Excerpt from: Translation, Localization and Interpretation
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| February 23, 2006 | | Internationalization of a product includes the separation of text from the software source code. | An important first step in the Localization Process of a
business translation company (explained in my blog post of February
15) is Internationalization. This process includes the separation
of text (text to be translated) from the software source code. These text
files are placed in separate "string files", or "resource files". The
translators are only given these translatable text files, which
prevents them from otherwise accidentally changing the program code.
This also means that when revisions need to be made to these text files, there
will be no to need comb through lines and lines of code to locate this
text. It's all right there in these separate string/resource files, making it
easier faster and less error-prone. Internationalization could also
include the process required for the development of documentation,
help screens and web sites.
An important part of internationalization is providing the ability
to display character sets of particular languages, for
example Japanese, which requires double-byte character sets. Prior to
doing Japanese web site localization or software
localiztion, the software must be prepared to accept the double-byte
Japanese characters. All of this must be planned out in advance as part of
this internationalization process
The Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA) defines
internationalization as follows:
- Internationalization is the process of generalizing a product so
that it can handle multiple languages and cultural conventions without the need
for re-design. Internationalization takes place at the level of program design
and document development.
Note: Internationalization is often abbreviated to "i18n",
where "18" indicates the number of letters between the "i" and the "n".
Harold Nevin | | |
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