Having your website available in multiple languages is more important now than ever before. While English-language speakers still make up the largest share of users on the internet, that percentage is shrinking. The language that once captured nearly 80% of content on the web has now shrunk to just over 25% of users. Translating JSON content allows businesses to connect with the other 75% of their potential audiences.

A website is much more than what you see when you type in the web address. Behind every website are pages of codes that describe everything from the layout to the format to the content on the screen. While your average website visitor may not be able to see it, a lot is going on behind the scenes. JSON is one of many data interchange formats that help to bring a website to life.

In this article, we’ll break down what JSON files are, why JSON translation is beneficial, and why it makes sense to partner with an experienced, professional translation company to get the job done right the first time.

What is a JSON file?

JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation, and is one of the most popular data-interchange formats being used today. It is a syntax for storing and exchanging information between systems over the internet, most commonly between a server and a web application, using attribute-value pairs.

Here’s another way of looking at JSON, in simpler terms.

Say your friend wants an object that you have. Mailing the item itself would be one way to achieve your goal, but that could take a while. Alternatively, you could describe that item’s attributes, which would allow your friend to recreate the same object without actually receiving it. This is how data are transmitted via JSON.

Though it was originally derived from JavaScript, JSON is actually a language-independent data format, meaning that virtually all modern programming languages support the structure in one way or another.

JSON works well for several reasons:

• Unlike other types of formats, JSON is both easily human and machine-readable.
• JSON has support for Unicode, which allows information, regardless of human language, to be transferred and displayed properly. Some formats don’t support non-Latin-based characters.
• JSON feeds can be loaded asynchronously much easier than XML or RSS.
• The syntax and parsing requirements are strict, which allows it to remain efficient, simple, and consistent.

What is JSON used for?

JSON has many applications, but one of the largest is its role in content management systems.

Content management systems (CMS) allow people to edit text, photos, and other files on websites – all without the need to possess extensive technical knowledge. In fact, more than half of all websites are built using a CMS. The user can construct their desired website using a user-friendly, intuitive interface, while the CMS applications handle coding, database queries, and back-end infrastructure. Frequently, content management systems use JSON to store and organize site content.

The JSON translation process

JSON translation involves translating the data contained in the JSON files from one natural language to another, thus making a website accessible to a wider audience. The process is similar to XML file translation.

JSON translation isn’t as simple as exporting a file and translating the text word for word. This is because JSON files contain two types of information: contextual data and structural data. Structural data should not be translated, as doing so can result in a non-functional website. It takes a skilled eye to differentiate between the two types of data and, for that reason, it is advisable that experienced professionals handle JSON translation.

Finding the right localization partner is key.

As with any type of translation project, the success in JSON translation is directly dependent on who your localization partner is. Your translation company should have skilled linguists providing accurate translations working in tandem with in-house localization engineering expertise.

If your website is consumer-facing, accurate translation builds confidence and legitimacy in your brand. Similarly, websites that are built for internal use also benefit from clear and correct translations. Employees will be able to fully understand the website’s content and navigation, boosting inclusivity, efficiency, and minimizing frustration levels.

Effective engineering

The second key to ensuring a successful JSON translation project is coordination with an experienced engineer. An in-house expert will make sure that there are no structural changes to the file that could negatively impact a website’s integrity by erroneously modifying code. Localization engineers prepare files in a way so that only translatable text is made accessible to linguists.

Together, these two elements make for an effective turnkey solution resulting in fully translated, import-ready JSON deliverables.  The process should also include quality assurance ensuring nothing “breaks” post-delivery. Once translated files are delivered, they should be ready for immediate use.

Multilingual websites expand your global reach. Exponentially.

JSON translation may be just one component in your website’s overall translation and localization strategy. By making your website accessible to other languages, your website has increased potential to:

• Reach a wider audience and attract new customers. By offering your website in another language, you will open up your site to visitors who may not speak English, or who are more comfortable viewing websites in their native language.
• Demonstrate that you are putting your audience first. Whether you are targeting customers, association members, or employees, providing your audience with information in their native language is a great way to show that you care.
• Gain relevance in other search engines. Homegrown search engines are emerging in other countries to meet the needs and habits of their populations. Providing your website in different languages is key to tapping into these markets.

