BEST PRACTICES FOR SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION

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1 THE DEVELOPER S DOZEN: 12 BEST PRACTICES FOR SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION

2 The global software market is valued at almost half a trillion dollars and growing across all sectors, from sophisticated ERP systems to independent mobile apps and the programs that power the Internet of Things. Despite meeting budget and time targets, some of these perfectly good applications will be rejected because they don t meet user expectations. Many contributing factors, such as marketing and customer support, are not within developers control. But a key factor for user satisfaction, localization, is. When you localize, you personalize. Localize for increased market relevance and user satisfaction. Improve ROI without added risk. The Standish Group estimates user involvement to be 23% of the true cost of an IT project, and that 20% of the features and functions provide the true value of the project. Localizing your software increases your global reach and enables you to deliver greater value to more users. 02

3 READY TO GO GLOBAL? LOCALIZATION ELEMENTS Adapting graphics to target markets Modifying content to suit the tastes and consumption habits of other markets Adapting design and layout to properly display translated text Converting to local requirements (such as currencies and units of measure) Using proper local formats for dates, addresses and phone numbers Addressing local regulations and legal requirements Creating global-ready software is more than just end-build text translation. To stand out in the marke t particularly a crowded app store and meet the needs of global users, your software must be localized. But before you localize, you must internationalize. Internationalization makes localization possible by ensuring that your architecture and code are global-ready from both technical and functional perspectives. This prerequisite process is vital for affordable, replicable, high quality localization. Localization is the process of adapting a product or content to a specific locale or market. Translation is only one of several elements in the process. Successful localization ensures that key functional elements interface, navigation and documentation, plus currency, address and phone formats, date format, units of measurement, etc. appear to have been designed specifically for the target market, regardless of language, culture, or location. Don t stop there; it s not enough to fix the billing address or specify metric units. Additional cultural considerations for localization can include graphics, data compliance, language requirements, bandwidth restrictions, and device preferences. Becoming localization-ready requires an up-front planning investment, but the payoff is market agility that enables you to quickly and efficiently get your software in the hands of the widest possible audience. This ebook will introduce the developer s dozen, a collection of software localization best practices for scalable, globalready software that s on time, on budget, and on target. 03

4 TERMS QUICK REFERENCE: SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION KEY TERMS Bilingual File: contains corresponding pairs of source and target text segments (e.g., sentences in English and Japanese) Computer Aided Translation (CAT): translation done by human translators using specialized software Concatenation: combining two separate text strings to reduce size; avoid as word order and grammar rule vary across languages Globalization: the process of ensuring your application is internationalized and localized, and able to support users in their preferred languages, platforms, and devices Hardcoded text: text that is embedded in the source code and must be extracted via parser for translation; avoid by using separate resource files for titles, product names, error messages, etc. Internationalization: abbreviated as i18n, the process of ensuring that your code and architecture can handle multiple languages and cultural conventions, making localization possible Localization: abbreviated as l10n, the process of adapting a product or content to a specific local or market Localization-friendly design: source code and structure that are ready for localization Over-localization: occurs when strings intended to remain in English are erroneously translated Pseudo-localization: a localizability testing technique where localizable text is replaced with dummy, auto-generated translations to reveal potential issues before real translation occurs Software Localizability: the ability of a software product (text and non-text elements) to be adapted for any local marketing with no changes to the source code Source File: the original usually English (US) language text or content used to create the target file Strings: also known as content strings, these are the words and phrases used within your application Target File: the source file text or content translated into a specific (target) language; this localized content features the same shape and format as the source (English) file Terminology Database (Glossary): a type of dictionary used during translation to ensure terminology consistency Translation Memory (TM): a database that stores translated segments (usually of sentence length) with their source language equivalents Under-localization: occurs when items which need to be localized fail to be included in the file sent for localization UTF-8 Encoding: variable-length, 8-bit character encoding capable of encoding all possible characters, or code points, defined by the Unicode Standard 04

