SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION
Localization (l10n): The process of adapting software products so that they can be used in other countries and regions. Software localization entails much more than document translation: it is a complex process involving several linguistic and technical requirements. Very often the localization process runs simultaneously with the development phase, while in other cases a customer may wish to localize an already developed product. Before localization can take place, the product should first be internationalized.
Internationalization (i18n): The process of preparing a software product so that it can be adapted to specific locales. Adapting a software product to other languages and regions requires not only excellent language skills, but also technical knowledge and experience, together with a deep familiarity with the product at hand. Text expansion, which occurs in most cases when translating from English to other languages, can lead to problems with the GUI’s character limitations. In some cases, readjusting the GUI may be needed to properly fit the translated text.
YOUR GLOBAL AUDIENCE JUST A CLICK AWAY
A monolingual software product is limited to a single market or region. Translating software documentation and manuals is just part of the localization puzzle. For a product to function flawlessly in other languages, the UI/GUI, help files, and other components need to be properly localized as well. The final localized version should look and feel as if the software was created originally for that particular language and region.
For over 30 years, hardware manufacturers and software developers have trusted Lingua Graphica with their localization projects. For a free quote on your next localization project, please send us a quote request and one of our localization specialists will get back to you shortly.