Software localization for international marketing of technical products
Software is now a fixed component of the majority of industrial products in the form of user interfaces or for controlling product functionality.
In the era of Industry 4.0, there is an increasing number of new software versions and formats (e.g. for bus systems such as PROFINET or IO-Link).
PRODOC knows the most efficient methods for localizing software and their technical translation of different types and formats.
Get info on software localizationSome of our Smart Sensor products have an integrated configuration software with web interface. PRODOC can read the source data of this software directly and reliably delivers localized versions.
Software localization: more than just a translation
Software localization is therefore more than just a translation: if you simply have the software translated, all system texts are transferred from the original language into the target language, but cultural peculiarities, such as date formats or currencies, are not taken into account. Thus, although you can use purely translated software, it always feels somewhat foreign to the user. With software localization, however, you offer the user an individual experience.
With professional software localization, all culture-specific aspects such as date, time and currency are adapted. All dialog boxes, buttons and menus are translated and visually designed to harmonize with the target culture. All technical documentation, operating instructions, online help texts and all marketing texts can be optimally adapted to the target market.
In addition to language skills, software localization also requires the necessary background knowledge of software technology and the use of localization tools, as well as an insight into the culture and special needs of the respective country.
Other adjustments that need to be made are tax rates, all types of variables, paper formats and fonts. Lists may need to be reorganized alphabetically and bank account data fields, proof of identity functions and privacy policies may need to be adapted. Thanks to localization, it looks as if the software’s user interface has been specially developed for the market.
Other items that are adapted as part of software localization include the user interface (GUI), all error messages, online help, operating instructions, technical documents, training materials, website content and product brochures.
Optimal workflow for consistent device software localization
Use of CAT tools for software localization
In our opinion, the use of CAT tools is absolutely essential for localization.
With the help of a CAT tool, the following localization tasks can be solved:
- Efficient translation of software updates
- Consistent translations in software and manual
Software updates
Software updates are an inherent aspect of the software.
- Software updates are produced regularly and should of course be localized in all languages in which the previous version was available.
- During a software update, parts of the source code are changed, supplemented or replaced, but a large part remains the same.
- Using a CAT tool, you can reliably recognize texts that have already been translated, as well as slightly modified and completely new texts.
- This means that only the new and changed texts are translated manually, while existing translations are automatically inserted by the CAT tool.
Consistent translations
It must be ensured that the translated texts are consistent between the software interface and the help file or manual.
- Different file formats The software interface, help file and operating instructions are usually created in different programs and are therefore available in different formats, which the technical translator cannot usually edit himself.
- Uniform platform for the translator The CAT tool provides a single platform for translators to work with all these formats without having to own or install the software itself. This ensures that the same translator can process all file types required for software localization.
Localization of the software alone is not enough
Software localization usually involves not only translating the user interface of the software itself, but also translating other documents:
Terminology management for software localization
Terminology management plays an important role in all divisions of a company, as this is where the language and vocabulary of a company are recorded, structured and defined. Thus, terminology management is also of great importance in software localization, as developers need a defined terminology so that they can enter texts into the software product in a uniform manner. When new releases of the software with new functions are published, it must be ensured that uniform terminology is used.
Without this, it would be very difficult to name new functions or interface elements correctly. With a multilingual software terminology, all developers and programmers can access the correct terms in the respective languages.
Software terminology covers various areas: It includes all GUI elements such as buttons, dialog headings, list boxes or field labels, but also all messages and longer sentence-like user interfaces. The terminology database contains all expressions that can be used by the software, such as adjectives, phrases and verbs, even if they appear to be everyday language at first glance.
For example, select can be translated differently depending on the context, which is why a terminology database is particularly important in the field of software localization.
At PRODOC, we create a terminology database for each customer. This service is completely free of charge and ensures that we use consistent terminology in all your translations so that you receive consistent translations with a customer-specific language.