Conclusion

JSON is a commonly used data-interchange format. Thanks to its straightforward, easily readable style, it has become one of the most preferred ways to store and organize website content. JSON translation is an important element to successful website translations; which makes your website accessible across language boundaries. For an accurately translated and functional multilingual website, it always makes good business sense to partner with an experienced translation company that can provide linguistic proficiency coupled with in-house engineering expertise.

The post JSON Translation: What It Is and How It Can Help Your Business appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

There are two equally critical components involved in software localization: the linguistic component and the technology component. Professional software localization addresses both aspects in order to ensure that the final deliverable is a product that developers are anxious to share with their target audiences around the world.

Software Localization: what’s important to know

Software localization is not merely a sophisticated synonym for software translation. Rather, software localization addresses both: 1) natural language translation as well as 2) localization of the complete User eXperience (UX). It results in a product that enables a user to work in his/her native language, along with local cultural references region-specific functionality.

Software localization is not a trivial task. Working with a company that offers a turnkey solution – such as Interpro – will streamline the process. Your organization may not be familiar with all the nuances involved, so let’s discuss five must-know factors that will have you feeling confident about the software localization process.

1. Expertise offers flexibility

Professional software localization companies grow their expertise over the years. That knowledge and skill-set extend into the technology. In today’s digital age, it is vital to have a thorough understanding of current programming languages and the platforms they run on. By cultivating this knowledge, professional teams are able to provide their clients with software localization services for an extensive range of programming languages and file types, functioning on a multitude of operating system environments. That means that your software can be web-based, desktop, mainframe/mid-range, or mobile.

Additionally, localization professionals know that the terminology deployed in the user interface (UI), Online Help system, and online and printed support materials must all be consistent in order for the application to be used effectively. After an in-depth review of the literals comprising the UI, a glossary is created based on key terminology. This glossary offers continuity across all product components, crucial in avoiding confusion or even user error due to inconsistencies.

2. Context truly is king

We are often told that content is king. No matter how regal the content is, without context, translating words in a vacuum can result in a meaningless concept, or even worse – just flat out wrong translation. Without supporting context, the translation may even prove to be offensive to the user.

Lack of context is often the result of the limited amount of space available for literals on a UI screen or panel and makes for one of the supreme challenges inherent in software localization. Indeed, it is not uncommon for literals to consist of one or a few letters. “OT”, for example, can be either “Overtime” or “On Time”, depending on the context. When context is lacking, so may be the translation. Software localization professionals are accustomed to working with this kind of limitation and can utilize their experience to handle this problem.

3. One size does not fit all

Working with a company having a software localization practice, such as Interpro, offers another key benefit. Decades of experience combined with our personalized approach to providing a better localization experience, we can adjust our approach to fit any client situation. Whatever the development methodology your organization has adopted, be it waterfall, agile, or something in between, we can accommodate you.

Being able to adapt has numerous benefits. When software updates are released to global markets, we keep up to match your pace and your delivery requirements. We understand cycles and sprints, and boast a skilled localization organization to optimize the process workflow. This flexible environment along with our Client-First emphasis allow you to stay on track with your business goals and objectives.

4. Quality Assurance is key

Your software application is a global product. Rather than delivering components on a piecemeal basis, you need to ensure that your product launches are in sync with your business plan. That means that you need to deliver quality, and you need to deliver it fast. Professional software localization delivers on both fronts.

Quality Assurance (QA) is essential. Although each phase of the software localization process (e.g. glossary development, translation, editing, proofreading) has built-in quality controls, a final assessment of the localized product gives us an opportunity to uncover and address any remaining issues that may have somehow slipped through the cracks.

