUCH AS !UTHOR)4 WHICH OFFER BUILT
IN LOCALIZATION SUPPORT MAKE THE
TRANSLATION PROCESS A WALK IN THE PARK !S MORE COMPANIES DISCOVER THESE
BENElTS THIS TREND WILL ONLY ACCELERATE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
4HE MAIN HELP FORMATS WE SEE BEING USED ARE 7IN(ELP (4-, (ELP 7EB(ELP
*AVA(ELP /RACLE (ELP AND THE RELATIVELY NEW &LASH(ELP %VEN THOUGH ALL THESE
FORMATS HAVE THEIR OWN SPECIlC USES WHEN IT COMES TO LOCALIZING HELP SYSTEMS
THE APPROACH IS SIMILAR
)NTERFACE 4HIS 3OFTWARE ,OCALIZATION
!N ENGINEERING GROUP REALLY SHINES DURING THE LOCALIZATION OF SOFTWARE 7E
TAKE ON ALL COMERS ANY mAVOR OF 7INDOWS -AC /3 5.)8 ,INUX 0ALM /3
3YMBIAN MAINFRAME AND *AVA BASED APPLICATIONS !ND WE WILL TAKE ANY
VARIETY WEB
BASED SERVER
BASED OR CLIENT
BASED
&OR SOME PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE AND PLATFORM COMBINATIONS SOFTWARE
LOCALIZATION REQUIRES A PROCESS NOT UNLIKE THE ONE USED FOR DOCUMENTATION
#OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
%NGINEERING AND
4HE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER EXTRACTS THE TEXT FROM THE APPLICATION AND THEN
CREATES A TAGGED 24& OR 448 lLE FOR THE TRANSLATOR THAT PROTECTS THE UNDERLYING
CODES 7HEN IT COMES TO PROTECTING THE CODES 448 IS BY FAR THE BETTER CHOICE
)N OTHER CASES THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER USES A PROPRIETARY TOOL OR OFF
THE
SHELF
APPLICATION LIKE #ATALYST OR -ULTILIZER THAT ALLOWS THE TRANSLATOR TO WORK DIRECTLY
ON COMPILED lLES AND EXECUTABLES !LL THINGS BEING EQUAL HOWEVER IT IS MORE
COMMON AND EASIER TO WORK IN THE RESOURCE 2# lLES OR PROPERTIES lLES TO
MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF PREPARATION WORK AND REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR DEFECTS
BEING INTRODUCED DURING THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS
7HATEVER METHOD IS USED ONE THING IS SURE THE CONTINUING EVOLUTION OF
5NICODE TECHNOLOGY AND THE GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS OF THE
INTERNATIONAL MARKET HAS MADE LOCALIZATION ENGINEERING MUCH EASIER 4HE LATEST
/3 EDITIONS FROM -ICROSOFT AND !PPLE ARE PERFECT ILLUSTRATIONS
4HE COMBINATION OF 7INDOWS 80 AND /FlCE IS A MUST
HAVE WHEN DEALING
WITH MULTIPLE LANGUAGES IN YOUR DAY
TO
DAY OPERATIONS )T IS NOW POSSIBLE TO
EASILY GENERATE TEXT lLES IN MANY ENCODINGS FOR THE MOST WIDELY USED LANGUAGES
ON ANY 7ESTERN OPERATING SYSTEM 4HE MANIPULATION OF %ASTERN LANGUAGES
DOUBLE
BYTE AND EVEN RIGHT
TO
LEFT LANGUAGES HAS BEEN MADE MUCH EASIER TOO
7E PREVIOUSLY HAD TO NAVIGATE FROM ONE NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEM TO THE NEXT
JUST TO MANIPULATE LOCALIZED lLES -UCH OF THIS TUSSLE HAS NOW DISAPPEARED AND
NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEMS ARE ONLY USED FOR ONLINE FUNCTIONAL TESTING OF THE lNAL
LOCALIZED PRODUCT
!LSO WIDELY USED AND INDISPENSABLE IS !PPLE AND ITS -AC /3 8 AND ESPECIALLY
ITS LATEST h4IGERv RELEASE .OT ONLY IS IT A GREAT SYSTEM FOR LOCALIZATION BUT IN
OUR OPINION THE MOST LOCALIZATION
FRIENDLY OPERATING SYSTEM ON THE MARKET
7ITH JUST A SIMPLE DRAG OF THE MOUSE USERS ARE ABLE TO SWITCH THE 5) ANDOR THE
SYSTEMS LANGUAGE
.O MATTER WHAT THE PLATFORM THE BEST WAY TO MAKE YOUR 5) LOCALIZATION
FRIENDLY IS TO EXTERNALIZE ALL LOCALIZABLE STRINGS SIMILAR TO *AVAS PROPERTIES
lLE 7HENEVER POSSIBLE DESIGN YOUR 5) SO THAT MOST OF THE STRINGS ARE LOCATED
IN WELL
FORMATTED lLES WHERE THE VARIABLES ARE FOLLOWED BY THE STRING AND THE
INTERFACE IS DYNAMICALLY LAID OUT !NOTHER IMPORTANT RULE IS TO AVOID STRING
CONCATENATION
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
'OING 7ORLD 7IDE 7EB ,OCALIZATION
5SER )NTERFACES ARE INCREASINGLY WEB
BASED BECAUSE THEY ARE EASIER TO MAINTAIN
AND OFFER MORE SUPPORT THAN CLIENT
BASED APPLICATIONS )N MOST CASES BOTH
WEB
BASED APPLICATIONS AND COMMERCIAL WEBSITES HAVE A DATABASE SUCH AS
/RACLE 31, 3ERVER -Y31, OR !CCESS AS THE BACK END &ORTUNATELY NO MATTER
WHAT THE TYPE OF DATABASE THE SAME PROCESS AND TOOLS EG -ULTILIZER ARE USED
FOR LOCALIZATION
&ROM AN ENGINEERING PERSPECTIVE THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP IN LOCALIZING A
DATABASE IS TO USE WELL DElNED SPEC SHEETS LISTING THE TABLES AND THE lELDS
-IKE VAN 'RUNSVEN REQUIRING LOCALIZATION )T ALSO HELPS TO HAVE THE DATABASE DESIGNED IN SUCH A
WAY AS TO FACILITATE EITHER lELD OR TABLE LOCALIZATION &ROM THERE THE ONLY OTHER
3ENIOR ,OCALIZATION HURDLE COULD BE STRING LENGTH LIMITATIONS BUT THESE ARE EASILY MANAGED WITH
%NGINEER TOOLS SUCH AS -ULTILIZER
5NLIKE MY BROTHER WHO IS
THE h+EEPER OF 5SELESS !S WITH MANY THINGS IN LIFE HOWEVER WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE MAY NOT BE
AS GOOD FOR THE GANDER 7EBSITES BUILT WITH DYNAMIC CONTENT ARE USUALLY VERY
+NOWLEDGEv HERE AT ,INGO )
LOCALIZATION FRIENDLY FOR ENGINEERS )N MOST CASES IT IS RELATIVELY EASY FOR US TO
LIKE TO THINK MY KNOWLEDGE IS
EXTRACT THE TEXT STRINGS FROM THE UNDERLYING DATABASE 5NFORTUNATELY ONCE THE
USEFUL 9ELLOW AND BLUE MAKE
TEXT HAS BEEN EXTRACTED IT IS NOT SO FRIENDLY FOR THE LINGUISTS WHO TRANSLATE THE
'RàN ව ETC STRINGS
2ATHER THAN WORKING WITH A COMPLETE DOCUMENT ALL THE TRANSLATOR SEES ARE
RANDOM OUT
OF
CONTEXT STRINGSA DIFlCULT CHALLENGE FOR EVEN THE MOST SKILLED
PROFESSIONAL )T IS THEREFORE A GOOD IDEA TO USE A DESCRIPTION lELD IN YOUR
DATABASE TO GIVE SOME GUIDANCE TO THE LINGUISTS 7ITH PROPER INSTRUCTIONS
THE ENGINEER WILL BE ABLE TO INCLUDE NON
TRANSLATABLE lELDS IN THE TRANSLATION
PACKAGES THAT ARE PROVIDED TO THE TRANSLATOR
4HE MOST COMPELLING ADVANTAGE OF A DATABASE
BACKED WEBSITE IS THE
DOWNSTREAM BENElTS 5PDATES INCLUDING LOCALIZATION MAINTENANCE BECOME
VERY EASY AND VERY CHEAP !S CHANGES ARE MADE TO THE SITE THE NEW AND
MODIlED STRINGS ARE EXTRACTED TRANSLATED AND THEN REINSERTED )N MANY CASES
LOCALIZATION DELIVERY CAN EVEN BE AUTOMATED USING A TRANSLATION PORTAL SUCH AS
,INGO 3YSTEMS h,INGO.ETv
4HERE CAN BE OTHER CHALLENGES TO LOCALIZING A WEBSITE BESIDES THE DATABASE
COMPONENT &OR EXAMPLE USING MULTIPLE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES CAN CREATE
PARSING DIFlCULTY WHEN GENERATING 24& lLES FOR THE LINGUISTS 4HE MOST
COMMON PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES FOUND ON MOST WEBSITES ARE 0(0 *30 0ERL
!30 #OLD&USION AND *AVA3CRIPT
,AST BUT FAR FROM LEAST WORKING ON THE GRAPHICAL ASSETS OF A WEBSITE CAN BE
DIFlCULT WHEN SOURCE MATERIALS 0HOTOSHOP )LLUSTRATOR OR #OREL$RAW lLES
ARE NOT AVAILABLE 7ITH THEIR OMNIPRESENT GRADIENT BACKGROUNDS AND OBSCURE
FONTS NOTHING IS WORSE THAN BEING ASKED TO RECREATE LOCALIZED VERSIONS OF THESE
ELEMENTS 4HIS INVARIABLY REQUIRES DESIGN EXPERTISE FROM AND BUDGET FOR OUR
$40 DEPARTMENT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
2EPEAT AFTER US )T IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO KEEP THE SOURCE lLES IN A SAFE PLACE
AND TO ISOLATE LOCALIZABLE LAYERS 4HIS USEFUL FEATURE IS OFFERED BY MOST IF NOT
ALL IMAGE AND GRAPHIC EDITING SOFTWARE SUCH AS 0HOTOSHOP &IREWORKS AND
)LLUSTRATOR
7DONLQJWKH7DON 7HUPLQRORJ\
0DQDJHPHQWDQG7UDQVODWLRQ0HPRU\
4HE LAST FUNCTION THAT A LOCALIZATION ENGINEER PERFORMS MAY BE THE MOST
IMPORTANT 4ERMINOLOGY MANAGEMENT INCLUDING THE CREATION AND MAINTENANCE
OF TRANSLATION MEMORIES 4-S HAS A HUGE EFFECT ON BOTH QUALITY AND
CONSISTENCY )T MAY ALSO BE THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN REDUCING
#OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
%NGINEERING AND
LOCALIZATION COSTS
4-S ARE A MUST
HAVE FOR ANY LOCALIZATION PROJECT 3OME LOCALIZATION lRMS
ASSIGN THE TASK OF TERMINOLOGY CONTROL TO THE PROJECT MANAGER !T ,INGO
3YSTEMS WE BELIEVE IN USING THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB AND HAVE NO DOUBT
THAT WHEN IT COMES TO MANAGING HUNDREDS OF MULTILINGUAL TRANSLATION
MEMORIES THIS PERSON IS THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER !N INACCURATE OR CORRUPTED
4- WHETHER IT IS A LINGUISTIC CORRUPTION OR AN ENCODING CORRUPTION CAN REDUCE
LEVERAGING ADDING TO THE COST OF THE PROJECT AND ULTIMATELY HURTING THE QUALITY
OF THE TRANSLATION
4HERE ARE SEVERAL PLAYERS IN THE #!4 TOOL MARKET 3INCE THE ACQUISITION OF
4RADOS BY 3$, ON *UNE THE LARGEST SHARE BELONGS TO 3$, 42!$/3
! FEW OTHER SMALLER MORE SPECIALIZED PLAYERS LIKE $ÏJÌ6U AND 4ERM3TAR ARE
ALSO WORTH MENTIONING 4HE PRINCIPLE BEHIND EACH OF THESE PRODUCTS IS THE
SAME THE TRANSLATOR USES THE TOOL INTERACTIVELY WITHIN A WORD PROCESSOR TO
AUTOMATICALLY RETRIEVE EXISTING TRANSLATIONS FROM A DATABASE 4RANSLATION
-EMORY &OR LOCALIZATION ENGINEERS IT DOES NOT REALLY MATTER WHICH TOOL IS
USED SINCE MOST IF NOT ALL OF THEM ARE 4-8 COMPLIANT MEANING THAT THE 4-
CONTENT CAN BE EXCHANGED BETWEEN #!4 TOOLS THROUGH AN 8-,
BASED EXPORT
lLE 4-8 lLE !LL OF THEM ALSO OFFER FUZZY MATCHING WHICH GIVES THE TRANSLATOR
CLOSE MATCHES TO A LOCALIZABLE SENTENCE THEREBY SPEEDING UP THE TRANSLATION
!NOTHER LINGUISTIC TOOL THAT IS OFTEN INTEGRAL TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND
MAINTENANCE OF AN EFFECTIVE 4- IS GLOSSARY MANAGEMENT )N THE WORLD OF
LOCALIZATION GLOSSARIES REPRESENT A LIST OF KEY TERMS AND DElNITIONS THAT THE
TRANSLATOR WILL NEED TO PROPERLY LOCALIZE THE SOURCE MATERIALS -ANY OF THE 4-
TOOLS INCLUDE A GLOSSARY MANAGEMENT MODULE TO FACILITATE THE COMPILATION
OF A GLOSSARY AND THE SUBSEQUENT TRANSLATION OF THE KEY TERMS WHENEVER AND
WHEREVER THEY APPEAR 4HESE MODULES SUCH AS -ULTI4ERM FROM 3$, 42!$/3
RUN IN THE BACKGROUND AS THE TRANSLATION IS BEING DONE IN A WORD PROCESSING
APPLICATION 4HEY THEN mAG FOR THE LINGUIST ANY TERM THAT IS LOCATED IN THE
-ULTI4ERM GLOSSARY MINIMIZING THE TIME A LINGUIST TYPICALLY NEEDS TO GO BACK
AND FORTH BETWEEN REFERENCE MATERIALS AND APPLICATIONS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS
4HE NEWEST GLOSSARY MANAGEMENT TOOLS ARE SO CUSTOMIZABLE THAT THEY
EVEN ALLOW THE USER TO ADD MULTIMEDIA CONTENT TO THE TERM DElNITION 4HE
POSSIBILITIES ARE INlNITE 4HE NEXT GENERATION OF TRANSLATION TOOLS EVEN ALLOW
THE LOCALIZATION VENDORS TO SHARE THEIR GLOSSARIES AS WELL AS THEIR TRANSLATION
MEMORIES OVER THE WEB 3$, 4RADOS 4- 3ERVER AND -ULTI4ERM /NLINE
ARE GOOD EXAMPLES WHICH GREATLY FACILITATES THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE
LOCALIZATION COMPANY THE CLIENT THE LINGUISTS AND THE IN
COUNTRY REVIEWER
:UDSSLQJ8S
,ETS SPEAK PLAINLY ,OCALIZATION ENGINEERING IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE BUT IN OUR
ESTIMATION IT COMES CLOSE !S YOU PREPARE FOR A LOCALIZATION PROJECT BE SURE TO
LEAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE FOR AN ENGINEER &ROM THE INITIAL INTERNATIONALIZATION
PLANNING THROUGH ACTUAL TRANSLATION AND IMPLEMENTATION STAGES AND ON
GOING TRANSLATION MEMORY DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE AN ENGINEER WILL
BE DIRECTLY INVOLVED 7E MAY BE BIASED BUT WE BELIEVE THAT A TOP
NOTCH
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT CAN ANTICIPATE THE POTENTIAL ISSUES YOU MAY FACE WELL
AHEAD OF TIME FROM NAGGING TECHNICAL ODDITIES TO ESOTERIC CULTURAL DIFFERENCES
3O AS YOU PLAN YOUR NEXT PROJECT KEEP US ENGINEERS IN MIND 4HE EXTRA TIME
YOU INVEST UP FRONT WILL PAY OFF IN TERMS OF REDUCED TIMELINES AND COST SAVINGS
IN THE LONG RUN
)N A "ELGRADE ELEVATOR
h4O MOVE THE CABIN PUSH BUTTON FOR WISHING mOOR )F THE CABIN
ENTER MORE PERSONS EACH ONE SHOULD PRESS A NUMBER OF WISHING
mOOR $RIVING IS THEN GOING ALPHABETICALLY BY NATIONAL ORDERv
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER -ULTIMEDIA ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER
-ULTIMEDIA ,OCALIZATION
!S COMMUNICATION TOOLS HAVE BECOME MORE SOPHISTICATED THE METHODS USED TO
LOCALIZE THEIR OUTPUT HAVE HAD TO CHANGE AS WELL .OT MANY YEARS AGO LOCALIZATION
WAS MOST OFTEN PERFORMED ON WRITTEN MATERIALS EG PRODUCT MANUALS USER GUIDES
TRAINING MATERIALS ETC !S THE WORLD BECAME WIRED NEXT CAME ONLINE HELP
WEBSITES AND '5) 4HE NEW FRONTIER WHICH IS ALREADY EVERYWHERE IS MULTIMEDIA
3OME OF THE MORE COMMON EXAMPLES OF MULTIMEDIA MATERIALS ARE &LASH MOVIES
SOUND lLES VIDEO CLIPS AND COMPLEX GRAPHICS !LL CAN BE FOUND IN SUCH DIVERSE
PLACES AS VIDEO GAMES INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE WEB APPLICATIONS $6$S KIOSKS AND
#$
2/-S
,OCALIZATION
-ULTIMEDIA
5NLIKE TRADITIONAL LOCALIZATION WHICH TYPICALLY USES PROFESSIONAL LINGUISTS TO
TRANSLATE THE MATERIALS AND DESKTOP PUBLISHERS TO FORMAT THE OUTPUT MULTIMEDIA
LOCALIZATION REQUIRES EXPERTS WITH ADDITIONAL SKILL SETS FOR AUDIO OR VIDEO
TEXT ADAPTATION SCRIPT TRANSLATION AND PROFESSIONAL VOICE TALENT RECORDING
! HEALTHY DOSE OF SOFTWARE ENGINEERING IS ALSO NEEDED 4HIS COMBINATION OF
LINGUISTIC WORK AND IN
STUDIO PRODUCTION SERVICES CAN BE USED FOR TRAINING
MARKETING EDUCATIONAL OR COMMERCIAL AUDIO AND VIDEO APPLICATIONS AS WELL AS
ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTS
2EGARDLESS OF THE MEDIUM THERE ARE SOME BASIC RULES THAT SHOULD BE FOLLOWED
ON EVERY PROJECT /N THE FOLLOWING PAGES WE WILL PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF
MULTIMEDIA LOCALIZATION AND THEN DESCRIBE A SAMPLE &LASH PROJECT
3LFN<RXU)RUPDW
7HEN IT COMES TO PRESENTING YOUR MULTIMEDIA MESSAGE THE CHOICES OF FORMAT
ARE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS 9OUR PRODUCTION TEAM CAN CHOOSE FROM A WIDE VARIETY OF
APPLICATIONS THAT USE MANY DIFFERENT FORMATS INCLUDING
s $ 3TUDIO -AX
s !LIAS
s !NIMATED ')&S
s $IRECT 8
s -ACROMEDIA &LASH
s -ACROMEDIA 3HOCKWAVE AND
s 3OFT)MAGE
/NCE YOUVE DECIDED ON YOUR FORMAT THE NEXT DECISION IS WHETHER TO PROVIDE YOUR
MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE )F YOUR MESSAGE IS INTENDED FOR
MULTILINGUAL CONSUMERS MAKE EVERY ATTEMPT TO CONSIDER LOCALIZATION FROM THE OUTSET
WHEN THE SOURCE lLES ARE lRST BEING DEVELOPED
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER -ULTIMEDIA ,OCALIZATION
%HJLQ:LWK/RFDOL]DWLRQ,Q0LQG
#OMMUNICATING TO A GLOBAL AUDIENCE WITH A MULTIMEDIA PROJECT PRESENTS BOTH
TECHNICAL AND CULTURAL CHALLENGES )F YOU BEGIN WITH LOCALIZATION IN MIND YOU
CAN AVOID FRUSTRATING DELAYS AND INCREASED COSTS DOWN THE ROAD
/N THE TECHNICAL SIDE YOU MAY RUN INTO ISSUES SUCH AS TEXT EXPANSION 0LAN
FOR MINIMUM 4HIS APPLIES TO ON
SCREEN AS WELL AS SPOKEN TEXT -AKE
SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTER SETS FOR DIFFERENT LANGUAGES AND HOW ISSUES
SUCH AS CONCATENATION AND BIDIRECTIONAL SCRIPTS SEE #HAPTER ARE HANDLED
!NTICIPATE HOW THE SYNCHRONIZATION OF VOICE lLES WILL DIFFER BETWEEN LANGUAGES
#HRISTOPHE 6EZINET #AN YOUR ON
SCREEN BUTTONS ACCOMMODATE TRANSLATED TEXT -AKE A lNAL
LINGUISTIC CHECK ON ALL THESE ITEMS
,OCALIZATION %NGINEER
!S WITH WRITTEN WORDS VISUAL MESSAGES MAY INSPIRE VERY DIFFERENT MEANINGS
) WAS BORN ON !UGUST
AS THEY CROSS FROM CULTURE TO CULTURE &OR EXAMPLE AN IMAGE THAT IS ACCEPTABLE
IN !JACCIO ON THE IN %UROPE MAY BE UNACCEPTABLE IN !SIA 'O WITH CARE AND GUIDANCE HERE
-EDITERRANEAN ISLAND OF A MISSTEP MIGHT RESULT IN SOME EMBARRASSMENT BUT IT COULD ALSO DETRACT
#ORSICA -Y MILITARY EXPLOITS SIGNIlCANTLY FROM YOUR MESSAGE
AND MY RUTHLESS EFlCIENCY
7HOOPS 3TOP THATS
.APOLEONS BIO 7ELL ) WAS +RZ/RFDOL]DWLRQ*HWV'RQH
ALSO IN THE &RENCH !RMY FOR
YEARS ) WAS NOT %MPEROR /NCE YOU HAVE CREATED YOUR MULTIMEDIA MESSAGE IN ITS SOURCE LANGUAGE
LOCALIZATION BEGINS WITH A LOCALIZATION ENGINEER CAREFULLY DISMANTLING YOUR
BUT ) HAD A LOT OF FUN MISSIONS
LOVINGLY CONSTRUCTED SOURCE DOCUMENTKEEPING AN EYE ON SUCH ISSUES AS COLOR
ALL OVER THE WORLD 4HEN )
SPECIlCATIONS SYSTEM FONTS TEXT ATTRIBUTES NAVIGATION AND INTERACTIVE TEXT /N
DECIDED TO EXILE MYSELF TO
SCREEN TEXT IS THEN PULLED OUT AND SENT ALONG WITH ANY SCRIPT FOR LOCALIZATION
THE 53 7HATS BETTER THAN
RETIRING TO A LOCALIZATION )F YOUR SCHEDULE PERMITS IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO FORWARD THE TRANSLATED ON
SCREEN
COMPANY WHERE MY MANAGER AND NARRATIVE TEXT FOR IN
COUNTRY APPROVAL PRIOR TO ENTERING THE STUDIO OR
IS MY OWN YOUNGER BROTHER STARTING ENGINEERING !T THE VERY LEAST THIS HELPS AVOID BASIC CULTURAL AND
.APOLEON SAID h!MBITION IS INDUSTRY ISSUES !T THE VERY BEST IT GIVES YOUR IN
COUNTRY TEAM A VALUABLE
NEVER CONTENT EVEN ON THE STAKE IN YOUR LOCALIZATION PROJECT !DDITIONALLY THEIR UP
FRONT BUY
IN AVOIDS
SUMMIT OF GREATNESSv #ÏDRIC DOWNSTREAM DELAYS TO THE TIMELINE AND COSTLY STUDIO AND ENGINEERING RE
WORK
COULD HAVE SAID THAT TOO
/NCE APPROVED THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER PLACES THE ON
SCREEN TEXT INTO THE
LOCALIZED VISUAL lLES 4HEN THE SCRIPT GOES TO AN AUDIOVISUAL TEAM THAT MAY
INCLUDE AUDIO ENGINEERS VOICE TALENT AND PERHAPS A LINGUISTIC PRODUCER
7ORKING WITH THE SPECIlCS OF THE SOURCE lLES THIS TEAM PRODUCES THE LOCALIZED
VOICE lLES THAT ARE HANDED OFF TO THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER FOR lNAL PLACEMENT
! lNAL ENGINEERING STEP TO SPOT SCRIPT ERRORS AND BROKEN LINKS PLUS ONE LAST
LINGUISTIC REVIEW TO ENSURE SYNCHRONIZATION AND YOUR lLES ARE READY FOR A GLOBAL
LAUNCH "Y KEEPING THESE STEPS IN MIND FROM THE OUTSET IN YOUR PRODUCTION
CYCLE YOU WILL ENSURE YOUR MULTIMEDIA PROJECT ENTERTAINS AND ILLUMINATES EVERY
MEMBER OF ITS AUDIENCE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER -ULTIMEDIA ,OCALIZATION
)ODVK&DVH6WXG\
4HE 0RODUCT
!DVERTISEMENT &LASH MOVIE
4HE #LIENT
!N INNOVATIVE MARKETING AGENCY THAT HELPS BUSINESSES PROMOTE THEIR MESSAGES
THROUGH SHORT EFlCIENT &LASH MOVIES
4HE 0ROJECT
$URING THE ESTIMATING PROCESS LOCALIZATION ENGINEERS FOUND THAT THE SOURCE
&LASH OBJECT CONTAINED COMPLEX AND CHALLENGING TEXT EFFECTS THAT REQUIRED
LOCALIZATION !S IS TYPICAL IN THESE PROJECTS THE ENGINEERING LAB ASKED FOR ANY
,OCALIZATION
-ULTIMEDIA
AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON HOW THE CLIENT CREATED THE SOURCE MOVIE 4HE LAB
LOOKED FOR A LIST OF FONTS USED TO CREATE ALL OBJECTS THAT RESIDE WITHIN THE MOVIE
!LSO THE ENGINEERS WERE HOPING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SOFTWARE OR PLUG
IN
THAT HAD BEEN USED TO CREATE THE TEXT EFFECTS )N THIS CASE THE CLIENT USED A &LASH
AUTHORING TOOL WITH A EFFECTS LIBRARY A *AVA3CRIPT
LIKE SCRIPTING LANGUAGE
AND SUPPORT FOR DYNAMIC CONTENT AND INPUT FORMS
4HE SECOND MAJOR ENGINEERING CHALLENGE FOR THIS PROJECT WAS THE
SYNCHRONIZATION OF THE VOICE
OVER !S USUAL THE AGENCYS SOURCE lLE WAS WELL
MADE %VERY ASPECT OF THE MOVIE FROM TEXT EFFECTS TO THE MUSIC TRACK TO THE
VOICE
OVER WAS PRECISELY PLACED WITHIN THE SOURCE lLE 4HIS OF COURSE IS WHAT
MAKES THESE ANIMATIONS SO APPEALING AND THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEERING OF THE
VOICE
OVER NEEDS TO CLOSELY MATCH THE SOURCE IN ORDER TO RETAIN THESE WINNING
ELEMENTS
4HE 3COPE
&LASH -OVIE APPROXIMATELY MINUTES ON
SCREEN WORDS
!UDIO 3CRIPT 7ORDS
3YNCHRONIZATION OF THE LOCALIZED VOICE OVER
4ESTING 1! !S USUAL FOR A &LASH PROJECT THERE IS A TYPICAL 1! STEP
4IMELINE DAYS
4HE 0ROCESS
! CONSTANT OF THE LOCALIZATION INDUSTRY IS THAT ANY &LASH AUTHORING TOOL THAT
HELPS THE DESIGNER WILL MAKE LIFE EQUALLY AND PROPORTIONALLY MISERABLE FOR
THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER 4HE REASON FOR THIS IS SIMPLE THESE TOOLS ALMOST
ALWAYS CREATE BITMAP OBJECTS WHICH BY THEIR NATURE ARE NOT EDITABLE 4HE ONLY
WAY TO LOCALIZE THEM IS TO REVERSE ENGINEER AND REPRODUCE THE STEPS OF THE
CREATION PROCESS WITH THE LOCALIZED CONTENT ,ATHER RINSE AND REPEAT FOR %!#(
,!.'5!'% &OR THIS REASON THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER SPENDS SIGNIlCANT TIME
UP FRONT IDENTIFYING ISSUES AND GATHERING INFORMATION
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER -ULTIMEDIA ,OCALIZATION
!LL THE LOCALIZABLE TEXT IN THIS SOURCE lLE EDITABLE OR NOT WAS GATHERED AND
SENT OFF FOR TRANSLATION ALONG WITH THE VOICE OVER SCRIPT /NCE THE ON SCREEN
TEXT CAME BACK FROM LOCALIZATION IT WAS A SIMPLE MATTER OF USING THE SAME
AUTHORING TOOL AND SETTINGS TO REPRODUCE EACH OBJECT IN THE MOVIE
4EXT EXPANSION IS A COMMON ISSUE IN DOCUMENTATION LOCALIZATION BUT WITH
LOCALIZATION WITHIN &LASH IT PACKS A DOUBLE PUNCH .OT ONLY DO YOU HAVE TO
DEAL WITH THE EXPANSION OF ON
SCREEN TEXT BUT YOU NOW HAVE THE ADDED ISSUE OF
DEALING WITH THE EXPANSION OF LOCALIZED SPOKEN TEXT 4HE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER
MUST lND THAT DELICATE BALANCE BETWEEN THE SPEED AND LENGTH OF THE LOCALIZED
VOICE
OVER lLE AND THE ENGINEERING OF THE LOCALIZED MOVIE ITSELF
3HANE 0OLIZZANO
!S A MATTER OF PRACTICE ONCE THE VOICE
OVER IS LOCALIZED THERE IS ALMOST NO
3ENIOR 0ROJECT -ANAGER TURNING BACK "ECAUSE OF THE LOGISTICS INVOLVED WITH GETTING TALENT AND STUDIO
TIME TO RE
RECORD THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEER MAY HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO WORK
4O TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WITH WHAT THEY HAVE UNLESS THERE IS AN OBVIOUS LINGUISTIC ISSUE 4HERE ARE NOT
TRUE SPORTS AND MERE GAMES MANY WAYS TO SYNCHRONIZE A &LASH MOVIE OTHER THAN ALTERING THE TIMELINE BY
ITS A SIMPLE MATTER OF LISTENING MOVING BIG CHUNKS OF FRAMES MANUALLY 3OMETIMES THIS ALTERATION MUST BE
FOR THE USE OF THE WORD hPLAYv DONE TO MATCH THE EVENT ON SCENE WITH THE VOICE
OVER $IFFERENT LANGUAGES
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THEM UTILIZE DIFFERENT WORD ORDERS AND THIS CAN SIGNIlCANTLY AFFECT SYNCHRONIZATION AS
&OR EXAMPLE WHILE ) LOVE WELL
CHESS ) 0,!9 CHESS AND IT IS
/NCE THE LINGUISTIC AND ENGINEERING CHECKS OF THE PUBLISHED lLES HAVE BEEN
THEREFORE A GAME AND NOT A
COMPLETED THE SOURCE AND PUBLISHED lLES ALONG WITH ANY NEEDED SUPPORTING
SPORT ) ALSO LOVE ROCK CLIMBING
lLES ARE DELIVERED TO THE CLIENT
EVEN MORE THAN CHESS BUT
WOULDNT SAY THAT ) 0,!9
ROCK CLIMBING) #,)-" AND
IT IS THEREFORE A SPORT 4HIS
&KRRVH<RXU7\SH
ARGUMENT IS PARTICULARLY USEFUL 4HERE ARE TWO CHOICES FOR HOW TO USE TEXT WHEN CREATING A SOURCE &LASH
WHEN NEEDLING MY DAD ABOUT DOCUMENT (ERE ARE SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO LOCALIZATION
0,!9).' GOLF.O DAD ITS
2EGULAR 4EXT lELD 4HIS IS THE EASIEST TO MANIPULATE AND LOCALIZE ,OCALIZATION
NOT A SPORT JUST A GAMEKIND
SOFTWARE CAN AUTOMATICALLY lND THIS TEXT PULL IT OUT AND LEVERAGE IT AGAINST ANY
OF LIKE DARTS OR PAINTBALL
EXISTING TRANSLATION MEMORY 4HE LOCALIZATION ENGINEERS STILL NEED TO GATHER
INFORMATION ABOUT THE FONTS AND ATTRIBUTES USED IN CREATING THE SOURCE lLE
!.$ IMPLEMENT THE FONTS INTO THEIR SYSTEM PRIOR TO PUBLICATION /THERWISE
&LASH WILL AUTOMATICALLY SUBSTITUTE FOR MISSING FONTS AND UNDESIRABLE RESULTS
MAY BE PUBLISHED
"ITMAP 4EXT lELD 7HILE THESE TEXT lELDS CROSS PLATFORMS AND VERSIONS WITH EASE
THEY CAN BE A CHALLENGE FOR THE LOCALIZATION ENGINEERING TEAM 4HE RESULTING
TEXT IS NOT EDITABLE AND THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO MANUALLY ENTER EACH LOCALIZED
STRING INTO THE SAME AUTHORING TOOL USING THE SAME SETTINGS AS WERE USED IN THE
CREATION OF THE SOURCE "ITMAP TEXT IS OFTEN FOUND WHEN THE SOURCE DESIGNER HAS
USED A THIRD
PARTY AUTHORING TOOL TO APPLY EFFECTS TO TYPE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER -ULTIMEDIA ,OCALIZATION
4EXT &IELD 4YPE 0ROS #ONS
%DITABLE 0ORTABILITY ISSUES CAN OCCUR
2EGULAR 4EXT lELD #AN BE LINKED TO AN EXTERNAL
8-, lLE
7HAT YOU SEE IS WHAT .OT %DITABLE
YOU GET 793)79'
.ECESSARY TO HAVE THE
"ITMAP 4EXT lELD
PORTABLE SOURCE FONT
,OCALIZATION
-ULTIMEDIA
4HE %NGLISH TRANSLATION ON A MENU IN A RESTAURANT IN 0ARIS
3TARTERS
%GG STINKS IN THE CHIVE
&RENCH BEANS AND MUSHROOMS OLIVE OIL AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR
0LATE OF TOMATOES -OZZARELLA OLIVE OIL AND BASIL
,AWYERS MUSLIN TO THE LOBSTERS
0LATE OF HAM OF COUNTRY AND MELON
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 1UALITY !SSURANCE
#HAPTER
1UALITY !SSURANCE
(OW TO
BE #ERTAIN 9OU 'OT )T 2IGHT
(OW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU LAUGHED OVER INCOMPREHENSIBLE INSTRUCTIONS
FOR CONNECTING A NEW AUDIO SYSTEM OR ASSEMBLING A NEW TOY FOR YOUR CHILD
)NTUITIVELY MOST CONSUMERS REALIZE THEY ARE READING A POOR TRANSLATION "UT
ASK YOURSELF $O YOU WANT YOUR CUSTOMERS LAUGHING OVER SOMETHING YOU
"ARBARA "ONNEMA PRODUCED -OST COMPANIES SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE QUALITY OF THEIR
1! 3UPERVISOR WEBSITES DOCUMENTATION AND SOFTWARE IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN ACHIEVING
PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE 4IME AND AGAIN WE SEE COMPANIES DELAY PROJECTS FOR WEEKS
!S A STUDENT AT THE WHILE THEY hWORDSMITHv THEIR MESSAGE TO GET IT hJUST RIGHTv 7HEN IT COMES
h(OGESCHOOL VOOR 4OLK TIME TO TRANSLATE THAT MESSAGE FOR THEIR FOREIGN MARKETS HOWEVER THEY CHOOSE
6ERTALERv
YEAR COLLEGE FOR THE CHEAPEST OPTION AVAILABLE )F YOU ARE INVESTING IN THE LOCALIZATION OF YOUR
PRODUCT YOU SHOULD WANT THAT PRODUCT TO MEET THE HIGH
QUALITY EXPECTATIONS
)NTERPRETATION 4RANSLATION
OF YOUR TARGET AUDIENCEWHEREVER THEY MAY BE 9OU SHOULD ALSO WANT YOUR
IN THE .ETHERLANDS ) COULD
PRODUCT TO REmECT YOUR CAREFULLY CRAFTED IMAGE IN EVERY MARKETPLACE
HAVE NEVER IMAGINED THAT )
WOULD ONE DAY END UP HERE
AT ,INGO 3YSTEMS AS THE 7KLQN4XDOLW\IURPWKH6WDUW
1UALITY !SSURANCE 3UPERVISOR
4O MAXIMIZE QUALITY CONSIDER REVIEWING YOUR SOURCE CONTENT AND PRODUCTS
%VEN THOUGH ) DONT OFTEN
TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEY ARE hLOCALIZATION
READYv 4HIS STEP BEGINS EVEN
HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR
BEFORE THE TRANSLATION WHILE YOUR MATERIALS ARE STILL IN DEVELOPMENT 4HIS
$UTCH TRANSLATION ANYMORE ) REVIEW IDENTIlES POSSIBLE ISSUES THAT MAY AFFECT SUCCESSFUL LOCALIZATION 9OU ARE
THOROUGHLY ENJOY WORKING WITH PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THE CONCEPT OF hINTERNATIONALIZINGv SOFTWARE PREPARING
OTHER PEOPLES TRANSLATIONS IN SOFTWARE SO THAT IT CAN BE EASILY LOCALIZED IN THE FUTURE 7E ENCOURAGE YOU
A GREAT VARIETY OF LANGUAGES TO APPLY THAT SAME IDEA TO ALL OF YOUR PRODUCTS INCLUDING DOCUMENTATION )N
AND IN THE PROCESS HELPING TO OUR EXPERIENCE THIS IMPORTANT STEP IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED DURING DOCUMENTATION
DELIVER A HIGH
QUALITY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT RESULTING IN TIMELINES THAT COMPROMISE A THOROUGH
TO OUR CLIENTS INTERNATIONALIZATION PRIOR TO COMMENCING THE PROJECT
4O HELP MAKE YOUR DOCUMENTATION SUITABLE FOR LOCALIZATION YOUR LOCALIZATION
VENDOR SHOULD OFFER TO REVIEW OR hCLEAN UPv YOUR %NGLISH DOCUMENTATION !N
%NGLISH DOCUMENT THAT IS GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT AND FREE FROM INCONSISTENCIES
IN TERMINOLOGY GREATLY FACILITATES THE TRANSLATION PROCESS 3IMILARLY CONSISTENT
FORMATTING STYLE SEE #HAPTER 7RITING FOR ,OCALIZATION GREATLY IMPROVES
THE DOCUMENT LOCALIZATION PROCESS +EEP IN MIND THAT IF YOU WAIT UNTIL AFTER
THE TRANSLATION PROCESS IS COMPLETED A POORLY FORMATTED PARAGRAPH WILL REQUIRE
lXING IN EACH LANGUAGE )F YOU REVIEW AND CLEAN UP THE DOCUMENT BEFORE
TRANSLATION BEGINS THE POORLY FORMATTED PARAGRAPH ONLY NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED
ONCE
4HINKING ABOUT YOUR NEED FOR QUALITY AND OTHER DOCUMENT LOCALIZATION ISSUES
EARLY IN THE PROCESS WILL DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE YOUR lNAL PRODUCT 4HE MORE
THOUGHT YOU PUT INTO PREPARING YOUR PRODUCTS FOR LOCALIZATION THE MORE LIKELY
YOU WILL BE TO ACHIEVE HIGHER QUALITY LOWER COSTS AND SHORTER TIMELINES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 1UALITY !SSURANCE
4XDOLW\$VVXUDQFH
1UALITY STANDARDS ARE SUBJECTIVE AND CAN VARY DEPENDING ON THE USE OF THE
lNAL PRODUCT 7ITH CONSUMER PRODUCTS YOU MAY HAVE EXACTING QUALITY
STANDARDS WHEREAS AN IN
HOUSE TRAINING COURSE MAY HAVE MORE RELAXED QUALITY
REQUIREMENTS 4HE PRIMARY 1UALITY !SSURANCE 1! STANDARDS FOR LOCALIZED
MATERIALS ARE AS FOLLOWS
% 4RANSLATION QUALITY )S THE SOURCE EFFECTIVELY TRANSLATED INTO EACH LANGUAGE
% 6ISUAL REVIEW $OES THE DOCUMENT CONFORM TO THE hLOOK AND FEELv OF THE
ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIALS
% &UNCTIONAL TESTING $OES YOUR SOFTWARE WEBSITE OR ON
SCREEN DISPLAY
FUNCTION PROPERLY IN THE LOCALIZED TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENT
7UDQVODWLRQ4XDOLW\
&ACTORS THAT IMPACT LINGUISTIC QUALITY INCLUDE
!SSURANCE
1UALITY
% !RE PROFESSIONALS OR NON
PROFESSIONALS PERFORMING THE TRANSLATION
% (OW MANY LINGUISTIC STEPS ARE USEDxONE TWO OR THREE