Terminology management plays an important role in all divisions of a company, as this is where the language and vocabulary of a company are recorded, structured and defined. Thus, terminology management is also of great importance in software localization, as developers need a defined terminology so that they can enter texts into the software product in a uniform manner. When new releases of the software with new functions are published, it must be ensured that uniform terminology is used.
Without this, it would be very difficult to name new functions or interface elements correctly. With a multilingual software terminology, all developers and programmers can access the correct terms in the respective languages.
Managing user interface strings sensibly
User interfaces usually consist of individual words or short texts (strings). These are usually managed in a repository. We can connect these repositories to our terminology database via an API interface:
- New and modified strings are automatically transferred to the terminology database
- The repository retrieves the translated strings from the terminology database
- All strings including translations are available at any time in the translation process
Our CAT tool memoQ has standard filters for a wide range of file types on board. These include, for example, filters for Microsoft Word, InDesign, FrameMaker, HTML help files or RESX files as well as a flexibly customizable XML filter for customer-specific XML formats.
Localization of software for manufacturing and production
The localization of software for industrial production involves the technical translation of several components:
- Software interface (often only English – German)
- Help file (English – German and other languages)
- Operating instructions (English – German and other languages)
If the software is only translated into English, this means that the software and operating instructions are available in different languages. For example, the use of an English software interface is described in a Korean operating manual. This is another area where the CAT tool provides perfect support for the translator.
Localization of software for desktop PCs and mobile devices
With software for desktop PCs and mobile devices, the texts to be localized can be stored in resource files. This makes it possible to switch languages during operation by simply using the resource file translated for the respective language. The creation and format of the resource files vary depending on the operating system and programming environment.
In most cases, however, an XML-based format is used, such as the RESX files for Microsoft’s .Net Framework. If there is no filter configuration for a specific resource file yet, we can configure memoQ’s XML import filter for this resource format and ensure that only the texts to be translated are translated using the CAT tool.
Different languages in software and operating instructions
In the industrial automation sector, it is often the case that only the German to English translation of the software itself is required, whereas the technical translation of user manual and help file has to be made into several languages.
It is assumed that a Korean user understands the English user interface, but would like to obtain more detailed information from the user manual in their Korean mother tongue.
A more detailed explanation of this procedure can be found in English in our Wiki. The associated description for the translator can also be found in English under Using Live Docs with fake TMs in our Wiki as well.
Website localization
Efficient workflow
When localizing websites, the smooth exchange of data between the CMS system (with which the website is maintained) and the CAT tool (with which the website is translated) is particularly important.
You can find detailed information on this under Translation of websites.
SEO relevance
A special topic in the localization of websites is expert know-how in the field of search engine optimization (SEO).
On the technical side, it is important to avoid creating “duplicate content” through translation.
In terms of content, not only should important pages be translated, but the relevant keywords for the target language should also be determined.
Once the translation has been carried out using the right keywords, optimization should be carried out based on the pages that are most successful with the current keywords.
However, this is an additional service that requires the corresponding know-how. You can find more information on this under International SEO!
Software localization of customer-specific file formats
Do you have data in a customer-specific format?
Then simply send them to us for a quote!
We will check the data.
Then, with the help of pseudo translation, we define a specific filter that detects exactly the data you want to translate.
Request quote
Dipl.-Ing. Stefan Weimar
Managing Director
Software localization is the process of adapting a software product to a specific area or region. This includes the translation of all text within the software, the adaptation of user interfaces and help files to local conventions and the testing of the software in localized environments.
Software localization is the process of adapting a software product for use in a new market. This usually involves translating the text of the software, but also adapting the user interface and other aspects of the product to make it more culturally appropriate for the new target market. This means that localization goes beyond mere translation.
We offer software localization from English into German and all other EU languages as well as into various Asian languages and vice versa.
The combination of German and English is of particular importance in the various technical fields in which software is used. Asia and China in particular play a major role in the automotive and automation industry, which is why software localizations can be created in German-Chinese and English-Chinese.