What are we looking for when we QA a localized software UI? Some of these areas include verifying that:

• each literal and system message have been translated accurately and consistently,
• the length of on-screen content has not been exceeded, and
• graphical images, color choices, symbols and layout are culturally appropriate.

Overall, the quality assurance phase in a software localization process ensures that the final product reflects the look and feel of the source language application, while being adapted for the target locale.

5. Validate functionality

Software validation is without a doubt the most important component in the software localization process, especially for a first-time localization project. What good is a perfect translation if the functionality of the localized product does not mirror that of the source application? As part of the localization process, software validation ensures that, in the target language application, application functionality is identical to the source language functionality.

During software validation, a software localization specialist who is a native speaker of the target language tests product functionality using a client-provided test script and test data. Results are shared with the software developer, and any anomalies are isolated, resolved, and retested until fixed.

The benefits of a well-executed validation should be considered as when a bug or an inconsistency is detected, it is addressed and resolved before product launch, saving time and money, and most importantly, preventing damage to your brand.

Software Localization ROI

Your organization has most likely spent significant resources developing, marketing, and supporting your software application. Localizing your product, when done correctly, allows you to increase revenue, market share, and user satisfaction by providing a product that is relevant in multiple geographies.

The post Software Localization: 5 Points to Consider for Your Next Project appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Better Than Subtitling

Voice over translation stands out compared to subtitling. When relying on subtitling, a viewer has to focus his or her energy on keeping up with the words on the screen. In doing so, that same viewer may purposefully ignore or unintentionally miss other components of the video like background details, body language, and other information that is communicated visually. When it comes to encountering new information for the first time, especially in eLearning training modules, it can be difficult to comprehend new information without the support that visual clues in the video were intended to provide. On the other hand, using voice over translation ensures that what the listeners hears seamlessly complements what they view.

Subtitling is also problematic given the fact that different languages result in text expansion and contraction. Depending on the language that the video content is being translated into, the subtitle may either make the screen look very text heavy or may not fit on the same screen. Given the fact that much of eLearning may contain technical or content-specific language, it can cause additional text expansion or contraction by 20, 30, or even 40%. If the words on the screen unfold at a different pace than the original video content, the message may become garbled and other subtler aspects of video, like the tone and mood, may also be lost.

Stands Out Over Transcripts

Especially in instances of eLearning, the benefits of voice over translation versus transcripts are clear. Imagine watching a video in one language while trying to read in another at the same time. Talk about information overload. Unfortunately, some companies choose not to utilize voice over translation. Instead, they share their video content in English along with written transcripts in another language. Using a transcript that is written in a speaker’s native language while trying to follow a video in English is problematic for both the company and the client. Instead of offering access to clear content, the learner is left with guesswork and assumptions, as it can be very difficult to infer tone and determine pacing using only a transcript. In contrast, when voice over translation is utilized, native speakers create eLearning and other videos that are customized to end learners. By using voice over translation, companies can offer training and other eLearning in a multilingual format with nativity and authenticity. This translation ensures that the content and tone of the video are preserved, allowing learners to consume new information in a way that is comfortable and helpful to them.

Added Benefits of Voice over Translation

Voice over translation, regardless of which style is utilized, ensures that the translated material still aligns with the original video content. Specifically, when voice over content is done in a studio setting, the translation team has access to professional sound equipment. Post-production work includes cleaning audio files, as well as normalizing loudness and compressing the dynamic range. By adjusting the difference between the loudest and softest sounds and making other edits through post-production work, the sound quality of the finished product is unparalleled.

Additionally, the linguist and director can partner together to ensure that the voice aligns with the tone of the original content. If the original video content was created for a heavy-duty tool or rugged outdoor gear, the director will select a linguist whose tone, pitch, and pacing complement the product. The professional sound-quality and complementary style of the translation place voice over translation a league ahead of subtitling and transcripts.

Final Thoughts

Voice over translation is an important aspect of sharing information with audiences around the globe. Depending on the original video, different styles of voice over translation may be utilized. No matter which technique is used, voice over translation offers clear benefits compared to subtitles or transcripts. In addition to presenting information in a manner that is much clearer and more authentic, voice over translation can also ensure that mood, tone, and other indirect messages are preserved.

