Some developers are happy with their achievement of being available in the market but developers who want to reach more people and markets with their products should go for localization process. This will help you in reaching global people, and the businessmen looking for your applications.
Following is the list of points you need to work on if you want to streamline the localization of your mobile app or your website.
- Find Out The Type Of Subcontractor You Want To Go With.
- The first thing is to choose between a translation agency and a freelance translator. Based on your requirements and the amount of work you need, you might need more than one translator. Do check for this whether a freelance translator will work with a reviser or not. Otherwise you have to hire one yourself. As far as translation agencies are concerned, they usually provide you complete services, i.e., translation as well as revision of your translated material. Some of the agencies even provide you with proof reading services later on.
- For using CAT tools, you will have to prepare all the files yourself when working with a freelance translators. But all this is not required when you are working with a translation agency.
- Pick up the agency that will offer you multilingual services when there is a need for translating material into several languages for saving your money as well as your efforts. But if you work with multiple freelancers on such projects then you will be able to maintain more control over different aspects of your project. This way you will be having a upper hand in maintaining more control over various aspects of your project.
- Sometimes what happens is freelance translators work together and they offer combined services. But if you are considering hiring them then do enquire whether they provide you with technical support also or not. The total cost will vary depending upon who you choose. So make your decision wisely keeping your budget in your mind.
- Optimize The Files That Are Needed To Be Sent For Translation
- The job of translators becomes very easy if they have to deal with a less variety of files.
- Most of the translators’ employee CAT tools these days. But some tools engage differently with some of the file formats. To make sure that your file gets properly analyzed try to find out about their respective CAT tools to be used beforehand.
- Extraction in XML is comparatively easy to get all the content of the software and the website. The source software and the URL of the website must be provided to the translators.
- The next layers must be open for editing if illustrations need to be localized. You may need to provide the graphic program or the extracted texts in an accessible format to the freelance translators. The same may not be required if you are working with an agency.
- The same procedure implies when you are working with animations. While working with freelancers, you might need to extract all the text which is to be translated and have to rebuild the animations on your own. If you have to do so then make sure that your translator is performing linguistic sign-off for the final animation in the target list. At the other end, you might find agencies that will help you in managing the localization of your animations completely.
- In case you want to localize some of your videos with voices, you may need help from actors for reaching your target version. Some translators might be able to help you for this but translation agencies will offer you numerous services from which you can select the best voices for you. In any of the case make sure to offer them with a translation team along with the text scripted file including appropriate timeline.
- Prepare your files for Translation
- Store all your translatable strings in different files and ask your developers to not to use translatable hardcoded strings while working with the software files.
- Before sending your files to the software files, check all your strings that are accessible by the translators and are actually needed to be translated. These translators might not be always able to judge your strings with the typical code or variable. So you might want to teach them not to touch your specific strings or to lock them yourself.
- Ensure that your logical units of meanings are not cut as it makes it difficult for translators to find out how to link the strings when source material makes use of concatenation.
- Do not use variables in a huge amount while working with strings – the translation of the strings sometimes is not easy when they are containing them might not be easy in some of the languages but some translators do not understand how to replace some of the variables.
- Clarify Your Content
Some strings are clear for you but might be they are understood in a different form by the translation team. You can either rephrase them to avoid any uncertainty or you can also add an explanation file for clarifying all the difficult or risky strings.
- Clarify non-translatable terms
Make a list of all the terms that you think are required to be kept in the source language like specific features, product names, and lots more. If all this is not stated clearly, some of the proper nouns will get translated by mistake.
- Give your users with reference material
- If it is possible for you then provide your translation team with some references and glossaries in the targeted language. If you have not got any then you can also ask the translation team to prepare it for them. Then ask your reviewers to authorize the targeted terms before they launch the complete localization project.
- Also build a translation style guides for every specific language to make sure that your translators and revisers are following the preferred style. You can also subcontract this task to your translation team.
- You also need to provide your subcontractors with all types of reliable translated material that is linked to your business or has already been translated for your company.
- Plan for your Internal Review
Have a look if some of your experts are local speakers in their target languages or can also check the translated content. It will also be a good idea for you to involve them in your linguistic processes at earlier stage so that they could answer your linguistic questions during their project or specify the linguistic guidelines during the initial phase of the process.
- Organize a testing phase by the linguists
Once you have compiled your target software and have checked the debugging on the technical side, ask your translation team to test everything in order to make it sure that there are no truncations, or any kind of missing translations, outdated content translations, variable issues, bad locales, etc. Offer them the test scripts for making it sure that they cover most of the interface.
You can also do the same with your target website. Ask your translation team to have a close look at your website after it has been rebuilt in the targeted language.
If because of any reason you failed to follow any of the above written steps you may have to face various consequences on your projects like delay in the product release, increased costs, and jeopardized translation quality. Hence, try to optimize your localization process as much as possible.
The given points are highly beneficial for providing proper strengthening techniques for the localization of your application or your website. Follow these techniques and you will be able to reach a large number of markets easily.
About the Author
Macy Jones is working as a senior iPhone App developer with AppXperts, a leading firm for developing all types of mobile applications. She did her graduation in computers from Melbourne University only. She is highly dedicated towards her work and loves to create unique and innovative apps. After this development job she likes to write what she creates for the company. You can follow her on Twitter and can catch her on Facebook to read the articles that she writes. You can learn a lot with her ideas and applications.
This is an original article from WP Cypher Copyright 2012