Software Localization


More and more products and services today include software applications. When marketed globally, these applications may require localization, a process of translating the text elements of a software application and adjusting the user interface to comply with the specifics of another language. A simple translation is not enough. It takes experience and technical expertise to successfully adapt and test a software application’s user interface, graphic elements, images, and, sometimes, sound.

Our team of in-house localization engineers, internationalization specialists, and software programmers focuses on assessing your needs and developing the most cost-effective and practical solutions for your organization.

We provide localization services in all the major operating systems. To localize resources, we can use any CAT tool, such as SDLX Trados, Wordfast, Passolo, among others. In most cases, we translate and localize the resources, the online help sets (the tools that users employ to familiarize themselves with new software applications), and the documentation together, which maintains internal consistency. For online help sets, our standard is RoboHelp, but we can also use other tools, such as MadCap.

We align our technology with yours, and can support practically any file type. Our process is accurate, consistent, thorough, and fast.

QA Process: Help Sets and Resources
Online Help Sets

Help files are the tools with which users familiarize themselves with new software applications. It is essential that these files are easily accessible in order to be truly useful. We routinely use tools such as RoboHelp, Doc-To-help, and Apple Help.

We can usually accept source online-help projects in Adobe RoboHelp 7 or 8, both HTML and for Word.

1. All the useful files (HTML, HHK, HHC, GLO, RTF, etc.) are analyzed and translated with Word or TagEditor and Trados, with the assistance of the relevant translation memories.
2. Translated files are then re-imported into RoboHelp and formatted for the specific language.
3. The localized projects are fully tested and compiled in the usual formats (MS HTML, WebHelp, Flash Help, etc.).

Resources

1. Studio Melchior first conducts an analysis of the actual source files (xml, html, xls, doc, rtf, and xliff) using Trados, our preferred translation memory tool.
2. To prepare source files for translation, we protect all non-translatable text by extracting only the words of the strings to be translated using translation memory tools (we prefer Trados). Using our exclusive two-column process, we isolate and extract the keys that are to remain untranslated in the left column and put into the right only the text to be translated. Trados then automatically counts only the text in the right column.
3. We then send out a localization kit containing detailed instructions for the translators, who compete the translation.
4. The core linguistic process has three stages, translation, editing, and quality control. Quality control is a final review to insure that translators have followed all instructions and style guidelines and used the established terminology.
5. We then input the translated text and update the resource strings, help files, and translation memory to insure consistency.
6. Testing (optional).

Localization/Linguistic Testing: This is the final, key step. It is an opportunity for specialists to review the final product with all elements in context. Specialists check the consistency between the printed documentation, online help, error messages, interface resources, and command-key sequences.

Functional Testing: We test the functionality of localized product to verify that no defect has been introduced in the localization process and that our finished product works exactly the same way as the source product.

Linguistic Testing: We test the localized product to verify that the linguistic quality is correct in the context of the final rendered site.