% )S THERE AN IN
COUNTRY REVIEW
% 7HAT SUPPLEMENTARY TOOLSSTYLE GUIDELINES GLOSSARY AND TERMINOLOGY
LISTARE USED TO HELP COMPLETE THE TRANSLATION
! COMPREHENSIVE DISCUSSION OF THESE TOPICS IS PRESENTED IN #HAPTER %ACH
IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE 1! PROCESS &OR EXAMPLE PERFORMING ADDITIONAL
LINGUISTIC STEPS TO COPYEDIT THE WORK OF A TRANSLATOR OR PROOFREAD THE DRAFT
OUTPUT FOR CONSISTENCY AND mOW OF LANGUAGE WILL IMPROVE QUALITY AND ENSURE
ACCURACY 3IMILARLY UTILIZING YOUR OWN IN
COUNTRY PERSONNEL OR REPRESENTATIVES
TO REVIEW THE lNAL DELIVERABLE IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT 1! PROCEDURE THAT WILL ADD
TO THE OVERALL QUALITY OF YOUR TRANSLATED PRODUCT
!T ,INGO 3YSTEMS WE ENDORSE EACH OF THESE STEPS AND RECOMMEND THAT 1UALITY
!SSURANCE 3PECIALISTS VERIFY THAT THE LINGUISTS HAVE CONSISTENTLY USED THE CORRECT
TERMINOLOGY AND STYLES
9LVXDO5HYLHZ
/NCE THE FORMAL TRANSLATION PROCESS HAS BEEN COMPLETED THE 1UALITY
!SSURANCE PROCESS CONTINUES IN DIFFERENT FORMS DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OF
YOUR PROJECT )F YOUR PROJECT INCLUDES PRINTED MATERIALS THE 1! SPECIALISTS
PERFORM VISUAL VALIDATION TO ENSURE THAT EVERYTHING IN THE TRANSLATED DOCUMENT
MATCHES THE SOURCE DOCUMENT !MONG THE ITEMS TYPICALLY VALIDATED ARE
% #OMPLETED TRANSLATION ALL ITEMS THAT SHOULD BE TRANSLATED ARE TRANSLATED
AND THOSE THAT SHOULD REMAIN IN THE SOURCE LANGUAGE ARE NOT TRANSLATED
% #ONSISTENT FONT TYPE STYLE AND SIZE
% #ORRECT PLACEMENT AND SIZE OF GRAPHICS
% 'RAPHIC CONTENT NO hCLIPPINGv OF GRAPHIC OR TEXT ELEMENTS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 1UALITY !SSURANCE
% 0AGE mOW AND PAGE NUMBERING MATCH THE SOURCE DOCUMENT
% #ROSS REFERENCES BETWEEN TEXT AND THE TABLE OF CONTENTS INDICES INTERNAL
REFERENCES SCREEN CAPTURES ANDOR GRAPHIC CAPTION TEXT AND
% 4EXT INDENTATION AND ALIGNMENT
4HIS LIST CAN EXPAND CONSIDERABLY AND IS NORMALLY CUSTOMIZED FOR EACH
PROJECT BASED ON INPUT FROM THE CLIENT 4O HELP YOUR VENDOR DEVELOP QUALITY
GUIDELINES PROVIDE THEM WITH ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN AID THE TRANSLATION
AND 1! STEPS EARLY IN THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS 3OME EXAMPLES OF HELPFUL
INFORMATION TO PROVIDE TO YOUR VENDOR INCLUDE
*ENNIFER 0OLIS % 4ERMS AND NAMES THAT REMAIN IN %NGLISH
1! 3PECIALIST
% ! LIST OF PART NUMBERS FOR YOUR PRODUCTS
%VER SINCE ) WAS A LITTLE GIRL % -EASUREMENT UNITS AND CONVERSIONS USED IN YOUR DOCUMENT INCHESCM
)VE LOVED READING THE %NGLISH POUNDSGRAMS #ELSIUS&AHRENHEIT ETC AND
LANGUAGE AND SEEING HOW % ,OCAL CONTACT INFORMATION FOR EACH LANGUAGE PHONE NUMBERS ADDRESSES
WORDS lT TOGETHER /DDLY ) E
MAIL ADDRESSES WEBSITE 52,S ETC
WAS THE ONLY ONE IN SCHOOL
WHO THOUGHT DIAGRAMMING
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VERBS WAS COOL .OW THAT )M
ALL GROWN UP SOMEWHAT AND
/NLINE $OCUMENTATION
WORKING AT ,INGO 3YSTEMS )VE !S WITH YOUR PRINTED DOCUMENTATION ALL ONLINE DOCUMENTATION SHOULD BE
COME TO APPRECIATE THE VISUAL VALIDATED IN A 1! REVIEW 4HE TWO MAIN ONLINE DOCUMENTATION FORMATS IN USE
CUES OF MANY OTHER LANGUAGES TODAY 0$& lLES AND (4-, lLES ALSO REQUIRE FUNCTIONAL TESTING 4HIS PROCEDURE
AS WELL 4HIS HAS WORKED OUT WILL CONlRM THAT THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE 0$& OR (4-, lLES EG BOOKMARKS
WONDERFULLY SINCE THE ACTUAL HYPERLINKS INTERNAL CROSS
REFERENCES ETC WORK AS INTENDED
SPEAKING PART HAS ALWAYS
4HESE TESTS WHICH ARE IDEALLY PERFORMED BY YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR USUALLY
STUMPED ME
REQUIRE TESTING ON COMPUTERS RUNNING NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEMS TO ENSURE THAT
THE FUNCTIONALITY AND CHARACTER DISPLAYS ARE CORRECT 4YPICALLY THE lLES ARE
CHECKED FOR
% #OMPATIBILITY WITH NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEMS
% #ORRECT DISPLAY OF FONTS AND GRAPHICS USING THE APPROPRIATE BROWSER OR
READER
% #ORRECT FUNCTIONING OF HYPERLINKS AND
% #LEAR PRINTING OF PAGES
4HIS LIST MAY BE CUSTOMIZED WITH OTHER ITEMS DEPENDING UPON ANY ADVANCED
FEATURES THAT MAY BE ADDED TO THE 0$& OR (4-, lLES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 1UALITY !SSURANCE
3OFTWARE AND 5SER )NTERFACES '5)
3OFTWARE AND OTHER 5SER )NTERFACES '5) ALSO REQUIRE A THOROUGH 1! REVIEW
4HIS TESTING PROCESS IS SIMILAR TO 0$& AND (4-, TESTING 3OFTWARE SHOULD BE
CHECKED ON NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEMS TO ENSURE THAT CHARACTER ENCODING AND
FONTS ARE CORRECT AND THAT ANY TEXT EXPANSION DOES NOT RESULT IN TRUNCATED TEXT
STRINGS )N ADDITION HOT KEYS AND KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS NEED TESTING TO ENSURE
THERE ARE NO CONmICTS AND THAT THE KEYS USED ACTUALLY APPEAR ON THE LOCAL
KEYBOARD
&INALLY THE APPLICATION NEEDS TO BE TESTED TO ENSURE THAT THE LOCALIZATION
PROCESS DID NOT INTRODUCE ANY hBUGSv ERRORS INTO THE SOFTWARE 4YPICALLY
SOFTWARE GOES THROUGH A FULL REGRESSION TEST TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL AREAS OF THE
SOFTWARE PERFORM AS INTENDED !S WITH (4-, AND 0$& TESTING THE ACTUAL TEST
MAY BE CUSTOMIZED TO SUIT A SPECIlC NEED OR CLIENT REQUEST
! FULL DISCUSSION ON TESTING AND INTEGRATION CAN BE FOUND IN #HAPTER
!SSURANCE
1UALITY
6XPPDU\
7HEN SELECTING A LOCALIZATION VENDOR LOOK FOR A PARTNER WHO CARES AS MUCH AS
YOU DO ABOUT CAREFULLY LOCALIZING YOUR PRODUCT IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES ! GOOD
WAY TO DETERMINE THIS IS TO INQUIRE ABOUT THEIR 1! PROCEDURES 4HERE ARE MANY
TRANSLATORS AND TRANSLATION COMPANIES IN THE MARKETPLACE BUT EACH ONE HAS
DIFFERENT QUALITY STANDARDS FOR THEIR WORK 1UALITY !SSURANCE STEPS MUST BE
PERFORMED AT EACH STAGE OF A PROJECT IN ORDER FOR A LOCALIZATION VENDOR TO MEET
YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE lNAL PRODUCT
4HE %NGLISH TRANSLATION ON A MENU IN A RESTAURANT IN 0ARIS
-AN #OURSES
$AY lSH ACCORDING TO THE MARKET
/FlCIAL LISTS OF LAMB lRST ONE FRIED
$AY VEGETABLES
4HIGH OF CHICKEN IN THE TARRAGON
(OUSE 4ARTARE
GREEN 3ALAD OR FRIED HOUSE
(OUSE #HEESE BURGER
3ALAD OR FRIED HOUSE
0AVEMENT OF OX BEEF WIPES IN THE DAYTIME DAY VEGETABLES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &ORMATTING 0RINT AND /NLINE $OCUMENTS
#HAPTER
&ORMATTING 0RINT AND /NLINE
$OCUMENTS
$ESKTOP PUBLISHING IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF MANY LOCALIZATION PROJECTS )T IS
NOT ENOUGH TO SIMPLY TRANSLATE THE WORDS AND LET THEM FALL WHERE THEY MAY
#ARE MUST BE TAKEN TO PRESENT YOUR MANUALS AND HELP SYSTEMS WITH THE SAME
SENSE OF STYLE AND POLISH THAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR SOURCE LANGUAGE &ORTUNATELY
2OGER 4HOMPSON THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY MAKES THIS TASK MUCH EASIER )N THIS CHAPTER WE WILL
!RT $IRECTOR $40 3UPERVISOR REVIEW BOTH PRINTED AND ONLINE DOCUMENTATION THE CHANGING NATURE OF FONTS
THE WILES OF TEXT EXPANSION RESIZING SCREEN CAPTURES AND PORTABLE DOCUMENTS
"ATS ,EFT 7E END WITH A LOOK AT THE TOOLS THAT HAVE REVOLUTIONIZED hTECH PUBSv CREATION
4HROWS ,EFT SINGLE
SOURCE AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT
2OGER HAD ANOTHER GREAT
SEASON IN AS HE HELPED
CARRY ,INGO 3YSTEMS INTO
([SHULHQFH&RXQWV
CONTENTION IN THE 'LOBAL ,OCALIZATION VENDORS HANDLE DESKTOP PUBLISHING IN ONE OF THREE WAYS 3OME
4RANSLATION ,EAGUE (E HIT USE THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES OTHERS OUTSOURCE TO CONTRACTORS EITHER OFF
SHORE OR
ON
SHORE AND THE REST SUBCONTRACT WITH THE TRANSLATION AGENCIES WHO PERFORM
HOME RUNS AND TOPPED
THE LINGUISTIC WORK
STOLEN BASES FOR THE TH
CONSECUTIVE YEAR AND RACKED 4HE DIFFERENCES CAN BE SIGNIlCANT SO DO YOUR HOMEWORK ! SKILLED FORMATTER
UP 2") )T WAS ,EFTYS KNOWS MANY WAYS TO ENSURE THAT YOUR MATERIALS LOOK AS GOOD IN THE NEW
TH STRAIGHT SEASON WITH A LANGUAGE AS THEY DID IN THE ORIGINAL !LSO WITH EXPERTISE COMES EFlCIENCY
PLUS BATTING AVERAGE 7HILE THE NEOPHYTE IS SEARCHING FOR SOME WAY TO SQUEEZE TEXT ELEGANTLY THE OLD
WHICH IS REMARKABLE WHEN PRO SIMPLY REACHES INTO A BAG OF TRUSTED TRICKS 9OU SHOULDNT HAVE TO PAY FOR
YOU CONSIDER THE PHYSICAL SOMEONE ELSES ON
THE
JOB TRAINING
DEMANDS OF HIS POSITION
7HETHER YOUR VENDORS $40 RESOURCES ARE LOCATED OFF
SHORE OR ON
SHORE CAN
ALSO AFFECT YOUR PROJECT 7HEN TIMELINES ARE CRITICAL OR PROJECT COMPLEXITY
REQUIRES CLOSE COORDINATION WITH OTHER DISCIPLINES SUCH AS LOCALIZATION
ENGINEERING OR 1! TESTING THERE ARE OFTEN SIGNIlCANT ADVANTAGES TO KEEPING
THESE TASKS IN
HOUSE
4HE BEST WAY TO ENSURE THAT YOU RECEIVE WELL FORMATTED DELIVERABLES IS TO ASK
FOR REFERENCES AND CHECK THEM OUT )NQUIRE AS TO HOW MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
THE FORMATTERS HAVE WITH THE DESKTOP PUBLISHING PROGRAM YOU USE )F THE JOB
REQUIRES A NEW PROGRAM OR A NEW VERSION OF A TRADITIONAL PROGRAM MAKE SURE
THE VENDOR KNOWS HOW TO USE IT AND THAT THEY HAVE THE APPROPRIATE TARGET
LANGUAGE VERSION 3INCE THE FORMATTING FOR SOME LANGUAGES CAN ONLY BE DONE
ON A NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEM YOUR VENDOR WILL NEED TO HAVE INVESTED IN A
VARIETY OF SYSTEMS AND LICENSED PUBLISHING TOOLS %VEN EXPERIENCED FORMATTERS
CAN GET LOST WHEN WORKING WITH OTHER LANGUAGES IF THEY ARE ONLY USED TO THEIR
OWN NATIVE TONGUE /N THE OTHER HAND EXPERIENCED LOCALIZATION VENDORS WILL
ALREADY HAVE DEALT WITH MOST SYSTEM APPLICATION AND lLE COMPATIBILITY ISSUES
)F YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT THE VENDORS SITE ASK FOR A TOUR AND A DEMONSTRATION
OF CAPABILITIES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &ORMATTING 0RINT AND /NLINE $OCUMENTS
6HOHFWLQJWKH5LJKW)RQW
3OFTWARE FONTS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS 4HE EARLIEST
VERSIONS WERE SUFlCIENT TO DISPLAY TEXT IN DOT PATTERNS ON MONITORS AND
DOT MATRIX PRINTERS -OST DID NOT HAVE AN EXTENDED CHARACTER SET TO DISPLAY
ACCENTED CHARACTERS WHICH IS A FUNDAMENTAL REQUIREMENT FOR LOCALIZED
DOCUMENTS %VEN TODAY SOME OF THE NEW SPECIALTY FONTS DO NOT FEATURE EVEN
THE SIMPLEST ACCENTED VOWELS )F YOU USE ONE OF THESE FONTS IT WILL PROBABLY
HAVE TO BE REPLACED IN ORDER TO DISPLAY OTHER LANGUAGES
-ULTILINGUAL FONTS WERE lRST INCLUDED WITH THE 7INDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM IN THE
MID
S )F THE TARGET LANGUAGES WERE %UROPEAN 3LAVIC "ALTIC #YRILLIC OR 4URKIC
THE AVAILABLE FONTS IN THE 7INDOWS CHARACTER MAP APPLICATION WOULD PROBABLY
SUFlCE $OUBLE
BYTE LANGUAGES WERE ANOTHER MATTER (EBREW !RABIC (INDI
AND MOST !SIAN LANGUAGES REQUIRED FONT SUBSTITUTION EVEN WHEN 7INDOWS
MULTILINGUAL FONTS WERE USED
4HE TWENTY lRST CENTURY HAS SEEN A BREAKTHROUGH IN SOFTWARE FONTS WITH THE
AND /NLINE $OCUMENTS
&ORMATTING 0RINT AND
INCLUSION OF 5NICODE IN THE 7INDOWS 80 AND -ACINTOSH /3 8 OPERATING
SYSTEMS "ECAUSE 5NICODE FONTS USE MORE BYTES PER CHARACTER MOST ALPHABETS
AROUND THE WORLD CAN BE REPRESENTED %VEN IF AN OPERATING SYSTEM SUPPORTS
5NICODE FONTS HOWEVER THERE ARE STILL SOME $40 APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT
ACCOMMODATE THEM %VENTUALLY ALL SOFTWARE FONTS WILL BE 5NICODE AND
APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT DISPLAY THEM WILL BE DEFUNCT
&ONTS CAN ALSO BE AN ISSUE WHEN MAKING 0$& PORTABLE DOCUMENT FORMAT lLES
)N THE EARLY S SOME FONT MANUFACTURERS TOOK PAINS TO PREVENT THEIR FONTS
FROM BEING EMBEDDED OUT OF THE FEAR THAT HACKERS WOULD BE ABLE TO EXTRACT
THEM FROM THE 0$&S 4HIS CONCERN NEVER MATERIALIZED BECAUSE THE EFFORT DID
NOT EQUAL THE PRIZE "UT IF A DOCUMENT USES ONE OF THESE OLDER FONTS AND YOU
WISH TO MAKE IT PORTABLE CONSIDER CHANGING TO A DIFFERENT FONT
7H[W([SDQVLRQ
7HEN %NGLISH IS TRANSLATED INTO OTHER LANGUAGES IT OFTEN TAKES MORE SPACE
TO SAY THE SAME THING 4HE REASON MAY BE THAT THE NEW LANGUAGE USES MORE
ARTICLES AS IN &RENCH OR )TALIAN OR BECAUSE THE WORDS ARE SIMPLY LONGER AS
IN $UTCH OR 'ERMAN /N THE OTHER HAND THE NEW LANGUAGE MIGHT USE A FEW
IDEOGRAMS TO EXPRESS AN ENTIRE PHRASE CAUSING THE OPPOSITE EFFECT 7HILE TEXT
CONTRACTION IS RARELY A PROBLEM WHEN LOCALIZING DOCUMENTS TEXT EXPANSION
CAN RAISE SOME TRICKY ISSUES 4HE STANDARD RULE OF THUMB IN THE LOCALIZATION
INDUSTRY IS THAT %UROPEAN LANGUAGES EXPAND ON AVERAGE BY ABOUT
WITHOUT HYPHENATION 4HIS CAN POSE SEVERAL CHALLENGES ! TABLE THAT lTS
ON ONE PAGE IN %NGLISH MAY SPILL OVER TO THE TOP OF THE NEXT PAGE IN 'REEK
3IMILARLY SECTION HEADINGS IN LARGE TYPE MIGHT RUN TO TWO LINES )NDENTED TEXT
COULD LEAVE LARGE BLOCKS OF WHITE SPACE TO THE LEFT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &ORMATTING 0RINT AND /NLINE $OCUMENTS
!T THE BEGINNING OF THE LOCALIZATION PROJECT YOUR PROVIDER SHOULD ASK
QUESTIONS TO DETERMINE HOW YOU WANT TO HANDLE TEXT EXPANSION $O YOU WANT
TO SHRINK THE FONT TO ENSURE THAT PAGINATION 4/# ENTRIES AND INDEX REFERENCES
MATCH THE %NGLISH SOURCE DOCUMENT )F SO SHOULD THE LINE SPACING OR KERNING
SHRINK PROPORTIONALLY /R WOULD YOU PREFER TO KEEP THE SAME FONT SIZES AND
ALLOW THE TEXT TO mOW INCREASING THE PAGE COUNT #AN FORMATTERS hBORROWv
SPACE FROM THE MARGINS #AN THE INDENTATIONS BE SHRUNK TO REDUCE WHITE SPACE
TO THE LEFT #AN HEADINGS BE MADE SMALLER )F SO SHOULD IT AFFECT ALL SIMILAR
HEADINGS OR ONLY THOSE THAT PRESENT A PROBLEM 7HEN LONG WORDS EXPAND TO
ACCOMPLISH FULL JUSTIlCATION THE SPACING BETWEEN THE LETTERS CAN STRETCH IN WAYS
THAT ARE UNCOMFORTABLE TO READ #AN JUSTIlCATION BE TURNED OFF $O YOU PREFER
$IANNE %LLIS TO AVOID HYPHENATION )N SOME LANGUAGES THIS RESULTS IN SUDDEN LINE BREAKS "Y
ADDRESSING THESE LAYOUT CONCERNS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT YOUR LOCALIZED
$40 3PECIALIST DOCUMENTS WILL HAVE MUCH HIGHER QUALITY WHEN THEY ARE DELIVERED
#HOCOLATE CIOCCOLATE 4HE TABLE ON THE NEXT PAGE PRESENTS AN INTERESTING LOOK AT ONE STUDY ON TEXT
CHOCOLAT YUCH 3CHOKOLADE EXPANSION 7HILE THE INFORMATION IS INFORMATIVE THE PERCENTAGE CAN CHANGE
CHOCOLADE CZEKOLADA ) SIGNIlCANTLY DEPENDING ON HOW YOU DECIDE TO HANDLE COMPOUND WORDS AND
BELIEVE CHOCOLATE IN ANY HYPHENATION
LANGUAGE OR FORMAT CAN
SOLVE ANY PROBLEM ON EARTH
#HOCOLATE IS MADE UP OF
2QOLQH'RFXPHQWDWLRQ
ABOUT CHEMICALS SUCH /NLINE DOCUMENTATION AVOIDS SOME OF THE PITFALLS OF TEXT EXPANSION AND
AS CAFFEINE THEOBROMINE PAGE MATCHING THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH PRINTED MATERIALS BUT IT INTRODUCES
AND PHENYETHYLAMINE AND IS ENGINEERING ISSUES &OR EXAMPLE IF YOUR DOCUMENT IS DISPLAYED ON A COMPUTER
THOUGHT TO HAVE MOOD ALTERING SCREEN IN (4-, 7IN(ELP OR SOME OTHER ONLINE FORMAT EXPANSION WILL NOT
EFFECTS ) JUST KNOW THAT IF ) PUT BE A PROBLEM SINCE THE TEXT WILL EXTEND DOWNWARD AND THE USER SIMPLY SCROLLS
DOWN THE PAGE TO READ THE hEXPANDEDv TEXT 7HAT CAN BE AN ISSUE IS WHETHER
hEAT CHOCOLATEv AT THE TOP OF
OR NOT THE CONTENT DISPLAYS CORRECTLY ON THE OPERATING SYSTEMS AND TYPICAL
MY TO DO LIST EVERY DAY )LL GET
VIEWING APPLICATIONS BROWSERS AVAILABLE IN YOUR TARGET MARKET "Y PERFORMING
AT LEAST ONE THING DONE
FUNCTIONAL TESTING ON NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEMS YOUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER WILL
BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT THE APPLICATIONS PERFORM AND DISPLAY AS ADVERTISED
"E SURE TO DISCUSS YOUR SPECIlC ENGINEERING TESTING REQUIREMENTS WITH YOUR
LOCALIZATION VENDOR SO THAT YOU ARE BOTH CLEAR ON TESTING EXPECTATIONS
5HVL]LQJ*UDSKLFVDQG)RUPV
/NLINE FORMS AND OTHER PAGE ELEMENTS THAT CONTAIN TEXT SUCH AS GRAPHICS AND
BUTTONS MAY ALSO NEED TO BE RESIZED AFTER TRANSLATION 3IMILARLY ONLINE FORMS
MAY REQUIRE SPECIAL ENGINEERING TO SUPPORT THE USERS ABILITY TO ENTER SPECIAL
CHARACTERS INTERNATIONAL STYLE PHONE NUMBERS AND FOREIGN ADDRESSES ALONG
WITH ANY OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS OF YOUR INTERNATIONAL USERS
6FUHHQ&DSWXUHV
!LMOST ALL SOFTWARE DOCUMENTATION USES SCREEN CAPTURES WHICH ARE NO
MORE THAN PICTURES OR GRAPHICS OF THE SOFTWARE AS DISPLAYED ON SCREEN 4HIS
HAS BECOME A TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION CONVENTION FOR TYING TOGETHER THE
REFERENCES IN THE DOCUMENT TO THE ITEMS THE USER SEES ON SCREEN
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &ORMATTING 0RINT AND /NLINE $OCUMENTS
*UST AS TRANSLATED TEXT EXPANDS IN THE BODY OF THE DOCUMENT TRANSLATED DIALOG 4%84 %80!.3)/.
BOXES IN '5) APPLICATIONS MUST EXPAND AS WELL /NE OF THE MOST COMMON #/.42!#4)/.
EXAMPLES IS AN ERROR MESSAGE BOX ! SCREEN CAPTURE OF AN ERROR MESSAGE THAT
,ANGUAGE DIFFERENCE
WAS ORIGINALLY PIXELS WIDE INCHES ON A DPI -AC SYSTEM MIGHT
NEED TO BE EXPANDED TO PIXELS INCHES TO lT THE TRANSLATED TEXT )N THE !RABIC
DOCUMENTATION THE INCH SCREEN CAPTURE MUST BE RESIZED TO lT IN THE SAME #HINESE
SPACE AS THE ORIGINAL INCH SCREEN CAPTURE 4HIS OFTEN LEADS TO DISTORTED OR
#ZECH
FUZZY IMAGES 4O SOLVE THIS PROBLEM THE SCREEN CAPTURE CAN BE LEFT AT INCHES
POSSIBLY THROWING OFF THE FORMATTING RESIZED TO SOMETHING THAT CAUSES LESS $UTCH
DISTORTION OR USED AT INCHES ACCEPTING THE DISTORTIONS )F YOUR DOCUMENT USES %NGLISH
SCREEN CAPTURES BE PREPARED TO TALK WITH YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR ABOUT HOW
YOU WOULD LIKE THESE MATTERS RESOLVED %SPERANTO
&ARSI
)T IS ALSO IMPORTANT THAT THE SCREEN CAPTURES OF YOUR LOCALIZED SOFTWARE BE TAKEN
&INNISH
ON A LOCALIZED OPERATING SYSTEM )F A QUESTION IS ASKED IN &RENCH THE hYESv AND
hNOv BUTTONS SHOULD BE &RENCH AS WELL &OR MORE INFORMATION ON LOCALIZING &RENCH
SCREEN CAPTURES SEE #HAPTER %NGINEERING AND #OMPUTER
AIDED 4OOLS 'ERMAN
'REEK
AND /NLINE $OCUMENTS
&ORMATTING 0RINT AND
3RUWDEOH'RFXPHQW)RUPDW 3') (EBREW
(INDI
7ITH THE ADVENT OF 0$&S DOCUMENTS BECAME FULLY hPORTABLEv WITH THEIR ORIGINAL
LAYOUT AND DESIGN MAINTAINED INTACT /VER TIME 0$&S HAVE BECOME SPECIALIZED (UNGARIAN
ACCORDING TO HOW THEY WILL BE VIEWED ! HIGH RESOLUTION 0$& IS NECESSARY FOR )TALIAN
HIGH
QUALITY OFFSET PRINTING WHILE A LOW
RESOLUTION ELECTRONIC BOOK IS BEST FOR
DISTRIBUTION OVER THE )NTERNET ! PRINT QUALITY 0$& IS USUALLY HUGE IN lLE SIZE OFTEN *APANESE
OVER -" WHILE AN ONLINE 0$& CAN BE AS SMALL AS -" OR LESS )N BOTH CASES +OREAN
THE FONTS MUST BE EMBEDDED !NOTHER VERSION IS A FUNCTIONAL 0$& WHICH CONTAINS
0ORTUGUESE
BOOKMARKS AND LINKS AND CAN EVEN LAUNCH OTHER APPLICATIONS )T IS IMPORTANT TO
INDICATE WHICH KIND OF 0$& YOU WANT AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR PROJECT 2USSIAN
3PANISH
6LQJOHVRXUFH&RQWHQW0DQDJHPHQW 3WAHILI
3WEDISH
4HE CONCEPT OF SINGLE SOURCING PREDATES TRUE CONTENT MANAGEMENT !S THE
'EORGE 3ADEK -AXIM :HUKOV
WORDS SUGGEST IT MEANS WRITING ONE DOCUMENT AND USING THAT TO PRODUCE 4YPOGRAPHIA POLYGLOTTA .EW 9ORK
MORE THAN ONE OUTPUT 7ITH THE USE OF HIDDEN TEXT VARIABLES CONDITIONAL TEXT !4YP) #OOPER 5NION 4HE
AND EXPORT lLTERS A DESKTOP PUBLISHER IS ABLE TO PUBLISH TO MULTIPLE MEDIA STUDY COMPARED THE 0REAMBLE FROM
THE 5NIVERSAL $ECLARATION OF (UMAN
INCLUDING HARD COPY DOCUMENTS WEB PAGES ELECTRONIC BOOKS HELP lLES AND 2IGHTS IN A VARIETY OF LANGUAGES
MORE WITH %NGLISH AS THE BASE
3INGLE SOURCING CAN BE AS SIMPLE AS USING THE h3AVE !Sv COMMAND FROM
-3 7ORD TO CREATE WEB PAGES )N THIS CASE THE SOURCE IS THE 7ORD lLE AND THE
HARD COPY AND WEB PAGE ARE TWO DIFFERENT OUTPUTS FROM THE SAME SINGLE SOURCE
!NYONE WITH A COPY OF -3 7ORD ON THEIR COMPUTER CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS )F THE
WEB PAGES ARE SUBSEQUENTLY IMPORTED INTO A HELP SYSTEM YOU NOW HAVE A THIRD USE
OF THE SAME MATERIAL 7HEN LOCALIZED ONLY THE 7ORD lLE IS TRANSLATED 4HE ORIGINAL
lLE THEN BECOMES A 4RANSLATION -EMORY FROM WHICH MANY OTHER DELIVERABLES CAN
BE PRODUCED
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &ORMATTING 0RINT AND /NLINE $OCUMENTS
)F YOUR PUBLISHING REQUIREMENTS INVOLVE ANYTHING BEYOND LIMITED 7ORD
DOCUMENTS OR IF LOCALIZATION IS IN YOUR FUTURE THE QUICK lX DESCRIBED ABOVE
WILL NOT BE SUFlCIENT 4HANKFULLY FAR MORE POWERFUL AND SOPHISTICATED SINGLE
SOURCE AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE 4HESE RANGE
FROM OFF
THE
SHELF SINGLE
SOURCE PUBLISHING PROGRAMS TO HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE
ENTERPRISE
LEVEL CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
&OR SINGLE SOURCE PUBLISHING 1UADRALAY #ORPORATIONS SUITE OF 7EB7ORKS
PRODUCTS ENABLES USERS TO CONVERT OUTPUT FROM -3 7ORD OR &RAME-AKER INTO
(4-, 7IN(ELP (4-, (ELP OR EVEN 8-, 4HE REAL TRICKS ARE IN WHAT CAN BE
DONE WITH THE TEXT AS IT PASSES THROUGH 7EB7ORKS &OR EXAMPLE A SKILLED USER
CAN MAP THE STYLES IN YOUR SOURCE TO ANY OTHER STYLE IN A CASCADING STYLE SHEET
0ETE ,ANDERS
/R YOU CAN CREATE CHARACTER MAPS TO MATCH SPECIAL AND EXTENDED CHARACTERS TO
$40 3PECIALIST THEIR CORRESPONDING (4-, CODES !S WITH ANY APPLICATION THE MORE FEATURES IT
HAS THE MORE COMPLICATED IT IS TO USE &ORTUNATELY 7EB7ORKS COMES WITH SOME
0ETE lRST FELL IN LOVE WITH TEMPLATES THAT CAN BE USED FOR SIMPLE OPERATIONS -ACROMEDIAS 2OBO(ELP
OTHER LANGUAGES WHEN HE PRODUCT HAS SIMILAR OUTPUT CAPABILITIES AND HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN POPULAR WITH
HEARD OPERA AS A YOUNG MAN HELP AUTHORS
/PERATIC ARIAS LIKE 6ESTI LA
GIUBBA -I CHIAMO -IMI ! SINGLE SOURCE SOLUTION THAT ALSO INCLUDES AUTHORING AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT
OR #ELESTE !IDA CONJURED TOOLS MAY BE APPROPRIATE IF IN ADDITION TO MULTIPLE OUTPUTS YOUR PUBLISHING
FOR HIM IMAGES OF FAR OFF ENVIRONMENT INCLUDES ANY OF THE FOLLOWING
ADVENTURE 4HAT IS WHY NOW % -ULTIPLE CONTENT AUTHORS
EVEN THOUGH THE TEXT MAY % ! DESIRE TO PUBLISH IN MANY LANGUAGES
BE REFERRING TO A WRENCH OR % ! HIGH DEGREE OF SIMILARITY BETWEEN CONTENT AND
PROCESS MANAGEMENT THE FACT
% $IFlCULTY IN MANAGING VERSION CONTROL
THAT IT IS IN ANOTHER LANGUAGE
MAKES HIM THINK OF TRAVEL .OT TOO LONG AGO CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS WERE PRACTICALLY UNOBTAINABLE
)F YOU CATCH HIM SINGING FOR ALL BUT THE LARGEST CORPORATIONS .OW STATE OF THE ART APPLICATIONS SUCH AS
h0ER STRINGERE GIRARE LA VITE !UTHOR)4 WHICH WAS USED TO CREATE AND PUBLISH THIS BOOK $OCUMENTUM
IN SENSO ORARIO v AS HE IS AND )NTERWOVEN TO NAME A FEW USE OBJECT ORIENTED OR RELATIONAL DATABASE
ARCHITECTURE TO COMBINE MULTIMEDIA PUBLISHING CAPABILITY WITH AUTHORING
FORMATTING TEXT DONT TELL HIM
VERSION CONTROL lLE SHARING AND A HOST OF OTHER FEATURES 0ERHAPS THE BEST NEWS
IT ONLY MEANS h4O TIGHTEN TURN
IS THAT THERE ARE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TO lT VIRTUALLY ANY BUDGET FROM
THE SCREW CLOCKWISEv
HIGHLY CUSTOMIZABLE ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS TO ENTRY LEVEL SYSTEMS WITH LOTS OF
FUNCTIONALITY
4HE NEED TO PROVIDE CLIENTS WITH LOCALIZED CONTENT IS A MAJOR REASON WHY SO MANY
COMPANIES ARE IMPLEMENTING CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS 4HESE TOOLS PROVIDE A
FRAMEWORK FOR CREATING AND MAINTAINING CONTROL OF MULTI
LANGUAGE CONTENTxAND
THUS MINIMIZING COST ! MORE THOROUGH DISCUSSION OF SINGLE
SOURCE CONTENT
MANAGEMENT TOOLS IS PRESENTED IN #HAPTER BY 0AUL 4ROTTER #%/ OF !UTHOR)4
3OFTWARE #ORPORATION 4HIS IS FOLLOWED BY A DESCRIPTION OF THE MANY BENElTS OF
INTEGRATING #-3 TOOLS INTO YOUR LOCALIZATION WORKmOW IN #HAPTER
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING FOR ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER
7RITING FOR ,OCALIZATION
!DVICE FOR 4ECHNICAL 7RITERS
4ECHNICAL WRITERS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 4HEY
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WRITING THE CONTENT THAT DESCRIBES YOUR PRODUCTS TO YOUR END
USERS 4ECHNICAL WRITERS DEVELOP PRINTED DOCUMENTATION ONLINE DOCUMENTATION
SUCH AS HELP lLES AND FUNCTIONAL 0$& lLES AND WEBSITE CONTENT 4HEY MUST
TAKE THE TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE IMPARTED TO THEM BY PRODUCT DEVELOPERS AND
PRESENT IT CLEARLY AND CONCISELY TO YOUR LESS TECHNICALLY SAVVY CONSUMERS !S YOU
CAN WELL IMAGINE THIS IS NOT AN EASY TASK
7HEN ROLLING OUT YOUR PRODUCTS TO THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE AN ADDITIONAL
BURDEN IS PLACED ON YOUR TECHNICAL WRITERS 7HILE THEY ARE PREPARING
DOCUMENTATION FOR YOUR 53 RELEASE THEY MUST ALSO KEEP IN MIND THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR SIMULTANEOUS OR SUBSEQUENT LOCALIZATION 4HIS PROCESS OF
,OCALIZATION
7RITING FOR
DESIGNING A PRODUCT SO THAT IT CAN BE EXPORTED TO OTHER COUNTRIES IS KNOWN AS
INTERNATIONALIZATION
$OCUMENTATION THAT HAS BEEN PROPERLY INTERNATIONALIZED IS EASIER LESS COSTLY
AND MORE EFlCIENT TO LOCALIZE .OT ONLY DOES THIS REDUCE YOUR LOCALIZATION
COSTS BUT IT CAN HAVE HUGE INDIRECT SAVINGS AS WELL &ASTER LOCALIZATION OFTEN
MEANS QUICKER TIME TO MARKET AND ACCELERATED REVENUE STREAMS
3OME TIPS THAT CAN HELP YOUR COMPANY REALIZE THESE BENElTS ARE DESCRIBED IN
THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS
/D\RXW,VVXHV $OORZIRU7H[W
([SDQVLRQ
)T IS VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT YOUR DOCUMENTS LAYOUT LEAVES ENOUGH ROOM
IE WHITE SPACE FOR THE INEVITABLE TEXT EXPANSION THAT OCCURS DURING THE
LOCALIZATION PROCESS 4HIS CANNOT BE OVEREMPHASIZED FORMATTING THE TRANSLATED
DOCUMENT IS FAR EASIER AND MORE EFlCIENT WHEN ADEQUATE SPACE IS AVAILABLE
&ORMATTING COSTS CAN RISE DRAMATICALLY WHEN THE TRANSLATED TEXT MUST BE
LABORIOUSLY MANIPULATED TO lT WITHIN A CRAMPED SPACE
!S A GENERAL RULE ASSUME THAT YOUR %NGLISH TEXT WILL EXPAND TO WHEN
IT IS TRANSLATED 4HIS SHOULD PROVIDE SUFlCIENT WHITE SPACE IN THE %NGLISH SOURCE
DOCUMENT FOR EFFECTIVE LOCALIZATION )N TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION THERE IS A
TENDENCY TO CROWD PAGES WITH TOO MUCH INFORMATION IMPAIRING THE READABILITY
OF THE MATERIAL PRESENTED +EEP IN MIND THAT EXTRA WHITE SPACE ALSO MAKES
YOUR %NGLISH VERSION THAT MUCH MORE READABLE "ECAUSE THE EXACT AMOUNT OF
EXPANSION VARIES BY LANGUAGE PLEASE REFER TO THE TABLE PRESENTED IN #HAPTER
FOR SPECIlC PERCENTAGES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING FOR ,OCALIZATION
!NOTHER FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTES TO TEXT EXPANSION IS WHETHER OR HOW
HYPHENATION IS USED IN YOUR DOCUMENT &OR EXAMPLE MANY 'ERMAN OR $UTCH
WORDS CAN BE MUCH LONGER THAN THEIR %NGLISH COUNTERPARTS AND MANY ARE ALSO
HYPHENATED (OW THESE HYPHENATED WORDS ARE HANDLED WILL EITHER CREATE AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR CONVENIENT LINE BREAKS OFFSETTING MUCH OF THE EXTRA SPACE THAT
WOULD OTHERWISE BE REQUIRED OR NECESSITATE EVEN MORE WHITE SPACE
)F YOUR TEXT DOES EXPAND WHEN TRANSLATED YOU WILL NEED TO DECIDE WHETHER
THE LOCALIZED DOCUMENTS SHOULD MAINTAIN THE SAME PAGE BREAKS AND THE SAME
TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES AS THE %NGLISH SOURCE DOCUMENT )T IS GENERALLY EASIER
AND THEREFORE LESS EXPENSIVE IF PAGE BREAKS CAN mOW DURING THE LOCALIZATION
PROCESS &ROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CUSTOMER SUPPORT HOWEVER IT IS OFTEN
PREFERABLE FOR THE LOCALIZED MANUALS TO MATCH THE PAGE BREAKS IN THE %NGLISH
VERSION SO THAT SUPPORT PERSONNEL CAN EASILY REFER TO hPAGE OF THE MANUALv
!NNA
&RIDA !BRAHAMSSON FOR SOLVING A PROBLEM )F PAGE BREAK MATCHING BETWEEN LANGUAGES IS NECESSARY
0ROJECT -ANAGER IT IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT TO ALLOW FOR THAT hEXTRA WHITE SPACEv DESCRIBED ABOVE
-ATCHING PAGE BREAKS FROM SOURCE TO TARGET DOCUMENTS CAN ADD TO THE COST OF
3WEDISH IS A LANGUAGE THE PROJECT ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SOURCE DOCUMENT DOES NOT ALLOW SUFlCIENT
"ELGIAN ISNT REALLY AND THERE WHITE SPACE FOR TEXT EXPANSION
ISNT SUCH A THING AS 3WISS
7HEN YOU ARE READY TO HAND OFF YOUR MATERIALS TO A LOCALIZATION PROVIDER
3WEDISH AND .ORWEGIAN
ALWAYS INCLUDE A 0$& lLE WITH THE ELECTRONIC SOURCE lLES 4HIS ALLOWS THE
ARE TWO DIFFERENT LANGUAGES PROVIDER TO DOUBLE
CHECK THAT THE LOCALIZED lLES MATCH THE ELECTRONIC lLE
BUT THEY SOUND PRETTY CLOSE YOU PROVIDED )T IS ALL TOO EASY TO ACCIDENTALLY HAND OFF THE WRONG REVISION OR
#ONFUSED YET -ANDARIN VERSION OF lLES FOR LOCALIZATION
IS #HINESE TO SPEAKERS OF
#ANTONESE YET BOTH CAN BE
WRITTEN IN 3IMPLIlED #HINESE *UDSKLFDO&RQVLGHUDWLRQV 6HSDUDWH
!S IF LEARNING OVER
CHARACTERS WERE A SIMPLE 7H[WIURP*UDSKLFV
THING )TS A GOOD THING THERE )DEALLY GRAPHICS SHOULD NOT CONTAIN TEXT FOR THE SIMPLE REASON THAT IT
ARE LOCALIZATION COMPANIES OUT ELIMINATES THE NEED TO TRANSLATE IT )F TEXT MUST BE ASSOCIATED WITH A GRAPHIC
