XML Localization Interchange File Format. The only open standard bitext format. This is how computer-aided translation (CAT) tools can be interoperable.
XLIFF is important because managing bitext is the core process in localization. XLIFF keeps source and target aligned throughout all transformations in the roundtrip through the localization process, which should be standards-based, not proprietary.
A character encoding standard that provides a cross-platform, uniform, and robust digital representation of the scripts for the world’s languages.
Unicode has become the de facto way in which characters for the scripts of the world’s languages are represented in modern digital devices, meaning that Unicode is a prerequisite for all digital text.
Translation Memory Exchange. An XML-based standard that facilitates the exchange of data between different translation memory (TM) tools.
The capability of moving data between different tools makes TMX important to the industry. However, its flexibility can limit its applicability, because tool vendors often create variants, which can hinder interoperability.
Segmentation Rules eXchange. An open XML-based standard that describes how translation and other language-processing tools should split text fragments for processing.
SRX helps in achieving better translation reuse at the sentence level from translation memory (TM) engines.
The ability of different systems to exchange and make use of information (e.g., each other’s data formats) and to work together, often in real time.
Localization is a complex process that requires many different components to interact smoothly. When selecting tools, make sure that interoperability is included as a feature.
A W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) standard that provides concepts for the automated creation and processing of multilingual web content.
With ITS, processes can be automated with standardized metadata called ITS data categories. Example processes include translation package creation, machine translation, and quality review.
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The process of re-developing or adapting content from one culture to another, while transferring its meaning and maintaining its intent, style, and voice.
In transcreation, the concepts, feelings, and call to action that are expressed in the source are maintained in the target, but the emphasis, design, and the text are oriented specifically to the target culture. While there are some grey areas, transcreation goes much deeper than localization typically does and, consequently, incurs significantly higher costs.
The concurrent distribution of all content related to a particular product or service to all target markets in the appropriate languages. Also known as Simultaneous Shipment.
Releasing a product in all markets at the same time helps ensure successful product introductions, stronger sales, and greater customer satisfaction[Asnes 2010].
The market segment that a company considers to be the most important to their objectives and, therefore, their main focus.
Companies segment their markets to help them devise the most effective go-to-market strategy for each segment. Content and localization strategies will be different for primary, secondary, and tertiary markets.
A systematic method used to perform qualitative research aimed at understanding cultures, groups, and organizations.
Ethnography has evolved, spanning across several anthropology specialties, and ethnographers have joined forces with communication science and market research practitioners. The discipline has moved away from rigorous academia toward a more pragmatic and fast-paced approach. Some large corporations use ethnographers for market research, but the potential of ethnography is still largely overlooked[Ladner 2012].