Once bitten, twice shy!

We just received the following email form an executive of a software company:

"In truth we have tried an outside translation service and we found that the service did not adequately (or even slightly) understand our industry. The technical and industry terms where translated literally and did not reflect the usages and nomenclature in the target language / industry.

On the last attempt to use an outside translator, we lost both the cost of the translation and a significant amount of customer credibility, the translation was discarded and English remains the better solution for that country unless a suitable technical translation can be found.

I would be interested in your approach and how guarantees would operate in our specific case. I guess you can truly say ‘once bitten, twice shy’!"

We often hear from executives bit by the translation myths. It is unfortunate that in this new millennium and global age, as an industry, we have failed in setting proper expectations. So here is another attempt.

There are three remedies to apply in the above scenario:
1. Use the right process,
2. Use the right technology, and
3. Use the right people!

Process
The process has to include feedback from in-country product experts. Opting out of the in-country proof cycle may save you time and money, but risk your quality and credibility down the road. See:
• Quality translation dictates a collaborative effort
• Product localization processes

Technology
The correct technology can tremendously facilitate the process. Complex localization projects are best handled within translation management systems that promote collaboration, consistency, accuracy and efficiency. gvAccess, gvTerm and gvCollab-like tools are a must have to ensure accurate translations. See:
• Translation Management System
• Don't be stingy with your glossaries

People
Hiring the correct company and people to do the work will make all the difference. There is no substitute for a first-class team:
• Selecting in-country reviewers
• Selecting a team
• The deceit of the translation sample

If you want to read the above and more in a complete guide, go to Enabling Globalization. For under $10, you can avoid the painful and expensive bite and overcome all shyness!

Machine Translation engines put to the test!

With every search engine offering its own machine translation technology, have you ever wondered which works best?

Gabble On is putting together a public research project to compare the machine translation results of Google, Microsoft and Babelfish in order to answer a simple question: “Which Engine Translates Best?”.

Votes can be entered until March 29, 2010. Shortly after, Gabble-On will share its results with the public.

In gratitude for voters’ participation, a lucky participant will receive an Apple iPad with the eBook Enabling Globalization, A Guide to Using Localization to Penetrate International Markets. Other 10 voters will also each receive their free copy of the eBook, courtesy of GlobalVision International, Inc.

Check it out and vote on: www.gabble-on.com/SurveySelector.aspx.

Both Google and Microsoft rely on the same statistical machine translation technology that is based on the Moses project. They also probably both use the same public bilingual corpora augmented by their own translation memory databases.

Babelfish on the other hand relies on legacy rule-based machine translation technology.

Our guess is the following. Google and Microsoft will come close, with Google edging its rival. They will both beat Babelfish by a mile!

The reason we think Google will edge Microsoft is because of its fast growing bilingual and monolingual corpora. Also, when both Google’s and Microsoft’s translations are similar, we think more voters will chose Google.

Another important point to keep in mind is that results will vary based on subject, style and language. So no matter what the published results are, it is best that you test for your specific use prior to adopting any engine. Most publishers of commercially sold statistical machine translation engines admit that you can only get valuable results from their products by customizing the engines with your own bilingual translation pairs, monolingual corpus, and bilingual glossaries. They therefore recommend a custom engine for each language pair and for each client!

We also predict that when you use these tools, you will soon conclude that they are no substitute for human translators!

Enabling Globalization- A Guide to Using Localization to Penetrate International Markets

This week, GlobalVision released on the Amazon Kindle Enabling Globalization- A Guide to Using Localization to Penetrate International Markets.

If you like our blog, you will love the eBook!

We’ve built this 120-page guide because despite the need, nothing like it exists: a concise, step-by-step handbook for globalization and localization in the new millennium.

Companies come to us with a desire to go global but unsure of what the process entails. Some face a Catch-22 dilemma. They want to penetrate international markets, but cannot justify the localization costs.

Others – some who have been localizing for years – want to know more about the new tools and processes that will improve both their results and their bottom line.

Welcome to Enabling Globalization− A Guide to Using Localization to Penetrate International Markets. Here you will find the practical advice you need to start on your way and follow through to a successful finish.

So, whether you’re just entering the wide world of globalization or you’re a veteran of the field, this guide is for you. We invite you to take a look inside the industry through the eyes of a successful localization and translation company. Enabling Globalization will enlighten and inspire you – and leave you eager to tackle your next international market!

You don't have a Kindle? A PDF edition will be available off the books’ website to be released shortly. Stay tuned…

MDD 2007/45/EC and software localization

Spring is almost here and with it comes the deadline for medical device manufactures to conform to the new Medical Device Directive from the European Community, 2007/47/EC.

