Web Localization Online Document Translation Source: Fernando Delgado

Web Localization Web Sites often need to:  Target different non-English speaking users.  Provide information which is region-specific.  Adapt content for cultural context. Localization: Translation and cultural adaptation of website content, architecture and functionality.

Issues in Localization I. Business Requirements II. Translation Solutions III. (Language) User Expectations

Business Requirements Organizations need:  An efficient way to obtain and update document translations.  A consistent document format/style across languages.  A standardized business vocabulary.  A localization effort that is tailored to the target market/audience. Solutions:  Language-specific glossaries for terminology.  Document templates to be used across languages.  Regional and dialect-sensitive translation efforts by specialists.  Regionally-appealing graphics/format.

Business Requirements Key Questions:  Is localization of content purely a linguistic problem, or do graphics/content have to be localized?  How linguistically diverse is the target audience?  Is this a one-time translation need, or a continuing, evolving project component?  Is the content of translation specialist in nature, or general?  What is the rhetorical style of the content for translation?  What are the pros and cons of available translation solutions?

Translation Methods I. Machine Translation II. Translation Memories III. Language Expert

Translation Methods 1. Machine Translation  Fully automated translation using source and target language dictionaries, linguistic parsing algorithms and statistical corpuses  Inexpensive and quick systems are currently available online  MT engines perform well when calibrated and used for restricted domains where vocabulary and linguistic ambiguity is controlled (e.g., meteorology)  General MT still in ‘research’ phase; so far no products exist for successful general document translation  Of special importance to localization: MT engines ignore differences between local varieties of global languages

Translation Methods 2. Translation Memories  A type of inter-lingual glossary used by professional translators to facilitate the translation of standardized documents.  TMs include ready-made translations for frequently encountered words and phrases in a given corpus (in tech-speak, “strings”).  Translation Memories are easily tailored to organization-specific needs.  Perfect for organizations with few in-house translators but large volumes of translation requests and/or numerous translation projects. Potential Problems:  Expensive to obtain and time-consuming to tailor to specific needs.  Translators need to be trained on software.

Translation Methods 3. Hand Translation  Old classic: bilingual translator/subject expert with dictionary.  Often the best choice for specific, complex translation projects.  Translation can be fine-tuned for very specific audiences. Potential Problems:  Bilingual translators with subject expertise may be hard to find.  Translation talent demands a high hourly wage especially for non-western languages.

Web Localization Translation reality:  Few web localization efforts only use machine translation.  Most use a combination of tools to make websites My specific experience with web localization: 1. Aided in the localization/translation of an HR training site for Aon Services Corporation in order to accommodate training needs for Mexico City, Bogota and Buenos Aires offices. 2. Assisted in the localization/translation of HR online surveys into European French and Latin American Spanish. Intranet/Content Development Emphasis

Language User Expectations Web site users want :  Content written in the their specific variety of the language spoken.  Content written in naturalistic language. Web site users dislike :  Obvious machine translations of content.  Reading non-local varieties of native language. Attitudes towards web site will suffer if above holds.

Language User Expectations Hispanophone example:  In formal writing, there are substantial grammatical and vocabulary differences between Peninsular (European) Spanish and Latin American Spanish that need to be respected in online content translation.  For more formal writing online, there is theoretically no difference between Mexican and Argentinian Spanish.  In less formal writing however, Latin American Spanish breaks down into several different categories with different preferred vocabularies and rhetorical styles (akin to the difference between Australian and American English).

Language User Expectations Conflicting requirements:  Some want each word in document to be in local language.  Some use English terms for tech and business jargon and find translations of these terms awkward (e.g. “website”, “framework”, etc.).  Some international businesses have key words (or acronyms) that should not be translated in intranet sites since they form part of company culture. Questions to ask:  Is the user group composed of young English-speaking professionals?  Is the user group composed of traditionalists who are anti-Americanization?  What language is appropriate for mixed audiences?  Are there company-specific constraints/rules to be followed?

Web Translation Strategies: Knowing the target audience is key!  Don’t assume any knowledge of English on the part of web users.  Use local journalistic convention and rhetorical styles.  Don’t forget translation is for website; online language may differ.  Think beyond national varieties of language.  The social, educational and professional class of audience may have distinctive online way of communicating.