THERE TO KEEP TRACK OF THESE TRY TO CREATE THE TEXT AS A SEPARATE COMPONENT IN THE PAGE
LAYOUT APPLICATION
KINDS OF THINGS EG &RAME-AKER 1UARK80RESS )N$ESIGN USED TO CREATE THE DOCUMENT 4HAT
IS A CALLOUT OR CAPTION FOR A GRAPHIC IDEALLY SHOULD BE A TEXT BLOCK IN THE LAYOUT
PROGRAM NOT AN ELEMENT OF AN )LLUSTRATOR %NCAPSULATED 0OSTSCRIPT %03 lLE
4HIS REQUIRES LESS WORK TO LOCALIZE SAVING YOU MONEY AS THE GRAPHIC TEXT IS
PART OF THE MAIN DOCUMENT TEXT AND NOT A LAYER INSIDE THE GRAPHIC lLE
)F YOU MUST INCLUDE TEXT IN %03 GRAPHIC lLES REMEMBER TO LEAVE IT IN TEXT FORM
$O NOT OUTLINE THE TEXT AS THIS MAKES IT VERY DIFlCULT AND TIME
CONSUMING TO
RETYPE AND TRANSLATE
3CREEN CAPTURES ARE A SPECIAL CATEGORY OF GRAPHICS "Y THEIR VERY NATURE THEY
CONTAIN TEXT 4RANSLATION OF SCREEN CAPTURE TEXT IS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH
LOCALIZATION OF THE SOFTWARE THAT WAS USED TO GENERATE THE %NGLISH CAPTURES
/NCE THE SOFTWARE IS LOCALIZED THE SCREEN CAPTURES ARE REGENERATED 7HEN
DEVELOPING APPLICATION SOFTWARE BE AWARE OF HOW THE TEXT lTS IN VARIOUS
WINDOWS !S WITH PRINTED DOCUMENTS AVOID PACKING TEXT TOO TIGHTLY BECAUSE
AS DESCRIBED IN #HAPTER IT WILL EXPAND WHEN THE SOFTWARE IS LOCALIZED 7HEN
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING FOR ,OCALIZATION
CREATING THE SCREEN CAPTURES BE SURE TO GENERATE ALL OF THEM AT THE SAME SCREEN
RESOLUTION AND SCALE AND THEN SAVE THE lLES IN THE SAME FORMAT USED BY THE
DOCUMENT LAYOUT APPLICATION 9OU WILL ALSO WANT TO EMPLOY A LOGICAL NAMING
CONVENTION THAT WILL HELP IDENTIFY WHERE THEY ARE PLACED
/LPLW<RXU)RQW7\SHVDQG)RQW)DFHV
7HEN SELECTING FONTS FOR A NEW DOCUMENT DESTINED FOR TRANSLATION SIMPLER IS
BETTER 3OME LANGUAGES CONTAIN A MULTITUDE OF ACCENTS AND SPECIAL CHARACTERS
THAT CAN BECOME ILLEGIBLE IF OVERLY ORNATE OR DECORATIVE FONTS ARE USED 4HE
CONVENTIONAL COMBINATION OF A STANDARD SERIF FONT EG 4IMES FOR BODY COPY
AND A STANDARD SANS SERIF FONT EG (ELVETICA FOR HEADINGS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE
OF FONT SELECTIONS THAT WORK WELL FOR TRANSLATION )N GENERAL STICK TO FONTS THAT
ARE CLEAN AND CRISPLY DRAWN AVOIDING FONTS WITH EXCEPTIONALLY THIN SERIFS OR
WISPY DETAIL
4RY TO KEEP THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FONTS USED IN THE DOCUMENT TO A MANAGEABLE
NUMBERNO MORE THAN THREE OR FOUR )DEALLY SELECT FONTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE ON
BOTH 0# AND -ACINTOSH PLATFORMS 4HIS FACILITATES THE EASY MOVEMENT OF THE
DOCUMENT ACROSS PLATFORMS IF REQUIRED DURING LOCALIZATION
,OCALIZATION
7RITING FOR
!S A GENERAL RULE CUSTOM OR PROPRIETARY FONTS CAN BE PROBLEMATIC 4HEY ARE
OFTEN EXPENSIVE OR DIFlCULT TO ACQUIRE )F REQUIRED IN THE lNAL DELIVERABLE FOR
BRANDING PURPOSES EXPECT TO PROVIDE THEM TO YOUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER .OT
ONLY WILL IT REDUCE TIME AND EXPENSE BUT YOU WILL BE SURE TO GET THE EXACT FONT
YOU NEED
3OME LANGUAGES REQUIRE EXTENDED CHARACTER SETS THAT PROVIDE ACCENTED LETTERS
SUCH AS hÓv -ANY SPECIALIZED FONTS DO NOT SUPPORT LANGUAGES OTHER THAN
%NGLISH BECAUSE THEY LACK THIS EXTENDED CHARACTER SET SO SELECT YOUR FONTS
CAREFULLY 3TILL OTHER LANGUAGES NEED SPECIAL FONTS THAT ARE NOT AVAILABLE AS
EXTENDED CHARACTER SETS &OR EXAMPLE *APANESE +OREAN 4RADITIONAL AND
3IMPLIlED #HINESE ARE CONSIDERED hDOUBLE
BYTE LANGUAGES v WHICH MEANS THAT
EACH WRITTEN CHARACTER CONTAINS TWO BYTES BITS OF DATA INSTEAD OF ONE BYTE
BITS 4HIS USED TO CAUSE PROBLEMS FOR APPLICATIONS AND OPERATING SYSTEMS
THAT DID NOT SUPPORT DOUBLE
BYTE CHARACTERS &ORTUNATELY TODAYS OPERATING
SYSTEMS AND THE APPLICATIONS THAT RUN ON THEM USE 5NICODE 5NICODE DIRECTLY
SUPPORTS THE DOUBLE
BYTE CHARACTER SETS AS WELL AS ALL OTHER CHARACTER SETS
MAKING THE DISPLAY OF FOREIGN CHARACTERS MUCH EASIER
#HARACTER STYLES USED IN 7ESTERN %UROPEAN OR 53 %NGLISH LAYOUTS ARE NOT
ALWAYS TRANSFERABLE TO !SIAN LANGUAGES )N MANY CASES THEY ARE NOT USED AT ALL
&OR INSTANCE CHARACTER STYLES SUCH AS BOLD AND ITALIC ARE NOT ALWAYS APPLICABLE
TO !SIAN TYPE STYLES &URTHERMORE !SIAN CHARACTERS DO NOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
UPPER
AND LOWERCASE &OR DESIGN PURPOSES THE BEST WAY TO DISTINGUISH !SIAN
CHARACTERS FROM SURROUNDING TEXT IS TO VARY THE FONT FACE OR WEIGHT EG USING
A HEAVIER VERSION OF A TYPEFACE FOR ADDED EMPHASIS 9OUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER
SHOULD OFFER A VARIETY OF TECHNIQUES TO HELP KEEP THE LOOK AND FEEL YOU ORIGINALLY
INTENDED FOR YOUR !SIAN PRODUCTS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING FOR ,OCALIZATION
,QWHUQDWLRQDOL]H<RXU7HPSODWHV
)F YOU USE TEMPLATES AND ASSOCIATED SCRIPTS TO PROVIDE A STANDARD LOOK AND FEEL
FOR YOUR LAYOUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER LOCALIZATION ISSUES WHEN DESIGNING
THAT TEMPLATE 3CRIPTS THAT AUTOMATICALLY CAPITALIZE TITLES FOR EXAMPLE RARELY WORK
CORRECTLY ON TRANSLATED CONTENT SINCE CAPITALIZATION RULES VARY BY LANGUAGE 3O
KEEP YOUR TARGET LANGUAGES IN MIND ISOLATING TEXT AND AUTOMATED FORMATTING IN
CLEARLY IDENTIlED SECTIONS OF THE TEMPLATE SO THAT YOUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER CAN
EASILY lND IT
*EN 7ARNOCK 'HYHORSD*ORVVDU\
$40 3PECIALIST
'LOSSARIES HELP LINGUISTS UNDERSTAND ANY INDUSTRY
OR PRODUCT
SPECIlC TERMS YOU
USE IN YOUR WRITING !S YOU WRITE KEEP A SEPARATE LIST OF TERMS THAT HAVE SPECIAL
"RING ON THE TYPOS AND
MEANINGS )F AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT YOU PROVIDE THESE TERMS AND THEIR
MANGLED lLES) HAVE NO
DElNITIONS TO YOUR LOCALIZATION PROVIDER YOU WILL RECEIVE A MUCH HIGHER QUALITY
CHARACTER DROP
OUT PRODUCT AT THE END 3EE #HAPTER FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT GLOSSARIES
:ULWH0DUNHWLQJ0DWHULDOVZLWK
/RFDOL]DWLRQLQ0LQG
-ARKETING MATERIALS MAY REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING AS THEY DO NOT ALWAYS LOCALIZE
EASILY 4HE TEXT AND IMAGES THAT SUCCINCTLY COMMUNICATE YOUR COMPANY OR PRODUCT
TO AN !MERICAN AUDIENCE MAY NOT BE RELEVANT IN %UROPE OR !SIA 7E ARE ALL FAMILIAR
WITH THE STORIES ABOUT PRODUCT NAMES THAT TAKE ON A SECOND MEANING WHEN
INTRODUCED IN ANOTHER MARKET )F POSSIBLE CREATE YOUR MARKETING MATERIALS WITH
LOCALIZATION IN MIND AND KEEP THE CONTENT AS PRECISE AND GLOBALLY UNDERSTANDABLE
AS POSSIBLE )F THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE BE PREPARED TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
THAT WILL HELP EXPLAIN THE BACKGROUND CONCEPT AND CONTEXT BEHIND YOUR MARKETING
CAMPAIGN !T THIS POINT LOCALIZATION MAY BECOME LESS ABOUT STRAIGHTFORWARD
TRANSLATION AND MORE ABOUT CREATING THE SAME IDEA OR MESSAGE WHILE USING A
DIFFERENT CONCEPT ALTOGETHER 4HIS IS WHERE YOUR LOCALIZATION PARTNER WILL PROVE THEIR
EXPERTISE AND BECOME INVALUABLE TO YOU
5HPHPEHU<RXU,QWHUQDWLRQDO$XGLHQFH
7HEN DEVELOPING YOUR CONTENT AVOID USING SLANG TERMS AND CULTURALLY BIASED
GRAPHICS 3LANG IS DIFlCULT TO TRANSLATE AND UNDERSTAND IN A FOREIGN CONTEXT
3IMILARLY GRAPHICS CAN ALSO HAVE A CULTURAL BIAS THAT CAN BE CONFUSING ! RABBIT
MIGHT BE USED IN AN %NGLISH DOCUMENT TO REPRESENT hFAST v BUT TO THE &RENCH IT
LOOKS LIKE DINNER
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING FOR ,OCALIZATION
'HÀQH$FURQ\PV
7RITE OUT THE FULL FORM OF EACH ACRONYM WHEN IT lRST APPEARS IN THE SOURCE
DOCUMENTATION ,ATER WHEN TRANSLATED THE lRST USE OF THE ACRONYM SHOULD
BE BOTH DElNED AND TRANSLATED IN THE TARGET LANGUAGE EVEN IF THE ACRONYM
REMAINS IN ITS %NGLISH FORM THROUGHOUT THE DOCUMENT
0RQLWRU<RXU:RUG&RXQW
4HE COST OF LOCALIZATION IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF WORDS YOU WRITE MORE
WORDS MEAN HIGHER COSTS -ONITOR YOUR DOCUMENTATION WORD COUNT BY USING THE
h7ORD #OUNTv COMMAND FOUND IN YOUR DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE +EEP SENTENCE
STRUCTURE AND GRAMMAR SIMPLE AND VOCABULARY CHOICES CLEAR
8VH5HSHWLWLRQVLQ<RXU'RFXPHQWDWLRQ
4HE COST OF LOCALIZATION CAN ALSO BE LOWERED BY INCLUDING REPETITIONS IN YOUR
DOCUMENTATION -OST LOCALIZATION PROVIDERS USE TOOLS TO HELP IDENTIFY TEXT THAT
,OCALIZATION
7RITING FOR
CAN BE LEVERAGED THAT IS ONCE TRANSLATED IT CAN BE RE
USED EITHER WITHIN THE
SAME DOCUMENT OR IN SUBSEQUENT VERSIONS 3EE #HAPTER FOR MORE DETAILS
ABOUT TRANSLATION TOOLS !LTHOUGH YOU MAY EARN STYLE POINTS FOR lNDING
NEW AND DIFFERENT WAYS TO SAY THE SAME THING EVERY TIME A PHRASE OR CONCEPT
APPEARS IN YOUR %NGLISH SOURCE DOCUMENT YOU MIGHT ALSO SURPASS YOUR BUDGET
BY DOING SO )NCLUDING LOTS OF REPETITIONS IN THE TEXT WILL INCREASE THE LEVERAGING
PERCENTAGES WHICH IN TURN CAN SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THE LOCALIZATION COST
5HXVH<RXU&RQWHQW
-ANY COMPANIES MAKE THEIR DOCUMENTATION AVAILABLE TO CUSTOMERS IN BOTH
A PAPER
BASED MEDIUM AND AN ELECTRONIC FORM SUCH AS (4-, AND 0$&
FORMATS /THER COMPANIES HAVE OPTED TO SAVE THE PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION
CHARGES ASSOCIATED WITH HARDCOPY MANUALS AND RELY SOLELY ON THE ELECTRONIC
VERSIONS "OTH (4-, AND 0$& FORMATS ARE WIDELY USED ON THE )NTERNET AND
ON ALTERNATIVE MEDIA SUCH AS DISTRIBUTION #$S BECAUSE THEY APPEAR VIRTUALLY
THE SAME REGARDLESS OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM THE CUSTOMER USES TO VIEW THEM
&OR COMPLEX INTERRELATED DOCUMENTS (4-, AND 0$& FORMATS ALSO OFFER THE
ADVANTAGE OF INCORPORATING HYPERTEXTCLICKING ON A CROSS
REFERENCE INDEX OR
TABLE OF CONTENTS ENTRY TAKES THE USER IMMEDIATELY TO THE RELEVANT ENTRY
7HEN GENERATING ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS YOU WANT THE OUTPUT STYLE TO CONVEY
THE SAME STRUCTURED SENSE OF IMPORTANCE THAT WAS INCORPORATED IN THE PRINT
DOCUMENT -OREOVER A DOCUMENT THAT DOES NOT USE STYLE TAGS EFlCIENTLY
IE ONE THAT USES A DIFFERENT STYLE TAG EACH TIME TO PRODUCE EXACTLY THE SAME
FORMATTING ATTRIBUTES REQUIRES MUCH MORE TIME TO SET UP THAN A DOCUMENT
THAT USES ONLY ONE STYLE TAG TO REPRESENT THIS UNIFORM STYLE 5SING CONSISTENT
STYLE DElNITIONS THROUGHOUT YOUR DOCUMENT ALLOWS BOTH 0$& BOOKMARK DATA
AND (4-, STYLE TAGS TO BE GENERATED IN THE LOCALIZED lLES MORE EASILY
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING FOR ,OCALIZATION
&RQWHQW0DQDJHPHQW6\VWHPV
&067RROV
4HE ADVENT OF SINGLE
SOURCE AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES HAS
EVERYONE THINKING ABOUT CONTENT RE
USE &OR &RAME-AKER USERS IT IS NOW
POSSIBLE TO STRUCTURE A DOCUMENT THAT CONTAINS ALL OF YOUR PRINT AND ONLINE
HELP CONTENT AND TO USE SINGLE
SOURCE PUBLISHING TOOLS TO PUBLISH THIS CONTENT
AS PRINT DOCUMENTATION ONLINE (4-,
BASED DOCUMENTATION HELP lLES AND
FUNCTIONAL 0$&S %ACH PUBLISHED OUTPUT MAY USE ALL OF THE ORIGINAL CONTENT
OR JUST A SUBSET THAT CAN BE SELECTED USING CONDITIONAL TEXT 3IMILARLY 8-,
3HARON 3PENCE BASED CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ALLOW YOU TO STORE CONTENT hCHUNKSv IN
1! 3PECIALIST
A DATABASE STRUCTURE AND TO PUBLISH YOUR DELIVERABLES FROM THOSE CHUNKS
"OTH PROCESSES ARE GREAT FOR LOCALIZATION BECAUSE TRANSLATION HAS TO OCCUR ONLY
)M FORTUNATE TO HAVE BEEN ONCE FOR USE IN MANY OUTPUTS 3EE #HAPTERS AND FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT SINGLE
SOURCE CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOLS #REATING MODULAR CONTENT
THE OLDEST EXCHANGE STUDENT
REPOSITORIES WHETHER FOR SINGLE
SOURCE APPLICATIONS OR COMPLETE CONTENT
AT +ANSAI 'AIDAI 5NIVERSITY
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TAKES PLANNING TO DESIGN A LOGICAL STRUCTURE THAT IS EASY
IN /SAKA *APAN IN THE
TO REFERENCE 4HOUGH THESE TOOLS MAY OFFER SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS IN TIME EFFORT
FALL OF ,EARNING TO AND MONEY THEY ALSO REQUIRE CAREFUL PLANNING BEFORE STARTING THE PROCESS
COMMUNICATE IN *APANESE AT
MIDDLE AGE WAS ONE OF THE
MOST CHALLENGING FRUSTRATING
AT TIMES EXHILARATING AND
REWARDING THINGS )VE EVER
DONE 4HESE DAYS HAVING
SATISlED SOME OF MY YEARNING
FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDY AND
TRAVEL )M STICKING CLOSE TO
HOME AND RAISING MY TWO
MINIATURE $ACHSHUNDS
.OW HOW CAN SOMETHING SO
ORDINARY COMPARE WITH THE
EXCITEMENT OF LIVING IN *APAN
) GUESS *IMMY AND "USTER ARE
THE hPARADOXv OF MY LIFE
0OSTED IN A *APANESE OFlCE
0LEASE KEEP CHAIR ON POSITION AND KEEP TABLE
CLEANED AFTER DYING 4HANKS FOR YOUR CORPORATION
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3AME ,ANGUAGE $IFFERENT $IALECT
#HAPTER
3AME ,ANGUAGE $IFFERENT $IALECT
4HE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DIALECT AND A LANGUAGE COULD JUST AS WELL BE A
GEOGRAPHIC OR EVEN POLITICAL DISTINCTION AS MUCH AS A LINGUISTIC ONE &OR
EXAMPLE A $ANE A 3WEDE AND A .ORWEGIAN CAN SPEAK THEIR OWN LANGUAGE
AT A PARTY AND UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER )T MIGHT BE A LITTLE HARDER FOR THEM TO
UNDERSTAND AN )CELANDER BUT MORE OR LESS THE GUESTS WILL STILL GET THE BLONDE
JOKESWELL MAYBE NOT THE 3WEDES 4HIS IS BECAUSE ALL OF THESE 3CANDINAVIAN
LANGUAGES HAVE COMMON ROOTS FROM /LD .ORSE (OWEVER IT IS A SENSITIVE ISSUE
TO DISCUSS WHETHER .ORWEGIAN IS A DIALECT OF 3WEDISH IF IT IS THE OTHER WAY
AROUND OR TO IDENTIFY A TRULY PURE 3CANDINAVIAN LANGUAGE 4HEREFORE IT MAKES
SENSE TO CALL ALL THESE VARIETIES LANGUAGES INSTEAD OF DIALECTS AND TO SEPARATE THE
DICTIONARIES
&ROM AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL STANDPOINT HOWEVER EVERYONE SPEAKS A DIALECT OF
SOME OTHER LANGUAGE 7INSTON #HURCHILL ONCE DESCRIBED THE 53 AND THE 5+
AS TWO COUNTRIES SEPARATED BY A COMMON LANGUAGE 4HAT DESCRIPTION EXTENDS
TO OTHER LANGUAGES AS WELL 7HEN TRANSLATING WRITTEN MATERIAL IN ANY FORM IT
$IFFERENT $IALECT
3AME ,ANGUAGE
IS CRITICAL TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT DIALECT IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE THE RETURN ON YOUR
LOCALIZATION INVESTMENT 3OME OF THE MORE COMMON LANGUAGES WHERE THESE
VERY IMPORTANT DECISIONS ARISE ARE &RENCH 3PANISH 0ORTUGUESE AND #HINESE
6SDQLVK ,EHULDQYV/DWLQ
3PANISH LOCALIZATION REPRESENTS ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS OPPORTUNITIES TO
EXPAND THE MARKET FOR YOUR PRODUCTS -ORE THAN MILLION PEOPLE AROUND
THE WORLD USE 3PANISH AS THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE )N THE 53 ALONE ROUGHLY
MILLION RESIDENTS PRIMARILY SPEAK 3PANISH AND THAT NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO
GROW SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE COMING YEARS
4HE FACT THAT 3PANISH IS SPOKEN SO WIDELY POSES AN INTERESTING CHALLENGE FOR
LOCALIZATION BECAUSE THE LANGUAGE HAS EVOLVED IN EACH REGION OF THE WORLD
3PANISH TRANSLATORS TYPICALLY MAKE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN )BERIAN 3PAIN
AND ,ATIN THE !MERICAS 3PANISH 4HE DIFFERENCES ARE FURTHER COMPOUNDED
HOWEVER WHEN EXAMINED ON A COUNTRY BY COUNTRY BASIS !LTHOUGH THE
BROAD BRUSH OF ,ATIN 3PANISH INCLUDES !RGENTINA #OLUMBIA -EXICO #UBA
AND 0UERTO 2ICO TO NAME A FEW THERE ARE CLEAR LINGUISTIC VARIATIONS AND
PECULIARITIES THAT CHARACTERIZE EACHWITH THE GREATEST BEING PRONUNCIATION
4HE MAIN STABILIZING FORCE FOR THIS HIGHLY DYNAMIC LANGUAGE IS THE 2EAL
!CADEMIA DE LA ,ENGUA %SPA×OLA 2OYAL !CADEMY OF THE 3PANISH ,ANGUAGE
4HIS LANGUAGE ACADEMY OVERSEES CHANGES IN GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY FOR ALL
3PANISH
SPEAKING COUNTRIES INCLUDING THOSE IN ,ATIN !MERICA 4HEIR DECISIONS
ARE METICULOUSLY OBSERVED BY THOSE WHO TEACH WRITE OR ARE IN ANY WAY
INVOLVED WITH THE USE AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 3PANISH LANGUAGE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3AME ,ANGUAGE $IFFERENT $IALECT
'IVEN THE LASTING IMPACT OF THEIR DECISIONS THE 2OYAL !CADEMY IS PAINSTAKINGLY
SLOW IN REACHING THOSE DECISIONS 7HILE THE ARBITERS OF NEW TERMINOLOGY MAY
PROCEED AT A VERY SLOW AND CAUTIOUS RATE TECHNOLOGY RACES ALONG 5NTIL THE
2OYAL !CADEMY DECIDES EACH ISSUE THE 3PANISH TRANSLATOR IS FORCED TO MAKE
HIS OR HER OWN DECISIONS ON TERMINOLOGY %XPERIENCED TRANSLATORS ARE ALWAYS
CAREFUL TO USE TERMS THAT ARE UNDERSTOOD BY THE GREATEST NUMBER OF USERS
REGARDLESS OF THEIR LOCATION
)F 3PANISH HAS A REGULATING BODY THAT DECIDES ALL MATTERS CONCERNING WRITTEN
3PANISH GRAMMAR SYNTAX SPELLING ETC THEN WHY DO SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE
THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS OF 3PANISH !S NOTED ABOVE THE GREATEST
DIFFERENCES EXIST IN THE WAY WORDS ARE SPOKEN AND THE WAY CERTAIN LETTERS ARE
%RIC -ANNING
PRONOUNCED OR MAYBE NOT PRONOUNCED 4HUS IN CERTAIN PARTS OF 3PAIN THE
3ENIOR 0ROJECT -ANAGER LETTER hZv IS PRONOUNCED AS A SOFT %NGLISH hTHv AS IN THE WORD hTHIN v WHEREAS
IN ,ATIN !MERICA THE LETTER hZv IS ALWAYS PRONOUNCED AS AN hSv AS IN h3AMv
0ROJECT MANAGERS ARE THE (OWEVER WHETHER IN !RGENTINA -EXICO OR -ADRID THE WORD hZAPATOv SHOE
LIFEBLOOD OF ,INGO 3YSTEMS MUST ALWAYS BE WRITTEN WITH A hZv ,OCAL DIFFERENCES CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN THE
7E ARE THE GUARDIANS OF THE USE OF CERTAIN NOUNSESPECIALLY THOSE THAT DESIGNATE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS THE
ALL
IMPORTANT ,INGO PROCESS %NGLISH SAY hPOTATO v ,ATIN !MERICA PREFERS hPAPA v AND 3PAIN hPATATAv
STEPS THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED
TO ENSURE THAT WE PROVIDE THE 'EOGRAPHY CAN ALSO PLAY A ROLE IN THE DETERMINATION OF TERMINOLOGY 7ITH THEIR
HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY FOR WHICH GEOGRAPHICAL PROXIMITY TO THE 5NITED 3TATES SOME ,ATIN !MERICAN COUNTRIES
IDENTIFY MORE CLOSELY WITH TERMS USED IN THE 5NITED 3TATES AND h3PANISH
IZEv
THE COMPANY IS FAMOUS )N
THE TERMS ! GOOD EXAMPLE IS THE WORD hCOMPUTERv )N MOST ,ATIN !MERICAN
A WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING
COUNTRIES hCOMPUTERv IS RENDERED AS hCOMPUTADORAv )N 3PAIN BECAUSE OF ITS
MUST BE DONE hFASTER BETTER
PROXIMITY TO &RANCE hCOMPUTERv IS RENDERED AS hORDENADOR v FROM THE &RENCH
CHEAPER v ITS OUR JOB TO hORDINATEURv (OWEVER GEOGRAPHICAL PROXIMITY IS NOT ALWAYS THE DETERMINING
BALANCE THOSE NEEDS WITH FACTOR TAKE FOR EXAMPLE THE %NGLISH TERM hFONTv ,ATIN !MERICA PREFERS hTIPOv
,INGO 3YSTEMS COMMITMENT OR hFUENTE v WHILE 3PAIN HAS KEPT THE %NGLISH WORD hFONTv
TO QUALITY
7HILE THESE EXAMPLES CONTRAST )BERIAN AND ,ATIN !MERICAN 3PANISH OTHER
LINGUISTIC DIFFERENCES OCCUR WITHIN ,ATIN !MERICA #HILE #OLOMBIA AND
!RGENTINA USUALLY IDENTIFY MORE CLOSELY WITH %UROPE THAN THE 5NITED 3TATES YET
THE RULE IS NOT HARD AND FAST 4HE DECIMAL AND THOUSAND SEPARATORS ARE GOOD
EXAMPLES -EXICO #ENTRAL !MERICA AND SOME 3OUTH !MERICAN COUNTRIES USE
THESE SEPARATORS IN THE SAME WAY AS THE 5NITED 3TATES WHERE ONE THOUSAND
TWENTY IS REPRESENTED AS #HILE #OLOMBIA AND !RGENTINA PREFER
THE %UROPEAN WAY OF EXPRESSING SEPARATORS WHERE ONE THOUSAND TWENTY IS
REPRESENTED AS
)N THE 5NITED 3TATES THE SITUATION IS EVEN MORE COMPLICATED AS 3PANISH
SPEAKERS HAVE EMIGRATED FROM MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND BROUGHT THEIR
REGIONALISMS WITH THEM (OW THEN CAN YOU CHOOSE THE BEST hREGIONALv FORM
OF 3PANISH TO TRANSLATE INTO
4HIS IS THE KEY QUESTION THAT YOU MUST ANSWER ONCE YOU CONCLUDE THAT THERE
IS A BUSINESS CASE FOR MAKING YOUR MATERIALS AVAILABLE TO A 3PANISH SPEAKING
AUDIENCE !T A MINIMUM YOU MUST DECIDE BETWEEN )BERIAN AND ,ATIN
3PANISH AS NO ONE hmAVORv WILL ALWAYS BE FULLY SUITABLE )N OUR EXPERIENCE THE
DIFFERENCES ARE SUFlCIENTLY SIGNIlCANT THAT MOST COMPANIES WILL ELECT TO DO BOTH
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3AME ,ANGUAGE $IFFERENT $IALECT
WHEN TRYING TO REACH A WORLDWIDE 3PANISH SPEAKING AUDIENCE )F YOU WANT TO
MINIMIZE YOUR LOCALIZATION INVESTMENT BUT STILL REACH AS BROAD AN AUDIENCE AS
POSSIBLE HOWEVER h)NTERNATIONALv 3PANISH MAY BE AN ADEQUATE COMPROMISE
!LTERNATIVELY IF YOU MUST REACH A VERY SPECIlC AUDIENCE SUCH AS 3PANISH FOR
#OLOMBIA YOUR LOCALIZATION PARTNER SHOULD PROVIDE EXPERIENCED LINGUISTS WHO
CAN DO THAT 3ELECT THE MARKET WHERE THE MAJORITY OF YOUR AUDIENCE RESIDES
OR SELECT TWO OF THE MAJOR REGIONAL FORMS 7HEN SETTING OUT TO TRANSLATE INTO
3PANISH YOU MUST IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AND THEN SELECT THE REGIONAL
FORMS TO BEST REACH THEM 9OUR LOCALIZATION PARTNER CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS
DECISION AND THEN PROVIDE 3PANISH TRANSLATORS WITH EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE TO
ENSURE YOUR MATERIALS ARE BEST UNDERSTOOD BY YOUR TARGET READERS
3RUWXJXHVH 3RUWXJDOYV%UD]LO
.EARLY MILLION PEOPLE SPEAK 0ORTUGUESE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TODAY
(OWEVER SPOKEN 0ORTUGUESE IS NOT HOMOGENEOUS )T DIFFERS IN GRAMMAR
PRONUNCIATION AND VOCABULARY AMONG 0ORTUGUESE SPEAKERS IN 0ORTUGAL AND IN
"RAZIL -OREOVER UNLIKE 3PANISH WHERE A hNEUTRALv OR hINTERNATIONALv 3PANISH
MAY BE ADEQUATE FOR MOST MARKETS IT IS VERY RARE FOR COMPANIES TO TRANSLATE
THEIR MATERIALS INTO ONE mAVOR OF 0ORTUGUESE FOR BOTH MARKETS
$IFFERENT $IALECT
3AME ,ANGUAGE
"RAZILIAN 0ORTUGUESE WAS NOT ONLY INmUENCED BY NATIVE LANGUAGES SUCH
AS 4UPINAMBÉ BUT ALSO BY THE MANY LANGUAGES SPOKEN BY !FRICAN SLAVES
!LTHOUGH SOME "RAZILIAN WORDS MADE THEIR WAY TO %UROPE MOST WERE ONLY
USED IN "RAZIL 3OUTHERN "RAZIL ABSORBED A LARGE INmUX OF IMMIGRANTS OF
)TALIAN 'ERMAN AND *APANESE DESCENT 4HESE LINGUISTIC GROUPS MADE SEVERAL
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE LANGUAGE SPOKEN IN "RAZIL 0ORTUGUESE IN %UROPE
MEANWHILE WAS INmUENCED BY THE &RENCH SPOKEN DURING .APOLEONS
OCCUPATION OF 0ORTUGAL
)N THE TWENTIETH CENTURY THE LINGUISTIC SPLIT BETWEEN 0ORTUGUESE AND "RAZILIAN
INCREASED AS THE RESULT OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS THAT REQUIRED NEW
VOCABULARY 5NLIKE THE 2OYAL !CADEMY OF THE 3PANISH ,ANGUAGE THERE IS NO
SIMILAR hWATCH DOGv TO CONDONE ADOPTING NEW TERMINOLOGY AND GRAMMAR IN
0ORTUGUESE AND THESE TWO LANGUAGES ARE INCREASINGLY GROWING APART "RAZILIAN
0ORTUGUESE TENDS TO BE A MORE mEXIBLE LANGUAGE MUCH INmUENCED BY .ORTH
!MERICAN CULTURE &OR INSTANCE "RAZILIAN 0ORTUGUESE TRANSLATES THE WORD hUSERv
AS hUSUÉRIOv A NONEXISTENT WORD IN %UROPEAN 0ORTUGUESE WHEREAS %UROPEAN
0ORTUGUESE TRANSLATES IT AS hUTILIZADOR v SIMILAR TO THE &RENCH hUTILISATEURv
)NTERNET 7ORLD MAGAZINE PUBLISHED A LIST IN THE "RAZILIAN EDITION THAT POINTED
OUT SOME ADDITIONAL DIFFERENCES
%NGLISH "RAZILIAN %UROPEAN 0ORTUGUESE
0ORTUGUESE
TO ACCESS ACESSAR ACEDER
MOUSE MOUSE RATO
SCREEN TELA ECRÎ
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3AME ,ANGUAGE $IFFERENT $IALECT
!SIDE FROM WORDS THAT ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ANDOR ARE USED IN A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT CONTEXT BETWEEN THESE TWO VARIANTS OF 0ORTUGUESE THERE ARE
APPROXIMATELY WORDS WITH A DIFFERENT SPELLING AND WITH A DIFFERENT
ACCENT MARK 4HERE ARE ALSO SOME GRAMMATICAL DIFFERENCES
7HEN LOCALIZING INTO 0ORTUGUESE BE AWARE OF THESE DIFFERENCES 9OUR
LOCALIZATION PROVIDER SHOULD DISTINGUISH BETWEEN %UROPEAN AND "RAZILIAN
0ORTUGUESE AND SHOULD USE NATIVE
QUALITY SPEAKERS FROM THE APPROPRIATE
COUNTRY TO LOCALIZE YOUR PRODUCT !LTHOUGH 0ORTUGUESE SPEAKERS FROM BOTH
SIDES OF THE !TLANTIC CAN USUALLY UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER NOT LOCALIZING
SEPARATELY FOR EACH MARKET CAN LEAD TO CONFUSION AMONG YOUR END
USERS
%MILY 'ARTEN
0ROJECT -ANAGER )UHQFK )UDQFHYV&DQDGD
4HERE ARE NOW NEARLY SEVEN MILLION &RENCH SPEAKERS IN #ANADA MOSTLY LOCATED
5P UNTIL AGE ) WAS CALLED
IN THE PROVINCE OF 1UEBEC /VER THE PAST FOUR HUNDRED YEARS THE &RENCH
BY MY MIDDLE NAME WHICH
SPOKEN IN THIS REGION HAS EVOLVED DRAMATICALLY DUE IN LARGE PART TO THE DISTANCE
IS 'REEK &UNNY THING IS )M
FROM &RENCH SPEAKERS IN %UROPE )T IS ALSO DUE TO THE CLOSE PROXIMITY TO %NGLISH
NOT 'REEK AT ALL ) WISH ) WERE SPEAKERS IN #ANADA AND THE 5NITED 3TATES
'REEK THEN ) WOULD HAVE
FAMILY IN 'REECE AND )D HAVE #ANADA HAS CERTAINLY BECOME A PRIME TARGET MARKET FOR LOCALIZED PRODUCTS
AN EXCUSE TO TRAVEL "EFORE )N THE #ANADIAN GOVERNMENT PASSED THE /FlCIAL ,ANGUAGES !CT WHICH
SETTLING DOWN INTO A CAREER CONFERRED EQUAL hOFlCIAL LANGUAGEv STATUS TO BOTH %NGLISH AND &RENCH 4HIS
) TRAVELED AROUND THE WORLD WAS DONE IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE NATIONS &RENCH LINGUISTIC HERITAGE AND
.OW ) SIT AT MY DESK AND TO hSUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF %NGLISH AND &RENCH LINGUISTIC MINORITY
TRAVEL THE WORLD VIA EMAIL COMMUNITIES AND GENERALLY ADVANCE THE EQUALITY OF STATUS AND USE OF THE
4HATS MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT %NGLISH AND &RENCH LANGUAGES WITHIN #ANADIAN SOCIETYv !S A RESULT ALL
OFlCIAL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATIONS MUST BE IN BOTH LANGUAGES AND
MY JOB AT ,INGO 3YSTEMS
GOVERNMENT SERVICES MUST BE AVAILABLE IN BOTH LANGUAGES -ANY COMMERCIAL
) GET TO TALK TO PEOPLE ACROSS
PRODUCTS FOLLOW THE GOVERNMENTS LEAD AND PROVIDE PACKAGING LABELING ETC IN
THE GLOBE EVERY DAY
BOTH %NGLISH AND &RENCH
(OWEVER IF YOU PROVIDE %UROPEAN &RENCH TO A #ANADIAN AUDIENCE YOU MAY
BE MISSING THE MARK #ANADIAN AND %UROPEAN &RENCH DIFFER IN MANY WAYS
INCLUDING VOCABULARY 3OME DIFFERENCES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING
%NGLISH #ANADIAN &RENCH %UROPEAN &RENCH
TELEPHONE HANDSET LE RÏCEPTEUR LE COMBINÏ
9OURE WELCOME "IENVENUE $E RIEN AND SEVERAL OTHERS
BLUEBERRY LE BLEUET LA MYRTILLE
SOCCER LE SOCCER LE FOOTBALL
SNOWBANK LE BANC DE NEIGE LA CONGÒRE
GO SHOPPING MAGASINER FAIRE DES COURSES
)N ADDITION THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN PRONUNCIATION IN PRONOUNS IN VERBS AND
IN USAGE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3AME ,ANGUAGE $IFFERENT $IALECT
7HAT THEN SHOULD YOU KNOW WHEN DECIDING WHETHER TO TRANSLATE SOLELY INTO
&RENCH OR INTO BOTH &RENCH AND &RENCH #ANADIAN &RENCH #ANADIANS UNDERSTAND
ANY MATERIAL TRANSLATED IN &RENCH SINCE THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE IS GENERALLY SIMILAR
)F SIMPLE UNDERSTANDING IS YOUR GOAL THE EXPENSE OF TRANSLATING INTO BOTH &RENCH
AND &RENCH #ANADIAN MAY NOT BE NECESSARY
(OWEVER IF YOU WANT &RENCH #ANADIANS TO FEEL THAT YOUR PRODUCT HAS BEEN
CUSTOM
MADE FOR THEM YOU SHOULD TRANSLATE IT INTO &RENCH #ANADIAN AS WELL
TO ENSURE CULTURAL SENSITIVITY 4HIS CAN USUALLY BE ACCOMPLISHED BY HAVING THE
PRODUCT OF A &RENCH TRANSLATOR COPYEDITED BY A #ANADIAN COLLEAGUE -OST OF THE
TIME THE LINGUISTIC CHANGES ARE MINIMAL BUT YOU CAN THEN BE CONlDENT THAT
YOUR PRODUCT IS INDEED TARGETED FOR #ANADA
&KLQHVH 0DQGDULQYV&DQWRQHVH
7UDGLWLRQDOYV6LPSOLÀHG
h#AN YOU SPEAK AND WRITE #HINESE v 4HIS APPARENTLY SIMPLE QUESTION CAN BE
ANSWERED BY ASKING IN TURN h$O YOU MEAN -ANDARIN (AKKA #ANTONESE
4RADITIONAL #HINESE 3IMPLIlED #HINESE ORx v )T SEEMS THAT THERE IS QUITE A
BIT OF CONFUSION REGARDING WHAT EXACTLY h#HINESEv MEANS IN REGARDS TO BOTH
$IFFERENT $IALECT
3AME ,ANGUAGE
THE SPOKEN LANGUAGE AND THE WRITTEN LANGUAGE ,ETS TRY TO CLEAR UP SOME OF THIS
CONFUSION
&IRST OF ALL SPOKEN #HINESE CONSISTS OF DOZENS OF DIFFERENT DIALECTS OFTEN
MUTUALLY UNINTELLIGIBLE FROM ONE ANOTHER 0U 4ONG (UA KNOWN AS h-ANDARINv
IN MOST 7ESTERN COUNTRIES AND #ANTONESE ARE THE TWO MOST WIDELY SPOKEN
DIALECTS !S EARLY AS THE SECOND CENTURY "# DURING THE (AN DYNASTY LANGUAGE
REFORMS WERE IMPLEMENTED IN AN ATTEMPT TO STANDARDIZE THE LANGUAGE
-ANDARIN EVOLVED AS THE OFlCIAL #HINESE SPOKEN LANGUAGE BECAUSE IT WAS
DERIVED FROM THE "EIJING IE 0EKING DIALECT WHICH WAS TAUGHT BY SCHOLARS
AND USED BY THE GOVERNMENT FOR NEARLY YEARS 4AIWAN AND 3INGAPORE ALSO
USE -ANDARIN AS THEIR OFlCIAL LANGUAGE #ANTONESE ON THE OTHER HAND IS A
DIALECT WIDELY SPOKEN IN THE SOUTHERN REGIONS OF #HINA THE 'UANGZHOU AND
(ONG +ONG AREAS
-ANDARIN AND #ANTONESE ARE THE MOST WIDELY SPOKEN #HINESE DIALECTS BUT
THEY ARE BY NO MEANS THE ONLY ONES &OR DAY
TO
DAY CONVERSATION MANY
PEOPLE STILL PREFER TO SPEAK IN THE DIALECT OF THEIR RESPECTIVE REGIONS )T IS
COMMON TO lND THAT TWO PEOPLE SPEAKING TWO DIFFERENT DIALECTS CANNOT
COMMUNICATE VERBALLY HOWEVER THEY CAN COMMUNICATE IN WRITING THANKS TO
THE STANDARDIZATION OF THE 4RADITIONAL AND 3IMPLIlED WRITING SYSTEMS
4HE ORIGIN OF THE #HINESE WRITING SYSTEM IS PICTORIAL DATING BACK THOUSANDS
OF YEARS 0EOPLE DREW PICTURES TO EXPRESS THEIR THOUGHTSIN SHORT TO