Any medical device manufacturer selling products in Europe will have to consult with its notified body to learn of any impact the new directive will have on its products and to gain certification or obtain formal exemptions where qualified.

From a localization and translation perspective, the new European directive requires that software used in medical devices be localized into the languages of all the EC countries that the product is sold into. This means that the user interface (UI), graphical or otherwise, will need to be in the language of the user.

For quite some time now, medical device manufacturers relied on translation service providers to convert into other languages their labels, inserts, manuals, leaflets, instruction of use and other printed documents necessary for international users to understand and operate their devices. As of March 21st, 2010, medical device manufacturers that incorporate software in their products will have the additional responsibility of shipping localized software with their products, or risk losing their CE marking and therefore be forced to cease selling in key European markets.

Software localization is not as simple as document translation. There are many issues involved that require additional technical expertise and savvy. Files come in different formats, require different character encoding, have real-estate and character size constraints, and require parsing, processing and regeneration without impacting the code that is essential to build and operate the product. Errors unintentionally inserted in the code by inexperienced translators can result into endless debugging hours and significantly extend quality assurance time, leading to higher costs.

Furthermore, software localization processes are very different from document translation. They require a detailed localization kit, different tools, unique Localization QA steps, and more sophisticated implementation strategies. For instance, translation management systems will be essential in maintaining consistency throughout the product, attending to last minute software updates, reporting tickets and addressing out of context UI string translations.

In short, you need software localization experts in addition to subject matter experts, to attend to these new needs. Can your current translation vendor handle these new challenges? If not, time may be ripe for a spring cleanup!

About GlobalVision International

GlobalVision International, Inc. specializes in providing translation and localization solutions to industries involved in software, IT, medical and media. The company is equipped with experts who can convert your products, literature and websites from and into all commercial languages. To learn more visit www.globalvis.com. For more info or a free webinar on the company’s TMS solution go to www.gvAccess.com.

The ideal localization kit

Whenever undertaking a new project, and regardless of who will be performing your localization, the first thing to do is to create a complete localization project bill of material (BOM).

A BOM is a localization kit containing all the files that need to be localized, with accurate instructions and any support documentation that can be helpful to the localization team.

The list below includes a comprehensive catalog with the latest technology and file formats that are typically needed in a localization kit:

1. Graphical User Interface (GUI) files: These files from your software application contain the string tables and dialog coordinate information that the software uses to display the interface to the user. These files can come in many formats (such as Microsoft resource files (.rc), ASP.net (.resx), binary (.dll or .exe), .po, .java, .properties, PHP, and XML. Be sure that all the needed files are identified and collected.

2. Online help files: These are HTM, XML, or other formats that will provide the user with online instructions when they click on the help buttons in the software. Here, it is best to collect all the source files (XML, HTM, and image and project files) that are needed to recreate the help. If they are not available, the compiled help (.chm or .hlp) can be used to recreate them. It is always best to translate source files, such as the XML files that the help authoring tool uses to generate the HTM files.

3. Manuals: These are the guides (User, What's New, Getting Started) tutorials, and any other manuals that need to be localized. They often are authored in a desktop publishing tool such as FrameMaker, InDesign, Quark, or MS Word. All source files will be needed and preferred over PDF. Make sure you include any images, fonts, and other support files that are needed to allow another party to open the files correctly.

Note: If only the GUI requires localization, it is recommended to include still the online help and all support manuals as reference material to the translators so that they can better understand the functionality of your software and translate it correctly. This will significantly improve the end quality of your localized GUI and minimize linguistic Quality Assurance (QA) at runtime.

4. Miscellaneous files: This could include the installation scripts, license agreements (EULA), Readme, release notes – any support documentation that you package with your software and expect the user to read when they install, run, or operate your software.

5. Web files: If you are localizing a website, or if the application is web-enabled, identify and collect the entire set of files that are needed to run the website. This includes databases, images, Flash, Java scripts, HTM, ASP, PHP, PDFs, and all other source files requiring localization.

6. Marketing Collateral: To properly address the marketing requirements, you should obtain and provide the source files in QuarkXPress, InDesign, PowerPoint, MS Publisher, MS Word, or any other authoring system the collateral was authored in. Make sure you include all special fonts and necessary art. Art should be provided in its native format, like Illustrator or Photoshop (EPS). If containing text, text should be in separate layers from the bitmap images to avoid image quality degradation.

7. Multimedia/e-Learning: Include all audio, video, Flash, transcripts, timing reports and any additional requirements specific to video formats, file formats, and details on voice-over, dubbing, subtitling and video processing.

List and document what all the files are and include all pertinent info to your localization team about your needs and requirements. Then compress them all into one zip, sit, tar or rar file while keeping the naming and directory structures intact. With that, you will be the proud creator of the ideal localization kit.