Localization is the term used in the translation industry to refer to the process of adapting software and websites to the various languages, regional differences and technical requirements of the target market. Localization is translation with an eye on the target audience.
Globalization seems to have reduced the distance between the various countries and cultures, but some cultural differences continue to influence translations. For example, an American disclaimer should not merely be translated, but should be adapted or even replaced by an appropriate version, e.g. to comply with European legislation.
[+]Software localization
Companies are often legally required to provide translated versions of their software and manuals. However, if the resulting texts are one-on-one translations instead of localizations, they may not be as useful to end users.
During the localization process, problems are recognized and solutions to be implemented by the manufacturer are suggested. For example, in a global positioning system (GPS), a manufacturer may not have realized that the English word 'home' is very short. The system may only have reserved enough space for four characters in the system, but the word in Dutch is 'thuis', and 'hogar' in Spanish, both requiring more space to fit a single additional character. The localizer can identify this potential problem and suggest that additional space should be reserved. Sometimes the manufacturer cannot resolve the indicated problems in the current version, but can make a note to keep localization issues in mind in the next version of the product. In other cases, an abbreviated form is used. Manufacturers have changed their approach based on software developments and experience to ensure that this type of problem occurs less frequently. Still, localizers can help ensure maximum quality for each target audience by remaining alert to these types of issues.
Software localization requires programming knowledge as well as familiarity with software terminology. [+]Website localization
The first step of website localization is recognizing the translatable text in the HTML files. If a translator were to translate all or part of the HTML code, the result would contain incorrectly displayed text, or could even mean that no text is displayed at all. All website translations are preprocessed by our HTML programming expert to ensure the intended target text displays correctly.
We can either have access to the URL of your website or your administrator can send us the HTML files to process. Please contact AzTech Solutions to discuss the options.
AzTech Solutions has localized many software products and websites. Feel free to contact us to discuss your localization project.
