Localizing display texts

In this age of globalization and networking, the localization of texts is a must. The range of texts that need to be localized includes business correspondence, contracts, brochures, and display texts. Often, more than a mere translation is needed. Not only marketing information, but also legal aspects need to be adapted to the respective target group.

The translation of display texts is a complex subset of the field of software localization. For this reason, special attention is paid to technological aspects. Moreover, a typical localization process is analyzed, and its weaknesses are identified. Finally, we examine the question how a translation management system (TMS) can facilitate the localization of display texts.

Challenges of localizing display texts

The five greatest challenges faced when localizing display texts are the field length restriction, the width, the use of proprietary fonts, the lack of context information, and the lack of standardization of file formats. Due to the interdependencies between the first three challenges, they should be examined as a whole.

• Field length restriction:
  Simply stated, small displays only have room for short texts. For translations into German, it must also be taken into consideration that due to compounding, German words can be much longer than their source-language equivalents. For example, the German word for "restore" is "wiederherstellen". The translator must be aware of any character count limit and may need to look for alternatives. This does not apply to displays with scrolling text, though long words impair the legibility here as well.
• Width:
  The problem of the field length restriction cannot be solved without taking the width of the display into consideration. If the number of characters is limited, it must also be taken into consideration that some words may have a greater width than others. For example, the word "illiterate" has a smaller width than "myocardium", though both words consist of 10 letters.
• Proprietary fonts:
  If a company uses a proprietary font for its display texts, the translator will normally not have access to the respective font. The same applies if an organization has purchased a certain font, but this font has not been licensed for use by translation service providers or freelance translators. In such cases, the translation editor will replace the respective font with a generic font, which may result in a distorted width.
• Lack of context information:
  In the editor, the translator can only see the individual software strings. If not provided with additional information, the translator might make translation errors.
• Lack of standardization of file formats:
  Companies often develop custom file formats for their display texts. Some companies even use several different file formats alongside each other. Furthermore, the market is increasingly being flooded with a variety of display technologies.

Analysis of a localization process

A common approach pursued by companies is to separate the units to be translated from the source code. This prevents translators from accidentally deleting elements of the source code, which would increase a company's workload. For this reason, the strings are often extracted and pasted into a Word or Excel file. These files are submitted to the responsible language service provider, who then forwards them to the respective translators. Upon completion, the files travel up the supply chain in the opposite direction. The last step is the insertion of the texts in the software.

In many cases, problems are encountered at this stage: The translation might be too long and may not fit into the display, or it might not suit a particular context. This information is shared with the language service provider, who forwards it to the responsible translator. Several cycles might be necessary until all text blocks fit perfectly.

In addition to protracting the time to market, this method is also very costly. Naturally, the language service provider will bill the costs generated by this lengthy process. If the display texts are required in additional formats, the invoice total will be even higher.

The complex process of display localization can be optimally coordinated and rolled out using a translation management system.