Translation Issues 3-98 (November 1998) by Wolfgang Sturz

Again and again we have seen how modern language use suddenly gives rise to new concepts or terms behind which, as closer observation shows, are simply the same old meanings. Whether it's the "administrative assistant" who used to be the "secretary", or the "human resources manager" who has replaced the "personnel manager" (or even ridiculous examples like "domestic engineer" for "housewife"!), such neologisms often generate little more than a smirk. Is there a similar situation when it comes to "localization"?

Complex Translation in the Corporate Environment

One thing is certain: translation processes are becoming increasingly complex and are more and more integrated in a comprehensive workflow between other layers of preceding and following work steps.

• Translating is the process of converting a source text in one language into a target text in another language. The goal is to render the contents of the source text in the target language as truly as possible. But translations can only be really useful if they are considered as just one component of a comprehensive localization process.
  
• Localization is the adapting of a product (or a service) to a new linguistic and cultural region. Along with the translation process, localization includes adapting to country-specific or cultural conditions. To ensure that this localization is done economically, the product or the service should be "internationalized" right from the start.
  
• The internationalization of a product begins right at the time the product is conceived. Internationalization implies that products are broken down into a cultural and linguistic product core and cultural/linguistic product variables. The product core is implemented globally without any changes, whereas the variables will need to be adapted from country to country or linguistic region to linguistic region.
  
• The decision to employ internationalization, which does entail higher initial costs at the time of product development, is predicated on a basic corporate decision with respect to globalization.
  
• Globalization is a corporate-political decision in which the company recognizes that it produces products for the world market (and, as a rule, in the world market). Behind the decision for globalization, however, must be more than simply the decision to sell worldwide . Only companies who are prepared for the long term to adapt their products to the linguistic and cultural expectations of their target markets will achieve and maintain long-term global success.
  

• Product-related localization variables would include, for example, technical features such as the supply voltage for technical devices. But to this you could add such legally prescribed details as safety features, position and configuration of emergency stop switches, and so on. In data processing systems you would need to account for things like different keyboards used in various countries.
  

• In addition to the product-related localization variables and the user interfaces unique to a particular linguistic region, the documentation for technical products contains a multitude of localization variables. An example might be different character sets. Even more: when creating documentation, attention must be given to the layout. Translations often end up being longer than the source text, sometimes by as much as 30%. If no space is allowed for such expansions in the layout, the entire pagination will be off in the translation.
  

1. Thesis: Technical documentation is culturally neutral, since it has only objective, technical content.
   

1. Counter-thesis: Even technical documentation cannot be culturally neutral, since the contents of a technical document always depends on the acquired knowledge and previous education of the reader. This is necessarily different from linguistic region to region.
   

1. Technical documentation must be content-correct.
   
2. Content-correct technical documentation must be objective.
   
3. Objectively written documentation must be formulated concisely and precisely.
   
4. Concise and precise texts are nearly always shorter.
   
5. Concise and precise texts are nearly always more understandable.
   
6. Concise and precise texts nearly always lend themselves better to translation.
   
7. Concise and precise texts are nearly always shorter and can therefore be translated at lower cost.
   

• Automatic machine translation, for which there are already programs available costing just a couple of hundred dollars, still does not meet the demands which are placed on a technical translator. With few exceptions, most companies who have invested significant resources over the years to research in this area have since withdrawn their efforts.
  

• Using translation memories is a relatively new concept. Here, large databases are used to store complete sentences from the source text together with the complete translation in the target language. As soon as the source text appears again in a new document (such repetition is the rule in technical documentation, especially when it comes to frequently needed updates), the translation stored in the database is automatically offered to the translator. He or she can then decide right at the computer terminal whether to accept, reject, or slightly modify the text, based on the immediate context in which it appears and on the translator's familiarity with the field.
  

• Even systems like this require integration into a comprehensive and well-structured documentation system. Only if attention is paid to word-for-word consistency and repetitions when the original document is created can such translation memories be used economically and effectively.
  

• Avoid abbreviations in the original text.
  

• Avoid cartoons whenever possible, since they may take on a whole new meaning (or have no meaning) in another culture.
  

• Avoid distinguishing facial expressions on any person depicted in an illustration, since the expression may be interpreted variously in different cultures.
  

• Avoid the unconsidered use of colors. Signal colors can have completely different meanings in various cultural regions.
  

• Think ahead in terms of using various currency and technical units.
  

• Bear in mind that different page sizes/formats are used in different countries. Give some thought as to whether your documentation absolutely must be printed in a national paper format (such as DIN A4 in Germany), or whether it would be better printed in a different format.
  
• using names for imaginary persons used in examples (e.g., "Now Mr. Smith can…") a similarly typical name should be used in the target language. It makes no sense to literally translate or leave names as they are.
  

• Remember that certain symbols can be sacred in certain linguistic and cultural regions.
  

• Remember that national standards which prevail in your country may not be in force or even known in another country.
  

• Remember that different systems for date and time are used in other countries.
  

• Avoid whenever possible any reference to country-specific entities such as particular agencies, authorities or similar institutions for which there are no direct equivalents in the foreign country.
  

"transline Deutschland - Übersetzungsdienst für technische Übersetzung"