COMMUNICATE !S YOU CAN IMAGINE THIS METHOD OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION WAS
VERY CUMBERSOME MAKING COMPLEX THOUGHTS DIFlCULT TO EXPRESS !S A RESULT A
NUMBER OF REFORMS HAVE BEEN INITIATED TO STYLIZE AND SIMPLIFY THE MANNER OF
WRITING #HINESE 4HIS HAS IN TURN RESULTED IN A MORE UNIFORM WRITING STYLE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3AME ,ANGUAGE $IFFERENT $IALECT
/F ALL THE LANGUAGE REFORMS INITIATED OVER THE PAST TWO MILLENNIA NONE HAS
HAD A GREATER IMPACT THAN THE ONE CARRIED OUT BY THE 0EOPLES 2EPUBLIC OF #HINA
02# GOVERNMENT AFTER ITS ESTABLISHMENT IN 4HE MID
TWENTIETH CENTURY
LANGUAGE REFORM SIMPLIlED THE CHARACTERS USED IN THE 4RADITIONAL #HINESE
WRITING SYSTEM BY REDUCING THE NUMBER OF STROKES NEEDED TO WRITE A CHARACTER
4HE END RESULT WAS THE 3IMPLIlED #HINESE WRITING SYSTEM 4HE 02# AND
3INGAPORE CURRENTLY USE THE 3IMPLIlED #HINESE WRITING SYSTEM (ONG +ONG AND
4AIWAN USE THE 4RADITIONAL #HINESE WRITING SYSTEM HOWEVER NOW THAT (ONG
+ONG HAS BEEN INTEGRATED INTO THE 02# WE MAY SEE AN INCREASE IN THE USE OF
3IMPLIlED #HINESE THERE
)T IS GENERALLY EASIER FOR A PERSON WHO KNOWS 4RADITIONAL #HINESE TO UNDERSTAND
$IANA 7ARNOCK
3IMPLIlED #HINESE CHARACTERS THAN FOR A PERSON WHO KNOWS 3IMPLIlED #HINESE
$40 3PECIALIST TO UNDERSTAND 4RADITIONAL #HINESE CHARACTERS (OWEVER THIS IS NOT A SURE
THING -OREOVER USING ONE OF THE STANDARD WRITING SYSTEMS IS STILL NOT ALWAYS
,ANGUAGE SHAPES PERCEPTION SUFlCIENT FOR PROPER LOCALIZATION &OR EXAMPLE THE 4RADITIONAL #HINESE USED
0ERCEPTION SHAPES REALITY IN 4AIWAN IS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT FROM THAT USED IN (ONG +ONG 4HE CHARACTER
2EALITY IS THE RESULT OF SOCIAL SET IS THE SAME BUT THEY ARE SOMETIMES GROUPED DIFFERENTLY TO EXPRESS VARIOUS
CONSTRUCTION WHICH FOR CONCEPTS /NE EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE TERM hLUNCHBOXv )N (ONG +ONG THIS
HUMANS IS BUILT PRIMARILY WITH TERM IS EXPRESSED BY PAIRING THE CHARACTER FOR hRICEv WITH THE CHARACTER FOR
LANGUAGE (UMANS ARE THE hBOXv IN CONTRAST 4AIWANESE USE A PAIR OF CHARACTERS THAT ROUGHLY TRANSLATE
ONLY SPECIES WHO HAVE THE AS hCONVENIENCE NOWv ! (ONG +ONG READER UNAWARE OF 4AIWANESE CULTURE
WOULD UNDERSTAND THE CHARACTERS BUT NOT GRASP THE LUNCHBOX CONNOTATION )F
CAPACITIES TO COMMUNICATE
YOU ARE PLANNING TO LOCALIZE FOR THE (ONG +ONG MARKET OR FOR THE 3INGAPORE
THUS !S A DESKTOP PUBLISHER
MARKET YOU SHOULD PLAN A SPECIAL COPY EDITING STEP IN ORDER TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR
) HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO
TRANSLATIONS FOR THOSE SPECIlC MARKETS
SEE OUR DIFFERENCES AND
COMMONALITIES AND ) BELIEVE #ONTINUOUS EFFORTS AT LANGUAGE REFORM INTRODUCED THE USE OF THE 2OMAN
THAT LANGUAGE IS THE BRIDGE ALPHABET TO hSPELLv THE PRONUNCIATION OF #HINESE CHARACTERS 4HE RESULT WAS
ACROSS CULTURAL DISPARITY THE STANDARD 0IN 9IN SPELLING SYSTEM THAT IS WIDELY USED IN #HINA 4AIWAN AND
3INGAPORE TODAY
3O h7HAT IS #HINESE v 9OU CAN SEE NOW THAT IT REALLY IS A hBLANKET TERMv FOR
SEVERAL MAJOR DIALECTS AND TWO MAJOR WRITING SYSTEMS
#OUNTRY 3POKEN ,ANGUAGE 7RITTEN ,ANGUAGE
02# -ANDARIN 3IMPLIlED #HINESE
02# 'UANGZHOU 0ROVINCE #ANTONESE 3IMPLIlED #HINESE
02# (ONG +ONG #ANTONESE 4RADITIONAL #HINESE
3INGAPORE -ANDARIN 3IMPLIlED #HINESE
4AIWAN -ANDARIN 4RADITIONAL #HINESE
4HE NEXT TIME YOU HEAR SOMEONE SAY h7E NEED THIS TRANSLATED INTO #HINESEv
YOU SHOULD lRST THINK ABOUT WHAT THE TERM h#HINESEv REALLY MEANS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3AME ,ANGUAGE $IFFERENT $IALECT
!S THE MEANS OF COMMUNICATION BECOMES MORE EFlCIENT AND ACCESSIBLE
TO PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD ONE HAS TO WONDER WHAT THE EFFECT WILL BE ON
LANGUAGE 7ILL LANGUAGES BECOME MORE HOMOGENEOUS OR WILL ITS USERS CREATE
THEIR OWN IDENTITY BY SUPPORTING DISTINCT DIALECTS 7ILL LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES BE
BASED INCREASINGLY ON ECONOMIC OR AGE
RELATED FACTORS GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES
RELATIONS WITH OTHER COUNTRIES OR PERHAPS IDEOLOGY 0ERHAPS A CULTURAL IDENTITY
WILL PREVAIL OVER A REGIONAL ONE WHERE PHYSICAL DISTANCE MIGHT NOT HAVE ANY
INmUENCE AT ALL (OWEVER THESE FACTORS COMBINE TO INmUENCE LANGUAGE IT WILL
HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT ON YOUR BUSINESS (AVING A TRUSTED LOCALIZATION PARTNER
LIKE ,INGO 3YSTEMS TO ADVISE AND ASSIST YOU WILL BE CRITICAL
$IFFERENT $IALECT
3AME ,ANGUAGE
3OME #HINESE TRANSLATORS SENT THE FOLLOWING SOLICITATION FOR THEIR SERVICES
/UR COOPRATION IS LOCATED IN THE MAIN SOURCE AND CONGREGATION OF #HINAS ELICIT
:HONGGUANCUN AT "EIJING 7E DO NOT HAVE A LONG HISTORY BUT WE OWN A HIGH
QUALITY /UR OTHER FEATURES INCLUDE LOW PRICE HIGH SPEED AND EXCELLENT CREDIT
WHICH PROMOTES US TO GROW FAST 4HANK YOU FOR YOUR PERUSING OF OUR MAIL 7E ARE
EXPECTING TO COOPERATE WITH YOU !ND YOU REPLY IS OUR GREATEST GOSPEL
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING AND $ISPLAYING !SIAN #HARACTERS
#HAPTER
7RITING AND $ISPLAYING !SIAN
#HARACTERS
,OCALIZING INTO !SIAN LANGUAGES CAN PRESENT UNIQUE CHALLENGES !SIAN CHARACTER
SETS OFTEN CONTAIN MANY MORE CHARACTERS THAN 7ESTERN ALPHABETS SOME SETS
NUMBER IN THE THOUSANDS OF CHARACTERS (OW DOES YOUR COMPUTER KNOW HOW TO
DISPLAY ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS !ND HOW DOES ANYONE GET THEM TYPED IN
4ING &AN
3YSTEMS !DMINISTRATOR )N A TYPICAL 7ESTERN FONT SUCH AS !RIAL EACH CHARACTER IS REPRESENTED BY A
SINGLE BYTE OF INFORMATION OR BITS WHICH RESULTS IN A TOTAL OF POSSIBLE
,INGO 3YSTEMS IS A GREAT CHARACTERS 4HIS IS NOT NEARLY ENOUGH FOR MANY !SIAN CHARACTER SETS PARTICULARLY
PLACE TO WORK %VERYONE HERE #HINESE *APANESE AND +OREAN SO !SIAN CHARACTERS ARE PROGRAMMED AS
hDOUBLE
BYTEv THAT IS EACH !SIAN CHARACTER IS MADE UP OF BYTES OR BITS
IS FRIENDLY AND WILLING TO HELP
WORTH OF INFORMATION $OUBLE
BYTE CHARACTER SETS HAVE OVER CHARACTERS
OTHERS 3OMETIMES WE NEED
AVAILABLE 4HIS RESOLVES THE ISSUE OF DISPLAYING CHARACTERS BUT IT CAN CAUSE OTHER
TO STAY UP LATE AND WORK
PROBLEMS FOR YOU IF YOU ARE DEVELOPING SOFTWARE THAT NEEDS TO SUPPORT !SIAN
THROUGH THE WEEKEND "UT CHARACTERS SEE h,OCALIZING !SIAN 3OFTWAREv ON PAGE
WE WORK AS A TEAM AND GET
THE JOB DONE 7ITH MY FAMILY !S FOR TYPING !SIAN CHARACTERSYOU ARE NOT LIKELY TO lND A COMPUTER KEYBOARD
BEING A FEW THOUSAND MILES THAT CONTAINS INDIVIDUAL KEYS FOR EVERY #HINESE OR *APANESE CHARACTER !
AWAY IN #HINA ,INGO FEELS LIKE #HINESE KEYBOARD WOULD HAVE TO CONTAIN OVER KEYS &ORTUNATELY
A SECOND FAMILY TO ME SOME CLEVER METHODS HAVE BEEN DEVISED TO USE THE STANDARD KEYBOARD 4HE
DISCUSSION BELOW IS SPECIlC TO #HINESE BUT THE GENERAL CONCEPTS ARE ALSO TRUE
OF *APANESE AND +OREAN
(QWHULQJ&KLQHVH&KDUDFWHUV
)N ORDER TO ENTER #HINESE CHARACTERS INTO A COMPUTER YOU NEED AN OPERATING
SYSTEM THAT SUPPORTS #HINESE CHARACTER INPUT METHODS 4HIS COULD BE A NATIVE
4RADITIONAL #HINESE OR 3IMPLIlED #HINESE OPERATING SYSTEM OR SOME OTHER
OPERATING SYSTEM THAT HAS EITHER BUILT
IN SUPPORT OR THIRD
PARTY SOFTWARE
INSTALLED FOR #HINESE CHARACTER INPUT /NCE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT SOFTWARE THERE
ARE THREE GENERAL METHODS OF ENTERING #HINESE CHARACTERS INTO A COMPUTER
TYPING HANDWRITING AND SPEAKING
4YPING #HINESE CHARACTERS INVOLVES BREAKING DOWN EACH IDEOGRAM OR
CHARACTER INTO A SERIES OF ALPHANUMERIC CHARACTERS USING A SET OF DElNED RULES
4HESE RULES ALLOW YOU TO CREATE THE CHARACTERS WITH A STANDARD KEYBOARD 4HIS
PROCESS IS AN INPUT METHOD ! STEEP LEARNING CURVE IS REQUIRED TO MASTER THE RULES
OF ANY INPUT METHOD BUT THESE ARE STILL THE FASTEST AND MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS OF
INPUTTING #HINESE CHARACTERS USING TODAYS TECHNOLOGIES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING AND $ISPLAYING !SIAN #HARACTERS
.UMEROUS INPUT METHODS HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED SINCE #HINESE COMPUTING
WAS lRST INTRODUCED 4WO OF THE MOST POPULAR METHODS USED FOR 4RADITIONAL
#HINESE ARE :HU 9IN AND #HANG *IE 4HE MOST POPULAR INPUT METHOD FOR
3IMPLIlED #HINESE IS 0IN 9IN 4HE :HU 9IN AND 0IN 9IN METHODS BREAK DOWN A
#HINESE CHARACTER BY HOW IT SOUNDS REPRESENTING THOSE SOUNDS WITH KEYS ON THE
ALPHANUMERIC KEYBOARD 4HE #HANG *IE METHOD BREAKS DOWN A #HINESE CHARACTER
USING THE CHARACTERS SHAPE
:HU 9IN IS BASED ON THE PRONUNCIATION SYSTEM OF SOUNDS AND TONES THAT
ARE USED IN 4AIWAN 4HIS PRONUNCIATION SYSTEM IS FAMILIAR TO MOST 4AIWANESE
SCHOOL CHILDREN #HINESE CHARACTERS CAN BE hSPELLEDv WITH THIS SYSTEM .ATIVE
KEYBOARDS COME WITH THE SOUNDS PRINTED ON THEM SO THAT NATIVE SPEAKERS
CAN TYPE IN 4RADITIONAL CHARACTERS &OR EXAMPLE IF YOU WANT TO TYPE THE WORD
h#HINESEv ON AN %NGLISH KEYBOARD YOU WOULD TYPE IN hJv AND hJPv )F YOU
WERE USING A NATIVE KEYBOARD THE :HU 9IN PRONUNCIATION SYMBOLS WOULD BE
INDICATED ON THE KEYS 4OGETHER THESE SYMBOLS FORM THE TWO
CHARACTER PAIR THAT
MEANS h#HINESEv 中文
0IN 9IN IS VERY SIMILAR TO :HU 9IN EXCEPT THAT THE TONE OF THE CHARACTER IS NOT
CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE INPUT METHOD /NLY THE COMPONENT SOUNDS ARE
TYPED
#HANG *IE IN CONTRAST IS SHAPE BASED )T USES FAMILIAR CHARACTERS EACH OF
WHICH STANDS FOR A SET OF RELATED SHAPES !LL BUT A FEW #HINESE CHARACTERS CAN BE
!SIAN #HARACTERS
7RITING AND $ISPLAYING
READILY BROKEN UP INTO PIECES WITHIN THIS RELATIVELY SMALL SET OF SHAPES &ROM
THIS SEQUENCE OF SHAPES NO MORE THAN lVE WILL BE SELECTED BY REGULAR RULES TO
FORM THE CODE FOR TYPING THE CHARACTER &OR EXAMPLE THE CHARACTER 明 IS BROKEN
INTO 日 AND 月 4O FOLLOW THE :HU 9IN EXAMPLE YOU WOULD TYPE THE WORD
h#HINESEv IN #HANG *IE BY TYPING h,v FOR 中 AND h9+v FOR 文
!LL OF THESE INPUT METHODS REQUIRE THE SUPPORT OF YOUR COMPUTER OPERATING
SYSTEM /RIGINALLY BECAUSE !SIAN CHARACTERS ARE DOUBLE
BYTE USERS HAD TO
EITHER USE A NATIVE OPERATING SYSTEM OR PURCHASE A THIRD
PARTY SOFTWARE BRIDGE
FOR AN %NGLISH SYSTEM 4ODAY AS A RESULT OF 5NICODE TECHNOLOGY MOST INPUT
METHODS ARE SUPPORTED DIRECTLY BY 7INDOWS 80 AND -AC /3 8 EVEN ON THE
%NGLISH VERSION OF THE OPERATING SYSTEM -OREOVER SINCE APPLICATIONS SUCH AS
-ICROSOFT )NTERNET %XPLORER AND -OZILLA &IREFOX SUPPORT DOUBLE
BYTE CHARACTERS
IT IS USUALLY EASY TO WRITE AND DISPLAY !SIAN LANGUAGES USING 7ESTERN HARDWARE
AND SOFTWARE
7RITING #HINESE CHARACTERS ON A COMPUTER IS NOW ALSO POSSIBLE THANKS TO
TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS 6ARIOUS COMPANIES HAVE DEVELOPED #HINESE
WRITING PADS THAT CONNECT DIRECTLY TO YOUR COMPUTER 5SERS CAN WRITE DIRECTLY ON
THE PAD AND THE SOFTWARE RECOGNIZES THE HANDWRITTEN CHARACTERS AND DISPLAYS
THEM AS THE APPROPRIATE TYPE
WRITTEN CHARACTERS ON THE SCREEN
&OR EXAMPLE AT LIBRARIES IN (ONG +ONG A #HINESE WRITING TABLET IS CONNECTED
TO EACH COMPUTER TERMINAL SO THAT ANYONE WHO IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH A STANDARD
INPUT METHOD CAN NEVERTHELESS WRITE IN #HINESE TO PERFORM A SEARCH IN THE
LIBRARY DATABASE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7RITING AND $ISPLAYING !SIAN #HARACTERS
&INALLY SPEAKING CAN ALSO BE USED TO ENTER #HINESE CHARACTERS 4HIS METHOD
RELIES ON RECENT ADVANCES IN SPEECH RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY 5SERS SPEAK DIRECTLY
INTO A MICROPHONE CONNECTED TO A COMPUTER 4HE SOFTWARE RECOGNIZES THE
PHONETICS OF EACH WORD AND DISPLAYS THE APPROPRIATE CHARACTERS
4HESE WRITING AND SPEAKING METHODS ENABLE USERS TO ENTER #HINESE CHARACTERS
WITHOUT REQUIRING MASTERY OF THE COMPLEX RULES FOR STANDARD INPUT METHODS
0REVIOUSLY SPEECH AND HANDWRITING RECOGNITION WERE ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH
THIRD
PARTY SOFTWARE BUT NOW THESE METHODS ARE SUPPORTED BY THE NEWEST
VERSIONS OF -ICROSOFT /FlCE
0ETER +AVANAGH 4HEY ARE NOT WITHOUT DRAWBACKS HOWEVER AS THE INTERPRETATION OF WRITTEN OR
SPOKEN CHARACTERS IS FAR FROM PERFECT 4HE USER IS GENERALLY REQUIRED TO hTEACHv
$40 3PECIALIST THE SOFTWARE HOW TO RECOGNIZE HISHER STYLE OF WRITING OR SPEAKING !LSO THESE
METHODS ARE STILL OFTEN SLOWER THAN THE TYPING METHODS !S THIS TECHNOLOGY
)F ) WIN THE LOTTERY ) KNOW CONTINUES TO ADVANCE SPEAKING TO THE COMPUTER MAY ONE DAY OVERTAKE THE
EXACTLY WHAT ) WILL DO ) WILL GO TRADITIONAL TYPING METHODS AND ALLOW FOR A MORE CONVENIENT WAY OF ENTERING
TO *APAN AND BUY A BIG lSHING #HINESE CHARACTERS
BOAT TO CATCH A *APANESE
GIANT CRAB 4HEY ARE ONE OF
THE LARGEST ARTHROPODS KNOWN /RFDOL]LQJ$VLDQ6RIWZDUH
TO MAN UP TO FT LONG AND ! SIGNIlCANT CHALLENGE SOMETIMES ARISES WHEN LOCALIZING YOUR SOFTWARE IN
LBS 'IANT CRABS ARE VERY !SIAN LANGUAGES "EFORE THE ADVENT OF 5NICODE SOME SOFTWARE COULD NEITHER
DIFlCULT TO CATCH BECAUSE THEY ACCEPT !SIAN CHARACTER INPUT NOR DISPLAY !SIAN CHARACTERS CORRECTLY AND SOME
LIVE IN DEEP PARTS OF THE OCEAN COULD DO ONE BUT NOT THE OTHER 4O ENABLE SUPPORT OF !SIAN AND OTHER FOREIGN
UP TO FT )F ) NEED A LANGUAGES CODE PAGES WERE DElNED &OR EXAMPLE 7INDOWS AND
DECK HAND ) MAY HIRE MY -ILLENNIUM %DITION ALL USED CODE PAGES THAT CONTAINED CODE POINTS ONE
SUPERVISOR 2OGER CODE POINT REPRESENTS ONE CHARACTER &OR THOSE LANGUAGES WITH MORE THAN
CHARACTERS A $OUBLE BYTE #HARACTER 3ET $"#3 WAS DEVELOPED
! MAJOR DRAWBACK OF THE CODE PAGE CONCEPT IS THAT A SYSTEM USING A CODE PAGE
CAN SUPPORT ONLY ONE LANGUAGE AT A TIME SINCE THE SAME CODE POINT MAY NEED TO
MAP TO DIFFERENT CHARACTERS FOR DIFFERENT LANGUAGES &OR EXAMPLE UNDER THE $"#3
SYSTEM #HINESE COULD NOT BE MIXED WITH *APANESE WITHIN THE SAME APPLICATION
7ITH THE INVENTION OF 5NICODE THESE TYPES OF ISSUES HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFULLY
ELIMINATED (OWEVER APPLICATIONS NOT BASED ON 5NICODE WILL REQUIRE SPECIAL
ATTENTION DURING LOCALIZATION 2EAD MORE ABOUT 5NICODE IN #HAPTER OF THIS GUIDE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER #HALLENGES WITH ,OCALIZING INTO "IDIRECTIONAL ,ANGUAGES
#HAPTER
,OCALIZING "IDIRECTIONAL
,ANGUAGES
%DFNJURXQG
/NE OF THE CHALLENGES WHEN TRANSLATING INTO CERTAIN LANGUAGES IS THAT THE
WRITING DIRECTION OF THE TARGET LANGUAGE MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE SOURCE
LANGUAGE -IDDLE %ASTERN LANGUAGES LIKE !RABIC AND (EBREW ARE WRITTEN RIGHT TO
LEFT WHILE ,ATIN LANGUAGES LIKE %NGLISH AND 2OMANIAN ARE WRITTEN LEFT TO RIGHT
7HEN A PREDOMINANTLY RIGHT
TO
LEFT LANGUAGE CONTAINS LEFT
TO
RIGHT WRITING AND
MOST DO THE RESULT IS A BIDIRECTIONAL DOCUMENT %XAMPLES OF BIDIRECTIONAL
LANGUAGES INCLUDE !RABIC (EBREW 9IDDISH &ARSI 5RDU !ZERBAIJANI 0UNJABI
0USHTO $ARI AND 5IGUR
&KDOOHQJHV
-OST APPLICATIONS AND WEBSITES ARE DESIGNED FOR LANGUAGES THAT ARE WRITTEN
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT !S SUCH APPLYING THE LEFT
TO
RIGHT SETTINGS CONTAINED IN ONE
OF THESE APPLICATIONS TO A BIDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE OFTEN CREATES SOME INTERESTING
CHALLENGES &ORTUNATELY THERE ARE WAYS TO RESOLVE MANY OF THEM
)NTO "IDIRECTIONAL ,ANGUAGES
#HALLENGES 7ITH ,OCALIZING
5SER )NTERFACE ,AYOUT
4HE DIRECTION OF WRITING AFFECTS THE WAY INFORMATION SHOULD BE PRESENTED AND
PLACED &OR EXAMPLE SOME APPLICATIONS USE ICONS TO TELL USERS TO GO TO THE
h.EXTv OR h0REVIOUSv PAGE "ECAUSE THESE ICONS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME MEANING
WHEN USED WITH A BIDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE HOWEVER USERS OFTEN BECOME
CONFUSED &IGURE
&IGURE
)N &IGURE THE h.EXTv ICON FOR THE LEFT TO RIGHT LANGUAGE IS CORRECTLY UNDERSTOOD
BY THE APPLICATION &OR THE BIDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE HOWEVER THE h.EXTv ICON IS
INTERPRETED AS h0REVIOUSv 4O lX THIS PROBLEM THE IMAGES NEED TO BE mIPPED
HORIZONTALLY IE THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS MOVED TO THE LEFT AND VICE VERSA AND
THE UNDERLYING FUNCTIONALITY MUST BE CHANGED AS WELL &IGURE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER #HALLENGES WITH ,OCALIZING INTO "IDIRECTIONAL ,ANGUAGES
.EXT 0REVIOUS
&IGURE
"IDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGES CAN ALSO BE CONFUSING TO USERS 7HEN PROVIDING STEP
BY
STEP INSTRUCTIONS YOU WILL NEED TO MODIFY THE LAYOUT FOR READING FROM RIGHT
/USSAMA !BOU
*AMOUS TO LEFT TO ENSURE THAT THE STEPS ARE FOLLOWED IN THE PROPER ORDER .OTICE IN
,OCALIZATION %NGINEER h&IGURE v HOW THE FOLLOWING STEPS WILL BE INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY BY USERS WITH
DIFFERENT READING ORIENTATIONS
)F YOU THINK YOU CAN WRITE
TRY WRITING IN REVERSE ORDER )NSERT #$ IN )NSTALL APPLICATION #LICK ON THE APPLICATIONS
FROM RIGHT TO LEFT 4HE WRITING #$
2/- DRIVE SHORTCUT TO START
DIRECTION OF THE !RABIC SCRIPT &IGURE
MY NATIVE LANGUAGE IS RIGHT
4HESE STEPS CAN BE EASILY COMPLETED IF YOU READ THEM FROM LEFT TO RIGHT BUT IF
TO
LEFT SO LEARNING %NGLISH
YOU TRANSLATE THEM INTO A BIDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE AND LEAVE THEM IN THE SAME
WAS NOT EASY AT ALL )T WAS
ORDER THE STEPS WILL BE READ FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AND MISINTERPRETED 4HE lRST
LIKE FORCING YOUR BRAIN TO THINK
THING THE USER WILL DO IS TO LOOK FOR THE APPLICATIONS v3HORTCUT TO STARTv WITHOUT
BACKWARD TO WRITE A USEFUL INSTALLING THE APPLICATION OR EVEN INSERTING THE #$ IN THE #$
2/- DRIVE
SENTENCE /BVIOUSLY IT IS CRITICAL TO MODIFY THE LAYOUT OF THE INTERFACE WHEN LOCALIZING INTO
A BIDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE
#OMBING 4EXT FROM ,ANGUAGES WITH /PPOSITE 7RITING $IRECTIONS
7HEN LOCALIZING INTO A BIDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE SOME INFORMATION LIKE BRAND
NAMES DOES NOT GET TRANSLATED ! BIDIRECTIONAL DOCUMENT THAT HAS TEXT WITH
DIFFERENT WRITING DIRECTIONS FORCES THE RIGHT
TO
LEFT TEXT TO BE STORED IN REVERSE
ORDER AROUND THE LEFT
TO
RIGHT TEXT 4HIS MAKES THE SENTENCE MEANINGLESS AND
UNREADABLE IN MOST CASES h&IGURE v CONTAINS A SENTENCE THAT HAS A MIX OF
!RABIC AND %NGLISH WORDS .OTICE HOW THE ORDER OF THE WORDS IS MISPLACED IN
THE TEXT lLE AND NEEDS TO BE RE
ORDERED TO DISPLAY CORRECTLY
4HIS IS HOW THE CHARACTERS
ARE STORED IN A TEXT lLE
4HIS IS HOW THE CHARACTERS
SHOULD BE DISPLAYED
&IGURE
)N MOST TEXT EDITORS YOU CAN CHOOSE THE READING ORDER TO BE RIGHT TO LEFT OR LEFT
TO RIGHT BUT THIS DOES NOT lX THE ISSUE ENTIRELY )T WILL ONLY lX THE READING ORDER
IN THAT EDITOR BUT ONCE THE TEXT IS DISPLAYED IN ANOTHER APPLICATION OR DEVICE
THE SAME PROBLEM REMAINS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER #HALLENGES WITH ,OCALIZING INTO "IDIRECTIONAL ,ANGUAGES
/NE OBVIOUS WAY TO GET AROUND THIS ISSUE
IS TO AVOID USING LEFT
TO
RIGHT TEXT LIKE
%NGLISH IN COMBINATION WITH RIGHT
TO
LEFT
TEXT LIKE !RABIC 7HEN MIXING LEFT
TO
RIGHT
AND RIGHT
TO
LEFT TEXT CAN NOT BE AVOIDED
THE ORDER OF THE SENTENCE WILL NEED TO BE
REVERSED MANUALLY 4HIS WILL ALLOW YOU TO
UPLOAD YOUR lLE TO ANOTHER APPLICATION AND
DISPLAY IT CORRECTLY
!LIGNMENT AND &ORMATTING
9OUR WRITTEN CONTENT SHOULD BE ALIGNED TO PROPERLY DISPLAY AND WRAP TEXT AT
THE END OF EACH SENTENCE )F NOT THE ORDER OF THE WORDS AND THE MEANING OF THE
SENTENCE WILL BE INCORRECT &ORTUNATELY MOST APPLICATIONS HAVE TOOLS THAT CAN
CHANGE THE WRITING DIRECTION OF THE TEXT &OR EXAMPLE MARKUP LANGUAGES LIKE
(4-, HAVE TAGS YOU CAN ADD TO YOUR CODE TO ADJUST THE h$)2 ATTRIBUTEv AND
SPECIFY THE BASE DIRECTION OF TEXT ,42 24,
-OST -IDDLE %ASTERN COUNTRIES USE BOTH !RABIC AND (INDI CHARACTER SETS FOR
NUMBERS 4HERE IS NO CONSISTENT USE AMONGST BIDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE USERS AND
THE CHOICE OF WHICH DIGITS TO USE IS OFTEN DETERMINED BY WHICH CHARACTER SET THE
SOFTWARE SUPPORTS
!RABIC
$IGITS
)NTO "IDIRECTIONAL ,ANGUAGES
#HALLENGES 7ITH ,OCALIZING
(INDI
$IGITS ² ³ ´ µ ¶ · ¸ ¹ º »
&IGURE
7HETHER YOU USE !RABIC OR (INDI DIGITS NUMBERS ARE WRITTEN FROM LEFT TO
RIGHTWITH THE MOST SIGNIlCANT DIGITS PLACED FARTHEST TO THE LEFT &IGURE /F
COURSE THIS IS THE OPPOSITE OF BIDIRECTIONAL TEXT WHICH IS TYPICALLY RIGHT
TO
LEFT
%UROPEAN $IGIT
!RABIC $IGIT
(INDI $IGIT
&IGURE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER #HALLENGES WITH ,OCALIZING INTO "IDIRECTIONAL ,ANGUAGES
0UNCTUATION
0UNCTUATION CAN ALSO BE A CHALLENGE IN BIDIRECTIONAL LOCALIZATION &OR EXAMPLE
THE EXCLAMATION MARK PERIOD AND COLON ARE DISPLAYED THE SAME WAY IN BOTH
!RABIC AND %NGLISH WHILE OTHERS SUCH AS THE QUESTION MARK COMMA AND SEMI
COLON ARE DISPLAYED DIFFERENTLY 7HEN PUNCTUATION MARKS THAT ARE DISPLAYED THE
SAME ARE ADDED TO THE END OF A SENTENCE IN SOME TEXT EDITORS THEY AUTOMATICALLY
MOVE TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SENTENCE UNLESS THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A LINE
&IGURE
0ERIOD AT THE END OF
THE LINE IS MOVED TO
-ICHAEL ,OMBARDI THE BEGINNING
$40 3PECIALIST
0ERIOD BETWEEN TWO
SENTENCES ON THE
-ICHAEL IS OPPOSED ON GENERAL SAME LINE DISPLAYS
PRINCIPLES TO BROCCOLI AND CELL CORRECTLY
PHONES AND HATES TO SEE
EITHER BEING USED IN A MOVING &IGURE
AUTOMOBILE
&RQFOXVLRQ
,OCALIZATION IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST TRANSLATING FROM ONE LANGUAGE TO ANOTHER
7HEN LOCALIZING INTO A BIDIRECTIONAL LANGUAGE YOU HAVE TO ADJUST THE LAYOUT OF
THE USER INTERFACE AND REFORMATTING OF YOUR APPLICATION TO MAKE IT USABLE
3IGN IN A -AJORCAN SHOP ENTRANCE
h%NGLISH WELL SPEAKING (ERE SPEECHING !MERICANv
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER #ASE 3TUDY
#HAPTER
#ASE 3TUDY
3URGXFW 7UDLQLQJ0DWHULDOVIRU
DQ6$3LPSOHPHQWDWLRQ
3ITUATION
! LEADING GLOBAL MANUFACTURER OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS MADE A THREE YEAR SEVERAL
HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR COMMITMENT TO IMPLEMENT 3!0A WELL KNOWN
BUSINESS PROCESS IMPROVEMENT SOFTWARE 4HROUGH THE COORDINATION OF BOTH
IN
HOUSE AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONSULTANTS THE SOFTWARE WAS ROLLED OUT TO
FACILITIES lRST IN THE 53 THEN TO %UROPE AND !SIA
4O MAXIMIZE THE UTILIZATION OF THE SOFTWARE THE MANUFACTURER INITIATED A
GLOBAL END
USER TRAINING PROGRAM TO ACCOMPANY THE IMPLEMENTATION !FTER
CONDUCTING A SERIES OF INTERNAL NEEDS ASSESSMENTS IN EACH GLOBAL LOCALE THE
COMPANY DETERMINED THAT THE TRAINING FOR CERTAIN COURSES WOULD BE MORE
EFFECTIVE IF TAUGHT IN THE NATIVE LANGUAGE OF THE EMPLOYEES RATHER THAN %NGLISH
4HE DECISION TO TRANSLATE THE COURSES IS TYPICALLY BASED ON THE LEVEL OF %NGLISH
COMPREHENSION EXPECTED FROM THE LOCALES EMPLOYEE BASE &OR EXAMPLE IN THE
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE DEPARTMENT %NGLISH COMPREHENSION MIGHT BE QUITE HIGH
WHICH MEANS THAT TRANSLATING THE TRAINING MATERIAL IS NOT NECESSARY #ONVERSELY
3TUDY
#ASE
SINCE THE %NGLISH COMPREHENSION LEVEL OF THE FACILITYS WAREHOUSING PERSONNEL
IS LOW THEY MAY NEED TO BE TAUGHT IN THE LOCAL LANGUAGE
4HE TRAINING MATERIALS INCLUDED A TRADITIONAL INSTRUCTOR LED ),4 CURRICULUM
AND A WEB BASED APPLICATION THAT FUNCTIONED AS AN INTELLIGENT HELP SYSTEM
SITTING ON TOP OF THE 3!0 SOFTWARE 4HE COMPANYS CHALLENGE WAS TO lND A
LOCALIZATION PARTNER WHO PROVIDED EXPERIENCE WITH 3!0 THE ABILITY TO DELIVER
QUALITY RESULTS UNDER AGGRESSIVE TIMELINES AND THE TECHNICAL KNOW HOW TO WORK
WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF THE PROJECT &INALLY AND PERHAPS MOST COMMONLY THE
PROJECT BUDGET WAS VERY LIMITED SO A COST EFFECTIVE LOCALIZATION SOLUTION WAS
NEEDEDWITHOUT COMPROMISING THE IMPERATIVE FOR QUALITY AND SPEED
0ROJECT 3COPE
$ATABASE LOCALIZATION &OUR LOCALIZABLE TABLES IN A 31, 3ERVER
DATABASE TOTALING WORDS
)NSTRUCTOR ,ED 4RAINING 0OWER0OINT PRESENTATIONS TOTALING
SLIDES AND WORDS
3UPPLEMENTAL -ATERIALS -3 7ORD DOCUMENTS TOTALING
PAGES AND WORDS
4IMELINE 7EEKS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER #ASE 3TUDY
0ROCESS
'IVEN THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE LOCALIZABLE CONTENT RESIDED IN A 31, 3ERVER
DATABASE EXTRACTING THE TEXT INTO A USEABLE FORMAT FOR THE LINGUISTIC TASKS
BECAME A CHIEF CONCERN 4ABLES MAY BE EXPORTED AS %XCEL WORKSHEETS HOWEVER
THERE ARE NOTABLE DISADVANTAGES TO USING %XCEL lELD FORMATTING IS LOST AND
MANAGING STRING LENGTHS BECOMES DIFlCULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE -OREOVER
WITHOUT THE USE OF A SOPHISTICATED SOFTWARE TOOL REPETITIOUS STRINGS CANNOT
AUTOMATICALLY BE EXCLUDED FROM THE TRAINING MATERIALS
!S PART OF OUR SOLUTION WE SELECTED A TOOL DESIGNED EXPRESSLY FOR DATABASE
LOCALIZATION 4HIS PROVIDED AN INTUITIVE USER INTERFACE 5) FOR THE LINGUISTS
,EAH #ARTER TOOLS TO MANAGE STRING LENGTHS AND THE ABILITY TO EXCLUDE DUPLICATE STRINGS
!CCOUNTING -ANAGER REPETITIONS FROM TRANSLATION "ECAUSE IDENTICAL STRINGS ONLY HAD TO BE
TRANSLATED ONCE SIGNIlCANT COST SAVINGS AND SHORTENED TIMELINES WERE ACHIEVED
)M AN ACCOUNTANT NOT A BIO )T ALSO ENSURED THAT REPETITIONS WERE CONSISTENTLY TRANSLATED THROUGHOUT THE
WRITER ,EDGERS AND PIVOT MATERIAL &INALLY IN LIGHT OF THE AGGRESSIVE TIMELINE WE WORKED TOGETHER WITH
TABLES ) KNOW LETTERS AND THE CLIENT TO PRIORITIZE TRANSLATING THE MATERIALS BASED ON THE TRAINING SCHEDULE
)N THIS MANNER WE CUSTOMIZED A hJUST
IN
TIMEv LOCALIZATION PROCESS DELIVERING
PUNCTUATION LESS SO .OW
LOCALIZED COURSES TO THE CUSTOMER AS THEY WERE NEEDED
MAY ) PLEASE HAVE YOUR
EXPENSE REPORTS 3UMMARY
"Y USING THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY THE MOST QUALIlED RESOURCES AND THE OPTIMAL
PROCESS WE MET ALL OF OUR CLIENTS REQUIREMENTS HELPING THEM TO MAXIMIZE THE
RETURN ON THEIR SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT IN A NEW 3!0 PLATFORM
&ROM 0ATRICK 'ERMAIN
-ICROSOFT /FlCE ALLOWS YOU TO EMAIL ATTACHMENTS
BY SELECTING A MENU ITEM THAT IS LABELED h3END TO
RECIPIENT USING -ICROSOFT /UTLOOKv WHICH OBVIOUSLY
MEANS hWITHv OR hBY MEANS OFv -3 /UTLOOK &OR YEARS
AND YEARS IT HAS REMAINED TRANSLATED INTO &RENCH AS
h%NVOYER Ì DESTINATAIRE UTILISANT -ICROSOFT /UTLOOKv
WHICH CERTAINLY PUZZLED A WHOLE GENERATION OF USERS
SINCE IT REFERS TO RECIPIENTS WHO USE /UTLOOK AS THEIR
EMAILER PROGRAM
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
#HAPTER
3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT
-ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
BY 0AUL 4ROTTER
-ORE AND MORE BUSINESSES ARE EXPANDING INTO INTERNATIONAL MARKETS ! CRITICAL
SUCCESS FACTOR FOR THIS EXPANSION IS HIGH
QUALITY COST
EFFECTIVE AND TIMELY TRANSLATED
WRITTEN CONTENT 2ESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS TYPICALLY FALLS ON INTERNAL TRANSLATION
0AUL 4ROTTER
DEPARTMENTS OR LOCALIZATION PARTNERS 4RANSLATION COMES AT A HIGH PRICE EXCEEDING
!UTHOR)4 THE COST OF WRITING THE ORIGINAL CONTENT AFTER ONLY A FEW LANGUAGES
&OUNDER AND #%/
#URRENT APPROACHES TO LOCALIZATION RELY ON TECHNOLOGIES AND PROCESSES THAT HAVE
0AUL IS THE FOUNDER AND MINIMAL SCOPE FOR IMPROVEMENT 4HE LOCALIZATION INDUSTRY IS UNDER INCREASING
#%/ OF !UTHOR)4 3OFTWARE PRESSURE TO lND NEW WAYS TO IMPROVE COST
EFlCIENCY QUALITY AND TIME
TO
MARKET
#ORPORATION THE MAKERS OF
!UTHOR)4 0AUL IS ALSO THE )N THIS CHAPTER WE WILL TRY TO EXPLAIN WHAT CONTENT MANAGEMENT IS AND HOW IT CAN
ARCHITECT OF !UTHOR)4 AND HELP YOUR ORGANIZATION MORE EFlCIENTLY WRITE HIGHER QUALITY AND MORE EFFECTIVE
DOCUMENTATION 7E WILL ALSO DISCUSS HOW TO RE
USE AND SHARE CONTENT ACROSS
HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH
DOCUMENTS HAVE STRICT CONTROL OVER STANDARDS AND BRANDING PUBLISH CONTENT TO
DOCUMENTATION FOR OVER
PRINT HELP AND WEB FORMATS AND REDUCE THE COST OF LOCALIZING YOUR CONTENT
TWELVE YEARS
:KDWLV&RQWHQW0DQDJHPHQW"
3O WHAT IS #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 4HE lRST THING TO SAY IS THAT THERE IS NO SINGLE
-ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT
AGREED DElNITION #ONTENT MANAGEMENT IS A RELATIVELY NEW DISCIPLINE AND IF YOU
ASK THE MANY SUPPLIERS OF CONTENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE THEY ALL HAVE DIFFERENT
DElNITIONS /F COURSE MOST OF THEM MAKE THE DElNITION SUIT WHAT THEIR
SOFTWARE DOES
)T IS FAIR TO SAY THAT MOST PEOPLE REGARD CONTENT MANAGEMENT AS APPLYING SOLELY
OR MAINLY TO THE MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY OF WEB CONTENT 4HIS IS A VERY LIMITED
VIEW #ONTENT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE COVERS A MUCH WIDER AREA AND CAN BE
CATEGORIZED AS FOLLOWS
% 7EB #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT4HIS WAS THE lRST AND IS THE MOST COMMON USE OF
THE TERM hCONTENT MANAGEMENTv 4HESE SYSTEMS ARE PRIMARILY USED TO HELP
