MEStrategies and Tools
Strategies
How to guarantee software localization projects' quality?
"Preparation", Esselink suggests, is the key word:
"Proper preparation before the start of translation is the key to a successful project"(Luong, 1995) Translators and localizers should be provided with reference material (such as the target version of the operating system) and tools (online glossaries of the operating system) about the software they are about to translate, as well as precise directions about what actually needs to be translated and what needs to be left untranslated.
Developing Localization Cookbooks
Localization Cookbooks provide cultural, legal, linguistic,
technical, marketing, and training information about each
specific target country to which the company exports and about the users
who live and work there.
Well developed and thorough localization cookbooks are a valuable information resource for international
user interface design, software development, documentation, and translation.
Creating Glossaries and
Terminology Lists
The creation of glossaries and
terminology lists is essential in localization projects, because their
repeated use helps guarantee accuracy and consistency. Their creation will
allow to ensure that the same terminology is used both for printed and
online documentation, as well as for the software itself. Updated versions
of the same products should make reference to them as
well.
Proofreading
Proofreading takes place at the end of the translation process. It is very important for the
localization process because it checks the quality of the final product, namely accuracy and consistency.
Proof reading does not involve editing, which has occurred at an earlier stage.
Instead, it involves such
features as page layout, accuracy of data, examples, screen captures, and
cross-references.
Tools
Dynamic localization tools
Dynamic localization tools are software programs that "translate the user interface of an application while it is running. These translations are entered in dictionaries that are used to dynamically translate the interface components of specified applications, such as dialog boxes, menus and strings." (Esselink, 1998)
Dynamic localization tools are very effective throughout the localization process.
Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) Tools
Computer-aided translation tools have become more and more useful in localization projects. They help create target texts as standardized as possible for future translation of similar specialized texts.
The most common CAT tools' categories are the following:
Translation Memory (TM) tools
Machine Translation Tools
Terminology Management Tools
Maria Cristina Bernacchi mcbernac@csd.uwm.edu
