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tranfree issue 10 - 15 January 2000
Translation versus Localization
By Bert Esselink
Most likely, you will have heard or read about terms like
localization and globalization. Apparently the whole world is
globalizing and we are all localizing... but where does that
leave translation? Is localization a new, hyped word for
translation? Is localization a subset of translation, or vice
versa? Are any translators working in this so-called localization
industry, or is it just techies? As a trained translator and
author of A Practical Guide to Software Localization, many people
have asked me the same question: "What's the difference between
localization and translation". In my first contribution to tranfree ,
I will try to answer this question as clearly as I can,
realizing it's just one more theory... To compare translation
with localization, I'm using the following categories...
- activities
- complexity
- adaptation level
- technology used
Activities
Traditionally, translation is only one of the activities in
projects where material is transferred from one language into
another. Other activities that can be distinguished in
traditional translation projects include terminology research,
editing, proofreading, and page layout. In localization, many
more activities have been added to this list. Examples of
activities in localization which are not necessarily part of
traditional translation are multilingual project management,
software and online help engineering and testing, conversion of
translated documentation to other formats, translation memory
alignment and management, multilingual product support, and
translation strategy consultancy. Most large, multi-language
localization agencies focus on these additional activities and
outsource core translation activities to freelance translators.
Typically, only final language quality assurance is performed in-
house by these vendors.
Complexity
Compared to traditional translation projects, managing software
or web localization projects can be very complex. First of all,
localization projects contain a large number of components, such
as software, sample files, online help, online and printed
documentation, collateral materials such as product boxes and
disk labels, and multimedia demos. In most cases translation
starts before the source material is final, so in most
localization projects the source files are updated several times
during translation.
Because volumes are usually very large and all components contain
dependencies, managing localization projects is a...
 ...
tricky task.
Large volumes and tight deadlines require teams of translators,
who all need to be reviewed carefully to maintain consistency.
For example, when translator A translates the software and
translator B the online help files, all references to the running
software translated by translator B in the online help must
exactly match the software translations that translator A has
chosen.
Also planning localization projects is a complicated task,
because many tasks depend on completion of previous tasks. For
example, screen captures of localized software to be included in
the online help or documentation cannot be created until the
localized software has been engineered and tested.
Adaptation Level
Localization is derived from the word locale, which is defined in
the Collins Cobuild Dictionary as "a small area, for example the
place where something happens or where the action of a book or
film is set". In a software localization context, a locale is a
region which is defined by a number of characteristics, such as
language, culture, and all types of regional standards such as
character set, currency, default page sizes, address formats,
custom calendars, date/time formats, and other things that give
many American software developers headaches. For example, a
language is French, a locale is the region in Canada where French
is spoken.
In software localization projects, all local characteristics need
to be implemented in the final product. A truly localized product
shouldn't only be in the target language but should also use
default settings for the target locale. So, a product sold in
Germany should automatically use A4 as default page size, support
input and output of accented characters, and display currency
amounts using Marks and Euros instead of dollars.
Apart from technical adaptations to software code, often complete
rewrites (sometimes called transcreations) of sample files or
marketing material need to be done before it is acceptable for a
certain target locale. Even though the situation seems to be
changing slightly, still too many software products developed in
the U.S. are too focused on the U.S. market only.
Technology Used
In software localization, the integration of translation
technology is ahead of traditional translation. Because of the
nature of software products and web sites, which are highly
repetitive, and updated on a regular basis, smart re- use of
existing translations has become a competitive advantage and the
use of translation memory a must. Most software products are
updated at least once a year, and web sites are often updated on
a daily basis. As a result, translation memory tools have been
used successfully for many years in the localization industry.
Other examples of translation technology that is widely applied
in the localization industry are software localization tools for
software user interface translations, terminology extraction and
management tools, and machine translation.
To sum up, localization has never and will never replace
translation. It's just a term used to cover all activities
related to adapting a software product or web site to be used in
a target locale. Translation will always remain one of the most
important activities in any localization project.
My next contributions to tranfree in the coming months will cover
the following topics...
- translation technology
- the localization industry
- localization project models.
Bert Esselink has been active in localization since 1990.
After graduating in technical translation and doing coursework in
programming and computational linguistics, he worked for several
years as a software translator, localization engineer, and
technical manager. In 1996 he joined ALPNET in Amsterdam as
localization manager, training new engineers and localization
specialists and coordinating software localization projects and
since early 1999 as globalization manager developing production
standards. As of 1 January 2000 he is employed by INT'L.com
in the Netherlands, managing consultancy services. His first
book, A Practical Guide to Software Localization, was published
in 1998 by John Benjamins Publishing Company (www.benjamins.com). The
second edition is now out and further information is available at
http://www.locguide.com/
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