MANAGE WEBSITES AND WEB CONTENT )N THIS CONTEXT THE WORD hCONTENTv REFERS
TO ANY RESOURCE USED TO BUILD A WEBSITE -OST OF THESE APPLICATIONS ARE ONLY
CONCERNED WITH MANAGING THE DELIVERY OF THE WEBSITE 4HE AUTHORING AND
MAINTENANCE ARE DONE BY OTHER PRODUCTS
% $OCUMENT&ILE -ANAGEMENT$OCUMENT AND lLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS ARE
DESIGNED TO MANAGE WHOLE DOCUMENTS AND OTHER lLES RATHER THAN THE WORDS AND
PICTURES INSIDE THEM 4HEY KNOW LITTLE ABOUT WHAT THE lLES CONTAIN AND TREAT
THEM AS JUST A hBLOBv OF DATA 4HEY RELY HEAVILY ON USERS DElNING AND APPLYING
METADATA TO GIVE THEM MORE INFORMATION )N PRACTICE HOWEVER METADATA IS OFTEN
NOT APPLIED AND THE APPLICATIONS ARE LITTLE MORE THAN lLING SYSTEMS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
% $IGITAL !SSET -ANAGEMENT6ERY SIMILAR IN NATURE TO DOCUMENT AND lLE
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN THAT THEY MANAGE lLES BUT BECAUSE THEY FOCUS ON
MULTIMEDIA THERE IS LITTLE OR NO FUNCTIONALITY FOR TEXT INTENSIVE lLES 4HESE
APPLICATIONS ARE USED MAINLY TO CREATE A CENTRAL REPOSITORY FOR GRAPHICS
VIDEO mASH AND OTHER MULTIMEDIA lLES AND PROVIDE ARCHIVE SEARCH AND
RETRIEVAL FUNCTIONS
% 3OURCE #ONTROL!GAIN SIMILAR TO DOCUMENT AND lLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
BUT THEY ARE PRIMARILY CONCERNED WITH MANAGING SOURCE CODE WHICH ARE
PURE TEXT lLES 4HEY USUALLY HAVE POOR SUPPORT FOR DEALING WITH BINARY
CONTENT AND OFTEN PROVIDE INTEGRATION WITH SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
ENVIRONMENTS
% %NTERPRISE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT4HIS IS ONE OF THE NEWEST CATEGORIES IN
CONTENT MANAGEMENT AND DOES NOT YET HAVE A CLEAR DElNITION -OST
PROVIDERS IN THIS SPACE ARE ACTUALLY COMBINING MANY OF THE OTHER CATEGORIES
AND CALLING IT h%NTERPRISEv AS IT PROVIDES A WIDER SCOPE
% 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT4HESE SYSTEMS PROVIDE THE MOST BENElTS
FOR LOCALIZATION 2ATHER THAN STORING DOCUMENTS THEY STORE AND MANAGE
THE CONTENT THAT IS USED TO ASSEMBLE THOSE DOCUMENTS IN SMALL REUSEABLE
COMPONENTS 4HESE COMPONENTS CAN BE ANYTHING FROM A SINGLE WORD TO
MANY PARAGRAPHS OR OTHER COMPONENTS LIKE GRAPHICS OR LINKS
3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT IS AN OVERALL PROCESS FOR ORIGINATING
MANAGING AND PUBLISHING CONTENT RIGHT ACROSS THE ENTERPRISE AND TO ANY OUTPUT
#ONTENT MANAGEMENT SHOULD BE AN END
TO
END SOLUTION PROVIDING THE ABILITY
TO TRACK MANAGE AND CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR CONTENT AT ALL STAGES IN THE
DOCUMENTATION CYCLE FROM AUTHORING AND IMPORTING TO STORAGE AND DOCUMENT
ASSEMBLY TO MULTI
OUTPUT PUBLISHING
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
:KDWLVWKHGLIIHUHQFHEHWZHHQ
0DQDJLQJ&RQWHQWDQG0DQDJLQJ)LOHV"
4HE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION IS THE KEY TO WHY 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT
PROVIDES SO MANY BENElTS OVER TRADITIONAL lLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
4HE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT TO MANAGING ANY KIND OF DATA IS TO CONTROL HOW IT
IS CREATED AND CHANGED 4HIS IS THE CORNERSTONE OF ENTERPRISE APPLICATIONS OF ALL
TYPES AND IS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN TRULY MANAGE INFORMATION 4HE NEXT STEP IS
ADDING VALUE TO IT
4HE TYPICAL APPROACH TO DOCUMENT AND lLE MANAGEMENT IS TO MOVE THE lLES FROM
THE lLE SYSTEM INTO A DATABASE WHERE THEY ARE STORED IN EXACTLY THE SAME FORMAT
AS THEY WERE CREATED 4HESE SYSTEMS TYPICALLY PROVIDE ACCESS CONTROL VERSIONING
METADATA TAGGING AND SEARCH CAPABILITIES 4HERE IS LITTLE CONTROL HOWEVER OVER THE
MODIlCATION OR CREATION OF THE lLES IN THE lRST PLACE )NSTEAD THEY RELY ENTIRELY ON
OTHER APPLICATIONS TO DO THAT
,ET US LOOK AT THIS PROBLEM FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE ,ET US SAY YOUR
ORGANIZATION IS USING %XCEL SPREADSHEETS TO MANAGE THEIR lNANCIAL ACCOUNTS !T
SOME POINT THIS APPROACH BECOMES UNMANAGEABLE FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS )T
IS DECIDED TO MOVE TO A PURPOSE
BUILT ACCOUNTING SYSTEM THAT USES A BACKEND
DATABASE ALLOWS MULTI
USERS PROVIDES AUDIT TRAILS HAS lNANCIAL REPORTING AND IS
ABLE TO MANAGE THE UNDERLYING DATA
-ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT
7OULD YOU JUST MOVE THE %XCEL SPREADSHEETS AS THEY ARE INTO A lLE MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM AND EXPECT IT TO MAGICALLY CREATE A PROlT AND LOSS STATEMENT OR CHART OF
ACCOUNTS /F COURSE NOT THAT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE )NSTEAD YOU WOULD MOVE
THE DATA FROM THE SPREADSHEETS INTO THE PREDElNED RELATIONAL DATABASE STRUCTURE
PROVIDED BY THE PURPOSE
BUILT ACCOUNTING SYSTEM .OW YOU WOULD BE ABLE
TO GET ALL OF YOUR REPORTING ENSURE DATA WAS ENTERED CORRECTLY HAVE MULTIPLE
USERS EDITING WITHOUT FEAR OF OVERWRITES AND EXERCISE A MUCH GREATER DEGREE OF
SECURITY OVER YOUR DATA
7OULD YOU EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE EDITING YOUR ACCOUNTS IN %XCEL /F
COURSE NOTTHE INFORMATION IS NO LONGER IN %XCEL FORMAT AND DOING SO WOULD
BYPASS YOUR CONTROLS AND AUDITING 9OU WOULD NOW EDIT THE INFORMATION IN
A CONTROLLED FASHION IN THE ACCOUNTING SYSTEM .O LONGER WOULD YOU GET AN
UNBALANCED TRANSACTION OR HAVE INFORMATION CHANGED BY UNAUTHORIZED SOURCES
"EST OF ALL YOUR REPORTING IS A MOUSE CLICK AWAY
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT PROVIDES THE SAME EVOLUTIONARY LEAP FOR
CONTENT )T PROVIDES A MORE EFFECTIVE AND MORE EFlCIENT WAY OF AUTHORING
MANAGING PUBLISHING AND LOCALIZING YOUR ORGANIZATIONS DOCUMENTS IMAGES
WEB CONTENT ETC
:K\GR<RX1HHG&RQWHQW
0DQDJHPHQW"
#ONTENT IS AN !SSET
'ENERATING CONTENT TAKES TIME AND MONEYOFTEN LOTS OF BOTH 3O CONTENT
SHOULD BE TREATED AS THE VALUABLE ASSET THAT IT IS
4O GET MAXIMUM VALUE FROM YOUR DOCUMENTATION RESOURCES YOU SHOULD BE
ABLE TO DO A NUMBER OF THINGS
% 2EUSE CONTENT ACROSS DOCUMENTS WITHOUT COPYING SO THAT YOU CAN WRITE IT
ONCE AND MAINTAIN IT IN A SINGLE PLACE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU HAVE
USED IT
% 5SE CONTENT CREATED FOR ONE PURPOSE EQUALLY WELL IN OTHER CONTEXTS AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
% 4RANSLATE REUSED CONTENT ONCE AND HAVE IT AUTOMATICALLY REmECTED WHEREVER
IT IS USED
% 0UBLISH TO PRINT HELP AND WEB OUTPUTS WITHOUT HAVING TO MODIFY OR MAKE
DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF YOUR CONTENT AND
% )NVOLVE MORE PEOPLE IN THE DOCUMENTATION PROCESS SUCH AS SUBJECT MATTER
EXPERTS APPLICATION DEVELOPERS LOCALIZATION TEAMS AND TRAINERS
4HESE FEATURES HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR INCREASING THE QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY OF YOUR
DOCUMENTATION REDUCING THE COST AND TIME INVOLVED IN PRODUCING IT AND GAINING
MORE VALUE FROM EVERY PIECE OF CONTENT THAT YOU CREATE
#ONTROL IS %SSENTIAL
!SSETS ARE OF NO USE IF YOU CANT MANAGE THEM (AVING TONS OF CONTENT THAT YOU
CANNOT lND ORGANIZE PROTECT OR USE EFFECTIVELY IS SIMPLY A WASTE OF TIME
)NVOLVING MORE PEOPLE IS A GOOD IDEA BUT IT REQUIRES SERIOUS ORGANIZATION
7IDER ACCESS CAN BE A DISASTER IF THE SYSTEM CANT COPE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
4O PROPERLY CONTROL YOUR CONTENT YOU MUST BE ABLE TO
% 3ET AND ENFORCE YOUR STANDARDS TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY AND QUALITY
% #ONTROL WHO IN THE ORGANIZATION CAN CREATE SEE AND USE CONTENT
% &IND THE CONTENT COMPONENTS WHEN YOU NEED THEM
% -ANAGE THE CONTENT LIFE CYCLE THROUGH DRAFTS REVIEWS LOCALIZATION RELEASE
AND ARCHIVING AND
% #ONTROL WHAT CAN BE PUBLISHED TO EACH OUTPUT CHANNEL AND BY WHOM
:KDWDUHWKH6DYLQJVDQG%HQHÀWV"
!N %XAMPLE OF #OST 3AVINGS
7HETHER YOU CHOOSE TO MANAGE THE TRANSLATION IN
HOUSE OR TO OUTSOURCE IT TO
AN EXTERNAL VENDOR LOCALIZATION CAN BE A COMPLICATED AND EXPENSIVE PROCESS
/N THE lRST MENTION OF LOCALIZATION THE IMMEDIATE REACTION FROM YOUR
lNANCIAL DEPARTMENT MAY BE TO REACH DEFENSIVELY FOR THEIR WALLETS #OSTS CAN BE
UNPREDICTABLE AND CAN QUICKLY GET OUT OF CONTROL PARTICULARLY IF YOU DONT KNOW
WHAT TO EXPECT ,ET US LOOK AT AN EXAMPLE TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE
4HE AVERAGE COST A TRANSLATOR WILL CHARGE IS AROUND CENTS 53 PER WORD
4AKE A DOCUMENT WITH PAGES AND AN AVERAGE OF WORDS PER PAGE 4HATS
WORDS SO YOU ARE QUICKLY LOOKING AT
.OW REMEMBER THAT IS JUST FOR THE INITIAL TRANSLATION 4HERE WILL BE MORE COSTS
WHEN YOU MAKE MODIlCATIONS TO THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT AND NEED IT RETRANSLATED
-OST TRANSLATION AGENCIES USE TRANSLATION MEMORY TOOLS WHICH HELP REDUCE THE
EFFORT INVOLVED IN RETRANSLATING A DOCUMENT BUT THEY STILL CHARGE FOR THE WHOLE
DOCUMENT ALBEIT AT A REDUCED WORD RATE FOR THE TEXT ALREADY TRANSLATED
-ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT
7HEN USING TRANSLATION MEMORY TOOLS A FUZZY MATCH IS RETURNED WHEN A TEXT
SEGMENT IS SIMILAR BUT NOT IDENTICAL !N EXACT MATCH IS RETURNED WHEN
THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE OR VARIATION BETWEEN THE TWO SEGMENTS 4RANSLATORS OFTEN
CHARGE DIFFERENT RATES FOR EXACT MATCHES FUZZY MATCHES WITH THE MATCH FALLING
BETWEEN A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OR NEW PREVIOUSLY UNTRANSLATED TEXT
,ET US GET BACK TO OUR EXAMPLE 9OU NOW MODIFY OF THESE PAGES AND ADD
NEW PAGES 7ITHOUT ALLOWING FOR FUZZY MATCHES THE COST OF RETRANSLATION CAN
QUICKLY APPROACH
NEW PAGES
WORDS CENT PER WORD
CHANGE
WORDS CENTS PER WORD
UNCHANGED
TOPICS WITH WORDS CENTS
4OTAL COST OF UPDATE
/VER TIME THESE COSTS QUICKLY MOUNT UP /UR EXAMPLE WAS JUST ONE DOCUMENT
INTO ONE LANGUAGE 4RANSLATE THAT SAME DOCUMENT INTO OTHER LANGUAGES
AND MULTIPLY THE COST TIMES 4RANSLATE A FURTHER OR DOCUMENTS INTO
MULTIPLE LANGUAGES AND WATCH YOUR COSTS SKYROCKET
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
(OW 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 2EDUCES 4RANSLATION #OSTS
5SING A CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT STORES AND MANAGES CONTENT IN 8-,
FORMAT CAN FACILITATE LOCALIZATION )T CAN ALSO YIELD SIGNIlCANT SAVINGS
9OU ONLY TRANSLATE OBJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN MODIlED
&OR EXAMPLE LET US GO BACK TO OUR PAGE DOCUMENT WHICH WE HAVE NOW
UPDATED 2ATHER THAN SENDING THE TRANSLATOR ALL PAGES AGAIN ONLY THE
NEW PAGES AND THE OF MODIlED PAGES ARE EXPORTED AS 8-, 5SING
OUR PREVIOUS EXAMPLE THIS WOULD REDUCE THE COST OF RETRANSLATION FROM
TO
4EXT IS ONLY TRANSLATED ONCE
4HE SAME COMPONENTS ARE REUSED IN MULTIPLE DOCUMENTS &OR EXAMPLE
THE SAME COPYRIGHT NOTICE OR EVEN AN ENTIRE INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER MAY BE
USED OVER AND OVER %ACH COMPONENT ONLY REQUIRES TRANSLATION ONCE 9OU
CAN EVEN REUSE CONTENT AS SMALL AS A PHRASE SENTENCE OR PARAGRAPH WHICH
TAKES REUSE EVEN FURTHER AND AGAIN ONLY PAY FOR TRANSLATION ONCE
#ROSS REFERENCES AND HYPERLINKS DO NOT EVEN REQUIRE TRANSLATION "ECAUSE
THEY ARE INSERTED AT PUBLISHING TIME TAKING THEIR TEXT FROM THE HEADING OF
THE COMPONENT THEY REFERENCE THEY ARE NOT STORED IN THE TEXT RESULTING IN
LESS TO TRANSLATE ,IKEWISE REFERENCE TEXT SUCH AS 3EE AND ON 0AGE IS DElNED
BY TEMPLATES SO ONLY THE TEMPLATE REQUIRES TRANSLATION
/UR STUDIES HAVE SHOWN AN AVERAGE REDUCTION IN WORD COUNT THROUGH
REUSE OF CONTENT
4HE 8-, lLES DO NOT CONTAIN FORMATTING
7HEN THE SAME TEXT STRING IS FOUND USING DIFFERENT CHARACTER FORMATTING
MEMORY TRANSLATION TOOLS DO NOT ALWAYS IDENTIFY IT AS AN EXACT MATCH
"ECAUSE THE 8-, lLES IN A CONTENT MANAGEMENT TOOL DO NOT CONTAIN
FORMATTING THIS HELPS INCREASE THE EXACT MATCHES FOUND
"ENElTS FOR ,OCALIZATION
7HEN YOU MANAGE YOUR CONTENT AT A MORE GRANULAR LEVEL THERE ARE A NUMBER
OF THINGS YOU CAN DO THAT CANNOT BE DONE WITH WHOLE DOCUMENTS 3OME OF THE
SPECIlC BENElTS TO LOCALIZATION ARE
% 4RANSLATE #ONTENT /NCE4HE SYSTEM KNOWS WHAT CONTENT IS TRANSLATABLE
HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY TRANSLATED IS REUSED OR HAS BEEN ADDED OR CHANGED
SINCE THE LAST TRANSLATION /NLY CONTENT THAT ACTUALLY REQUIRES TRANSLATION
IS SENT TO TRANSLATORS WHICH SIGNIlCANTLY REDUCES WORD COUNT AND COST OF
TRANSLATION
% &ASTER 4IME TO -ARKET,OCALIZATION AND CONTENT CREATION CAN RUN IN
TANDEM ALLOWING TRANSLATION TO lNISH MUCH SOONER #ONTENT IS CREATED IN
SMALL DISCRETE COMPONENTS THAT CAN IMMEDIATELY BE SENT FOR TRANSLATION
4HIS AVOIDS THE COSTLY EXERCISE OF TRANSLATING DRAFTS OR WAITING FOR
COMPLETION OF THE ENTIRE SOURCE CONTENT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
% !UTOMATED 3INGLE
SOURCE 0UBLISHING/NCE SOURCE CONTENT IS TRANSLATED
AND REVIEWED IT CAN BE PUBLISHED DIRECTLY TO PRINT HELP AND WEB FORMATS
WITHOUT TWEAKING OR REWORK 4HIS PROVIDES SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS AND
ELIMINATES INCONSISTENCIES IN TRANSLATION ACROSS DELIVERY FORMATS
% #LEANER 4RANSLATION -EMORY4RANSLATABLE 8-, CONTAINS ONLY TEXT AND
SEMANTIC MARKUP INCREASING TRANSLATION MEMORY ACCURACY AND ELIMINATING
THE EFFECT OF FORMATTING ON MEMORY MATCHES
% )MPROVED !CCOUNTABILITY/NLY CONTENT THAT REQUIRES TRANSLATION IS SENT
FOR TRANSLATION %ACH PIECE OF CONTENT HAS AN ACCURATE WORD COUNT AND IS
KNOWN BY ALL PARTIES IN THE PROCESS AVOIDING ANY SURPRISES OR DISPUTES
/VERALL "ENElTS OF #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT
3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT PROVIDES SIGNIlCANT BENElTS AND COST
SAVINGS OVER TRADITIONAL DOCUMENT AUTHORING AND MAINTENANCE METHODS 3OME
OF THESE ARE
% &ASTER 4IME TO -ARKET"ECAUSE AUTHORS SPEND FAR LESS TIME CREATING AND
RECREATING THE SAME CONTENT REVIEWERS SPEND LESS TIME REVIEWING AND
TRANSLATORS SPEND LESS TIME TRANSLATING 0UBLISHING TO PRINT HELP AND WEB
FORMATS IS FULLY AUTOMATED 4HIS IS ACHIEVED BY CONTROLLING STANDARDS
ELIMINATING DUPLICATION AND EFFECTIVELY MANAGING CREATION LOCALIZATION
AND PUBLISHING OF CONTENT
% %FlCIENT USE OF 2ESOURCES"Y ELIMINATING REPETITIVE CREATION AND
MAINTENANCE MORE OF YOUR RESOURCES CAN BE DEVOTED TO IMPROVING THE
QUALITY OF THE CONTENT AND ADDING VALUE TO YOUR DOCUMENTATION -ANY
CLIENTS REPORT SAVINGS IN EXCESS OF THROUGH REUSE OF CONTENT
% -AJOR 0RODUCTION #OST 3AVINGS%FlCIENT CREATION MAINTENANCE AND
MANAGEMENT OF CONTENT WILL NATURALLY RESULT IN MAJOR COST SAVINGS 9OU
-ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT
ACHIEVE MORE DOCUMENTATION FOR LESS OUTLAY AND THE TIME TAKEN TO PRODUCE
A PAGE THROUGH TRADITIONAL AUTHORING TOOLS CAN BE HALVED
% ,OWER 4RANSLATION #OSTS#ONTENT IS TRANSLATED ONLY ONCE NO MATTER HOW
OFTEN IT IS REUSED 4RANSLATORS ONLY EVER WORK ON NEW OR CHANGED SOURCE
CONTENT SO YOU DO NOT PAY FOR THEM TO HANDLE UNCHANGED TEXT 2EAL
PROJECTS HAVE SHOWN REDUCTIONS IN TRANSLATION WORD COUNT IN EXCESS OF
% )MPROVED 1UALITY AND 5SABILITY OF #ONTENT4HROUGH ENFORCEMENT OF
STANDARDS YOU CAN GUARANTEE CONSISTENT DOCUMENTATION STRUCTURE AND
FORMATTING INCREASING READABILITY AND USABILITY 5SING SINGLE
SOURCE
CONTENT ENSURES CONSISTENCY WHEREVER IT APPEARS
% )MPROVED 7ORKPLACE 3ATISFACTION&REEING AUTHORS FROM TEDIOUS TIME
CONSUMING TASKS SUCH AS FORMATTING AND REPETITIVE UPDATES ALLOWS THEM
TO CONCENTRATE ON CREATING AND IMPROVING CONTENT 2EVIEWERS GAIN BY
REVIEWING CONTENT ONLY ONCE REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF END DELIVERABLES
7RITERS SAVE OF THE TIME THEY USUALLY SPEND FORMATTING CONTENT
% )NCREASED #USTOMER 3ATISFACTION#ONSISTENT ACCURATE DOCUMENTATION OF
ALL TYPES MEANS FEWER CALLS TO CUSTOMER SUPPORT BECAUSE YOU ARE PROVIDING
THE RIGHT INFORMATION AT THE RIGHT TIME IN THE RIGHT FORMAT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 3INGLE
SOURCE #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
$ERXW$XWKRU,7
!UTHOR)4 3OFTWARE #ORPORATION FOUNDED IN IS BASED IN !UCKLAND
.EW :EALAND !UTHOR)4 IS AN INTEGRATED END
TO
END COMPONENT CONTENT
MANAGEMENT SOLUTION INCORPORATING AUTHORING CONTENT MANAGEMENT
WORKmOW SECURITY AND STANDARDS CONTROL LOCALIZATION MANAGEMENT WEBSITE
MANAGEMENT AND PUBLISHING TO PRINT 0$& ONLINE (ELP WEB AND 8-,
4HE NEWLY RELEASED !UTHOR)4 7EBSITE -ANAGER STORES CONTENT SEPARATELY
FROM THE DESIGN AND FUNCTION THEN ASSEMBLES AND DELIVERS THE REQUESTED
PAGE DYNAMICALLY TAILORED FOR THE INDIVIDUAL VISITOR !UTHOR)4 7EBSITE
-ANAGER ENABLES ORGANIZATIONS TO DELIVER WEBSITES THAT ADJUST TO THE VISITOR
BASED ON BROWSER LANGUAGE AND DEVICE )T ALSO INCLUDES MODULES FOR PROJECT
MANAGEMENT LOCALIZATION WEB CONTENT MANAGEMENT AND OFmINE AUTHORING
!UTHOR)4 HAS THOUSANDS OF CUSTOMERS IN OVER COUNTRIES ACROSS CONTINENTS
&OR MORE INFORMATION SEE WWWAUTHOR
ITCOM
&ROM *OSEPHINE "ACON h3EVERAL YEARS AGO
) WAS FAXED A TEXT FROM AN AGENCY IN "RITISH
#OLUMBIA #ANADA )T WAS A SET OF PHRASES THAT
THE POLICE COULD USE TO HAND TO MOTORISTS THEY
HAD STOPPED WHO DID NOT SPEAK %NGLISH 4HOSE
) WAS SENT WERE IN (EBREW BUT THE (EBREW
WAS TERRIBLE /F THE HORRORS CONTAINED IN THE
TRANSLATION ONE IN PARTICULAR STOOD OUT 4HE
QUESTION FROM THE POLICE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
@!RE YOU CARRYING A WEAPON 4HE WORD FOR
WEAPON IN (EBREW IS THE MASCULINE @NESHEK
(OWEVER THE TRANSLATOR HAD MADE IT A FEMININE
WORD BY ADDING AN @A
NESHIKA 4HIS TURNED
THE MEANING OF THE PHRASE IN (EBREW INTO @#AN
) GIVE YOU A KISS .ESHIKA MEANS A KISSv
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER )NTEGRATING #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
#HAPTER
)NTEGRATING #ONTENT
-ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
2YHUYLHZ
-ANY EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT hTHE NEXT BIG THINGv IN THE LOCALIZATION AND TECHNICAL
COMMUNICATION WORLD IS #-3 CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND THE BUZZ
IS GROWING LOUDER #-3 HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE BUT FOR MANY
COMPANIES THEY WERE SIMPLY NOT AFFORDABLE 4HE BEST KNOWN PRODUCTS HAVE
TENDED TO BE LARGE ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS THAT COST SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS
&ORTUNATELY AS IS OFTEN THE CASE WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES THE NEWEST GENERATION OF
#-3 TOOLS HAS MORE FUNCTIONALITY AND IS SIGNIlCANTLY MORE AFFORDABLE
4HE OTHER REALITY OF NEXT GENERATION TECHNOLOGIES IS THAT USERS lND NEW WAYS
TO LEVERAGE THEM AS THE TOOLS EVOLVE )N THE LOCALIZATION BUSINESS MANY
COMPANIES HAVE DISCOVERED THAT #-3 NOT ONLY REDUCE THE COST OF AUTHORING AND
PUBLISHING THEIR %NGLISH CONTENT BUT THAT EVEN LARGER SAVINGS ARE AVAILABLE WHEN
THEY TRANSLATE INTO OTHER LANGUAGES 4HE BIGGEST SAVINGS HOWEVER RESULT FROM
INTEGRATING #-3 WITH BOTH YOUR OWN BUSINESS SYSTEMS AND YOUR LOCALIZATION
VENDORS SYSTEMS TO PRODUCE A FULLY AUTOMATED LOCALIZATION WORKmOW
+RZGRHV&06UHGXFHORFDOL]DWLRQ
FRVWV"
-ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
)NTEGRATING #ONTENT
3O JUST HOW DOES #-3 REDUCE LOCALIZATION COSTS )F YOU CONSIDER A TRADITIONAL
LOCALIZATION PROCESS FROM START TO lNISH THE ANSWER BECOMES APPARENT 9OUR
LOCALIZATION VENDOR DOES A LOT MORE THAN SIMPLY CONVERT YOUR SOURCE LANGUAGE
CONTENT INTO A TARGET LANGUAGE "ECAUSE THEY ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING
THAT THE TARGET LANGUAGE CONTENT HAS THE SAME LOOK AND FEEL AS THE ORIGINAL
%NGLISH SOURCE DOCUMENT OR WEB PAGE THEY ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF YOUR
PUBLISHING PROCESS AS WELL )N FACT ALTHOUGH MANY PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE IT
LOCALIZATION OFTEN REQUIRES THE USE OF LANGUAGE
SPECIlC PUBLISHING TEMPLATES
FONTS CHARACTER SETS AND MAY EVEN REQUIRE SELECTIVE PUBLICATION OF CONTENT FOR
INDIVIDUAL REGIONAL MARKETS
7ITH #-3 YOUR LOCALIZATION VENDOR WILL NO LONGER NEED TO PERFORM DESKTOP
PUBLISHING ON YOUR TARGET LANGUAGE DELIVERABLES )NSTEAD THIS FUNCTION IS
PERFORMED WITHIN THE #-3 ITSELF 9OUR VENDOR WILL ALSO HAVE LESS lLE PREPARATION
AND LOCALIZATION ENGINEERING TO PERFORM SINCE THE FORMAT TAGS THAT DICTATE HOW
YOUR TEXT WILL APPEAR ON PAPER OR ON SCREEN ARE NO LONGER COMINGLED WITH THE
TEXT ITSELF 4HERE MAY EVEN BE SAVINGS FROM SHORTER TIMELINES SINCE CONTENT CAN BE
LOCALIZED BEFORE IT IS PUBLISHED INTO A lNAL DOCUMENT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER )NTEGRATING #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
4HE BIGGEST SAVINGS HOWEVER RESULT FROM REUSING TRANSLATED CONTENT 4HIS TOPIC IS
DISCUSSED IN DETAIL IN #HAPTER BUT SUFlCE IT TO SAY THE BEST ILLUSTRATION MAY BE TO
LIKEN IT TO A TRANSLATION MEMORY ON STEROIDS !T ,INGO 3YSTEMS WE HAVE A CUSTOMER
THAT RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED #-3 AND NOW PUBLISHES THEIR ONLINE (ELP FROM THEIR
PRINT DOCS "ECAUSE THEY ONLY PAY TO TRANSLATE THE CONTENT ONCE THEY NOW GET THEIR
HELP TRANSLATED FOR &2%%
,V&06ZRUWKWKHWURXEOH"
)N THE CONTEXT OF LOCALIZATION THERE ARE SEVERAL BUSINESS CONDITIONS THAT INDICATE
IT MIGHT BE TIME TO LOOK AT ADOPTING A #-3 /F COURSE THERE ARE ALSO MANY NON
3HAHIN (ENDRICKSON LANGUAGE REASONS AS WELL BUT THAT IS A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION
0ROJECT -ANAGER % &REQUENCY OF TRANSLATIONS )S IT LIKELY THAT YOU WILL TRANSLATE YOUR SOURCE
CONTENT
)VE ALWAYS LOVED LANGUAGE % 1UANTITY OF CONTENT PRODUCED $OES YOUR WRITING GROUP CREATE AND
-Y FATHER TAUGHT HIMSELF MAINTAIN TENS HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF PAGES OF DOCUMENTATION
3PANISH WHEN ) WAS A
% &REQUENCY OF UPDATES /NCE CONTENT IS TRANSLATED IS IT SUBJECT TO CHANGE ON
CHILD AND ) FOLLOWED IN A FREQUENT BASIS OR DOES IT REMAIN STABLE
HIS LINGUISTIC FOOTSTEPS BY
% .UMBER OF TARGET LANGUAGES $O YOU CONSISTENTLY TRANSLATE INTO MORE THAN
STUDYING *APANESE FOR SIX ONE TARGET LANGUAGE $O YOU CHOOSE TO TRANSLATE SOME CONTENT IN SOME
YEARS 3PEAKING HEARING AND LANGUAGES AND NOT OTHERS
READING ANOTHER LANGUAGE
% 0UBLISHED OUTPUTS DESIRED $O YOU PUBLISH THE SAME CONTENT IN MULTIPLE
GIVES THE SAME SENSATION FORMATS EG A SPEC SHEET FOR PRINT WEB AND SPECIlCATION SUMMARIES
AS MASTERING A MUSICAL
INSTRUMENT 7ORKING AT ,INGO )F YOU ANSWERED YES TO ANY ONE OF THESE QUESTIONS IT MAY BE WORTH YOUR TIME
3YSTEMS AFFORDS ME EXPOSURE TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER A #-3 IS RIGHT FOR YOUR COMPANY 7HEN MAKING THIS
EVALUATION YOU WILL ALSO NEED TO DETERMINE WHETHER A GENERAL #-3 STRATEGY
TO THAT KIND OF STIMULATION AND
OR SPECIlC #-3 TOOL IS APPROPRIATE FOR YOUR BUSINESS 3OME OF THE FACTORS TO
MAKES WORK HERE A JOY
CONSIDER INCLUDE
% 4HE STRUCTURE OF THE WRITING TEAMS
% 4HE CONTENT CREATION EDITING AND APPROVAL PROCESS
% 4HE PUBLICATION PROCESS AND
% (OW TO MIGRATE YOUR EXISTING %NGLISH AND LOCALIZED CONTENT FROM ITS
CURRENT FORMAT INTO A #-3 IMPORTING LEGACY CONTENT AND SETTING UP
PUBLISHING TEMPLATES CAN BE A MAJOR UNDERTAKING
!S WITH MOST BUSINESS DECISIONS HOWEVER PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR
IS ONE OF ECONOMICS )MPLEMENTING A #-3 CAN SIGNIlCANTLY REDUCE YOUR
LOCALIZATION COSTS /NE ,INGO 3YSTEMS CLIENT IS NOW ABLE TO TRANSLATE THREE TIMES
THE AMOUNT OF CONTENT FOR EACH DOLLAR SPENT ON LOCALIZATION )F YOU PLAN TO
MANAGE A SIGNIlCANT AMOUNT OF CONTENT IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES THE RESULTING
RETURN ON INVESTMENT 2/) OF A #-3 MAY MAKE THE DECISION A hNO BRAINERv
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER )NTEGRATING #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
0DQXDO:ULWLQJYV6WUXFWXUHG&06
-OVING TO A #-3 REQUIRES SIGNIlCANT CHANGES TO YOUR WRITING AND PUBLICATION
PROCESS AS WELL AS ELEMENTAL DIFFERENCES IN HOW YOU WILL MANAGE CONTENT IN
THE FUTURE 5NLIKE TRADITIONAL WRITING WITH A #-3 THE WRITING AND MANAGING
OF CONTENT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE PUBLISHING PROCESS 4HIS MEANS THAT IN MANY
CASES THE CONTENT BEING WRITTEN WILL BE USED IN MORE THAN ONE PLACE AND
POSSIBLY PUBLISHED IN MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF MEDIA
4HE KEY TO MEETING THIS CHALLENGE IS STRUCTURED WRITING )NSTEAD OF PRODUCING A
SEQUENTIAL DOCUMENT THAT STARTS AT THE BEGINNING AND MOVES FROM ONE CHAPTER
TO THE NEXT WRITERS PRODUCE INDEPENDENT hCHUNKSv OF CONTENT THAT ARE THEN
STORED IN A RELATIONAL DATABASE FOR SUBSEQUENT USE
!N ANALOGY IS THE EVOLUTION OF AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING "EFORE (ENRY &ORD
EACH CAR WAS ESSENTIALLY HAND BUILT FROM INDIVIDUAL PARTS 7ORKERS STARTED WITH
A BARE CHASSIS AND PUT TOGETHER THE CAR PART BY PART UNTIL IT WAS lNISHED AND
DRIVEN AWAY !S MANUFACTURING TECHNIQUES EVOLVED ASSEMBLY SHIFTED FROM
INDIVIDUAL PARTS TO MAJOR ASSEMBLIES THAT ARE MANUFACTURED ALL OVER THE WORLD
4ODAY MOST CARS EVEN THE TRADITIONALLY HAND
BUILT MODELS ARE ASSEMBLED FROM
DOZENS OF PRE
MANUFACTURED MAJOR ASSEMBLIES THAT ARE RESOURCED FROM ALL OVER
THE WORLD -OST SIGNIlCANTLY THE MAJOR ASSEMBLIES ARE OFTEN USED IN MORE THAN
ONE MODEL AND EVEN BRAND OF CAR
3TRUCTURED WRITING IS A SIMILAR CONCEPT #ONTRIBUTORS ALL PRODUCE CONTENT
THAT IS AKIN TO AN AUTOMOTIVE MAJOR ASSEMBLY !T THE TIME OF PUBLICATION THE
APPROPRIATE CONTENT IS ASSEMBLED INTO A lNAL PRODUCT THAT IS THEN PUSHED
THROUGH A TEMPLATE IN ORDER TO BE PRESENTED IN A CERTAIN WAY
)DFWRUVWRFRQVLGHUZKHQVHOHFWLQJ
-ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
)NTEGRATING #ONTENT
D&06
% 7HEN IMPLEMENTING A #-3 THERE ARE MANY CONTRIBUTORS CONSTITUENTS
AND DOWNSTREAM CONSUMERS WHO WILL LIKELY SEE THE NATURE OF THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES CHANGE )N OUR EXPERIENCE SOME OF THE PARTIES WHO YOU
MAY WANT TO INVOLVE WHEN EVALUATING A #-3 ARE
% 4ECHNICAL WRITERS AND OTHER CONTENT CONTRIBUTORS
% ,OCALIZATION MANAGER OR COORDINATOR
% 7EBMASTER
% -ARKETING MANAGERS
% )NTERNAL )4 3ERVICE AND .ETWORK %NGINEERS AND
% ,OCALIZATION 6ENDOR
% 2/) IS A POPULAR MEANS TO MEASURE THE POTENTIAL SUCCESS OF JUST ABOUT
ANY TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION )N TERMS OF #-3 LOCALIZATION WE SUGGEST
YOU DElNE 2/) OVER A OR MONTH HORIZON AND EVALUATE PAYOFF IN
DOLLARS AND PRODUCTION TIME )F YOU HAVE A CONSISTENT BASIS FOR COMPARISON
CALCULATING THE 2/) OF THE ACQUISITION COST AGAINST YOUR LOCALIZATION COST IS
A SIMPLE MATTER )T IS EVEN EASIER IF YOU HAVE YOUR PROSPECTIVE LOCALIZATION
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER )NTEGRATING #ONTENT -ANAGEMENT 3YSTEMS
VENDOR DO THE CALCULATIONS FOR YOU 4HE #-3 TOOL VENDORS MAY ALSO BE ABLE
TO GENERATE A 2/) CALCULATION BUT WE BELIEVE IT IS BEST TO HAVE A CUSTOM
CALCULATION DEVELOPED BASED ON YOUR PARTICULAR BUSINESS SITUATION
% $EPENDING ON THE TOOL YOU CHOOSE IT MAY BE ADVISABLE TO RUN A PILOT
PROJECT AS WELL )F YOU TAKE THIS ROUTE BEGIN WITH A ROUND OF TRANSLATION
OR TRANSLATION IN THE WORKmOW 9OU WILL ALSO WANT TO GET AN IDEA OF JUST
HOW MUCH YOU CAN LEVERAGE YOUR EXISTING TRANSLATION MEMORIES 4-S
AGAINST THE NEW CONTENT FORMAT 9OU MAY LOSE SOME LEVERAGING BETWEEN
YOUR TRADITIONAL lLE FORMATS AND THE #-3 CONTENT AS A RESULT OF CONVERSION
ISSUES
% $RIVEN LARGELY BY THE NEED TO MANAGE ENORMOUS VOLUMES OF CONSTANTLY
(EATHER :EA CHANGING WEB CONTENT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE #-3 TOOLS HAVE SPROUTED
*UNIOR !CCOUNTANT
UP EVERYWHERE "E CAREFULTHESE TOOLS WERE NOT ALL CREATED EQUAL )F YOU
ARE CERTAIN THAT YOU ONLY WANT TO MANAGE YOUR WEB CONTENT THERE IS A VAST
) ENJOY WORKING AT ,INGO NUMBER OF #-3 TOOLS TO PICK FROM )F YOU NEED TO MANAGE BOTH WEB AND
PRINT DELIVERABLES HOWEVER THE CHOICE OF TOOLS AND METHODOLOGIES NARROWS
3YSTEMS WITH MY OLD FRIENDS
SIGNIlCANTLY AND EVEN MORE SO IF YOU REQUIRE AN OUT
OF
THE
BOX SOLUTION
AND MAKING MANY NEW
% #-3 TOOLS SIGNIlCANTLY AFFECT LOCALIZATION WORKmOWS !S SUCH YOU WILL WANT
ONES 4HEY HAVE BEEN VERY
TO BE VERY DELIBERATE ABOUT HOW YOU MANAGE WHAT CONTENT IS ROUTED FOR
WELCOMING "EING INVOLVED
TRANSLATION AND WHEN &OR EXAMPLE ONCE YOU HAVE TRANSLATED ONE BLOCK OF
WITH SO MANY DIFFERENT
%NGLISH CONTENT INTO SIX TARGET LANGUAGES THE MEANS BY WHICH YOU MAINTAIN
LANGUAGES AND CULTURES IS A A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE EQUIVALENT CHUNKS BECOMES ESSENTIAL !LSO
VERY EXCITING EXPERIENCE IF CONTENT IS PLANNED FOR PUBLICATION IN MULTIPLE PLACES HOW YOU MANAGE
UPDATES AND MAINTENANCE IN EACH LOCATION IS EQUALLY ESSENTIAL )F YOU THINK
THAT MANAGING YOUR %NGLISH CONTENT IN A #-3 STRUCTURE IS A FEAT THE REALITY
