Localization Project Management

Maria AsnesDecember 2009

Outline What is Localization?◦ Localization (L10N) vs. Translation◦ Internationalization (I18N) ◦ Globalization◦ Localization History

Why Localization?

Localization Tools

Localization Project Workflow◦ Major milestones◦ People Involved◦ Software Localization ◦ Documentation Localization

Localization vs. Translation

LOCALIZATION (L10N ) is the adaptation of a product to a new language and culture. A localized program should be indistinguishable from a program written by members of that culture

TRANSLATION is the simple changing of words and phrases from one language to another. It does NOT take into account, the cultural differences between the people and the countries of the source and target languages.

Example:◦ English: President Barack Obama approved the budget of ten million dollars for the celebrations

of the 4th of July in Washington DC.

◦ French Translation: Le président Barack Obama a approuvé le budget de 10 millions de dollarspour les festivités du 4 juillet à Washington.

◦ French Localization: Le président Nicolas Sarcozy a approuvé le budget de 7 millions d’Eurospour les festivités du 14 juillet à Paris.

Internationalization INTERNATIONALIZATION (I18N) is a process of generalizing a product

so that it can handle multiple languages and cultural conventions without redesign. During this process, linguistic and cultural elements are isolated from the code.

Things to consider:◦ Country-specific institutions : date/time format, holidays, telephone and address

format, measuring units, paper sizes, default font selection, case differences, word separation and hyphenation, taxes, etc.

◦ Graphics and graphical symbols such as money ($, €, £,¥)

◦ Text expansion: number and length of words, sentence structure and punctuation.

◦ Character sets and fonts◦ Terminology, abbreviations, acronyms, and jargon.◦ Lists and Indexes (sorting/alphabetizing)◦ Software: GUI (e.g use of color) and text

◦ Documentation: concise, clear, no slang or jargon, no culture-specific examples

Globalization = I18N + n x L10N

The greater the level of effort spent on internationalization, the lesser the effort spent on localization.

Localization History Started in 1980s Introduction of desktop computers -> need for localized software More than just translation: project management involving translators,

editors, proofreaders. New technologies : Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) and Translation

Memory (TM) tools 1990s – Consolidation of the Localization Industry

◦ More localization service providers◦ Emergence of a relatively standard production

outsourcing framework.◦ Further professionalization : industry organizations,

conferences, publications, academic interest and generally increased visibility.

Why Localize? Some facts:

English speakers : only ¼ of the world population (some level of competence).

Nearly 5 billion people are unreachable without translation

More non-English speakers use localized software.

Most software users expect their softwareto be written in their own language.

US software dominates the world market : about 80% of software is localized from English into other languages

Typical localization priorities: FIGS(French, Italian, German, Spanish) and Japanese.

Why localization is needed?◦ Increase Revenue◦ Engage customers more effectively◦ Maintain global brand recognition

How to localize? Localization Tools Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) tools◦ Segmentize the text into sentences◦ Present the text in a convenient way to a translator◦ Save the translation together with the source text in the

Translation Memory (TM)◦ Reuse of the Translation Memory in future translations◦ Fuzzy Search: can find segments which do not match 100 %.◦ Terminology Glossary lookup

Importance of using the CAT Tools◦ Translation consistency and uniformity in terms usage◦ Saving localization costs: repetitions are charged less then new

strings◦ Saving time

Translation Using CAT and TM Tools

Localization Project Components

December 26, 2009December 26, 2009

DOCUMENTATIONSOFTWARE

LOCALIZATION PROJECT

HELP

Program Files

Sample Files Tutorials

Demos

PDF Web Help

Localization Project: Major Milestones Project Initiation:

◦ Pre-Sales: a request for localization comes from Sales/Operations◦ Analysis of Source Material: what files should be translated◦ Scheduling and Budgeting: L10N PM asks for detailed quotes from several localization

vendors (costs, schedule, work to be done, deliverables)◦ Kick-Off: L10N PM organizes a kick-off meeting with the L10N vendor◦ Terminology Setup: prepare a Glossary of special terms used in your industry.◦ Preparation of Source Material : prepare a L10N Kit (localizable files, detailed explanation,

required deliverables)

Translation◦ Translation of Software◦ Translation of Online Help and Documentation

Engineering and Testing the Software Screen captures Help Engineering and Desktop Publishing (DTP) of Documentation Product QA and Delivery Project Closure

People Involved: Interaction Touchpoints

December 26, 2009

L10N Project Manager L10N Project Manager

Software Vendor Localization Vendor

QA Local ExpertR&D

Sales

PM Engineering Translation DTP

CAT Tools Engineer

QA

Translators

Proofreaders

DTP Operator

Account Manager

Software Localization Flow

2. TRANSLATE

3. INTEGRATE

R&D

1. PREPARE L10N KIT

L10N PM

Guidelines

Send to Vendor

Prepare a build

Integrate

Correct

Proofread

Translate

Prepare Files

Extract

6. RELEASE

Validate

ApproveDistribute

4. TEST FUNCTIONALITY

5. TEST LANGUAGE & UI

Correct

Validate

L10N VENDOR QA

Local Expert

PM

Update TM

Documentation Localization Flow

2. TRANSLATE

3. DTP

1. PREPARE L10N KIT

Guidelines

Send to Vendor

Prepare Output

Format

Take Screenshots

Proofread

Translate

Prepare Files

Extract

6. RELEASEValidate

ApproveDistribute

4. SCREENSHOTS

5. PROOFREADINGCorrect

Install L10N VENDOR

TW/ L10N PM

PM

Update TM

Local Expert

Deliver