Localization

Your success on a new market depends to a large extent on how well you are able to adapt to the needs and habits of local consumers. Not only the product itself, but also your strategy for marketing, sales, distribution, and servicing must be comprehensible and acceptable to your new clients.

The process during which a product or service originating in a certain region is adapted to the language, culture, market, and standards of another region is called localization (l10n). Besides linguistic translation per se, localization includes such tasks as adapting a product to the time zone, currency, public holidays, gender roles, or references to geographical names. An optimally localized product is perceived by the consumer as having been developed within the applicable culture.

For this reason, we always complete localization projects in the country for which a localized product is intended.

Our localization services cover:

• technology and equipment
• software
• on-line help files
• websites and web-based applications

Localization of technology and equipment, including manuals and marketing documents

We localize instructions and texts displayed on the screens of electronic devices and equipment intended for various fields (energy, machining, automotive, electronics, and other industries).

The localization process includes the translation and graphic processing of manuals and marketing documents in the HTML, XML, SGML, or XLIFF format or in one of these applications – Interleaf/Quicksilver, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, OpenOffice, Adobe PageMaker, Adobe InDesign, Adobe FrameMaker, QuarkXPress, and others.

For the localization of manuals, we recommend the use of special CAT tools, such as Passolo.

Localization of software

In addition to translating texts and the user interface, software localization includes dealing with diacritics, keyboard layout, number, time, date, and currency formats, functionality and compatibility testing, and the software engineering of the localized application.

Localization of on-line help files

We localize on-line help systems in the HLP or CHM format compiled from HTML or RTF files. Other formats can be processed based on a prior arrangement.

Localization of websites and web-based applications

We provide all-inclusive localization of both static and dynamic websites and applications that employ the HTML, XML, SGML, PHP, ASP, and other technologies. Our localization services include pictures and Flash animations.

CAT tools

CAT refers to computer aided translation. The translation work is always done by a professional translator who uses a specialized CAT application in addition his or her expertise. CAT programs ensure the use of consistent terminology, contain translation memory and dictionaries, incorporate review tools, and, no less importantly, include project management tools.

CAT tools give you these advantages:

• reduction of costs related to translators, programmers, editors, graphic artists, and other specialists
• reduction of the time needed to introduce your products on new markets
• high and sustainable quality of translated documents
• superior project management

CAT tools we use include:

• SDL Trados
• Passolo
• Transit Professional
• Wordfast
• Déja Vu