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.

About author:

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/

Source: http://www.translatortips.net/tranfreearchive/tf10-localization-one.html