Localization: How to do a global project
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The document outlines strategies for effective localization in global projects, emphasizing the importance of early internationalization (i18n) and continuous translation during development. It discusses management practices for localization, tools and platforms for translation, and the significance of partnering with local resellers for market insight. Case studies illustrate successful approaches, highlighting the necessity of adapting to regional needs and maintaining coherent communication throughout the translation process.
Localization: How to do a global project
- 1. Localization How to do a global project Alexander Murauski Alconost Inc.
- 2. Top 10 languages online According to http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm
- 3. Regional distribution of Internet users According to http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
- 4. Google Play revenue by region
- 5. Growth in Internet user base
- 6. Philosophy for global projects
- 7. Philosophy for global projects Make two languages right away at all levels: • • • • • • • Development Design / UX Marketing Management and business development Technical support Sales HR If you have two languages, the rest will be easy to add
- 8. Internationalization (i18n) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • on-screen text (string resources) variables in strings formats for display of numbers, dates, times, currencies units of measurement sort order encoding (better to do UTF-8 from the get-go) bidi texts RTL layouts string length fonts graphics, audio, video proper nouns politics nudity religion
- 9. Internationalization (i18n) Worse String s = 10 + " of " + 10 + " files deleted"; Better String s = "%d1 of %d2 files deleted";
- 11. Guidelines for i18n and l10n Google Developer International https://developers.google.com/international/ Internationalization (i18n) – Google Developers https://developer.apple.com/internationalization/ Localizing Your Application http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/aa140876(v=office.10).aspx Microsoft Language Portal http://www.microsoft.com/Language/en-US/Default.aspx Globalization and Localization for Windows Phone http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff637522(v=VS.92).aspx
- 12. Translation + more Ignore everything but the main case: saw ad → came to your site → downloaded/bought/registered → uses and pays What we translate: • Product descriptions • Interface • Barebones landing pages • E-commerce (important) Pay-per-click advertising?
- 13. Localization management • Loc manager o coordinates with translators and developers o responsible for everything getting translated • Wiki (loc manager knowledge) o o o o o what is translated and into which languages where resources are stored where translation memory and glossaries are who translators are language-specific nuances: colons in French, exclamation marks in Spanish length of texts in different languages dots above letters numbers in Arabic
- 14. Translation does not delay release We translate as development progresses – we don’t wait until the week before release. If something isn’t translated, let it be in the master language. Fix it in the next update. Asynchronicity guaranteed by the loc manager, ideally by a cloud translation platform with API. “Notify of new content” form.
- 15. Glossaries • • Special terms, explanations, approved translations For games: names of characters, locations, artifacts A standardized XML format and tools are available, but a Google Spreadsheet is easier. Glossary is imported into a CAT and if the program sees a term in the source text, it suggests the translation.
- 16. Translation memory Case study: localization for iOS and Android simultaneously. 90% of strings match. Pluses: • • • • Quick Money saved thanks to repeats Consistent translation Can change language services provider Minuses: • • Context – any given word will always be translated the same way (although the opposite is sometimes needed) "Disjointed” translation (if segments are at the sentence level and a paragraph is cobbled together from separate sentences)
- 17. How does the translator work? Programmers have an IDE and translators have their own tools too (CAT) • • • • • Resource formats Segmentation (sentences, strings) Translation memory Glossaries Volume estimation Desktop CAT tools: Trados, Wordfast, Deja Vu, OmegaT, MemoQ Cloud platforms: WebTranslateIt, Google Translator Toolkit, crowdin.net
- 18. Best translation providers Criteria: flexible (does not interfere with your work, adapts to your processes), quick, convenient to pay, MLP. Ask for a test translation and references, ask who the translators are. "DIY" translation marketplaces. Translation by users, aka crowdsourcing. Is it worth it? Only when there is a crowd and interest (Facebook, WoT, Twitter).
- 19. Linguistic testing Always test after translation. Bug reports (screenshots and suggestions for fixes) from localizers. Usually paid by the hour.
- 20. Why translation is so expensive 20 workdays * 2,500 words per day (10 pages) * $0.07 = $3,500/month. $3,500/month for U.S., Germany or Japan before taxes? TEP (Translation + Editing + Proofreading) + agency cut. Total: $0.2/word is the cost of a good translation. But there are ways to save!
- 21. Case study: WebTranslateIt Situation • • • • • • App for iOS and Android (.xml, .strings) 10 languages Short strings, complex context, many questions about context Mandatory proofreading by second translator Can retrieve and include still-untranslated resources for beta testing Can add strings as development progresses Solution: WebTranslateIt cloud platform • • • • • • Developer added money to account Uploaded strings Loc manager at localization agency sends their translators to the site Translators ask online about all unclear strings After the translator is done, the editor goes through and selects the “proofread” check box After localization versions are compiled, translators view all screens and make bug reports
- 22. Case study: quest and screenshots Goal Translatе hidden object game with large amount of text, explanations, static locations, and unambiguous object names • Solution Location screenshots in Excel with all strings used in the location (screenshot on left, original and translations on right) Glossary of names of objects and characters • •
- 23. Case study: Google Translator Toolkit Can set up the translation process in Google Translator Toolkit • • • • • All necessary formats Translation memory Glossaries Auto-translation with corrections Real-time http://translate.google.com/toolkit/
- 24. Case study: mini-translations in one hour Alconost Nitro live online translations http://alconost.com/en/nitro Get a special coupon and get a bonus for your account – write to nitro@alconost.com
- 25. Case study: mini-translations in one hour
- 26. Thoughts on local partners Translation by itself doesn’t do much. Promotion is necessary, preferably by partnering with local resellers. Partner can evaluate translation quality. If you don’t know what to translate, the partner will say what they need for sales.
- 27. Thoughts on multilingual contextual advertising Barebones landing page + contextual advertising gives an idea of the local market
- 28. Localized e-commerce When choosing an e-commerce provider, make sure that your users can: pay in their own currency, in their own language, using methods convenient for them. • • •
- 29. Contact us Thank you for your attention! Alexander Murauski, CEO Alconost Inc. http://alconost.com/en twitter: alconost e-mail: am@alconost.com Always open to scintillating conversation with scintillating people
- 30. Presentation and text of this talk Presentation http://goo.gl/OCXzyE
- 32. SMM in different languages If you are a small company with two languages, one combined Facebook and Twitter feed is OK. For anything more, start separate accounts.