Translation/Localization 101:Getting Started – Part I

Presented By Anja Schaefer and Arnold Koh

January 2010

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Access to new revenue and global customers Maintenance of existing revenue Customer satisfaction Allows access to global markets by adapting a

product to a particular language and culture Enables users of a given language to use a product

originally developed in another language Can improve the overall return on investment of a

product (through higher international revenues) Increased market share and global competitiveness

Why is Localization Important To Businesses Today?

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Costs associated with localizationIncreasing customer expectations

More contentGrowth in required languages

Decreasing “shelf-life” of content and shorter product cyclesIncreasing complexity of localization/ translation projectsChanging localization ecosystem of tools, best practices, solutionsManaging and procuring localization resourcesLack of internal expertise

What Are Some of the Challenges?

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Literally Thousands of Languages

230 Living Languages in Europe41 Official Languages

2058 Living Languages in Africa28 Official Languages

9 Living Languages in Middle East3 Official Languages

There are 72 separate & official languages in the EMEA region alone!

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Growth is Migrating to Developing Nations

Reaching One Billion Users requires +/- 127 languagesConnecting Five Billion Users will necessitate more than 1,000 languages

English

Chinese

Spanish

Japanese

German

French

Portugese

Korean

Italian

Arabic

Rest of World Languages

Millions of Users

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Internet Top Ten Languages

1,400,000,000

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600,000,000

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203

Localization (L10N)Process of adapting a product to a language so it seems natural to that region. Typically refers to software products involving changes to the writing system, keyboard usage, fonts, date, time, and monetary formats.

Internationalization (I18N)Process of generalizing a product to support multiple languages and cultural conventions without redesign. Typically used in reference to adapting software code for “double-byte” Asian character sets.

Definitions : Key Globalization Terms

Source: Multilingual Computing Magazine

Globalization (G11N) Refers to a broad range of business and technical processes

necessary to launch products and company activities internationally.

TranslationProcess of converting all of the text or words from the

source language to the target language(s).

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LANGUAGE

Grammar

Colloquialisms

Characters

Acronyms

CULTURE

GRAPHICS & LAYOUT

Expansion Contraction

METRICS & Conversions

£$

€ ¥

4/11/06April 11 or November 4?

cm ≠ inchesmL≠ ounces

と ILT の作成

FORMATS

Web Bandwidth

Media Mix

Mobile Devices

What Does Localization Encompass?

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Key Localization Resources

Webinar Agenda

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So Who’s Involved in Your Project?

Project Manager (PM)Schedules projects, assigns resources, communicates with client about project-related issues & monitors project progress, budget & quality

Linguists / TranslatorsExecutes linguistic aspects of the project including translationReviews the work of freelance translatorsSets style standards and manages terminology

Localization EngineersResponsible for all technical aspects of localization projects, including project preparation, software and online help engineering, compiling, and testing

Desktop PublishersResponsible for layout, prepares localized files production, converts of printed documentation to online format

Testing and QA resourcesDepending on the project, a variety of testing and QA resources may be involved to ensure quality in the localized deliverable

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Internationalization specialists

Audio / Video resources Studio engineersVoice talentMultimedia experts

TerminologistsMarketing / Cultural expertsSubject matter experts

Specialists May Be Required at Times

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Professionally trained translators

In-country, native speakers of target language

Typically formally educated in linguistics (Bachelors Degree minimum)

Domain specific experience (Software/IT, Marketing, etc.)

Experienced in industry standard productivity tools

Often certified (ATA or another body)

Who’s Doing the Translating?

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Linguistic Tasks

• In Country •Best quality and accuracy

• Other •Less than top quality ok•May be faster turnaround time, some degradation in quality

Project Management

• US/Western Europe (On/Near Shore: typically higher cost)

•Highly complex, customized projects and solutions

•Ease of communication is a requirement

• Eastern Europe, India, China (Off Shore: typically lower cost)

•Standard projects•Communication challenges (time zones, language)

Technical/Engineering / DTP

• US/Western Europe (On/Near Shore: typically higher cost)

•Customized solution / “high” touch solutions•Specialty applications•IP potential issues

• Eastern Europe, India, China (Off Shore: typically lower cost)

•Scale: Large volume projects•Standard tasks, repetitive tasks

Where is this work being done? Where should it be done?

Right Shoring

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The Basic Localization Process

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Localization Definition Review

Prep/Setup Translation Engineering Graphics and DTP

QA and Testing

adapting a product, software, or content for a specific international market or locale and testing the results to ensure that the localized product works correctly as intended

Localization is…

…and includes:

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Changing language may force other changes

Layout to accommodate different number of words and characters and typographical rulesData formats to accommodate dates, currencies, lists, numbers, addressesVisuals to accommodate cultural references and signifiers

References to accommodate cultural differences and context

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Phase I Translation

Phase II Translation text

edit/proof

Phase III Translation

edit/proof in final format

Phase IV Client proof in

final format

Translation: A Multi-Step Program

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•If you want the condition of cool in your room, please control yourself.

Tokyo Hotel

•Guests are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9am and 10am each day.

Paris Hotel

•In case of fire, do your utmost to alarm the porter.

Vienna Hotel

Real Examples of Literal Translations

Accounting for Quality Through Process

Linguistic Quality

• Qualified, in-country, native speakers

• Multi-step Translation Process (Edit/Proof)

• Sampling• Client Review Cycle• Tools:

• TM, Glossaries, Style Guides

Final Quality

• Post translation QA checks• Final build/DTP QA checks• In-Context Reviews

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Knowledge Center

• The Art and Science of Global Navigation• The Best Global Web Sites (and Why)• Mastering Multilingual Marketing

View Webinars On-Demand

• Building Stronger Brands Around the World: A Guide to Effective Global Marketing

• Strengthening Global Brands: Key Steps for Meaningful Communications around the World

• Building a Global Web Strategy: Best Practices for Developing your International Online Brand

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