OF MANAGING THAT CONTENT PLUS SIX LOCALIZED VERSIONS WILL REALLY GET YOUR
ATTENTION &ORTUNATELY SOME #-3 TOOLS MAKE THIS PROCESS MUCH SIMPLER
THAN OTHERS AND A FEW MAKE IT DOWNRIGHT EASY
6XPPDU\
#-3 BASED PUBLICATION AND LOCALIZATION HAS PROGRESSED FROM THE EARLY
ADOPTER
TRAIL
BLAZING PERIOD OF DEVELOPMENT TO A MAINSTREAM PUBLICATION ACTIVITY )F
YOUR ORGANIZATION MEETS THE CONDITIONS WE DESCRIBE ABOVE A #-3 MAY BE THE
RIGHT MOVE
#-3 DRIVEN TIME TO MARKET IMPROVEMENTS WRITING PRODUCTIVITY AND
$2!-!4)# SAVINGS IN LOCALIZATION COST ARE ALL WELL DOCUMENTED AND VERY
REAL !LSO SIGNIlCANT ARE THE GAINS IN CONSISTENCY IN THE LOOK AND FEEL OF YOUR
CONTENT AND BRANDING
)T IS DIFlCULT TO OVERSTATE THE PROMISE OF CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS THESE
TOOLS ARE CHANGING THE VERY NATURE OF THE WRITING PUBLISHING AND LOCALIZATION
BUSINESS IN THE SAME WAY THAT TRANSLATION MEMORY TOOLS DID A DECADE AGO
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER ,OCALIZATION 4ESTING
#HAPTER
,OCALIZATION 4ESTING
:KDWLV/RFDOL]DWLRQ7HVWLQJ"
BY ,EONARD -ORALES
,OCALIZATION OF SOFTWARE IS A COMPLEX PROCESS 4HERE ARE A LOT OF POTENTIAL
FAILURE POINTS FOR ANY LOCALIZATION ENDEAVOR BOTH GRAMMATICAL AND CULTURAL
,EONARD -ORALES
&OR THIS REASON LOCALIZATION TESTING IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT IN THE
0# 4EST DEVELOPMENT CYCLE OF A SUCCESSFULLY LOCALIZED PRODUCT
,OCALIZATION %NGINEER
,OCALIZATION TESTING CONSISTS OF THREE PRIMARY COMPONENTS
/NCE UPON A TIME ) WAS BORN
% #OSMETIC 4ESTING
INTO A 3PANISH SPEAKING
% &UNCTIONAL 4ESTING AND
HOUSEHOLD -Y PARENTS WISHED
FOR ME TO LEARN 3PANISH % ,INGUISTIC 4ESTING
BUT ) WAS DETERMINED TO 4RANSLATOR 2EQUIREMENTS
LEARN *APANESE ) STUDIED
!T 0# 4EST OUR LOCALIZATION TESTING IS EXECUTED BY A TEAM OF 4RANSLATORS
*APANESE UNTIL ) BEGAN STUDIES 1! 4EST %NGINEERS AND 1! 4ECHNICIANS !LL OF THE TRANSLATORS ARE HIGHLY
OF PSYCHOLOGY AND MY TRUE QUALIlED AND EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE SELECTED ACCORDING TO THE
LOVE /PERA !T THIS POINT IT FOLLOWING CRITERIA
BECAME QUITE NECESSARY
TO STUDY )TALIAN 'ERMAN % 4RANSLATORS MUST BE A NATIVE OF THE NATION FROM WHICH THE TARGET
LANGUAGE ORIGINATES
&RENCH AND 2USSIAN ) NOW
MANAGE LOCALIZATION QUALITY % &LUENCY IN THE COMMONLY SPOKEN FORM OF %NGLISH AND THE TARGET
LANGUAGE
ASSURANCE PROJECTS IN
DIFFERENT LANGUAGES 3URELY MY % &LUENCY IN THE TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGY OF %NGLISH AND THE TARGET
4ESTING
,OCALIZATION
INCALCULABLE ADVENTURES WITH LANGUAGE AND
FATE WILL HAVE ME CAVORTING % %XPERIENCE
WITH MANY MORE LANGUAGES % !S A 4RANSLATOR
IN THE YEARS TO COME 4WENTY % 7ORKING IN THE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY SECTOR BOTH IN %NGLISH AND THE
lVE LANGUAGES DOWN TARGET LANGUAGE
ACCORDING TO %THNOLOGUE % 7ITH A VARIETY OF PLATFORMS AND APPLICATIONS
MORE TO GO
,OCALIZATION -ETHODOLOGY
!LL TESTING IS PERFORMED ON A SYSTEM THAT IS GHOSTED WITH A CLEAN INSTALLATION
OF THE TARGET LANGUAGES /3 VERSIONS 'ENERALLY THE GHOSTS HAVE THE LATEST
PATCHES AND UPDATES INSTALLED AND ARE SET FOR A TYPICAL USER EXPERIENCE
'HOSTS CAN EASILY BE MANIPULATED IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR CLIENTS
SPECIlCATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER ,OCALIZATION 4ESTING
&RVPHWLF7HVWLQJ
#OSMETIC TESTING ENSURES THAT THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS DID NOT CAUSE ANY
VISUAL ERRORS 4HE AESTHETIC APPEAL OF THE LOCALIZATION IS ALSO JUDGED DURING
THIS PROCESS 4HE ALIGNMENT AND SIZE CONSISTENCY OF BUTTONS AND BOXES CAN
CONTRIBUTE TO A FAILURE OF THE LOCALIZED PRODUCTS ACCEPTANCE IN THE TARGET MARKET
SIMPLY BECAUSE IT IS NOT VISUALLY APPEALING
% %XTRANEOUS #ONTENT
% #ONTENT STRING OR CHARACTER THAT APPEARS IN THE FOREIGN LOCALIZED
VERSION BUT NOT IN THE %NGLISH VERSION WILL BE CONSIDERED A FAILURE IN
LOCALIZATION
% 4EXT 4RUNCATION
% /CCURS WHEN A TEXT lELD IS ALLOTTED A SPACE THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE
%NGLISH VERSION BUT THE TARGET LANGUAGE TRANSLATION REQUIRES A LARGER TEXT
lELD TO ACCOMMODATE THE CORRECT FOREIGN SPELLING
% 4RUNCATED WORDS APPEAR TO BE CUT OFF 4RUNCATION IS HIGHLY PREVALENT IN
SOME LOCALIZATIONS
% 4EXT /VERRUN
% /CCURS WHEN THE LOCALIZED TEXT EXCEEDS THE lELD BOUNDARY
% 2ARE BUT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A FAILURE IN LOCALIZATION
% -ENU #ONSISTENCY
% -ENUS CAN ALSO BE AFFECTED BY LOCALIZATION 3OMETIMES THERE ARE A
DIFFERENT NUMBER OF MENU ITEMS IN A LOCALIZED VERSION OF SOFTWARE THAN
IN ITS %NGLISH COUNTERPART
% 5NIQUE (OT +EYS
% (OT KEYS ARE OCCASIONALLY DOUBLED UP WITHIN MENUS IF THEY ARE NOT
PROPERLY ALLOCATED DURING THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS
)XQFWLRQDO7HVWLQJ
&UNCTIONALITY PROBLEMS CAN AND USUALLY ARE INTRODUCED DURING THE
LOCALIZATION PROCESS 4O IDENTIFY SUCH ERRORS SOME OF THE BASIC OPERATIONS THAT
ARE COMMONLY TESTED ON THE TARGET PLATFORM ARE
% )NSTALL INSTALLATION MODIlCATION AND UNINSTALL
% -ENU FUNCTIONS AND HOT KEYS
% "ASIC DRIVER MANIPULATION AND OPERATION
% #ORE APPLICATION FUNCTIONS
% ,OCALIZED INPUT DEVICE FUNCTIONALITY INTERNATIONAL KEYBOARDS AND LAYOUTS
% 2EGIONAL DEFAULT SETTINGS
% $OES THE PROGRAM DEFAULT TO THE COMPUTERS REGIONAL SETTING AND
PROVIDE CORRECT SETTINGS FOR ITEMS SUCH AS PAPER SIZE DATETIME NUMBER
AND CURRENCY FORMATS
% #OPY AND PASTING OF SPECIAL CHARACTERS INTO AND OUT OF THE APPLICATION
% $OCUMENT TRANSFERABILITY AND
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER ,OCALIZATION 4ESTING
% #AN SAVED DOCUMENTS CREATED IN THE DOMESTIC VERSION BE USED IN THE
LOCALIZED VERSION
% #OMPATIBILITY 4ESTING
% 4ESTING THE COMPATIBILITY OF THE LOCALIZED VERSION WITH COMMONLY USED
APPLICATIONS OF THE TARGET MARKET CAN EXPOSE PROBLEMS THAT MIGHT OCCUR
ON A TYPICAL END
USER COMPUTER
/LQJXLVWLF7HVWLQJ
,INGUISTIC TESTING IS THE LARGEST COMPONENT OF LOCALIZATION TESTING ,INGUISTIC
ERRORS ARE ALSO THE MOST COMMON ERRORS IN LOCALIZATION 3OME OF THE KEY
LINGUISTIC ERRORS ARE AS FOLLOWS
% -ISSING #ONTENT
% #ONTENT THAT APPEARS IN THE %NGLISH VERSION BUT IS MISSING FROM THE
TARGET LANGUAGE VERSION
% 3PELLING %RRORS
% #HECKING FOR SPELLING ERRORS IN THE FOREIGN LOCALIZED VERSION WILL ENSURE
THAT ALL WORDS ARE SPELLED CORRECTLY AND ACCORDING TO THE STANDARDS OF THE
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
% !CCURACY OF 4RANSLATION
% %ACH WORD WILL BE VIEWED AND EDITED ACCORDING TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS
OF THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE
% 3LANG TERMS AND LOWER IDIOMS OF THE LANGUAGE WOULD BE CONSIDERED A
FAILURE IN LOCALIZATION
% ,ITERAL VS &UNCTIONAL 4RANSLATIONS
% ,ITERAL TRANSLATIONS ARE NOT APPROPRIATE FOR LOCALIZATION BECAUSE
GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURE VARIES BY LANGUAGE ! FUNCTIONAL TRANSLATION IS THE
SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM
% &UNCTIONAL TRANSLATIONS ADDRESS THESE ISSUES BY ENSURING THAT
4ESTING
,OCALIZATION
THE TRANSLATION IS NOT JUST WORD FOR WORD BUT ALSO ADHERES TO THE
GRAMMATICAL RULES OF THE TARGET LANGUAGE
% 7ORD
FOR
WORD SENTENCE TRANSLATION INTO ANY FOREIGN LANGUAGE WOULD
NOT NECESSARILY MAKE ANY SENSE AND MAY END UP SEEMING BIZARRE TO A
NATIVE SPEAKER OF THAT LANGUAGE
% &UNCTIONAL TRANSLATIONS ARE CRITICAL TO A SUCCESSFUL LOCALIZATION
% 4RANSLATION #ONSISTENCY
% 4RANSLATION CONSISTENCY IS VERIlED 4HIS IS PRIMARILY FOR STANDARDIZED
OR OFlCIAL TERMINOLOGY SUCH AS NAMING SCHEMES SUCH AS h#OMPANY 8
3OFTWARE 8v
% 4HIS EXAMPLE IN PARTICULAR WOULD BE LEFT IN %NGLISH THROUGHOUT THE '5)
AS IT IS THE NAME OF THE PRODUCT AND THE COMPANY THAT PRODUCES IT
% 4HIS PRACTICE IS THE PREDOMINANT STANDARD OF THE INDUSTRY
% 4RANSLATION CONSISTENCY ALSO VERIlES THAT FUNCTIONS WITH MULTIPLE
INSTANCES ARE REFERENCED USING THE SAME TRANSLATION SUCH AS hCLOSE v
hlLE v hEDIT v ETC
% )NCONSISTENT TRANSLATIONS ARE CONSIDERED A FAILURE IN LOCALIZATION
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER ,OCALIZATION 4ESTING
% ,ANGUAGE 3TYLE
% ,ANGUAGE STYLE CONSISTENCY ENSURES THAT THE METHODS OF DESCRIPTION FOR
ITEMS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE PREDOMINANT STYLE OF THE TARGET LANGUAGES
TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGY
% )N %NGLISH YOU COULD SAY hSHEET v hPAGE v hPAPERv AND THEY ROUGHLY
COULD MEAN THE SAME THING 4HE COMMONLY ACCEPTED STANDARD OF
STYLE WOULD DICTATE THAT hPAGEv BE USED IN MANY CONTEXTS FOR DOMESTIC
PRODUCTS ,ACK OF STYLE CONSISTENCY WOULD LOWER PRODUCT ACCEPTANCE IN
THE TARGET MARKET
% )MPERATIVE 6OICE
% 4HE IMPERATIVE VOICE IS STANDARD FOR VERB TENSE USAGE FOR SOFTWARE
5SING THE IMPERATIVE VOICE IS PROPER FOR SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS THAT ARE
LOCALIZED AS WELL
%XAMPLE 7E WOULD SAY h4URN OFF #OMPUTERv NOT h4HIS "UTTON 4URNS /FF THE
#OMPUTERv 4HE IMPERATIVE MOOD IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS COMMAND VOICE AS IN
GIVING COMMANDS
% 0UNCTUATION
% 0UNCTUATION IS VERIlED AS APPROPRIATE
% 0UNCTUATION IS NOT THE SAME IN EVERY LANGUAGE AND THUS THE PROPER
PUNCTUATION NEEDS TO BE VALIDATED
% )F PUNCTUATION IS INCORRECT MEANING CAN BE LOST
% ,OCAL #ONVENTION
% 3ENSITIVITY TO LOCAL CONVENTION IS ALSO CONSIDERED IN THE LOCALIZATION
PROCESS
% 3OME PHRASES WORDS AND GESTURES ARE OFFENSIVE IN SOME TARGET MARKETS
THAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED HARMLESS DOMESTICALLY
% /FFENSIVE CONTENT WOULD BE CONSIDERED A FAILURE IN LOCALIZATION
$ERXW3&7HVW
0#4EST PROVIDES ENTERPRISE
WIDE TESTING SERVICES FOR HARDWARE SOFTWARE AND
WEBE
COMMERCE APPLICATIONS 4HE COMPANYS STATE OF THE ART TESTING LAB IS
UNRIVALLED IN THE 0ACIlC .ORTHWEST 7ITH A ROLLING INVENTORY OF MORE THAN
COMPUTERS 0#4EST CAN PROVIDE LARGE SCALE NETWORK TESTING FOR ANY SIZE
CLIENT OR SYSTEM CONlGURATION #ORE TESTING SOLUTIONS INCLUDE
% #OMPATIBILITY % !CCESSIBILITY
% ,OAD AND 3TRESS % "ENCHMARKING
% &UNCTIONALITY % 0ERFORMANCE
0#4EST ALSO OFFERS COMPREHENSIVE LOCALIZATION TESTING TO PROVIDE UNBIASED
INDEPENDENT TESTING OF YOUR SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN
TRANSLATED INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES 5SING 0#4EST PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY
ENGINEERS ARE ABLE TO TEST MULTIPLE LANGUAGES CONCURRENTLY PROVIDING REAL
TIME
TEST RESULTS THROUGH YOUR ONLINE PORTAL &OR MORE INFORMATION SEE
WWWPCTESTCOM
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 4ELEPHONY
BASED )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
#HAPTER
4ELEPHONY
BASED
)NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
BY ,INDA * 0ARKER
4ELE)NTERPRETERS
$IRECTOR OF -ARKETING
4ELEPHONY BASED INTERPRETATION SERVICES ALSO KNOWN AS /VER 4HE 0HONE
)NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES PROVIDE ON DEMAND ACCESS TO INTERPRETERS
FOR VIRTUALLY ANY LANGUAGE #ONNECTION TO AN INTERPRETER IS ACCOMPLISHED
WITHIN SECONDS COMMENCING A WAY CONFERENCE CALL DURING WHICH
THE INTERPRETER FACILITATES COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE LIMITED %NGLISH
CUSTOMER OR PROSPECT AND THE COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE
)N A CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING MODE THE INTERPRETER CONDUCTS THE SESSION
THROUGH AN ALTERNATING EXCHANGE BETWEEN %NGLISH AND THE SOURCE LANGUAGE
-ASTERY OF LANGUAGE WITH COMPLETE mUENCY IN BOTH %NGLISH AND THE FOREIGN
LANGUAGE IS BUT ONE CRITERION FOR A QUALIlED INTERPRETER IN AN OVER
THE
PHONE ENVIRONMENT 4ELEPHONY
BASED INTERPRETATION ALSO REQUIRES MASTERY
OF ADVANCED CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETATION SKILLS WHICH INCLUDE
% 4HE ABILITY TO QUICKLY COMPREHEND IN THE FOREIGN hSOURCEv LANGUAGE
AND JUST AS QUICKLY RE
EXPRESS IN %NGLISH WITH FULLNESS OF MEANING
% 4RAINED LISTENING SKILLS THAT ALLOW THE INTERPRETER TO ACCURATELY AND
IMMEDIATELY RECALL INFORMATION IN ONE LANGUAGE AND INSTANTLY AND
ACCURATELY TRANSLATE THE INFORMATION INTO ANOTHER LANGUAGE AND
% #OMMAND OF CULTURAL DISTINCTIONS THAT AFFECT LANGUAGE WITH THE
)NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
4ELEPHONY
"ASED
APTITUDE TO APPROPRIATELY CONVEY THE MEANING OF CULTURE
SPECIlC
EXPRESSIONS AND REGIONALISMS
+RZ'RHV7HOHSKRQ\EDVHG
,QWHUSUHWDWLRQ:RUN"
/NE OF THE GREAT BENElTS OF TELEPHONY
BASED INTERPRETATION IS ITS READY
ACCESSIBILITY THROUGH THE TELEPHONE ITS EASE OF USE THROUGH EFlCIENT CALL
HANDLING PROTOCOLS AND THE SEAMLESSNESS OF AN INTERPRETATION SERVICE THAT
ELIMINATES LANGUAGE BARRIERS 5NDERSTANDING THIS SERVICE IS BEST DEPICTED IN
A CALL mOW DIAGRAM
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 4ELEPHONY
BASED )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
(EALTHCARE ORGANIZATIONS COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES ACROSS ALL INDUSTRY SECTORS
AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AT THE FEDERAL STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS UTILIZE /VER 4HE
0HONE )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL WITH LIMITED %NGLISH SPEAKING
CAPABILITIES MAKES CONTACT WITH THEIR ORGANIZATION
2EQUESTS FOR LANGUAGE SUPPORT VARY BY INDUSTRY SECTOR AND CAN INVOLVE
% &INANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
% )NSURANCE CLAIMS OR POLICY QUESTIONS
% "ANK LOANS AND CREDIT CARD SERVICES
% (ELP DESK QUESTIONS
% /PENING OF NEW ACCOUNTS
% "ILLING QUESTIONS
% 2ESERVATIONS
% (UMAN RESOURCE FUNCTIONS SUCH AS EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND BENElT
PROGRAMS OR
% %MERGENCY SERVICES SUCH AS
7HEN AN INDIVIDUAL WITH LIMITED %NGLISH SPEAKING CAPABILITIES CONTACTS AN
ORGANIZATIONS REPRESENTATIVE THE REPRESENTATIVE MAKES A TOLL
FREE CALL TO
THEIR INTERPRETATION SERVICE PROVIDER !T 4ELE)NTERPRETERS WE UTILIZE COMPUTER
TELEPHONY INTEGRATION TECHNOLOGY #4) TO GAIN CALL HANDLING EFlCIENCIES AND
PROMPTLY RELAY CUSTOMER SPECIlC DATA SUCH AS THEIR UNIQUE ACCESS CODE TO THE
COMPUTER SCREEN OF OUR CALL CENTER OPERATOR 4HIS FACILITATES AUTO
IDENTIlCATION
OF INCOMING CALL AND ACCOUNT INFORMATION TO THE OPERATOR AND EXPEDITES
CONNECTION TO THE INTERPRETER 4HE OPERATOR ENSURES THE CONNECTION TO AN
INTERPRETER BASED ON THE LANGUAGE REQUEST )F THE LANGUAGE REQUIRED IS UNCLEAR
THE OPERATOR IS TRAINED TO QUICKLY IDENTIFY THE LANGUAGE OF THE CALLER
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 4ELEPHONY
BASED )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
#ONNECTION TO THE APPROPRIATE INTERPRETER TAKES UNDER SECONDS TO COMPLETE
/NCE THE OPERATOR COMPLETES THE CONNECTION TO THE INTERPRETER THE SERVICE
CHARGES BEGIN
!T 4ELE)NTERPRETERS OUR SKILLS BASED ROUTING PLATFORM QUICKLY ACCESSES THE
APPROPRIATE INTERPRETER BASED ON PROlLE ATTRIBUTES OF THE CALL SUCH AS CALL TYPE
KNOWLEDGE BASE REQUIREMENTS AND LANGUAGE 4HIS IS AN IMPORTANT SERVICE
DISTINCTION BECAUSE INDUSTRY TRAINED INTERPRETERS ARE REQUIRED TO SUPPORT A
NUMBER OF CALL TYPES INCLUDING MEDICAL RELATED CALLS CALLS INVOLVING LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS AND CALLS REQUIRING SPECIlC KNOWLEDGE OF lNANCIAL TRANSACTIONS
7KH9DOXHRI7HOHSKRQ\EDVHG
,QWHUSUHWDWLRQ
)N ITS INCEPTION TELEPHONY
BASED INTERPRETATION SERVICES WERE DEVELOPED
TO MEET FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MANDATES FOR QUALIlED INTERPRETERS TO ADDRESS
EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE NEEDS AND TO lLL A VOID IN MULTILINGUAL CAPABILITIES
WITHIN CUSTOMER SERVICE CALL CENTERS /VER THE PAST DECADE DEMOGRAPHIC AND
ECONOMIC TRENDS HAVE SIGNIlCANTLY INCREASED THE DEMAND FOR /VER 4HE 0HONE
)NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
)F OPERATIONAL NECESSITY WAS THE SPRINGBOARD FOR THE INITIAL GROWTH OF /VER 4HE
0HONE )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE HAS BECOME THE CATALYST FOR
ACCELERATED DEMAND OF SUCH SERVICES IN RECENT YEARS 4ODAY LANGUAGE SUPPORT
IS SHIFTING FROM A REACTIVE MODE TO A BUSINESS EXPANSION OPPORTUNITY 4HIS
IS BECAUSE THE 53 AND #ANADA ARE BECOMING MULTICULTURAL ECONOMIES WITH
THE RAPIDLY INCREASING PURCHASING POWER OF MULTILINGUAL MARKET SEGMENTS
(ISPANIC !SIAN AND -IDDLE %ASTERN POPULATIONS ARE NOW OUTPACING THE
HISTORICAL INmUX OF IMMIGRANTS EXPERIENCED BY THE 5NITED 3TATES AND #ANADA IN
THE lRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
4HE (ISPANIC POPULATION ALONE REPRESENTS MORE THAN MILLION PEOPLE IN THE
)NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
4ELEPHONY
"ASED
5NITED 3TATES TODAY 4O PUT THIS lGURE IN PERSPECTIVE SOME SOURCES SAY THERE
ARE MORE NATIVE 3PANISH SPEAKERS IN THE 53 THAN IN 3PAIN "Y NEARLY
ONE PERSON OUT OF EVERY SIX IN THE 53 WILL BE OF (ISPANIC ORIGIN 4HE !SIAN
POPULATION COMPRISED OF A MULTITUDE OF LANGUAGES AND CULTURES IS PROJECTED
TO EXCEED MILLION AS THE END OF THE DECADE APPROACHES NEARLY DOUBLING
ITS BASE -ANY OTHER ETHNIC POPULATIONS ARE GROWING AT A RAPID PACE
INCLUDING 2USSIAN !RMENIAN -IDDLE %ASTERN AND 3OUTH !SIAN POPULATIONS )N
THE 53 ETHNIC POPULATIONS WERE CONCENTRATED IN SPECIlC GEOGRAPHIC MARKETS
SUCH AS MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS OR THE %AST AND 7EST COASTS BUT TODAY ARE
INCREASINGLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE COUNTRY
/RGANIZATIONS ARE DETERMINING THAT THE MULTICULTURAL POPULATION BOOM OFFERS
STRATEGIC VALUE FOR INCREASING REVENUE GROWTH AND MARKET SHARE AMONG MARKET
SEGMENTS THAT ARE HIGHLY PROlTABLE 4HAT VALUE IS CLEARLY IN THE NUMBERS
4HE !SIAN AND (ISPANIC MARKETS FOR EXAMPLE ARE ON A TRAJECTORY TO REACH AN
ESTIMATED VALUE OF TRILLION IN THE 53 BY &ROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE
TOTAL CONSUMER MARKET PLACE THIS REPRESENTS NEARLY PERCENT OF CONSUMER
PURCHASING POWER
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 4ELEPHONY
BASED )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
2ECOGNIZING THE lNANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF THIS EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN MULTILINGUAL
POPULATIONS ORGANIZATIONS ARE DEVELOPING BUSINESS STRATEGIES TO CAPITALIZE ON
THE GROWING PURCHASING POWER OF THESE MARKETS 7HAT HAS BECOME APPARENT
TO MANY COMPANIES IS THAT THEY ARE NOT CURRENTLY COMMUNICATING TO THESE
POTENTIAL MARKETS IN PROPORTION TO THEIR PURCHASING POWER 7HY "ECAUSE
THESE SEGMENTS INCLUDE CONSUMERS OF DIVERSE NATIONAL ORIGINS THAT ACTIVELY USE
THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGES ACTIVELY PRACTICE THEIR CULTURAL TRADITIONS AND PREFER IN
LANGUAGE SERVICES AND THE IN
CULTURE EXPERIENCE
3IGNIlCANT REVENUE OPPORTUNITIES EXIST FOR BUSINESSES THAT UNDERSTAND THAT
LANGUAGE IS THE KEY TO ACCESSING THESE MARKETS !T 4ELE)NTERPRETERS OUR GOAL
IS TO BE THE STRATEGIC PARTNER FOR ORGANIZATIONS BY LEVERAGING OUR IN
LANGUAGE
EXPERTISE IN OVER LANGUAGES AND OUR PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETERS TO HELP
THEM SUCCESSFULLY ACQUIRE AND RETAIN MULTILINGUAL MARKET SEGMENTS
!S COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOP THEIR BUSINESS STRATEGIES TO CAPITALIZE
ON THE MULTICULTURAL ECONOMY IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THEY RECOGNIZE THE DISTINCT
ATTRIBUTES OF THE MARKET SEGMENTS DRIVING THE MULTICULTURAL ECONOMY 4HESE
UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES UNDERSCORE THE SIGNIlCANT POTENTIAL REWARDS OF THESE MARKETS
THEIR LIFETIME VALUE AND THE PROlT CONTRIBUTION TO THE BOTTOM LINE -EMBERS OF
THESE MARKET SEGMENTS EXHIBIT FOR EXAMPLE A MUCH STRONGER BRAND AFlNITY AND
PURCHASING LOYALTY THAN OTHER CONSUMER SEGMENTS !ND THEIR ACTIVE PRESENCE
WITHIN THEIR CULTURAL COMMUNITIES MAKES THEM STRONG BRAND ADVOCATES
6HOHFWLQJWKH2SWLPDO2YHU7KH3KRQH
,QWHUSUHWDWLRQ6HUYLFH3URYLGHU
7HILE COMPANIES ARE CLEARLY GAINING AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE lNANCIAL
CONTRIBUTION THAT TELEPHONY
BASED IN
LANGUAGE SERVICES CAN MAKE TO THEIR
BUSINESS IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THEY SELECT AN /VER 4HE 0HONE )NTERPRETATION
PROVIDER BASED ON STRINGENT CRITERIA 4HIS WILL HELP THEM DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL
SERVICE PROVIDER THAT CAN OFFER PARTNERSHIP VALUE !FTER ALL WITH THE POTENTIAL
TO AFFECT NOT ONLY BUSINESS OPERATIONS BUT CONTRIBUTE TO REVENUE GROWTH AND
CUSTOMER MARKET SHARE THERES A LOT AT STAKE
4O EVALUATE AN /VER 4HE 0HONE )NTERPRETATION SERVICE PROVIDER THAT CAN OFFER
SOLID PARTNERSHIP VALUE DECISION MAKERS SHOULD CONSIDER WHETHER THE SERVICE
PROVIDER MEETS THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA
!CCREDITED PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETERS
-ANY SERVICE PROVIDERS RELY ON BILINGUALS TO SUPPORT THEIR CUSTOMERS
LANGUAGE REQUESTS RATHER THAN PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETERS "ILINGUALS BY
DElNITION HAVE VARYING DEGREES OF PROlCIENCY IN A LANGUAGE PAIR AND NO
ACCREDITATION TRAINING OR EXPERIENCE TO PERFORM CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETATION
#ONSECUTIVE INTERPRETATION REQUIRES NOT ONLY LANGUAGE MASTERY IN BOTH
%NGLISH AND THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE BUT HIGHLY SPECIALIZED ADVANCED SKILLS
TO INTERPRET BETWEEN TWO LANGUAGES IN AN INSTANTANEOUS OVER
THE
PHONE
ENVIRONMENT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 4ELEPHONY
BASED )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
/FFSHORE BUSINESS MODEL
$OES THE SERVICE PROVIDER EMPLOY OFFSHORE INTERPRETERS -ANY SERVICE
PROVIDERS HAVE A COST
lRST BUSINESS MODEL THAT UTILIZES CHEAPER LANGUAGE
RESOURCES FROM OFFSHORE 'ENERALLY THE ONLY QUALIlCATION IS BILINGUAL
CAPABILITY 7HILE COST CONTAINMENT IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF SOLID
lNANCIAL PRACTICES OFFSHORE BILINGUAL RESOURCES CAN LOWER QUALITY
PERFORMANCE )T CAN ALSO HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR INFORMATION SECURITY WHERE
ADHERENCE TO 53 LAWS AND REGULATIONS IS ESSENTIAL TO SPECIlC INDUSTRY
SECTORS OR A CUSTOMERS BUSINESS PRACTICE
2ETURN ON PARTNERSHIP INVESTMENT THROUGH PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
,OOK FOR A SERVICE PROVIDER WITH A QUALITY
lRST BUSINESS MODEL THAT UTILIZES
PERFORMANCE
BASED SERVICE METRICS TO RETURN COST SAVINGS TO ITS CUSTOMERS
$EDICATED ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
/NE OF THE VALUE
ADD COMPONENTS OF A PARTNERSHIP WITH A LANGUAGE
SERVICE PROVIDER IS PERIODIC REVIEW WITH A MANAGER DEDICATED TO THE
SPECIlC CUSTOMER ACCOUNT 4HIS DEDICATED ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT PROCESS
SHOULD INCLUDE QUARTERLY BUSINESS REVIEWS TO ENSURE COMPLETE PARTNERSHIP
ACCOUNTABILITY AND VISIBILITY AS WELL AS ON
GOING TRAINING TO USERS OF THE
LANGUAGE SERVICE
)NFORMATION SECURITY PRACTICES
$OES THE SERVICE PROVIDER HAVE POLICIES AND ACTIONABLE MEASURES THAT
ENSURE THE INTEGRITY OF CUSTOMER DATA AND INFORMATION ASSETS !RE THESE
MEASURES COMPREHENSIVE AND DO THEY INCLUDE ADMINISTRATIVE TECHNICAL
AND PHYSICAL SECURITY PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES -OST IMPORTANTLY HOW DO
OFFSHORE BUSINESS OPERATIONS AFFECT ADHERENCE TO 53 LAWS AND REGULATIONS
REGARDING INFORMATION SECURITY
%FlCIENT AND ACCURATE CALL ROUTING PROCESSES
#ONSIDER THE AFFECTS OF USING INTERACTIVE VOICE RESPONSE )62 TECHNOLOGY
WHICH CAN IMPEDE QUICK IDENTIlCATION OF THE LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT )N
)NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
4ELEPHONY
"ASED
MANY CASES A LIVE OPERATOR CAN MORE ACCURATELY AND EFlCIENTLY DETERMINE
THE LANGUAGE NEED AND QUICKLY CONNECT THE CALL TO THE APPROPRIATE
INTERPRETER
3CALABLE SERVICE
7ITH THE GROWING DEMAND FOR MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT IT IS IMPORTANT
THAT THE SERVICE PROVIDER HAVE THE SCALABILITY TO MEET INCREASING VOLUME
REQUIREMENTS
7EB BASED CUSTOMER PORTAL
#USTOMERS OF TELEPHONY BASED LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION SERVICES SHOULD HAVE
AT THEIR DISPOSAL NEAR REAL TIME AND HISTORICAL DATA VIA A WEB BASED SECURED
PORTAL )T SHOULD TELL THEM AT A QUICK GLANCE THE PROGRESS OF THEIR MULTILINGUAL
INITIATIVES DEVELOPING TRENDS IN LANGUAGE REQUESTS VOLUME OF CALLS CONNECT
TIMES AND LENGTH OF INTERPRETER SESSIONS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 4ELEPHONY
BASED )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES
)NVESTMENT IN QUALITY ASSURANCE
(AS THE SERVICE PROVIDER INVESTED IN QUALITY ASSURANCE WITH HUMAN AND
TECHNICAL RESOURCES TO ENSURE THAT QUALITY IS MAINTAINED AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
)S THERE A QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM IN PLACE THAT THE PROVIDER IMPLEMENTS
ON A DAILY BASIS !RE THE SPECIlCS OF THIS PROGRAM SATISFACTORY
)NTERPRETER QUALIlCATION AND TRAINING
4HE SERVICE PROVIDER SHOULD ADHERE TO WELL
DElNED CRITERIA DURING THE
INTERPRETER HIRING PROCESS TO ENSURE THAT CANDIDATES ARE PROFESSIONAL
INTERPRETERS WITH THE ADVANCED SKILLS TO PERFORM CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETATION
0RE
HIRE TESTING IS AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT THAT SHOULD VALIDATE BOTH
LANGUAGE AND INTERPRETING SKILLS 4HE SERVICE PROVIDER SHOULD CONDUCT AN
ADDITIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM THAT REINFORCES INTERPRETING PROTOCOLS AND
INCORPORATES INDUSTRY
SPECIlC TRAINING CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING AND
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
$ERXW7HOH,QWHUSUHWHUV
4ELE)NTERPRETERS IS RECOGNIZED BY &ORTUNE COMPANIES HEALTHCARE
ORGANIZATIONS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AS THE LANGUAGE SERVICES PROVIDER
OF CHOICE FOR CLIENTS DEMANDING QUALITY
DRIVEN SERVICES WITH A PROVEN RETURN
ON PARTNERSHIP !S PART OF THE #OTO 'LOBAL 3OLUTIONS FAMILY OF COMPANIES
4ELE)NTERPRETERS PROFESSIONAL INTERPRETERS PROVIDE /VER 4HE 0HONE
)NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES THAT SUPPORT REQUESTS IN ANY OF LANGUAGES
4ELE)NTERPRETERS OFFERS /VER 4HE 0HONE )NTERPRETATION 3ERVICES ON A BASIS
ENABLING ITS CLIENTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR MULTILINGUAL CUSTOMERS ON
DEMAND WITHOUT THE NEED FOR RESERVATIONS
!S A SEAMLESS MULTILINGUAL EXTENSION OF AN ORGANIZATIONS SALES AND CUSTOMER
SERVICE 4ELE)NTERPRETERS BUSINESS SOLUTIONS EMPOWER COMPANIES TO HANDLE
EVERY LANGUAGE AND SERVICE NEED OF THEIR LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE CUSTOMER BASE
&OR MORE INFORMATION GO TO WWWTELEINTERPRETERSCOM
)N A *APANESE HOTEL
4HIS IS A DISPOSABLE SPONGE FOR BODY CLEAN
9OU HAD BETTER USE THIS SPONGE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
#HAPTER
7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
BY $ANIELLE 7ALKER
#ONSIDER THE FOLLOWING 7ORKING WITH #ULTURAL $IFFERENCES SCENARIO
$ANIELLE 7ALKER
4RAINING -ANAGEMENT "ASED ON YOUR SUCCESS AT THE 53! HEADQUARTERS AS A SALES MANAGER YOU ARE
#ORPORATION SENT TO #HINA TO OVERSEE THE CREATION OF A NEW DEPARTMENT 9OU ARE mUENT
0RESIDENT AND #%/ IN BOTH -ANDARIN AND #ANTONESE SO VERBAL AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
IS NOT A PROBLEM $URING YOUR lRST MEETING WITH THE NEW DEPARTMENT YOU
/VER THE PAST YEARS DISCUSS IN DETAIL AND IN -ANDARIN YOUR MOTIVATION AND INTEREST IN MAKING THIS
-S 7ALKER HAS WORKED AND DEPARTMENT ONE OF YOUR ORGANIZATIONS TOP BUSINESS UNITS 9OU TELL THEM ABOUT
CONSULTED EXTENSIVELY WITH AN INCENTIVE PROGRAM YOU CREATED THAT WILL ALLOW EACH MEMBER TO EXCEL AND
BE REWARDED FOR INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS 9OU MAKE DECISIONS AND IMPLEMENT
MAJOR CORPORATIONS IN .ORTH
CHANGES YOU FEEL WILL HELP ACHIEVE THIS GOAL !FTER A FEW DAYS IT BECOMES
!MERICA !SIA %UROPE AND
APPARENT THAT YOUR #HINESE SUBORDINATES ARE NOT ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT YOUR PLANS
THE -IDDLE %AST ! NATIVE
OF -OROCCO SHE IS mUENT 7HY ARE THEY UPSET
IN &RENCH %NGLISH (EBREW
AND -AGREBIAN !RABIC 3HE ! 4HEY WOULD PREFER TO BE TREATED AS A GROUP AND NOT RECEIVE
IS ALSO AN AUTHOR OF THE Q INDIVIDUAL RECOGNITION FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
$OING "USINESS 'LOBALLY
Q " 9OU DID NOT CONSULT THEM REGARDING YOUR DECISIONS
AND THE $OING
"USINESS )NTERNATIONALLY # 4HEY FEEL INSULTED THAT YOU ADDRESSED THEM IN #HINESE INSTEAD OF IN
Q %NGLISH
SERIES INCLUDING THE 'UIDE
TO #ROSS
#ULTURAL 3UCCESS !
