Transcript L10n ≠ Translation - Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Localization concepts and tools:
what do translators know about them?
Magda Talaban
Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain
October 2006
The new language industry
• The GILT
Globalization (G10n)
Internationalization (I18n)
Localization (L10n)
Translation
The GILT
• Globalization (G10n)
Globalization addresses all of the enterprise issues
associated with making a company truly global.
For the globalization of products and services this
involves integrating all of the internal and external
business functions with marketing, sales, and
customer support in the world market. (LISA)
The GILT
• Internationalization (I18n)
Internationalization is the process of generalizing a
product so that it can handle multiple languages and
cultural conventions without the need for redesign.
Internationalization takes place at the level of program
design and document development. (LISA)
The GILT
• Localization (L10n)
… involves taking a product and making it linguistically
and culturally appropriate to the target locale
(country/region and language) where it will be used and
sold. (LISA)
… means the linguistic and cultural adaptation of digital
content to the requirements of a foreign market
(Schäler 2005)
… is the adaptation of products or services to the
cultural, legal, linguistic, and technical requirements of
a specific locale. (Lionbridge)
Translation in the L10n discourse
• “Translation is the process of converting written
text or spoken words to another language.”
(Esselink 2000)
• “Translation is the core skill of converting text
from one language to another, whether on hard
copy or electronically.” (Sprung 2000)
• Translation differs from L10n in scope. (LISA)
Drawing it
(Source: Biau Gil 2005)
What’s to localize?
• Digital products (cf. Schäler)
- software
- Web sites
- video-games
- DVDs
- courseware
- films
• Print products
- advertising products
- tourist materials
The industry discourse
• Rather technical discourse (e.g. Esselink 2000)
• Translation – just one of the steps in the process
• Translators involved in large projects, managed by
localizers
• New set of technical skills required from translators
(use of TMs and MT) + Preoccupation for cutting
down translation costs
• Cultural adaptation refers to items outside language
(e.g. date, currency format)
- for Web sites: Web site design
Localizing for emerging markets
• Most L10n processes (still) generate in the U.S.
• Smaller / less developed markets = target markets for
localized products
- need for local language specialists for L10n projects
- technical advances penetrate at a slower pace
- translator training curricula not yet updated
Discrepancy?
Mini-Survey
• Aim:
- to explore how familiar the respondents are with
localization concepts and tools;
- to examine how translators describe Web site
translation based on their own experience.
• Method:
- online questionnaire posted on Proz.com forum
- in English
- multiple-choice + open questions
Mini-Survey
• Respondents:
- 27 Romanian translators
- experience as a translator: 1 to 28 years
- 67% freelance; 33% in-house
• Web site translation
- 60% occasionally
- 22% only once
- 3% on a regular basis
Q: What is the difference (if any) between
localization and translation?
• L10n = Translation – 20%
• L10n ≠ Translation – 50%
• Don’t know – 30%
L10n ≠ Translation
• Freelance, 28-year experience:
“Translation is not to be considered as being
identical with localization. The last one implies an
adequate, thorough knowledge of the culture,
habits & the worldview of both the nations’
language from/into which one has to translate.”
• Freelance, 10-year experience:
“Translation means the exchange of words and
sentences from one language to another, whilst
localization also implies an adaptation of the text to
fit the reader profile.”
L10n ≠ Translation
• Freelance, 6-year experience:
“Localization is more than translation. The
translator has to do more than just translate a text
from a source language into one or more target
languages. He/she has to adapt everything to the
specific local conditions, that is, to localize.”
• Freelance, one year experience:
“They are not the same thing. With localization, the
text is adapted to the target group / country, and
not just translated.”
L10n ≠ Translation
• Freelance,5-year experience:
“Localization involves designing and setting up
content so that it is easily convertible into different
languages. Translation is rendering certain content
into another language.”
• Freelance, 2-year experience:
“Not the same thing. Localization implies adapting
the source to meet certain local requirements.”
Q: When translating Web sites, do you use any
translation tools? Which one(s)?
• Never – 48%
• Occasionally – 30%
• Frequently – 12%
• E.g. WordFast, Trados
Q: How did you become familiar with these
translation tools?
• Took a specialize course in translation – 11%
• Looked for tutorials on Internet – 28%
• Someone who knows taught me – 24%
• N/A (not familiar with translation tools for Web sites)
– 42%
Q: When translating Web sites, what is the file
format that you are required to work with?
• Text file (.doc, .txt, .rtf) – 67%
• HTML file – 22%
• Other format – 11%
Q: How did you become familiar with
HTML files?
• Took a specialize course in translation – 11%
• Looked for tutorials on Internet – 28%
• Someone who knows taught me – 24%
• N/A (not familiar with HTML files) – 42%
Overall results
• Correlation between the translator’s familiarization
with L10n tools/concepts and years of experience
Younger translators (1 or 2 year-experience)
- don’t know what L10n is
- don’t use any translation tools when translating Web
sites.
More experienced translators (~5 years experience)
- consider that L10n ≠ translation
- use translation tools on a regular basis.
This could imply that…
• In-house translators are less updated on the new
technologies than freelancers. (due to less competition?)
• Some translators consider that translation does not
involve adaptation. (conflict with translation theory?)
• Translator training curricula has not been adjusted yet to
the new market requirements.
• However, when out on the market, some seem to have
learnt the rules of survival (i.e. update their technical
skills)
Thank you!
Oh… questions, anyone?