5 HOW IT WORKS: COMPUTER AIDED TRANSLATION Engineers prep files for translation by extracting translatable content from the source files. Prepped source content, is uploaded to cloud-based CAT tool. The CAT tool leverages from the translation memory to recycle previously translated content. CAT tool also links to any available terminology database or glossary and provides suggestions to translators as they work to ensure consistency in translation. Translations are reviewed and edited by human translators in the CAT tool and returned to project managers. Target files are shared with the customer for review and approval. Engineers post-process and finalize the target files produced by the CAT tool to ensure that the final translated file matches the source file s formatting, layout, functionality, and settings. Target file is generated by CAT tool. All translated segments and source language equivalents are stored in the TM. 05

6 HOW IT WORKS: TRANSLATION PROCESS This simplified graphic shows how original (source) file content is processed into a target language file using the CAT tool. TRANSLATION MEMORY (TM) Source Text = Target Text SOURCE FILE CAT TOOL TARGET FILE TERMINOLOGY DATABASE 06

7 START SMART: PLAN WITH A GLOBAL MINDSET When it comes to localizing software, planning with a global mindset will help you avoid the ninety-ninety rule and streamline localization into multiple languages and markets. Attributed to Tom Cargill of Bell Labs, it states: The first 90 percent of the code accounts for the first 90 percent of the development time. The remaining 10 percent of the code accounts for the other 90 percent of the development time. Humorous to be sure, but disastrous if accurate. Exponentially disastrous for global development. What can you do, outside of giving 180%? IT projects have a high failure rate in general; The Standish Group s 2013 Chaos Report indicated only 39% of projects could be considered successful, with the rest either outright failures (18%) or challenged (43%), meaning they lack required features and functions often connected to a lack of end-user participation. Consider any common point of software failure inadequate requirements, scope creep, poor QA testing, lack of executive sponsorship adding in localization will expose project management weakness and exacerbate negative outcomes, especially end-user satisfaction. Avoid localization failure by taking extra care in your requirements analysis and design phases, and ensure that all stakeholders are in agreement as to target markets, languages, and issues unique to each. Approach localization as a strategy, not a task, for global success. Make global-readiness your goal, and you ll never have to re-engineer to take advantage of a market opportunity. The following best practices are by no means comprehensive, but are basic requirements for software in search of a global audience. 07

8 THE DEVELOPER S DOZEN Language Considerations ALL LANGUAGES HAVE MANY LANGUAGES USE Different ways of forming and using the plural Different ways of ordering words in a sentence Different amounts of words (and letters) to express an idea Different lexical categories noun, verb, adjective Different genders for nouns and adjectives Different grammatical cases Different ways of addressing you 08

9 12 BEST PRACTICES FOR SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION 01. Design with localization in mind Minimize schedule delays and cost overruns by developing a localization-friendly design from the start. A localization-friendly design features source code and structure that helps: Prevent replication of source bugs in target files Prevent avoidable translation errors Prevent common software localization errors, including functional, display, abbreviation, and over- and under-localization. 02. Build a library of internationalized objects Remember: internationalization enables localization. Building a library of internationalized objects will spare you from rework as you localize into multiple languages. These include: User interface design elements Sort and search functionality Multi-byte character support (for Asian languages; see #12, UTF-8 encoding) Bi-directional or right-to-left support (Arabic & Hebrew languages) Address, number, date, and currency formats Keep text short All languages have different sentence structures, different rules for pluralization, and use different amounts of words to express an idea. Minimize translation problems with clear and concise source content: Plan for text expansion When translated into other languages, content strings can grow longer (English German) or shrink (English to Asian languages). At a minimum, plan for 30% expansion. In the example below, the Italian translation for On and Off expand more than 100%: Use brief sentences Use Standard English word order whenever possible Avoid long noun strings Avoid synonyms; use just one term to identify a single concept (see #6 for more) Avoid acronyms; they will require extra translation and lose any secondary meanings ON Abilitato (Italian) OFF Disabilitato (Italian) This chart from the Microsoft Developers Network is great guideline: English Length (in characters) 1 to 4 100% 5 to 10 80% 11 to 20 60% 21 to 30 40% 31 to 50 20% Over 50 10% Expansion % for localized strings 9