3ELF
)NSTRUCTIONAL 7ORKBOOK #ORRECT ANSWER FOUND AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE
4HE 2ESOURCE "OOK $OING
$ESPITE NEARLY TWO DECADES OF CORPORATE GLOBALIZATION EFFORTS MANY
"USINESS IN #OUNTRIES
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
ORGANIZATIONS STILL STRUGGLE TO lND MANAGERS WHO ARE COMFORTABLE AND EFFECTIVE
2EGIONS AND -ANAGING
IN THE INCREASINGLY GLOBAL ECONOMY -OST SUFFER FROM A LACK OF CULTURAL
!CROSS #ULTURES AWARENESS WHEN DEALING WITH EMPLOYEES AND OVERSEAS PARTNERS AND FROM A LACK
OF EXPERIENCE MANAGING INCREASINGLY COMPLEX PROCESSES OVER LONG DISTANCES
"UT WHY IS IT SO DIFlCULT TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE GLOBAL MANAGERS 4HE ANSWERS
ARE AS COMPLEX AS THE WORLDS GEOGRAPHIES %ACH COMPANY HAS ITS OWN SPECIlC
NEEDS AND CHALLENGES AND EVERY COUNTRY PRESENTS A UNIQUE AND RAPIDLY
CHANGING LANDSCAPE IN WHICH WORK MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED
"UT EVEN SO THERE ARE STEPS THAT COMPANIES AND MANAGERS CAN TAKE TO BETTER
PREPARE FOR THE CHALLENGES OF MANAGING GLOBALLY
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
:K\EXLOG&XOWXUDO&RPSHWHQFH"
7E BELIEVE THAT THE #ULTURALLY #OMPETENT ORGANIZATION HAS A DEEP
UNDERSTANDING OF CULTURE THAT
s 3ERVES THE UNDERSTANDING OF MARKETS
s )MPROVES COMMUNICATION WITH SHAREHOLDERS PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS
s $RIVES PROCESS AND EFlCIENCY IMPROVEMENTS AND
s #REATES OPPORTUNITY FOR CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
:KDWDUHWKHVSHFLÀFRXWFRPHV"
#ULTURALLY #OMPETENT ORGANIZATIONS ARE RESPONSIVE AGILE AND ADAPTABLE AT
MANY LEVELS
/RGANIZATION LEVEL
ENABLING THE ORGANIZATION TO STRATEGICALLY ADAPT AND
DEVELOP ITS CULTURE TO THE CHANGING PERFORMANCE AND TALENT REQUIREMENTS OF
THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE
"USINESS UNITFUNCTIONAL LEVEL
ENABLING THE BRIDGING OF CULTURAL GAPS THE
EFFECTIVE EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE CREATING COMPATIBLE BUSINESS PROCESSES
AND PRACTICES AND DEVELOPING SYNERGIES BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL BUSINESS
CULTURES AS WELL AS CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS
4EAM LEVEL
ENABLING A TEAM OR WORK GROUP TO EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATE NEW
TALENT LEVERAGE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL RESOURCES ENGAGE ITS STAKEHOLDERS
DEVELOP AND SUSTAIN EFFECTIVE AND INCLUSIVE OPERATING PRACTICES AND ADAPT
TO CHANGE
)NDIVIDUAL LEVEL
ENABLING INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES MANAGERS
AND LEADERS TO OPERATE EFFECTIVELY IN THE AMBIGUITY UNCERTAINTY
AND COMPLEXITY OF A CULTURALLY DIVERSE EMPLOYEE CUSTOMER AND
SUPPLIER BASE AND GEOGRAPHICALLY DISPERSED MATRIX RELATIONSHIPS
%XLOGLQJ&XOWXUDO&RPSHWHQFH
#ULTURAL #OMPETENCE IS AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF A
SUCCESSFUL MANAGER AND LEADER 7HETHER ONE IS RELOCATING TO A
DIFFERENT COUNTRY ON A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT PART OF A REGIONAL OR
GLOBAL TEAM OR LEADING A REGIONAL OR GLOBAL PROJECT THE ABILITY TO
TRANSCEND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN THE PURSUIT OF BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
IS A CRITICAL SKILL SET 3O HOW DOES ONE BUILD #ULTURAL #OMPETENCE
&IVE DISCREET PERSONAL ASPECTS CAN BE ISOLATED WHEN LOOKING AT THE LEARNING
PROCESS THAT LEADS TO #ULTURAL #OMPETENCE 4HESE ASPECTS ARE INTEGRAL TO A
CUMULATIVE LEARNING PROCESS THAT YIELDS SPECIlC BEHAVIORAL SKILLS AND PRACTICES
/PEN !TTITUDE
s 2ECEPTIVE TO CROSS
CULTURAL LEARNING AND MAINTAINS AN OPEN AND PRODUCTIVE
ATTITUDE TOWARD DIFFERENCES
s #ONTINUOUSLY CHALLENGES ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT OTHER CULTURES
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
3ELF
!WARENESS
s )S AWARE OF AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT ONES OWN CULTURAL PREFERENCES
s #AN ARTICULATE ONES OWN CULTURAL VALUES BELIEFS ATTITUDES AND HOW THEY
ARE REmECTED IN BEHAVIOR
s #AN IDENTIFY HOW DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ONES OWN CULTURE AND ANOTHERS
CULTURE COULD LEAD TO MISUNDERSTANDINGS
s )S AWARE OF HOW INTERACTION WITH ANOTHER CULTURE MAKES ONE
UNCOMFORTABLE
s #AN IDENTIFY WAYS TO ADAPT THAT WILL SUPPORT CROSS
CULTURAL INTERACTIONS
/THER
!WARENESS
s 2ECOGNIZES THE CULTURAL VALUES ATTITUDES BELIEFS AND BEHAVIORS OF OTHERS IN
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
ORDER TO DEVELOP NEW CROSS
CULTURAL BUSINESS SKILLS
s #ORRECTLY IDENTIlES THE CULTURAL PREFERENCES OF ONES COUNTERPARTS AND HOW
THESE PREFERENCES ARE EXPRESSED IN THEIR BEHAVIOR
s /BSERVES AND ARTICULATES AREAS OF SHARED CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES TO lND
COMMON GROUND
s 'AUGES ONES COUNTERPARTS WILLINGNESS TO LEARN ABOUT ONES OWN CULTURAL
PREFERENCES
s )DENTIlES WAYS TO BUILD STRONGER CROSS
CULTURAL RELATIONSHIPS
#ULTURAL +NOWLEDGE
s (AS ACQUIRED OR CAN ACQUIRE AS NECESSARY A COMPREHENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF
OTHER SPECIlC SOCIAL AND BUSINESS CULTURES
s #ORRECTLY IDENTIlES THE GENERAL KNOWLEDGE NEEDED ABOUT A CULTURE
s 'ATHERS SPECIlC BUSINESS OR INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE TO CONDUCT BUSINESS IN THIS
CONTEXT
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
s 3TUDIES HOW THE CULTURES OUTLOOK ON LIFE HAS BEEN SHAPED BY HISTORY
s #AN IDENTIFY HOW IN THIS CULTURE CONmICT IS RESOLVED DECISIONS ARE MADE
PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED PERFORMANCE IS REWARDED
RELATIONSHIPS ARE ESTABLISHED AND MAINTAINED NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONDUCTED
PEOPLE ARE LED
s +NOWS WHERE TO GET NECESSARY INFORMATION AND BUILDS NETWORKS OF CONTACTS
WHO CAN OFFER INSIGHT INTO OTHER CULTURES
#ULTURAL 3KILLS
s (AS THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO WORK EFFECTIVELY ACROSS CULTURES IN MANY DIFFERENT
BUSINESS CONTEXTS
s #AN TRANSLATE CULTURAL AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE INTO SKILLS )MPROVES ONES
OWN ABILITY TO WORK IN MULTICULTURAL SITUATIONS
s #ONTINUES TO RElNE AND IMPROVE SKILLS
s !DAPTS OWN BUSINESS PRACTICES OR MANAGEMENT SKILLS APPROPRIATELY TO
PARTICULAR CULTURES AND SITUATIONS
s .EGOTIATIONS ARE CONDUCTED AND PEOPLE ARE LED
s +NOWS WHERE TO GET NECESSARY INFORMATION AND BUILDS NETWORKS OF CONTACTS
WHO CAN OFFER INSIGHT INTO OTHER CULTURES
7E HAVE IDENTIlED FOUR INTERRELATED SKILLS THAT DElNE THE CRITICAL SKILL SET OF
CULTURALLY COMPETENT MANAGERS AND LEADERS
#ULTURAL $UE $ILIGENCE IS THE PRACTICE OF ASSESSING AND PREPARING FOR THE
POSSIBLE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND DOING PREPARATORY ACTIVITIES THAT INVOLVE
INVESTIGATING AND DETERMINING THE CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS AND ORIENTATIONS
OF ONES COLLEAGUES COUNTERPARTS PARTNERS CLIENTS ETC EVALUATING
POTENTIAL AND ACTUAL GAPS AND DEVELOPING A STRATEGY FOR MINIMIZING
ANY RESULTING NEGATIVE EFFECTS
3TYLE 3WITCHING IS THE ABILITY TO USE A BROAD AND mEXIBLE BEHAVIORAL
REPERTOIRE IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH ONES GOALS )T MAY BE THE RESULT OF
#ULTURAL $UE $ILIGENCE
#ULTURAL $IALOGUE IS THE ABILITY TO ELICIT CULTURAL INFORMATION THROUGH
CONVERSATION AND THEREBY ILLUMINATE CULTURAL UNDERPINNINGS OF BEHAVIOR
AND PERFORMANCE CLOSE CULTURAL GAPS AND CREATE CULTURAL SYNERGY
#ULTURAL -ENTORING IS THE ABILITY TO FACILITATE CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
AND INTEGRATION TO A NEW AND DIFFERENT CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT 7HETHER
IT IS ASSISTING A NEW COLLEAGUE IN DECODING THE CULTURAL NORMS OF A NEW
ORGANIZATION OR TEAM HELPING TWO GROUPS INTEGRATE PRACTICES OR COACHING
AN INTERNATIONAL ASSIGNEE IN MANAGING THE DIFlCULTIES OF CULTURE SHOCK THIS
SKILL AMOUNTS TO UTILIZING ONES AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE TO BRING ABOUT
CULTURAL INTEGRATION AND EFFECTIVENESS IN ONES SPHERE OF INmUENCE
$ERXW&XOWXUH
!T 4-# WE BELIEVE THAT MOST APPROACHES TO CULTURE AWARENESS FALL SHORT AND
ARE NOT WELL MATCHED TO THE TYPES OF CULTURAL CHALLENGES TYPICALLY FACED BY
GLOBALIZING ORGANIZATIONS AND BY GLOBAL MANAGERS AND LEADERS 4O BE USEFUL
A PERSPECTIVE ON CULTURE NEEDS TO BE OF PRACTICAL VALUE IN HELPING US TO
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
NAVIGATE A BROAD SPECTRUM OF DIFFERENCES UNDERSTAND THE FUNDAMENTALS
OF VARIOUS CULTURES AND CROSS
CULTURAL INTERACTIONS AND TRANSLATE THIS
UNDERSTANDING INTO PERSONAL BEHAVIORS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXPECTATIONS 4O
GUIDE US IN OUR ENDEAVOR WE HAVE DEVELOPED SEVERAL AXIOMS ABOUT CULTURE
!XIOM #ULTURAL "OUNDARIES ARE .OT .ATIONAL "OUNDARIES
)N THE lELD OF CROSS CULTURAL COMMUNICATION THE CONCEPT OF CULTURAL
BOUNDARIES IS OFTEN USED INTERCHANGEABLY WITH THOSE OF GEOGRAPHICAL AND
POLITICAL BOUNDARIES IE THE NATION 4HIS PERSPECTIVE DELINEATES DIFFERENT
VALUES AND BELIEF SYSTEMS LARGELY ON THE BASIS OF NATIONAL BOUNDARIES AND NICELY
MATCHES THE CONTEMPORARY UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD IN WHICH WE HAVE
INSTITUTIONALIZED THE BOUNDARIES OF SOVEREIGN NATION STATES AS THE UNIVERSALLY
RECOGNIZED BOUNDARIES BETWEEN PEOPLES
4HIS NOTION HAS SERVED WELL THOSE BUSINESSES THAT DIVIDED THE WORLD INTO NEAT
GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS AND SERVICED THEM WITH A MULTINATIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL
STRUCTURE (OWEVER WITH THE DYNAMIC EXPANSION OF GLOBALIZATION USING
GEOGRAPHICALPOLITICAL WORLDVIEWS TO REPRESENT CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IS NO LONGER
USEFUL AND IN FACT CARRIES WITH IT RATHER DANGEROUS BAGGAGE
4HE HABIT OF ATTRIBUTING CHARACTERISTICS TO NATIONALLY DElNED GROUPS IS BOTH
UNREALISTIC AND UNPRODUCTIVE IN THE GLOBAL WORK ENVIRONMENT &IRST LESS THAN
PERCENT OF THE WORLDS NATION
STATES CAN BE CONSIDERED HOMOGENEOUS )N
ONLY HALF OF THESE NATION
STATES IS THERE A SINGLE ETHNIC GROUP THAT MAKES UP
MORE THAN PERCENT THE POPULATION -ULTICULTURALISM IS SURELY THE NORM AND
CULTURAL HOMOGENEITY THE EXCEPTION
!XIOM #ULTURE IS A 3HARED 0ATTERN OF )DEAS %MOTIONS AND "EHAVIORS
#ULTURE OPERATES ON BOTH A CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS LEVEL IT IS BOTH A
CHARACTERISTIC OF GROUPS AND IS CARRIED BY INDIVIDUALS -ANY OF THE COMMONLY
USED DElNITIONS OF CULTURE HIGHLIGHT THESE FEATURES
7E SUGGEST THAT IT IS USEFUL IN ATTEMPTING TO UNDERSTAND THE PROGRAMMING
LANGUAGE OF CULTURE TO THINK OF IT AS AN ICEBERG 4HE PROVERBIAL hTIP OF THE
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
/HYHORI 2EVHUYDEOH
%HKDYLRUDO
7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
$ZDUHQHVV
&RJQLWLYH/HYHO
(PRWLRQDO/HYHO
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
ICEBERGv SYMBOLIZES THE LEVEL OF BEHAVIOR AND OTHER OBSERVABLESTANGIBLES IE
THE WORLD OF MANIFESTATIONS "ENEATH THE LEVEL OF OUR DAILY AWARENESS THIS
BEHAVIOR IS LINKED TO A WORLD OF VALUES AND MEANING THAT IS SHARED BY A GROUP
4HIS INTERNAL WORLD WHICH CONSISTS OF IDEAS AND THEIR EMOTIONAL VALUE IS
SYMBOLICALLY EXPRESSED AS THE hBOTTOM OF THE ICEBERGv
)N SIMPLISTIC TERMS THE SHARED LINKAGE BETWEEN A BEHAVIORAL EXPRESSION A
HANDSHAKE OR A BOW AND AN IDEA OR NOTION CONSTITUTES A NORM )F WE OBSERVE FOR
EXAMPLE THAT A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE TENDS TO SHAKE HANDS UPON MEETING
WE MAY CALL THIS BEHAVIOR THE SOCIAL NORM FOR THIS GROUP 4HE SHARED LINKAGE
BETWEEN AN IDEANOTION AND AN EMOTION CAN BE CONSIDERED A VALUE
4HE #ULTURAL /RIENTATIONS !PPROACH RECOGNIZES THE CONNECTION BETWEEN NORMS
AND VALUES BY DElNING CULTURE AS THE COMPLEX PATTERN OF IDEAS EMOTIONS
AND OBSERVABLESYMBOLIC MANIFESTATIONS INCLUDING BEHAVIORS PRACTICES
INSTITUTIONS AND ARTIFACTS THAT TENDS TO BE EXPECTED REINFORCED AND REWARDED
BY AND WITHIN A PARTICULAR GROUP
!XIOM #ULTURES 2EmECT $ISTINCTIVE 6ALUE /RIENTATIONS AT 6ARIOUS ,EVELS
7E MAY DESCRIBE CULTURE AS HOLOGRAPHIC (OLOGRAPHIC IMAGES ARE BUILT IN
SUCH A WAY THAT THE SMALLEST PART CONTAINS THE ENTIRETY OF THE IMAGE 4HE
MAGNIlCENCE OF THE ENTIRE THREE
DIMENSIONAL IMAGE THAT WE BEHOLD IS THE RESULT
OF THE AMPLIlCATION AND MAGNIlCATION OF THE TOTALITY OF THE SMALLEST PARTS
#ULTURE SEEMS TO WORK IN MUCH THE SAME WAY IN THAT ITS SMALLEST PART NAMELY
THE INDIVIDUAL CONTAINS WITHIN IT THE DEEP STRUCTURE OF VALUES AND NORMS "OTH
ARE AMPLIlED AND REINFORCED IN INTERPERSONAL INTERACTIONS 4HE SMALL GROUP
OR IN A BUSINESS CONTEXT THE TEAMFURTHER MAGNIlES AND REINFORCES CULTURAL
CONlGURATIONS 4HE SAME THING HAPPENS AGAIN AT THE LARGER SOCIETAL LEVEL OR IN
A BUSINESS CONTEXT AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL
)T IS USEFUL FOR OUR PURPOSES TO DISTINGUISH FOUR INTERRELATED LEVELS OF CULTURE
4HE INDIVIDUAL INTERPERSONAL LEVEL 4HIS LEVEL IS THE PRIMARY BUILDING
BLOCK OF CULTURE )T IS AT THIS LEVEL THAT WE MOST SIGNIlCANTLY EXPERIENCE AND
CREATE CULTURE SPECIlCALLY THROUGH AND IN INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS 7E MAY
THINK OF OURSELVES AS REmECTIONS OF A SOCIETAL PATTERN OF VALUES AND NORMS
A REmECTION THAT WE EXHIBIT THROUGH OUR ACTIONS AND INTERACTIONS 4HROUGH
OURSELVES WE CAN BOTH BECOME AWARE OF THE LARGER SOCIETAL PATTERNS AND ALSO
EFFECT CULTURAL CHANGES THROUGH ACTIVE SHIFTS AND CHANGES IN THESE PATTERNS
4HE GROUP OR TEAM LEVEL 4HIS LEVEL REFERS TO SOCIAL GROUPINGS OF VARYING
SIZES AS WELL AS TO FUNCTIONALPROFESSIONAL GROUPS AND TEAMS %ACH SUCH
GROUP REQUIRES A SET OF VALUES AND NORMS IF IT IS TO BE COHESIVE !S OUR
INTERACTIONS SHAPE THE DYNAMICS OF THE GROUP OR TEAM OF WHICH WE ARE
MEMBERS WE AS INDIVIDUALS DIRECTLY AFFECT THE PATTERN OF VALUES AND NORMS
THAT DElNE THAT GROUP OR TEAM
4HE ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL 4HIS LEVEL IS A FURTHER AMPLIlCATION OF BASIC
CULTURAL THEMES AND CONlGURATIONS )T REPRESENTS THE DEEP PATTERNS OF
VALUES AND NORMS THAT DElNE SOCIETAL INSTITUTIONS INCLUDING BUSINESS
ORGANIZATIONS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER 7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
4HE SOCIETAL LEVEL 4HIS LEVEL INVOLVES THE DISTINCTIVE SET OF VALUES NORMS
PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS THAT DElNE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MEMBER OF THE
SOCIETY )T IS THE LARGEST FRAME IN WHICH WE FEEL MEMBERSHIP SUCH AS THE
NATION OR MODERN SOCIETY
6XPPDU\
7HEN ORGANIZATIONS GLOBALIZE THE SKILL BASE OF EVERY MANAGER CHANGES
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL AWARENESS BECOMES INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT
%VERY CULTURAL GROUP IS CHARACTERIZED BY A DISTINCT SET OF BEHAVIORAL NORMS
PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS !N EFFECTIVE TRAINING AND AWARENESS PROGRAM WILL
EMBRACE THESE DIFFERENCES AND IMPROVE THE ABILITY OF INDIVIDUALS TEAMS AND
ORGANIZATIONS TO PERFORM ACROSS A BROAD CULTURAL SPECTRUM -OST IMPORTANTLY IT
WILL ALSO ENABLE INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR FULLEST POTENTIAL
BY LEVERAGING THEIR UNIQUE EXPERIENCES PERSPECTIVES AND VIEWPOINTS FOR THE
COLLECTIVE BENElT OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS
$ERXW70&
4RAINING -ANAGEMENT #ORPORATION 4-# SERVES MORE THAN CORPORATIONS
FROM THE 'LOBAL &ORTUNE DELIVERING PRAGMATIC CONSULTING AND PERSONNEL
DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS THAT MEET THE OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES OF TODAYS
MULTICULTURAL GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT 4HROUGH IMPROVING BUSINESS
PERFORMANCE AND PRODUCTIVITY 4-#S CLIENTS ARE GUARANTEED A COMPETITIVE
ADVANTAGE
7ITH OFlCES IN THE 53 3INGAPORE AND "ELGIUM 4-# IS PROUD OF ITS
EXCEPTIONAL GROWTH AND UNPARALLELED CLIENT SATISFACTION AS A LEADING PROVIDER
OF GLOBAL ASSESSMENT TRAINING DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
IN MORE THAN COUNTRIES ACROSS CONTINENTS 4-# HAS ENSURED OVER
CONSECUTIVE YEARS OF PROlTABILITY BY RELYING ON ITS THREE OPERATING PRINCIPLES
/PTIMIZING 4EAM 0ERFORMANCE !CROSS #ULTURES $RIVING )NCLUSIVE ,EADERSHIP
AND "UILDING #ULTURAL #OMPETENCE &OR MORE INFORMATION GO TO
WWWTMCORPCOM
4HE #RITICAL 2OLE OF #ULTURE
7INNING IN THE 'LOBAL -ARKET
#ORRECT !NSWER TO 7ORKING WITH #ULTURAL $IFFERENCES
! 9OU HAVE INACCURATELY ASSUMED THAT THE COMPETITIVENESS USED AS MOTIVATION
AND AN INCENTIVE TO SALES FORCES IN THE 53! WILL HAVE THE SAME IMPACT WITH
MEMBERS OF A #HINESE SALES FORCE 3UCH AN APPROACH MAY BE UNPOPULAR WITH
THE #HINESE FOR AT LEAST TWO REASONS 4HE CULTURE IS MUCH MORE COOPERATIVE IN
NATURE THAN IN THE 53! USING ESTABLISHED NETWORKS TO ACCOMPLISH GOALS AND
THE #HINESE WOULD PREFER GROUP RECOGNITION TO HAVING INDIVIDUALS EXCEL
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %VOLUTION OF 'LOBAL -ARKETING
#HAPTER
%VOLUTION OF 'LOBAL -ARKETING
BY 3TEVE -ARSHALL
)T IS A FACT THAT COMPANIES LARGE AND SMALL ARE CONTINUOUSLY LOOKING FOR NEW WAYS
TO REACH DEEPER INTO MARKETS DOMESTICALLY AND MORE RECENTLY AROUND THE WORLD
!S MARKETS GLOBALIZE AND IN SOME WAYS BECOME MORE HOMOGENEOUS IT BECOMES
VITALLY IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY UNIQUE NICHES AND OPPORTUNITIES )N ORDER TO DO
3TEVEN -ARSHALL THIS COMPANIES MUST EFFECTIVELY DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES FROM THEIR COMPETITION
4HE .EW 'ROUP AND EVEN MORE CRITICALLY ARTICULATE THAT DIFFERENCE IN AN EFFECTIVE WAY THAT WILL
0RESIDENT RESONATE WITH VARIED AUDIENCES AND CULTURES
9OU MIGHT ASK h(OW DO YOU PREDICT THE BEHAVIOR OF A LOCAL AUDIENCE ESPECIALLY
3TEVE HAS SPENT MORE THAN
IF YOURE MARKETING ABROAD v )N THIS ARTICLE WE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT THE PROCESS OF
YEARS LEADING SUCCESSFUL
COMMUNICATING YOUR BRAND STORY AND THE INHERENT CHALLENGES THAT ARISE WHEN
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING YOU DECIDE TO TAKE THE PROCESS A STEP FURTHER INTO THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE 9OU
STRATEGY PROGRAMS FROM WILL SEE THAT IT IS IMPERATIVE TO APPROACH THE OPPORTUNITY KNOWING THE RULES WILL
BOTH CLIENT AND AGENCY BE DIFFERENT THAN YOUR IN HOME MARKET THAT YOU NEED TO EDUCATE YOURSELF ON
PERSPECTIVES (IS GLOBAL THE DIFFERENCES AND THAT YOU SHOULD EMBRACE COMPROMISE ,ASTLY BUT CRITICALLY
BUSINESS PERSPECTIVE IS IMPORTANT YOU MUST CHOOSE YOUR PARTNERS CAREFULLY ! GREAT PARTNER WILL KNOW THE
DElNED BY HAVING LIVED FOR LOCAL CONDITIONS THAT CAN POSITION YOU FOR SUCCESS
YEARS IN !SIA0ACIlC 3TEVE
/VER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS 4HE .EW 'ROUP WWW"E$IFFERENTCOM HAS NOTICED
IS mUENT IN *APANESE AND IS A
A SIGNIlCANT SHIFT IN THE WAY IN WHICH SUCCESSFUL BRANDS ARE COMMUNICATED &OR
FREQUENT SPEAKER AND ARTICLE
THE SAKE OF THIS DISCUSSION WE WILL TAKE THE LIBERTY OF DRAWING A DIRECT CORRELATION
CONTRIBUTOR ON MARKETING IN BETWEEN A COMPANYS BRAND AND ITS MARKETING OF ITS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
!SIA 0RIOR TO BEING AN OWNER 2EALISTICALLY A BRAND IS FAR MORE THAN JUST THE EXPRESSION OF ITS PRODUCT MARKETING
OF 4HE .EW 'ROUP 3TEVE WAS
RESPONSIBLE FOR SETTING UP AND (ISTORICALLY GLOBAL COMPANIES HAVE MARKETED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WITH WHAT
MANAGING TEAMS IN 3INGAPORE WE CALL AN h)T ISv METHODOLOGY 4HE THOUGHT BEING THAT IN ORDER TO COMPETE AND
*APAN !USTRALIA #HINA THEREFORE TO DIFFERENTIATE A BRAND THE MARKETING PLATFORM HAD TO BE EXTREMELY
DESCRIPTIVE USUALLY FOCUSED SINGULARLY ON &%!452%3 )N THE TECHNICAL SECTOR THIS
AND )NDIA FOR SEVERAL GLOBAL
IS KNOWN AS PROMOTING THE hSPEEDS AND FEEDSv -ARKETING TACTICS AND CAMPAIGNS
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING lRMS
HAVE BEEN IN ESSENCE DRIVEN BY A THEORY OF ONE UPMANSHIP VS THE COMPETITION
4HE SECOND PHASE OF MARKETING EVOLUTION HAS LED TO WHAT WE CALL THE h9OU
#ANv MINDSET FOCUSING ON WHAT ONE CAN ACHIEVE WITH THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE
#OMPANIES TRYING TO EVOLVE BEYOND THE COMPETITIVE REALM OF FEATURE SETS ARE NOW
OBSESSED WITH ARTICULATING THE "%.%&)43 OF THEIR BRAND PRODUCTS OR SERVICES
4RUTHFULLY THIS IS THE CORNERSTONE OF MOST COMPANIES GLOBAL MARKETING PROGRAMS
TODAY #AMPAIGNS TEND TO SHOW HOW USAGE EITHER ELIMINATES SOME KIND OF
ROADBLOCK OR PROVIDES AN APPEALING CONVENIENCE FACTOR !LTHOUGH THIS HAS
BEEN AN EFFECTIVE PLATFORM BOTH DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY WE ARE NOW
FACED WITH THE REALITY THAT MOST COMPANIES MARKET FROM A BENElTS PERSPECTIVE
THEREFORE ITS HARDER AND HARDER TO DISTINGUISH TRUE DIFFERENTIATION !S A RESULT
WE ARE NOW SEEING SIGNS ONCE AGAIN OF BRAND CONFUSION AND MESSAGE CLUTTER THAT
PREVIOUSLY OVERTOOK THE h)T ISv APPROACH
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %VOLUTION OF 'LOBAL -ARKETING
! RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF COMPANIES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY TAKEN THE LEAP TO THE
NEXT STAGE OF MARKETING EVOLUTION WHAT WE CALL THE h) FEELv PLATFORM 4HESE
COMPANIES HAVE A BOLD VISION TO DIFFERENTIATE BY CAPTURING A TRUE %-/4)/.!,
CONNECTION WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS 4HIS HAPPENS AT THE CAMPAIGN LEVEL WHEN
THERE IS AN EXTREMELY STRONG CONNECTION BETWEEN A POWERFUL TARGETED
MESSAGING PLATFORM THAT SPEAKS TO A GIVEN AUDIENCE NOT AT THE AUDIENCE
WITH A CAPTIVATING CREATIVE APPROACH THAT DRIVES THE VIEWER TO EXPERIENCE THE
BRAND )NTERNATIONAL COMPANIES LEAD THE WAY IN DEl NING THIS APPROACH )F
YOU HAVE EVER SEEN A %UROPEAN OR !SIAN ADVERTISEMENT YOU WILL UNDERSTAND
)N MANY CASES THEY RELY HEAVILY ON VISUAL STIMULATION AND ARE LIGHT ON HARD
SELL MESSAGING !UTOMOBILE MANUFACTURERS SUCH AS "-7 AND -ERCEDES "ENZ
AS WELL AS ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS $ISNEY AND 6IRGIN !TLANTIC HAVE DONE A
WONDERFUL JOB GETTING CUSTOMERS TO EMOTIONALLY CONNECT WITH THEIR BRANDS /N
PURELY A CAMPAIGN FRONT -ASTER#ARDS h&OR EVERYTHING ELSE THERES -ASTER#ARDv
SUCCEEDS AT THIS LEVEL AS DOES '%S h)MAGINATION AT 7ORKv
4HE .EW 'ROUP BELIEVES THAT THE l NAL STAGE AND THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF BRAND
EVOLUTION IS THAT OF h) AMv !T THIS LEVEL CUSTOMERS TRULY !33)-),!4% A
COMPANYS BRAND PROMISE AND VIRTUALLY FORM A SELF
IDENTITY ATTACHED TO THE
BRAND PRODUCT OR SERVICE 4O ACHIEVE THIS STATUS COMPANIES NEED A PROLONGED
SUCCESSFUL ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO THEIR CUSTOMERS
.EEDLESS TO SAY THIS DOESNT HAPPEN OVERNIGHT AND ITS ANYTHING BUT JUST
'LOBAL -ARKETING
%VOLUTION OF
MARKETING SUCCESS )T STEMS FROM A COMPANYS ABILITY TO DELIVER REPEATED
INNOVATION QUALITY AND LEADERSHIP IN ALL THAT IT DOES )T TAKES A CONSISTENT AND
EVOCATIVE MESSAGE THAT CAN BE ARTICULATED AT EVERY POSSIBLE CUSTOMER TOUCH
POINT 7HEN YOU THINK OF COMPANIES THAT HAVE DONE THIS GLOBALLY !PPLE
QUICKLY COMES TO MIND THEY ARE RENOWNED FOR OWNING TECHNOLOGY AND DESIGN
INNOVATION )N TRUTH !PPLE INVESTS CONSIDERABLE EFFORTS IN LIVING THIS BRANDS
PERSONALITY AS EACH PRODUCT CONFORMS TO THE IDEA OF CLEAN SIMPLE AND EASY TO
UNDERSTAND PRODUCT DESIGN 4HEIR INNOVATION HAS A WAY OF DRIVING NEW TRENDS
IN THE MARKET INSTEAD OF SIMPLY RESPONDING TO THEM
/THERS THAT OWN THIS ELITE RECOGNITION ARE .IKES h*UST DO ITv PLATFORM AND
#OCA
#OLAS h) FEEL #OKEvTO NAME A FEW
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %VOLUTION OF 'LOBAL -ARKETING
:KDWWRWKLQNDERXWZKHQPDUNHWLQJ
LQWHUQDWLRQDOO\
.OW THAT WE HAVE EXPLORED THE EVOLUTION OF MARKETING STRATEGY LETS DIG INTO
THE TOPIC OF HOW TO TAKE YOUR MARKETING PROGRAMS OVERSEAS !T 4HE .EW 'ROUP
WE SPECIALIZE IN THE PROCESS OF GUIDING CLIENTS THROUGH THE OFTEN CONFUSING AND
TURBULENT WATERS OF MARKETING ABROAD
/VER THE YEARS WE HAVE COME TO APPRECIATE THAT WHEN MARKETING ABROAD THERE
IS A LOT TO BE LEARNED FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF INTERNATIONAL COLLEAGUES ANDOR
PARTNERS )N MANY CASES THERE ARE BOTH LOCAL REALITIES AND MISCONCEPTIONS
THAT DRIVE THE OUTCOME OF A GIVEN MARKETING PROGRAMS SUCCESS 7HEN
COMMUNICATING ABROAD WE NEED TO REMEMBER THE REALITY THAT HUMANS
EVERYWHERE ARE ALL QUITE ETHNOCENTRIC IN THEIR BELIEFS AND APPROACHES
)N ORDER TO PROVIDE A TWO
SIDED OVERVIEW ON THE REALITIES OF INTERNATIONAL
MARKETING WE WILL PROVIDE SOME HYPOTHETICAL COMMENTARY BASED ON lRST HAND
EXPERIENCE ON HOW YOUR INTERNATIONAL COLLEAGUES OR AGENCY PARTNERS MAY
VIEW YOUR CHALLENGES FROM THEIR PERSPECTIVE )T IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THERE
IS A SIGNIlCANT DIFFERENCE IN THE EFFORT AND PROCESS REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT AN
ISOLATED ONE
TIME MARKETING TACTIC VS IMPLEMENTING A HOLISTIC CAMPAIGN THAT
HAS MULTIPLE CLIENT IMPRESSIONS OVER A PERIOD OF TIME
,ET US START FROM THE PRESUMPTION THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY EVALUATED THE BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY AND THAT YOU HAVE VALIDATED THE NEED TO MARKET IN A DIFFERENT
COUNTRY (ERE IS A SIMPLE GUIDE TO THE STEPS INVOLVED IN IMPLEMENTING A GLOBAL
MARKETING CAMPAIGN
$ISCOVERY5NDERSTAND THE MARKET CUSTOMER NEEDS AND THE
COMPETITIONLOCALIZE
$ElNITION#LEARLY DElNE THE OBJECTIVES STRATEGIES AND FRAMEWORK OF
SOLUTIONS FOR THE CAMPAIGN /BJECTIVES SHOULD BE 3-!24
A 3PECIlC
B -EASURABLE
C !TTAINABLE
D 2EALISTIC
E 4IMEFRAME
$EVELOPMENT%NSURE THE APPROPRIATE TIME REVIEW BUDGET AND RESOURCES
ARE AVAILABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY DELIVER THE PROJECT PLAN
$ELIVERY-ANAGE ALL PHASES AND ALL TACTICS OF PROGRAM EXECUTION AGAINST
THE CAMPAIGN PLAN AND BEGIN MEASURING THE PROGRAMS EFFECTIVENESS
IMMEDIATELY
$ISCOVERY0OST CAMPAIGN MEASUREMENT IS CRITICAL TO HAVING THE 2/) DATA
TO VALIDATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROGRAM WHICH ULTIMATELY DRIVES FUTURE
CAMPAIGN DECISION MAKING
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %VOLUTION OF 'LOBAL -ARKETING
7HEN THINKING OF GETTING STARTED COMPANIES TEND TO BE FACED WITH ONE OF THREE
REALITIES
9OU ALREADY HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE AND HAVE STAFF THAT CAN
BE LEVERAGED TO ASSIST IN
COUNTRY2EMEMBER THAT YOUR INTERNATIONAL
COLLEAGUES COME FROM DIFFERENT CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS AND WILL LIKELY
HAVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON WHAT WILL BE EFFECTIVE IN THEIR COUNTRY )T
IS ALSO HIGHLY LIKELY THAT THEY WILL HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS ON THE CRITERIA FOR
MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF A CAMPAIGN
#OMMENT FROM ABROAD
7HAT WORKS IN THE 53 DOES NOT NECESSARILY WORK HERE -Y 53
COLLEAGUES DO NOT LISTEN AND DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE REALITIES OF OUR
MARKET 7E ARE NOT EMPOWERED TO GIVE INPUT (OW CAN THE 53 DIRECT
ME ON WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY ARE NEVER HERE
7ISDOM YOU CAN USE
4HERE IS NO EASY WAY TO BALANCE THE NECESSITY TO BE LOCALLY RELEVANT WHILE
MAINTAINING CRITICAL GLOBAL CONTROL OF YOUR BRAND 4HE SUREST WAY TO BRIDGE
THE GAP IS TO KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUES KNOW THEIR COUNTRY AND SPEND VALUABLE
TIME IN
COUNTRY AND ON THE PHONE COLLABORATING WITH THEM AS YOU WOULD
WITH YOUR 53 COLLEAGUES $O NOT LET LANGUAGE OR FEAR OF A CULTURE YOU DO
NOT KNOW INHIBIT YOU FROM REACHING OUT 5LTIMATELY THERE WILL LIKELY BE
COMPROMISES YOU NEED TO MAKE IN ORDER TO DELIVER LOCALLY RELEVANT AND
GLOBALLY SUCCESSFUL MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
9OU HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE BUT STILL DESIRE AN AGENCY PARTNER
THAT WILL NOT JUST EXECUTE BUT SERVE TO PROTECT YOUR BRAND IN THE
MARKET 4HERE ARE GENERALLY THREE AVENUES FOR YOU TO PURSUE
A 4HE lRST IS CONTRACTING WITH A LARGE SCALE GLOBAL AGENCY THAT OFFERS OFlCES
IN MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES -OST OF THESE AGENCIES ARE PART OF ONE OF
A FEW LARGE CONGLOMERATES THAT MARKET THEMSELVES INDEPENDENTLY BUT
OFFER THEIR NETWORK OF INTERNAL SISTER AGENCIES FOR DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES AND
INTEGRATION OF TACTICS 4HE BENElTS OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE THAT YOU
GET VAST EXPERIENCE AND REACH INTO SEVERAL DIFFERENT MARKETS AS NEEDED
4HE DOWNSIDE TO THIS APPROACH IS THAT THESE ORGANIZATIONS ARE EXTREMELY
EXPENSIVE STRINGENT ON THEIR PROCESSES AND REQUIRED TIMELINES AND TYPICALLY
'LOBAL -ARKETING
%VOLUTION OF
THEIR NETWORK OF SISTER AGENCIES IS MUCH MORE LOOSELY CONNECTED THAN THEY
PROFESS )N MANY CASES THERE IS NO INCREASED lNANCIAL OR TIME VALUE THAN IF
YOU CONTRACTED WITH DIFFERENT GLOBAL AGENCIES ON YOUR OWN
B 4HE SECOND APPROACH IS TO PROCURE THE SERVICES OF A MID
SIZED AGENCY
LIKE 4HE .EW 'ROUP WWW"E$IFFERENTCOM !LTHOUGH MUCH RARER DUE
TO THE FACT THAT IT IS UNUSUAL TO lND A 53 BASED AGENCY WITH TRULY GLOBAL
EXPERIENCE THERE ARE SIGNIlCANT BENElTS )T IS INCREMENTALLY MORE DIFlCULT
TO lND AN AGENCY THAT CAN WORK ACROSS MULTIPLE MARKETING DISCIPLINES
.OT ONLY DO MID
SIZED AGENCIES OFFER SIGNIlCANT COST AND TIME SAVINGS BUT
THOSE THAT HAVE TEAMS WITH EXTENSIVE GLOBAL EXPERIENCE OFFER VALUABLE IN
COUNTRY CONNECTIONS TO ENSURE THAT CAMPAIGN LOCALIZATION AND TRANSLATION
ARE EFFECTIVELY COMPLETED )N FACT IT IS A REGULAR PRACTICE AT 4HE .EW 'ROUP
TO INTEGRATE OUR AGENCY STAFF WITHIN OUR ALLIANCE AGENCY PARTNERS OVERSEAS
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %VOLUTION OF 'LOBAL -ARKETING
DURING PROJECTS TO MELD THE BEST CAPABILITIES OF BOTH COUNTRIES /UR CLIENTS
ALSO APPRECIATE THE ABILITY WE HAVE TO KNOW THEIR BRAND GUIDELINES FROM A
53 PERSPECTIVE SO THAT WE CAN ACT TO PROTECT AND GROW THEIR BRAND IN THE
INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE
C 4HE THIRD OPTION IS TO STRIKE OUT ON YOUR OWN AND HIRE A LOCAL AGENCY
IN
COUNTRY 4HERE ARE VERY FEW BENElTS TO THIS APPROACH UNLESS YOU ARE
EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE AND BILINGUAL IN THE COUNTRY $EPENDING ON THE
COUNTRY YOU ARE ENGAGED WITH LOCAL AGENCIES CAN EITHER BE VERY INEXPENSIVE
OR EQUALLY EXPENSIVE TO THE LARGE SCALE GLOBAL AGENCIES ! WORD TO THE WISE
JUST BECAUSE YOU MEET SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS %NGLISH IT DOESNT MEAN THAT
THEY ARE QUALIlED TO STEWARD YOUR BRAND
#OMMENT FROM ABROAD FROM AN IN
COUNTRY AGENCY PERSPECTIVE
)NTERNATIONAL AGENCIES DONT KNOW THE MARKET AS WELL AS THEY THINK THEY
DO 7E CAN DO IT CHEAPER AND MORE EFFECTIVELY /UR ONLY DRAWBACK IS
LANGUAGE
7ISDOM YOU CAN USE
4HERE IS A MIX OF RESPECT AND SUSPICION FOR FOREIGN
OWNED AGENCIES
ABROAD )T IS CRITICAL TO INTERVIEW ANY AGENCY KNOW THEIR CAPABILITIES
AND THE TEAM THAT WILL BE ASSIGNED TO YOUR ACCOUNT 5LTIMATELY YOU
NEED TO FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE AGENCYS ABILITY TO DELIVER AN EFFECTIVE
LOCALIZED SOLUTION ON BUDGET AND ON TIME
9OU ARE NEW TO INTERNATIONAL MARKETING AND HAVE NO IDEA WHICH WAY
TO TURN)T IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU EDUCATE YOURSELF 4AKE THE TIME TO
BEGIN READING EVERYTHING YOU CAN ABOUT THE PEOPLE COUNTRY BUSINESS AND
MARKETING IN THE TARGET COUNTRY $O NOT ASSUME THAT YOUR 53 SKILLS ARE
IMMEDIATELY APPLICABLE IN THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET "EGIN THE PROCESS OF
BUILDING ALLIANCES WITH PEOPLE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS AND AGENCIES
THAT KNOW THE MARKET 5SE THESE CONTACTS AND CONVERSATIONS TO BUILD A
ROADMAP FOR SUCCESS IN THE COUNTRY $O NOT BE FOOLED INTO BELIEVING THAT
JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE KNOWS THE LANGUAGE OF A PARTICULAR COUNTRY OR THAT
THEY HAVE LIVED IN A PARTICULAR COUNTRY THAT THEY KNOW HOW TO MARKET OR DO
BUSINESS IN THAT COUNTRY "E INTUITIVE IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE TOPIC AS YOU
WOULD ANYTHING ELSE NEW AND LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLES MISTAKES ,ASTLY
SPEND AS MUCH TIME IN
COUNTRY AS YOU ARE ABLE 4RY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOUR
lRST VISIT ISNT ON THE DAY YOUR CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES
6XPPDU\
!S WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE ART OF ARTICULATING UNIQUE DIFFERENTIATION IN BUSINESS
AND IN MARKETING HAS BEGUN TO REQUIRE HIGHER LEVELS OF RElNEMENT AND
SUBTLETY )T IS THEREFORE LOGICAL THAT THE COMPLEXITIES OF lNDING A NEW NICHE OR
DEVELOPING A NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITY ARE INTENSIlED WHEN YOUR CORPORATE
VISION INVOLVES AN INTERNATIONAL MARKET .ATURALLY PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT
CULTURES ARE DIFFERENT AND THE BEHAVIORS OF PEOPLE ARE DIFFERENT -ARKETING
IS AN ART AN ART THAT WORKS WHEN YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL AT RESONATING WITH YOUR
TARGET AUDIENCES 4HIS CONNECTION IS SURELY AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION ONE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER %VOLUTION OF 'LOBAL -ARKETING
THAT REQUIRES YOU TO EITHER KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE WELL ENOUGH TO PREDICT THEIR
BEHAVIOR OR TO PARTNER WITH SOMEONE THAT DOES !FTER ALL SPEAKING TO A TARGET
AUDIENCE WITH THE CONSISTENCY AND CLARITY REQUIRED FOR THEM TO ASSIMILATE YOUR
BRAND PROMISE IS A CHALLENGE EVEN IN YOUR HOME MARKET
$ERXW7KH1HZ*URXS
#OMPLACENT 2EACTIVE 5NREMARKABLE .O BUSINESS WANTS TO BE THERE BUT
SOMEHOW IT HAPPENS 4HATS WHY PRODUCTS OFTEN SEEM SO SIMILAR AND BRANDS
ARE SO INTERCHANGEABLE "UT THERES AN ESCAPE CLAUSE FROM SAMENESS )TS CALLED
DIFFERENT
7HEN YOU WIELD THE POWER OF DIFFERENT YOU CHANGE THE GAME $IFFERENT
GIVES YOU A NEW SPACE TO OWN A UNIQUE STORY TO TELL 4HE ABILITY TO MAKE NEW
CONNECTIONS AND BUILD LOYALTY 4HE POWER OF DIFFERENT IS IN YOU 4HE .EW
'ROUP EXISTS TO LIBERATE IT
4HE .EW 'ROUP IS A TEAM OF CREATIVE STRATEGISTS CRAFTSMEN AND INNOVATORS
DRAWN TOGETHER TO DEVELOP UNIQUE COMPELLING BUSINESS STORIES AND CREATE
DIGITAL MEDIA TO COMMUNICATE THEM 7HILE YOUR COMPETITORS SPEAK AT YOUR
AUDIENCES WE HELP YOU TO SPEAK TO THEM 7HERE ORDINARY MARKETING TRIES TO
SELL A PRODUCT WE POSITION YOUR BRAND FOR DISTINCTIVE PREFERENCE
!RE YOU READY TO BE DIFFERENT 4HEN LETS GET STARTED
3TEVE -ARSHALL
3TEVEMARSHALL THENEWGROUPCOM
WWWTHENEWGROUPCOM
'LOBAL -ARKETING
%VOLUTION OF
*APANESE PIE DESCRIPTION
,EAF PIE
4HIS IS EXCELLENT PIE MADE WITH THE
ADVANTAGES OF MILK AND FRESH BUTTER 9OU WILL ENJOY
FRESH AND DELICIOUS PIE OF ANYTIME
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &AST &ORWARD
#HAPTER
&AST &ORWARD
4HE &UTURE OF
4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
BY ,AUREL 7AGERS
4RANSLATORS AND LOCALIZERS WORK LIKE ALL OF US IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE
DEMANDS ARE CHANGING AND THE TOOLS WITH WHICH TO MEET THOSE DEMANDS ARE
,AUREL 7AGERS CHANGING AS WELL )N THIS BOOK ,INGO 3YSTEMS TEAM MEMBERS HAVE DESCRIBED
-ULTI,INGUAL )NC
THE STATE OF THEIR ART SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCES AND GENEROUSLY GIVEN THE KIND
-ANAGING %DITOR
OF ADVICE THAT WILL HELP CLIENTS PLAN CONDUCT AND EVALUATE PROJECTS 4HIS
SOLID INFORMATION CAN REMOVE HESITATION CLEAR UP UNCERTAINTY AND PROVIDE A
) HAVE A FOUR FOOT SHELF FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS EFFORTS
OF LANGUAGE BOOKS AT
HOME 4HEYRE FASCINATING ,ANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED ENORMOUSLY IN RECENT YEARS 5SERS OF MAJOR
5NFORTUNATELY OWNING THEM OPERATING SYSTEMS SELECT THEIR LANGUAGE FROM A MENU FONTS ARE AVAILABLE THAT
HAS NOT BEEN ENOUGH TO INCLUDE ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THE 5NICODE ENCODING SCHEME AND THE 0$& FORMAT
MAKE ME MULTILINGUAL "UT IN WITH EMBEDDED FONTS HAS MADE MULTILINGUAL DOCUMENTS AND WEBSITES NOT ONLY
POSSIBLE BUT PRACTICABLE 7INDOWS -ACINTOSH AND ,INUX USERS ALL HAVE THE
WORKING AT THE INTERSECTION
TOOLS TO WORK IN THE WORLDS MAJOR LANGUAGES AND SCRIPTS AS WELL AS MANY THAT
OF LANGUAGE AND TECHNOLOGY
ARE LESS COMMONLY USED $EVELOPERS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE THE MEANS AND
) LEARN SOMETHING EVERY DAY
MOTIVATION TO CREATE SOFTWARE IN THEIR LANGUAGES OF CHOICE FOR USE NOT JUST ON
!ND THATS FUN DESKTOPS BUT ON MOBILE DEVICES 4RANSLATION TOOLS ARE DEVELOPING TO KEEP UP
WITH THE CONSTANTLY INCREASING mOOD OF INFORMATION BEING SHIPPED AROUND THE
WORLD IN EVER MORE VARIED FORMATS
)NTERNATIONALIZATION AND SUPPORT OF MULTIPLE LANGUAGES ARE NO LONGER hNICE TO
HAVEv SOFTWARE OPTIONS BUT NECESSITIES -ANY CLIENTS REQUIRE THESE TECHNOLOGIES
AND IF THE MAJOR SOFTWARE COMPANIES DONT PROVIDE VERSIONS FOR THEIR LANGUAGES
INDEPENDENT DEVELOPERS WILL -ULTILINGUALISM IS RAPIDLY BECOMING A hGIVEN v A
QUALITY THAT IS ASSUMED AND A PRODUCT WILL BE CONSIDERED DElCIENT WITHOUT IT
7UDQVODWLRQ
4HE FUNDAMENTALS OF TRANSFERRING INFORMATION AND IDEAS FROM ONE LANGUAGE TO
ANOTHER ARE SIMPLE 3PEAKER OR WRITER IN LANGUAGE ! REACHES LISTENER OR READER IN
LANGUAGE " # OR - THROUGH THE WORK OF AN INTERPRETER OR TRANSLATOR WHO KNOWS
BOTH THE SOURCE ! AND TARGET "#- LANGUAGE 4HIS MUCH STAYS THE SAME
WHETHER THE TOOLS ARE PEN AND PAPER OR DIGITAL DISPLAYS (OW THAT TRANSLATION
TAKES PLACE HOWEVER IS CHANGING RAPIDLY AS THIS GUIDE HAS MADE CLEAR
7HEREVER THE SOURCE LANGUAGE SPEECH BOOK OR ELECTRONIC lLE INPUT COMES
FROM A TRANSLATOR WORKS WITH DICTIONARIES WRITING INSTRUMENT PEN TYPEWRITER
COMPUTERAND A READABLE MEDIUMPAPYRUS VELLUM PAPER ELECTRONIC
lLETHE OUTPUT METHOD 7ORKING WITH ELECTRONIC TOOLS INTRODUCES A NUMBER OF
NEW ELEMENTS IN THE WORKmOW 4RANSLATION MEMORY 4- ALLOWS THE TRANSLATOR
TO LOOK BACK AT A DATABASE OF PREVIOUS WORK .OW USING WEB BASED TOOLS AND
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &AST &ORWARD
EXCHANGE FORMATS TRANSLATORS COLLABORATE ON GLOBAL PROJECTS WITHOUT LEAVING
THEIR OFlCES OR BUYING NEW SOFTWARE 4HE TRANSLATOR IS OFTEN CALLED ON TO WORK
WITH MACHINE TRANSLATION SOFTWARE THAT hPRE
TRANSLATESv TEXT BEFORE IT REACHES
HIM OR HER AND THE TRANSLATORS ROLE SOMETIMES BECOMES THAT OF POST
EDITOR
!LL THIS CHANGES THE SPECIlC STEPS IN THE PROCESS AND MAY INCREASE A TRANSLATORS
SPEED BUT DOES NOT ALTER THE TIME
HONORED mOW SOURCE
LANGUAGE TEXT EXPERT
TRANSLATOR CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TOOLS TARGET
LANGUAGE TEXT
'IVEN THAT THE BASIC EQUATION REMAINS THE SAME WHAT TRENDS ARE AFFECTING
TRANSLATION AND LOCALIZATION TODAY
(ERE ARE A FEW COMMODIlCATION COLLABORATION AND SOME INTERESTING
DEVELOPMENTS IN NICHES REVERSES AND hBLOWBACKv
&RPPRGLWLHV
/NE TREND AT PRESENT IS THE COMMODIlCATION OF TRANSLATIONCONSIDERING
TRANSLATION A PRODUCT OR A STANDARDIZED COMPONENT OF A PROJECT 4RANSLATION AND
LOCALIZATION TYPICALLY REQUIRE A FRACTION OF OF A PROJECT BUDGET FOR EVEN THE
MOST COMPLEX SOFTWARE PRODUCTS AND WEBSITES
$ECISION MAKERS WHO UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE ISSUES KNOW THAT LANGUAGE QUALITY
IS WORTH THE INVESTMENT GOOD LOCALIZATION TYPICALLY RESULTS IN REVENUE INCREASES
MANY TIMES GREATER THAN THE COST OF THE WORK "UT SOME CLIENTS EMPHASIZE PRICE
ABOVE OTHER FACTORS )F LANGUAGE IS A COMMODITY AND IF QUALITY IS IRRELEVANT OR
ACTUALLY CAN BE STANDARDIZED THEN PERHAPS PRICE IS A MAJOR FACTOR "UT SHORT
TERM SAVINGS FROM USING FREE ONLINE TRANSLATION ENGINES OR DICTIONARY LOOKUP
MAY BE OFFSET BY LONG
TERM LOSSES IF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES ARE POORLY REPRESENTED
IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE !ND WHILE OUTSOURCING AND OFFSHORING ARE SOMETIMES
SEEN AS WAYS TO SAVE MONEY SKILLED TRANSLATORS MUST BE PAID FAIRLY WHEREVER
THEY ARE 'OOD TRANSLATION SOFTWARE REQUIRES AN INVESTMENT IN hTRAININGv WITH
SPECIALIZED DICTIONARIES RULES AND DATABASES TO PRODUCE TRANSLATIONS THAT
PEOPLE THEN CAN POST
EDIT
/NE ASPECT OF TRANSLATION THAT HAS POSITIVE POTENTIAL AS A COMMODITY HOWEVER
IS THE MATERIAL IN 4-S PREVIOUSLY TRANSLATED TEXT THAT COULD BE LICENSED
SOMEWHAT LIKE A SPECIALIZED DICTIONARY &ORWARD
&AST
7HFKQRORJLHV
4HE DEVICES PEOPLE CARRY WITH THEM ARE SHRINKING AND MORE OF THEM COMBINE
FUNCTIONSMAKING PHONE CALLS SURlNG THE INTERNET TAKING PICTURES WATCHING
VIDEOS AND LISTENING TO MUSIC FOR EXAMPLE !T LEAST ONE CAMERA MODEL
INCLUDES A PROGRAM TO TRANSLATE PHOTOGRAPHED WORDS 3TANDARDS AND EXCHANGE
FORMATS SUCH AS (4-, 8-, 3'-, AND 4-8 REDUCE THE FRICTION BETWEEN
OPERATING SYSTEMS 4HE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 3EMANTIC 7EB IS EXPECTED TO HELP
COMPUTERS READ AND WRITE TO ONE ANOTHER CREATING AN ELECTRONIC hGLOBAL MINDv
THAT ANALYZES SIFTS AND RECOMBINES INFORMATION ON ITS OWNIN ANY LANGUAGE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &AST &ORWARD
(ANDHELD PERSONAL PHRASE TRANSLATORS ARE IN USE IN MILITARY AND MEDICAL
SITUATIONSNOT REPLACING INTERPRETERS BUT lLLING IN FOR THEM IN EMERGENCIES
4HE 3TAR 4REK UNIVERSAL TRANSLATOR IS NOT JUST SCIENCE lCTION IT IS IN
DEVELOPMENT
/NLY A FEW YEARS INTO THE CELL PHONEPAGER3-3 EVOLUTION INCREASINGLY
SOPHISTICATED LANGUAGE TECHNOLOGY IS EMBEDDED IN OUR LIVES -ULTILINGUAL
INSTANT MULTIMEDIA MESSAGING IS LAUNCHING THROUGH SEVERAL WIRELESS PHONE
COMPANIES ! FEW YEARS AGO THAT WAS A GOAL IN ITS A NEW FEATURE AND BY
IT WILL BE A BASIC PART OF PHONE AND TEXT MESSAGE SERVICE 4EXT A NOTE TO THE
4OKYO OFlCE IN YOUR LANGUAGE OF CHOICE SAY %NGLISH YOUR COUNTERPART READS IT
IN *APANESE OR 2USSIAN OR (INDI AND REPLIES IN THAT LANGUAGE AND YOU READ THE
REPLY IN %NGLISH 4HE 3TAR 4REK UNIVERSAL COMMUNICATOR DRAWS CLOSER TO REALITY
!NOTHER FACTOR IN THIS CHANGING WORKSCAPE IS ENORMOUS VOLUMES OF MATERIAL TO
BE TRANSLATED !S COUNTRIES HAVE JOINED THE %UROPEAN 5NION %5 KEEPING UP
WITH TRANSLATION OF OFlCIAL DOCUMENTS HAS CREATED SOME NEW WAYS OF WORKING
)N SOME CASES TRANSLATORS WORK THROUGH PIVOT LANGUAGES%STONIAN &RENCH
OR %NGLISH 'REEK FOR EXAMPLERATHER THAN DIRECTLY BETWEEN %STONIAN AND
'REEK
!N IMPORTANT ASPECT OF DEALING WITH MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF DOCUMENTATION TO BE
TRANSLATED IS WRITING WITH TRANSLATION IN MIND 4HIS BEGINS WITH CLEAR CONCISE
WELL
WRITTEN SOURCE
LANGUAGE TEXT $OCUMENTATION THAT IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND IN
ONE LANGUAGE IS NOT LIKELY TO BE IMPROVED BY A FAITHFUL TRANSLATION INTO ANOTHER
3TRATEGIES INCLUDE USE OF CONTROLLED LANGUAGE COLLABORATION USE OF 4-S AND THE
USE OF EVER
MORE
SOPHISTICATED TRANSLATION TOOLS TO PROCESS THE SOURCE
LANGUAGE
CONTENT
%XVLQHVV
(OW WILL THE TRANSLATION
LOCALIZATION
INTERNATIONALIZATION
GLOBALIZATION
INDUSTRY CHANGE AND DEVELOP &IRST INDIVIDUAL TRANSLATORS WILL ALWAYS HAVE A
PLACE 4HEY WILL WORK INDEPENDENTLY IN TEAMS THROUGH AGENCIES OR DIRECTLY
WITH CLIENTS 4HEY WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH ALL THE TOOLS AVAILABLE SUCH
AS 4- WHICH REDUCES REPETITIVE WORK CONTENT MANAGEMENT AND WORKmOW
TECHNOLOGIES WHICH HELP ORGANIZE LARGE PROJECTS AND SPEECH
TO
TEXT WHICH
HELPS ITS USER TO PRODUCE DOCUMENTS WITH LESS PHYSICAL EFFORT
3ECOND WHILE MERGERS ACQUISITION AND CONSOLIDATION WILL UNDOUBTEDLY
CONTINUE hBIGNESSv HAS ITS OWN LIMITATIONS )NNOVATIVE AND SPECIALIZED
COMPANIES AND INDIVIDUALS WILL lND NICHES IN WHICH THEY CAN BUILD CAREERS
SERVING WHAT HAS BEEN CALLED THE hLONG TAILvTHE RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF
CUSTOMERS WHO NEED PARTICULAR LANGUAGES FOR SPECIlC BUSINESSES !GAIN THE
INTERNET ALLOWS SPECIALISTS AND THEIR POTENTIAL CLIENTS TO lND EACH OTHER WHICH
MEANS THAT EVEN MICROBUSINESSES CAN HAVE MAJOR EXPOSURE
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
#HAPTER &AST &ORWARD
&ROODERUDWLRQ
/NE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS THANKS TO THE INTERNET
HAS BEEN THE RAPID INCREASE IN COLLABORATIVE BUSINESS AND DEVELOPMENT
EFFORTS /PEN
SOURCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT IS A WELL
KNOWN EXAMPLE THAT
HAS PRODUCED ALL KINDS OF SOFTWARE FROM THE ,INUX OPERATING SYSTEM DOWN
TO TIME
CARD PROGRAMS /THER FORMS INCLUDE NETWORKED TRANSLATION PROJECTS
WEB SEMINARS WEB
BASED MEETING APPLICATIONS WIKIS SUCH AS 7IKIPEDIA
MULTIPLAYER GAMES MOVIES TERMINOLOGY DATABASES PRESERVATION OF ENDANGERED
LANGUAGES AN OPEN SUBTITLING APPLICATION AND ALL MANNER OF lLE
SHARING
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LICENSE THAT ALLOWS USERS TO CHANGE ANDOR SHARE
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RETRANSLATE WORDS AND PHRASES PREVIOUSLY MODIFY AND REDISTRIBUTE THE SOFTWARE AS WELL AS 3CREEN SHOTS
'LOSSARY
TRANSLATED 4HE PROCESS OF USING ONE TRANSLATION THE RIGHT TO PACKAGE AND SELL THE SOFTWARE
FOR REPEATED SECTIONS OF TEXT ! GRAPHIC IMAGE OF WHAT IS SEEN ON THE COMPUTER
/UTSOURCE SCREEN /FTEN USED IN USERS MANUALS TO SHOW
,OCALIZATION 4O HIRE A THIRD PARTY PROVIDER TO PERFORM TASKS HOW AN APPLICATION LOOKS ON THE SCREEN !LSO
!DAPTING A SOFTWARE DOCUMENT OR 7EB SITE OR SERVICES OFTEN PERFORMED IN HOUSE 4HE CALLED hSCREENCAPS v hSCREEN CAPTURES v OR
PRODUCT TO VARIOUS MARKETS OR LOCALITIES SO THIRD PARTY PROVIDER IS THEN REFERRED TO AS THE h3#!03v
THAT IT SEEMS NATURAL TO THAT PARTICULAR REGION OUTSOURCER 3%!
4HIS MAY REQUIRE A VARIETY OF STEPS INCLUDING
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FOR NUMBERS AND DATES AND REPLACING CULTURALLY 0ICTURE %LEMENT /NE DOT ON A COMPUTER SCREEN ITSELF 5SED ON A -AC /3
INAPPROPRIATE GRAPHICS OR SYSTEM DESIGN 4HE SMALLEST IMAGE FORMING UNIT ON A DISPLAY
SCREEN
4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
'LOSSARY
3EARCH ENGINE 3EE ALSO 3OURCE CODE 4RANSLATION MEMORY 4-
! PROGRAM DESIGNED TO HELP lND INFORMATION ! DATABASE IN WHICH PREVIOUS TRANSLATIONS AND
3OURCE LANGUAGE
STORED ON A COMPUTER SYSTEM SUCH AS THE 7ORLD CORRESPONDING SOURCE TEXT ARE STORED FOR FUTURE
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ENGINE ALLOWS A USER TO ASK FOR CONTENT MEETING LANGUAGE WITH THESE PRIOR TRANSLATIONS THROUGH THE USE
SPECIlC CRITERIA TYPICALLY THOSE CONTAINING A 3TRING TAGS OF DATABASE TECHNOLOGY 4HE MATCHING PROCESS
GIVEN WORD PHRASE OR NAME AND RETRIEVES A IDENTIlES NEW TEXT FUZZY MATCHES AND
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WILL BE ADDED &OR %XAMPLE hSv ANOTHER 7ORKBENCH TO MANAGE THIS PROCESS
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3EE ALSO 42!$/3 4RANSLATORS 7ORKBENCH
! SET OF METHODS AIMED AT IMPROVING THE RANKING 3TRINGS
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A 7EB SITE BY IMPROVING THE NUMBER AND POSITION DESIGNED TO SIMPLIFY AND AUTOMATE THE PROCESS OF
OF ITS ORGANIC SEARCH RESULTS FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF SUCH AS ERROR MESSAGES BUTTON LABELS ETC /FTEN
STRINGS ARE ENCLOSED IN SINGLE OR DOUBLE QUOTES CONVERTING TRANSLATION MEMORIES 4-S FROM ONE
RELEVANT KEYWORDS FORMAT TO ANOTHER
3TRINGS NEED TO BE TRANSLATED IF THEY CONTAIN TEXT
3EGMENT THAT WILL BE SEEN BY THE USER 3EE ALSO 4RANSLATION MEMORY
4HE BASIC UNIT OF SOURCE TEXT AS IDENTIlED BY 3TYLE SHEET 4RANSLATION 5NIT 45
A TRANSLATION TOOL THAT CAN BE ALIGNED WITH A ! SINGLE SEGMENT PAIR OF SOURCE AND TRANSLATED
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AND LAYOUT OF A DOCUMENT #ONTAINS INSTRUCTIONS TEXT STORED IN THE TRANSLATION MEMORY
MEMORY ! SEGMENT IS COMMONLY DElNED AS
THE CONTENT FROM ONE PARAGRAPH BREAK TO THE FOR MARGINS FONTS PAGE SIZE SPACING ETC !IDS
5NICODE
NEXT USUALLY A SENTENCE BUT A SEGMENT CAN IN THE CONSISTENT APPEARANCE OF PAGES IN A LARGE
DOCUMENT !LSO KNOWN AS A STYLE GUIDE ! WORLDWIDE STANDARD FOR ENCODING MODERN AND
BE A HEADER ITEMS IN A LIST CELLS IN A TABLE A CLASSICAL WRITTEN TEXT IN VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE WORLDS
PARAGRAPH ETC 4ERMINOLOGY LIST LANGUAGES 5NICODE IDENTIlES A UNIQUE NUMBER
3EE ALSO 4RANSLATION MEMORY 4HE TERMINOLOGY LIST IS CREATED AS A REFERENCE FOR FOR EVERY CHARACTER INDEPENDENT OF OPERATING
LINGUISTS TRANSLATORS AND IS USUALLY SPECIlC TO A SYSTEM PLATFORM OR LANGUAGE 4HIS ALLOWS DATA
3EMANTIC 7EB FROM SEVERAL LANGUAGES TO BE TRANSPORTED ACROSS
PROJECT )T PROVIDES THE LINGUISTS WITH THE %NGLISH
!N EXTENSION OF THE 7ORLD 7IDE 7EB THAT PROVIDES SOURCE WORD AND THE TARGET LANGUAGE EQUIVALENT DIFFERENT SERVER OR COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS
A COMMON FRAMEWORK ALLOWING DATA TO BE SHARED 4ERMINOLOGY LISTS ARE CREATED BY THE LINGUISTS AND WITHOUT FEAR OF CORRUPTION
AND RE USED ACROSS APPLICATION ENTERPRISE AND APPROVED BY THE CLIENT PRIOR TO TRANSLATION ! LIST
COMMUNITY BOUNDARIES )T IS BASED ON 2ESOURCE 6ERIlCATION TESTING
OF TERMS AND DESCRIPTIONS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR
$ESCRIPTION &RAMEWORK 2$& WHICH INTEGRATES A EACH SPECIlC CASE #ONlRMATION OF ANY TESTABLE REQUIREMENT
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52,S FOR NAMING 3EE ALSO 'LOSSARY
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-ANUALLY OR ELECTRONICALLY PULLING TEXT OUT OF A
3EE ALSO 8-, AND (4-, SOURCE lLE 1UARK )LLUSTRATOR 0$& AND PLACING IT NAME OF THE APPLICATION THAT RUNS 7INDOWS HELP
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3IMPLIlED #HINESE
! #HINESE CHARACTER SET USED IN MAINLAND #HINA 4RACKING 8,)&& 8-, ,OCALIZATION )NTERCHANGE
AND 3INGAPORE MODIlED TO BE WRITTEN WITH FEWER &ILE &ORMAT
4HE AVERAGE SPACE BETWEEN CHARACTERS IN A BLOCK
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3EE ALSO 4RADITIONAL #HINESE OF DATA AND HAS FEATURES FOR UPDATING STRINGS
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3INGLE SOURCING 4RADITIONAL #HINESE LOCALIZATION PROCESS WORD COUNT CALCULATIONS THE
! METHOD OF USING ONE SOURCE OF STORED CONTENT TO PROVISION OF ALTERNATIVE OR SUGGESTED LANGUAGE
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GENERATE MULTIPLE TYPES OF DOCUMENTS ON MULTIPLE TRANSLATIONS AMONG OTHERS 8,)&& IS AN OPEN
IN MAINLAND #HINA AND 3INGAPORE 4HIS SET IS
PLATFORMS STANDARD
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QUALITY ACCEPTED FORMAT FOR CREATING AND TAGGING
SHOWING HOW SIMILARLY TRANSLATED SENTENCES
3EE ALSO 3CALING DOCUMENTS AND DATA FOR DISPLAY ON THE 7EB )T
WERE TRANSLATED 4HIS SOFTWARE PROGRAM IS USED
WAS DEVELOPED AND IS ADMINISTERED BY THE 7ORLD
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4HE HUMAN READABLE CODE THAT IS COMPILED TO WORD lLE (ELPS TO ASSURE CONSISTENCY AND REDUCE 3EE ALSO (4-, AND 3'-,
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3OURCE lLE INTO A TARGET LANGUAGE !N UNDERSTANDING OF
! lLE CONTAINING THE SOURCE MATERIAL THAT IS THE CONTEXT OR MEANING OF THE SOURCE LANGUAGE
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4HE 'UIDE TO 4RANSLATION AND ,OCALIZATION
The Guide to Translation
and Localization
Communicating with the Global Marketplace
Lingo Systems and MultiLingual Computing are pleased to present the sixth edition of our award-winning
book, The Guide to Translation and Localization. Over the last eight years we have distributed more than 20,000
copies worldwide. We are often told by readers that they consider it to be the definitive source for information
about translation and localization. While accolades are always flattering, our objectives in creating “The Guide”
remain unchanged: to present clear, effective solutions that reduce costs, save time, and educate the marketplace
®
about the localization process.
For those who are new to localization, we define key terms, explain various options for translating materials,
identify issues to consider when procuring localization services, describe the localization process itself, and
®
provide many tips to control costs and improve quality. Localization veterans will find discussions about
The Guide to Translation and Localization
integrating content management systems, automating workflows, and multi-media localization. Learn how you
too can maximize the ROI from your localization dollars.
The Guide to Translation and Localization was published using the AuthorIT single-source
content management system. See www.author-it.com for more information.
About Lingo Systems
Lingo Systems, a division of Coto Global Solutions, provides customer-focused solutions to help global
companies reach new markets.
• Translation and localization • Interpretation (170 languages)
• Quality assurance testing • Cultural training and assessment
• Multi-media / Flash engineering • Integration of content management solutions
• Internationalization consulting • Global branding and marketing
As one of the largest language service providers in the world, Lingo Systems supports more than
100 languages and can easily handle any size or type of project. What truly differentiates us, however,
is our focus on customer satisfaction. Our unparalleled metrics tell the story:
- Lingo Systems has never caused a late release, ever!
- 97% of our customers rate us a 6 out of 6 in satisfaction surveys.
For more information, see www.lingosys.com or contact Lingo Systems at 800-878-8523 / info@lingosys.com.
6th Edition
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