Technical
Documentation
Title of presentation
Localization
[date] | Prepared
tcworld
for
Verint
Conference,
Presented
2009 by Ora Solomon
www.acclaro.com
I ©|
Acclaro
Inc. 2009
Presented by: Satu Suomalainen, Acclaro
1
Agenda
> Definitions
> Translation Support Tools
• Glossaries
• Translation Memory
> Best practices for Content Creation
• Global English
• Best practices for images
• DTP checklist
> Across the Enterprise
• How best practices reduce localization costs over time
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
2
Definitions
> Translation (t9n)
• Interpreting the meaning and message of text in one language
(“source text”) and producing an equivalent text in another
(“target text”)
> Localization (l10n)
• Adaptation of both aesthetic and textual assets for targeted
local markets to create a “look and feel” appropriate for a
specific market
• Translation is a core requirement for achieving localization.
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
3
Localization – A Step Beyond Translating
> Localization (l10n) includes:
•
•
•
•
Translation of contents to make it appropriate for a local market
Local “flavoring,” understanding & sensitivity
Modifying graphic, multimedia and visual elements for local markets
Aesthetics
ƒ Layout/Styling
– Page size
ƒ Proper display of non-English scripts
ƒ Font “Matching”
– What is the equivalent of Arial in Japanese?
• Quality Assurance of the final contents from
a linguistic and aesthetic perspective
> Think of “Localization” as one step past simply translating
• Creating a visually, culturally correct product for an audience united by
national borders, culture and/or language
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
4
Translation Support Tools
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
5
CAT Tools
> CAT is Computer Assisted Translation
• A general category for all computer tools that assist the
translator in the performance of translation or translationrelated tasks
• Human Translator + Computer Assistant
> CAT is not Machine Translation (MT)
• Computer Translator + Human Assistant
In short, CATs can’t translate!
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
6
Glossary Tips
> Why do I need a glossary?
•
•
•
•
•
Guide for translation team
Buy-in from in-country reviewers
Consistency of terms
Reduce risk of error
Knowledge asset
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
7
Glossary Tips
> Establish a glossary of English terminology
up front
•
•
•
•
•
Corporate/product nomenclature
Abbreviations
Metaphors, strange terminology or compound noun phrases
Terms that remain in English
Generally accepted “lingo”
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
8
What is Translation Memory
> Translation Memory (TM) is simply a database
that stores pairs of source and translated
sentences for future retrieval.
I am a translation
of the sentence
I am a sentence
I am a sentence
I am a translation
of the sentence
DATABASE
I am a sentence
I am a translation
of the sentence
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
9
Like a Recycle Bin?!
• In essence, an automated
“recycle bin” for
translations
• Every document you
translate is broken down
into sentence “chunks” and
added to the bin
• Translations stored in the
bin can be recycled at any
time before or during
translation
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
10
Benefits of TM
> Translators don’t have to translate the same thing twice
• Once “I am a sentence” is translated it never has to be translated
from scratch again
ƒ Reduced pricing for this “leveraged” content
> Reduces time required for translators to perform
non-translation tasks
• No need to manually search for previous translations of “I am a
sentence”; no cut/paste
ƒ Faster turnaround time on updates of content or any similar
content
> Translators deal with fewer words
• Once " I am a sentence" is translated once, each subsequent
appearance is translated in whole or in part leaving only untranslated
content to be reviewed and edited.
ƒ Fewer words = less cost & less time
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
11
Best Practices for
Content Creation
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
12
Use “Global English”
> Allows for clarity – even for native speakers
> Global English is a way of being conscious of what you’re writing
• Consider a “global” audience… could this be confusing?
> GOAL: Making the original English text clear to a non-native
speaker
• Even with perfect knowledge of English, confusion can result
ƒ “The Fixed Securities Fund portfolio has reduced the term of its
investments to match the average length to maturity of the
government bond market as a whole.”
ƒ “The message wasn’t lost, touch wood” – British English
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
13
Benefits of Global English
> The Three “C”s
• Clear
• Concise
• Consistent
> Saving time and money
> Increased quality of translation
• Better “value for money”
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
14
Be Clear
> Avoid metaphors, idiomatic phrases, slang or sport
references
> Use verbs with a limited range of meanings, avoid
idiomatic multi-word verbs
> Avoid using famous quotes, poems or literary passages
to convey your message…especially the “zen-like” ones
> Use bulleted lists whenever possible
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
15
Be Concise, Be Consistent
> Be concise, avoid verbose phrasing. Just say what you
mean.
> Break up lengthy noun phrases if they are not part of
the glossary
> Create a glossary up front
> Consistent use of terminology, writing style and “voice”
> Write in short, clear sentences
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
16
Best Practices for Images
> Keep text out of artwork/graphs/charts
whenever possible
> Avoid screenshots whenever possible
> Replace locale-specific images
> Store all image assets in a separate folder
and link whenever possible
> Store “screen captures” and “artwork”
separately
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
17
Preparing for Publishing – Checklist
> Have you …
•
•
•
•
•
•
frozen content?
prepared for text expansion?
linked graphics?
provided editable source files?
compressed your files?
provided specs?
> Internal vs External Use
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
18
Localization Across the Enterprise
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
19
Across the Enterprise
> Localization Process
• Identify steps
• Identify the owners
> Education is key
• Content creation is part of the localization process
• Writers need to understand the impact of their work
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
20
Across the Enterprise
> What should be looked at
• Glossaries
• Standardize terminology and style guides
• Translation Memory (TM) strategy
ƒ Legacy Translations
> How best practices reduce localization costs
over time
• Better content creation processes
• Growing TMs
• Better quality translations, less rework
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
21
Resources
> The Global English Style Guide: Writing Clear, Translatable
Documentation for a Global Market
http://support.sas.com/kohl
> From Plain English to Global English
http://www.webpagecontent.com/arc_archive/139/5/
> “The Top Ten Global English Guidelines” by John R. Kohl
http://support.sas.com/publishing/bbu/companion_site/607
51.pdf
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
22
Contact Information
Questions?
Software
Websites
Documentation
Marketing
Multimedia
Satu Suomalainen
Project Manager
[email protected]
+33 1 53 43 92 06
Visit www.acclaro.com for localization and translation articles, newsletters,
white papers, and our top-10 tips for technical document localization.
www.acclaro.com I © Acclaro Inc. 2009
23