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Localization: The Beast from a Bird's Eye View
by Nancy A. Locke
The localization process, a complex undertaking
that involves many different professionals, often conjures the Indian
parable of the three blind men and the elephant. To paraphrase,
three blind men have hold of an elephant. One holds the nose, another
explores the expanse of the animal's side and the third grasps the
tail. All three know they've got their hands on something big, but
the true nature of the animal remains a mystery. If they only took
off their blindfolds and stepped away, adopted a bird's eye view,
they might better understand the beast.
The localization process starts with a simple
idea: A company wants to sell its product or service beyond its
home market. During the pre-localization phase, some basic
questions need to be answered and key decisions need to be made.
Some or all of these questions and decisions may be considered in
concert with a localization provider.
What will be localized? Theoretically, every
aspect of the product or service - the logo, the brand name, the
product, packaging, advertising (print, public relations tools,
radio, television, web site), operating systems, the user interfaces,
internal corporate communications, training materials, etc. - may
be localized. Practically speaking, budget and time constraints,
as well as issues of corporate image will determine the scope of
the project.
Who will provide the localization? Currently,
there is a large range of localization services companies. Which
one can do the job best depends on the scope of the project and
the company's in-house expertise. Also, the magnitude of the project
and logistics may require that the tasks be contracted out to several
providers.
Once a vendor, or vendors, is chosen, the pre-production
phase of the process begins. First, the company provides a localization
kit for project evaluation and analysis. The content of the
kit varies widely from project to project. The point of a complete,
well-developed kit is simple: no one likes surprises. An effective
localization kit, which forms the basis for the project schedule
and budget, prevents surprises,missed deadlines and budget overruns.
Ideally, all the professionals who will be involved
in the localization process should provide their input at this stage.
Not only project managers, but also the engineers, linguistic staff
and the DTP staff should participate at this stage to ensure efficient
production.
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The ASAP timeframe shrinks with every technological
innovation. Stiff competition propels localization providers
to promise the moon. Remember, promising to meet the company's
measure of ASAP might win a localizer the first contract. Blowing
the deadline, or squeaking in under the wire with poor-quality
product, may jeopardize future contracts. It might also lose
the localization provider valuable professional talent which,
in the long-run, will only hurt operations. |
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Through the pre-production phase of analysis
and evaluation, the client and the provider hammer out
- a project budget,
- a project schedule and
- the details of production
The production phase of the localization
process is best described as a series of cycles, a back-and-forth
between the company and the localization provider. Ideally, the
back-and forth should be more like give and take.
In broad strokes, and depending on the specific
project, production may include:
- translation
- software engineering
- DTP
- integration
- quality assurance (QA)
- delivery
The most important aspect of the post-production
phase of the localization process is to analyze and evaluate what
went right and what went wrong during localization. A thorough post-mortem
that involves all the participants in the process can reveal invaluable
information about how to do the job better the next time. Taking
the lessons of a post-mortem to heart will ensure an on-going relationship
between the client company and the localization provider, a relationship
that can only improve the localization process and its results.
Epilogue
Theoretically, the client company has all their
ducks in a row before leaping into localization. Ideally, key decisions
are made in consultation with the localization providers. In the
best of all possible worlds, the client company and the localization
provider mine their technical writing, graphic arts', engineering,
translation and DTP resources for input. And that input is be respected.
In practice, client companies, with or without
the participation of the localization provider, make some good decisions,
some bad, and some they overlook until the 11th hour.
Both client companies and localization providers under-utilize or
under-value the expertise of their respective staffs. Training and
cross training are neglected in the name of ASAP. And that's why
there are two words to describe theory and practice.
Nancy
A. Locke is a freelance writer currently based in Colorado.
She works in the localization industry as a DTP specialist. She
has co-written a book on the subject, she also writes speculative
and literary fiction, and has published her short fiction in U.S.
literary journals.
Originally published
by Suite 101 and reprinted with permission Copyright © 1996-2001.
All rights reserved.
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