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There are various methods for developing websites, and the programming can be browser- and/or server-based. A website developer can use a range of technologies, which will have a direct impact on the localization process. Regardless of the technology used, the most effective procedure when localizing a website is to always provide the source files.

When you are assigned the localization of your company’s website, instead of simply indicating the online address, ask your webmaster or web designer to supply the content offline or the means for us to locate the original files. In this way, the price quote is more precise, your team is spared side work and your turnaround and on-line placement time is cut in half. The result? While reducing your website localization costs, you increase the satisfaction of those who decided it was time for your company to go global. In the next post, I will discuss the different types of websites and how their differences can affect the localization process.

Ricardo Junior worked as a localization engineer for Ccaps but decided to follow his career as an accountant and today works for Petrobras.

Localization engineering work is often quite repetitive. Simple and repetitive tasks performed manually are not only boring but also unproductive.

Having said that, the engineer needs to be admittedly lazy. We have to think what processes can be automated and transformed into scripts or macros, which could later be performed automatically. What is the benefit of that? When a task is performed automatically, it takes little time, and allows the engineer to dedicate his time to do exactly what he is supposed to do: solve new and unexpected problems, create and develop new scripts to automate everyday tasks, etc.

It goes without saying that not every task can be automated (even those tasks that are seemingly repetitive). A deeper analysis of the workflow of a certain task would show it can be transformed into a logical reasoning with procedures to be followed. The next step is to look for an automation tool (there are many out there, such as the MS Office package Macros and VBA, the QuickKeys application or even the DOS BAT files), develop a function prototype and finally, start testing it. You should also remember that a function must show the mistakes, deficiencies and problems at this stage, for when it enters the translating process, you might not have time to fix all resulting bugs. And the last thing you want is to redo the task manually.

Let us be admittedly lazy then. Let us concentrate on the automation of repetitive and everyday tasks to have more time to think about and work on the tasks that demand wit and logical reasoning.

Such a classic: when opening a window, most people automatically click the button to maximize the window. This bad habit, which at first seems to be a healthy one, usually causes more problems than benefits for the user. Especially when working with localization, when the translator often needs to have opened the file to be translated, Trados and at least a glossary, all at the same time.

The sense of space given by the maximized window is what most contributes for this. Everything becomes larger, but this is exactly the problem – it is far too large! On the other hand, I don;t even have to say that if you use a 800×600 resolution, you will be obliged to maximize all the windows. If that is the case, I strongly recommend you to buy a 21″ or larger screen!

Maximized windows means loss of space. Take a look at the toolbar of your browser. How much unused space you see there? Plenty, huh? Now take a look at this blog post and check out the great deal of unused space on the left and on the right of the text. Why would you not use it?

How many “Windows” fit in your Mac?

Resizing a window to the minimum necessary size helps you view more than one program at the same time. This means having Trados, the translated file and the glossary visible, without having to go from one window to the other in search of something.

And this tip is not useful only for translators. Managers, engineers, salespeople and any other professional may benefit from it. Think of the possibilities! Information about the project on the bottom right corner, some program to convert timetables on the upper right corner, an opened spreadsheet at the center of the window, or the remaining space shared with a list of files… While I write this post, I am checking the progress of a process on the window next to this one. By doing this, I don’t need to use the (usually useful) Alt + Tab shortcut to find out whether the process is over or to check whether there is a problem that needs my decision.

Needless to say, every rule has its exception. Even I sometimes need to use a maximized window. However, all in all, the larger the resolution and the more I can display the windows, the more information I have in front of me at the same time. And this certainly makes my life a lot easier.

Sailing through still uncharted seas, I found myself reading a chronicle by Luiz Fernando Veríssimo that had been published by Jornal do Brasil in November 1997 entitled “Insolência” (Insolence). Just like everything he writes, it was wonderful. It talks about word processing software, automatic translators and the sorrows of those obliged to deal with them. I highly recommend this text.

The chronicle was found on the opening page of a thesis about machine translation written by Carolina Alfaro. And to make it more interesting, she placed a “translated” version by Altavista Translation Service below the chronicle. I have not read the entire thesis, but it looks interesting and provides a general overview of the available translation tools.

It’s a shame that I didn’t have this chronicle with me over the weekend when someone asked whether we used automatic translators here at the office. This text would have been much more effective than the explanation I gave… =)