|
|
||||||
|
Software Localisation
The localisation of your software involves several elements, which are parts of a single process. After all, your software application consists of different components, which can only be viewed as a whole when they are merged into one:
In order to create a professional end product, it is absolutely vital that the individual components are translated in the sequence described above. Several rules need to be heeded in order to produce a perfect translation of your software:
Leave the translating to professional translators
Many project managers think that they can cut costs by giving a text which has been translated in-house to a translator, who then "just needs to make a few corrections”. This is the wrong way of going about things! Our experience has shown that:
You can only be certain of obtaining a consistent translation if you entrust a professional translator with the entire project. This allows him to familiarise himself with the software and its functions and give him a feeling for the application, which, in turn, flows into the translation. It is absolutely imperative that the GUI is finalised and approved before work commences on translating the documentation. The quality of the final result will suffer immensely if the translator is repeatedly forced to go back over what he has already translated.
The GUI is the most important element of the software, as the user must become acquainted and familiarise himself with it in order to be able to use your software effectively. This can only be achieved if he feels at ease with the GUI and is able to understand the commands and menus right from the very outset. A software application which forces the user to solve riddles at every turn will simply not be accepted, and will be very quickly deleted from his hard disk. top
Make sure that the documentation is translated in the correct sequence
The sequence used for translating the printed documentation, the help files and the online documentation may vary slightly. In most cases, the printed manual is the final part of the jigsaw, as formatting, designing the layout and inserting the screenshots is a more time-consuming task. The contents of the help file and the online documentation are usually to a large extent identical; the printed documentation is derived from this, and may also contain more detailed information. top
The professional translator works with a TM (or Translation Memory) tool such as Trados or Déjà Vu. This method offers several advantages:
Include the correct screenshots in the document files to be translated
Translating software documentation can be reduced to a very trying and time-consuming exercise if the translator needs to repeatedly ask the client how the commands or menu options are to appear in the final version, and only because the file he is translating still contains the original screenshots.
The documentation, comprising the help files, the online help and the printed manual, is the second most important element in the translation of your software, and in many cases is actually as important as the GUI. Less experienced users in particular rely on a correctly and comprehensibly translated version of the original documentation. top
Just as important is, of course, the Readme file. This contains the very latest information and details about the software, which could not be included in the other documentation for scheduling reasons. top
And don't neglect the packaging!
The first impression is critical. A software application with all its components may be a superb end product, but, particularly in the case of commercial software, the initial glance at the packaging and CD case is often decisive. The manufacturer can ill-afford to neglect this aspect, just as he would not neglect the product itself. top
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
||||||
