| Our
localization process is stable yet flexible enough to address
your individual needs. The following is an example of our
software localization process:
A.
Assign a project manager.
The project manager oversees your project from beginning
to end. He or she also communicates with you throughout
the process, so you're aware of what's going on every step
of the way. His or her responsibilities include:
1.
Establish a production schedule and process catered to meet
your specific needs.
2. Allocate the necessary resources.
3. Manage each phase of development and follow-up
with involved personnel.
4. Implement quality assurance checks.
5. Report progress to you.
6. Solicit and incorporate your feedback.
7. Deliver the final product.
B.
Select team members.
In
addition to a project manager, the team assigned to your
project may include the following:
Terminologists - ensure that translated terminology
is accurate, and that it's consistent with industry standards
and previous translations. - Translators - translate online
text and hardcopy documents from the source language to
the target language(s).
Editors - review text and make sure it conveys the
text's original meaning; ensure that text is grammatically
and structurally correct, and that it complies with rhetorical
standards in the target language.
Desktop publishing specialists - ensure that the
final product has the same look and feel as the original;
help access graphic-embedded text so it can be translated;
ensure that graphics are appropriate, accurate, and complete.
Quality assurance specialists - monitor each phase
of the process to ensure that the end product works properly
and that it will accommodate the target market.
Once
selected, team members take time to learn about you and
your product as necessary, so they know exactly what you
want and how to create it.
C.
Prepare your files.
Once we receive the necessary files from you, we do the
following:
1.
Confirm which target language(s) you want your product translated
into, including, if applicable, which variation of the language(s)
- for example, peninsular vs. South American Spanish, simplified
vs. traditional Chinese, and so on.
2. Check the integrity of each file. Confirm the file type
and make sure we can access it.
3. Create a glossary in TermStar.
4. Create a translation memory in Transit using previously
translated company materials (when available).
(To
Be Continued...)
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| After
speaking to some of our clients and readers, we have come
to realize that the principles behind translation memory
tools are somewhat unclear. We hope that the following will
help clarify these principles:
A
translation memory tool is desktop software product that
helps translators be more efficient in their translation
tasks.
These tools do not replace translators, but rather
assist them in their assignments. How do these tools work?
When a translator completes a translation in the normal
way, he or she files and stores it to be reused for future
translation assignments. For similar translations, the translator
can locate and copy translations of words or sentences from
older texts and paste them into the new text, or can search
the old translations to find out how certain phrases were
previously translated. This is a manual translation process,
which can be very time consuming, and is not cost effective
for neither the translator nor the client. Using a translation
memory tool, the process of reusing previous translations
can be automated; therefore, requiring the translator to
focus only on translating the new text. The translation
memory tool stores the previous translations into a "translation
memory" and can automatically locate and insert old translations
into the new text. The translation memory is made up of
a matched sets of files or a database. If a new sentence
is not an exact match of an older sentence, but is similar,
the translation memory tool can suggest the previous translation
to the translator, as well as note the differences between
the previous sentence and the current sentence. These suggested
similar translations are known as "fuzzy matches". There
are three stages involved in translating a text using a
translation memory tool -- import into the translation memory
tool, translation, and export out of the translation memory
tool.
1.
Import
While importing a file into a translation memory tool, the
tool prepares the text and pre-translates it. The translation
memory tool separates the text from the formatting information
(graphics, fonts etc). The translation memory tool then
separates the text into sentences or "segments", which gives
the text a basis for translation and comparation against
previous texts. Segments can be made up of individual sentences,
paragraphs, headings, or any logical unit of translation.
Finally, the translation memory tool pre-translates the
text. In this phase, it will copy translations from the
translation memory into the new text.
2. Translation
The translator translates all new text that the translation
memory tool has not pre-translated. During translation,
the translation memory tool provides suggested translations
based on similar segments it has found in the translation
memory. During this phase, the translator is not required
to do or even be familar with the original file formatting.
Many file formats, such as QuarkXPress or PageMaker, may
be very difficult for the translator to work with, and the
translator may spend unnecessary time trying to do the formatting.
Translation memory tools allow the translator to concentrate
on translation only. A terminology management system integrated
into the translation memory system will help to ensure that
terms are translated consistently. The terminology management
system can check the terminology used in translation and
display the correct terminology during translation.
3.
Export
After the translator finishes the translation, the translation
memory tool will merge the translated text with the original
formatting. This significantly reduces the final task of
desktop publishing. Most translation memory tools will also
provide the following functions:
3.1. Import and export filters for different file
formats. Filters are necessary to import files from different
file formats. These will either be integrated into the translation
memory tool or be provided as separate programs or plug-ins.
3.2. Project management functions, such as pre-translation,
file organization, and file statistics.
3.3. Quality control functions, such as spell checkers,
terminology checkers, and format checkers.
3.4. A terminology management system.
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|
| Question
- When working in Transit, I would like to hide the formatting
information so that only the text is visible. Is this possible?
Answer
- To hide the formatting codes in Transit, activate the
window in which you want the codes to be hidden (source
and/or target window). From the "View" menu, select "Fold
Attributes". A dialog box will appear with two sets of options.
The first is for hiding formatting tags and the second is
for hiding segment markers. If you wish to have all of the
formatting codes hidden, choose "Don't Display Attributes"
under the Tags section. This will not delete any information,
only hide it during the translation phase.
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