10 05. Don t reuse the same text in different context In other words, don t verb your nouns. English has many nouns and verbs that look alike, such as file, share, and design. Additionally, there are also adjectives and verbs that look alike, such as open, clear, and free. Decide on a single use for text, use it consistently, and identify it through resource commenting (see #8) and within your glossary. 06. Do use icons Icons without text require less translation and can reduce cost. However, not all symbols are universal or neutral. For example, a U.S.-style mailbox doesn t translate to many other cultures. Avoid images of hands or feet, animals, and other symbols which can have unexpected or unwelcome meanings. Do your research or check with your localization partner for specific market considerations. 12 BEST PRACTICES FOR SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION 07. Don t hardcode text or punctuation Hardcoded text is text embedded in the source code. When you re ready to localize, this text must be extracted for translation. Your language service provider (LSP) can run a parser to identify translatable text, but it is best to minimize it at the design level. Instead, do the following: Separate resources displayed to the user (titles, product names, error messages) into resource files distinct from source code 08. Prevent Over- and Under-localization Both instances are caused by incorrectly prepping a file for translation. Over-localization occurs when strings intended to remain in English are erroneously translated. Under-localization occurs when items which need to be localized were not included in the file. Both can impact code functionality if an incorrectly translated string has a critical function within the program. Minimize these errors with: Do-Not-Translate (DNT) lists provided to your LSP Resource separation and commenting Pseudo-localization Use resource commenting to eliminate translation errors String IDs should include a description of the role, function, or meaning of each string 10

11 12 BEST PRACTICES FOR SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION 09. Avoid concatenation Concatenation is the combining of two separate strings. It is used by developers to reduce the size of a string, but causes many problems for localization. Concatenation makes it difficult to correctly localize strings, as word order and grammar rules vary across languages. For example, free shipping is a common English concatenation, resulting in mistranslation: 10. Use pseudo-localization Pseudo-localization is a localizability testing technique that replaces localizable text with automatically generated dummy translations. This process reduces risk and reveals potential problems before translation investment is made. Pseudo-localization can uncover: Source (English) let string1 = free let string2 = shipping var shipping = string1 + string2 // label now equals free shipping One String Free shipping Free Shipping Concatenated string Free shipping Target (Spanish) Free = Gratis Shipping = Envío Concatenating the correctly translated string results in a mistranslation: Gratis Envío instead of Envío Gratis Gratis Envío Correct Translation Envío Gratis Mistranslation Gratis Envío Functional issues Examples of hard-coded text User interface (UI) layout issues (caused by special characters or string length) Character corruption Non-Unicode issues Bidirectional or mirroring issues (can occur in languages like Arabic or Hebrew) 11. UTF Make sure to use UTF-8 encoding UTF-8 is the most popular format for Unicode, described by Dr. Ken Lunde as the world s first intelligent character encoding. Unicode is supported by all major hardware and software companies and is required by standards such as XML, Java, and Javascript. Using UTF-8 ensures easy and correct translation into all languages, especially Asian CJKV (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese) languages. When in doubt, consult with a localization expert In addition to localization checklists provided for Android, ios, and Windows development, your LSP can provide you with insights and optimized processes that will save you time, money, and rework. Reach out with questions early in the process to ensure your development is localization-ready. From the simplest mobile app to complex multi-user systems, localization is the key to driving software sales and acceptance. Don t just meet user expectations, exceed them. Unlock global market opportunities and accelerate ROI with software development that is global-ready by design. 11

12 CHECKLIST for Global-ready Software Target markets and languages identified No hardcoded text or punctuation LSP partner with target market experience Neutral icons without text Architecture and code are global-ready No concatenation in use Library of internationalized objects UTF-8 encoding Design supports text expansion and bidirectional languages Successful pseudo-localization test Source text is concise and avoids acronyms and reuse QA and testing for each market and language 12

13 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ios Developer Library: Localizing your app Microsoft Developer Network: Globalization and Localization Issues Unicode CLDR: Language Reference Library Pseudo localization: Further information About Lionbridge Lionbridge enables more than 800 world-leading brands to increase international market share, speed adoption of products and effectively engage their customers in local markets worldwide. Using our innovative cloud technology platforms and our global crowd of more than 100,000 professional cloud workers, we provide translation, online marketing, global content management and application testing solutions that ensure global brand consistency, local relevancy and technical usability across all touch points of the customer lifecycle. Ready to localize your software? The Lionbridge experts are ready to help you go global. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US TODAY AT OR LIONBRIDGE.COM 2016 Lionbridge. All Rights Reserved.