The post Why Voice Over Translation Matters: Top Benefits for Global Reach appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Multilingual Website for a Global Audience

Any single language can address no more than 30 percent of the global population. For example, English is commonly regarded as one of the world’s most used languages. However, 70 percent of web surfers don’t speak English as their first language. In recent years it has been researched that only 21 percent of the traffic from the world’s top ten international websites originated in the United States. Large markets exist beyond the English-speaking world and savvy companies are trying to include these markets in their daily commerce. In order to expand their audience base, enterprises are investing in the localization and translation of their websites. A multilingual website, when done professionally, can only help your organization achieve this goal.

Localized Campaigns Outperform English Only, Counterparts

Localization is the process of catering to a specific region. It doesn’t stop at the language translation itself, colors and numbers can also have an impact. For instance, white in one country may indicate weddings and celebrations, while it signifies death in another. As a result, a company might have different color themes for its ad campaigns depending on the region. A multilingual website must also be adapted and localized in terms of layout, color and culture. In mobile advertising, 86 percent of region-specific campaigns outperformed their English only, single market counter parts in terms of conversions and click-throughs. Localized sites and campaigns often utilize professional website translation services to target specific geographic regions, because geo-targeted posts have been found to be six times more successful than broad international posts.

Multilingual Websites and Multilingual Apps

Before you make a plan to localize your website, you should do your research in the prospective regions you are targeting. For example, 92 percent of China’s 25 best-selling iPhone applications use Chinese names over English names and 80 percent of Japan’s top 25 Android apps follow the same localized model. In the Google Play store, 4 out of its top 5 grossing countries are non-English speaking, while the iOS App Store has equal parts English and non-English speaking countries in its top ten profit regions. From 2012 to 2013, Asia’s annual app revenue increased by 162 percent. International markets hold plenty of promise for companies that can connect with diverse audiences. A professionally localized website or mobile app can assist you in reaching out to these customers.

People Want to Shop in Their Native Language

How do you connect with consumers? Connecting with consumers means speaking their language. A multilingual website allows you to do that. While people abroad may speak English, it is typically easier to speak and understand information in their mother tongue. In fact, 72.4 percent of international consumers prefer online shopping sites in their native language and 55 percent only do business with sites offered in their native language. Clearly, having access to a site in a consumer’s native language is important. When people shop, they want to feel comfortable and connected with the brands they do business with. Translating your website will make your web presence more welcoming to the target region.

The Challenges in Creating a Multilingual Website

Translation involves much more than swapping one word for another. Translators must account for idioms and standards that apply to other cultures. An automated translation service will not do this for you. For a true multilingual website to be effective, it needs to be done correctly by a professional human translation team. If you want to ensure effective implementation of localization practices, utilize professional multilingual website translation services.

The post Why Go Multilingual? The Top Benefits of a Multilingual Website appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Agile localization is part of a shift in software development. Companies are adopting a more Agile approach towards product release and updates. For organizations requiring multilingual versions of their applications, working in tandem with a localization partner that fits the workflow is essential to timely success and release of the product.

Agile development requires agile localization for global expansion. The localization workflow must be modified and integrated into agile development cycles. Businesses need to push out incremental software updates, new features, and patches promptly in all languages. These updates have to be translated and distributed at the same time as the English release.

Agile localization process

A traditional localization process cannot adequately keep up with agile release cycles. The challenge becomes finalizing new features strings for translation early in the sprint. Agile software localization does not always fit into the development sprint. Some potential solutions include:

• Breaking it up into demonstrable sections with distinct locales taking precedence
• Developers should communicate with the localization team to give advanced notice on localization requirements
• Make localization team part of the overall group
• Ensure proper internationalization to avoid workarounds
• Automate processes for sending and receiving strings for localization

Not all sprints would result in substantial changes to the interface. Nonetheless, these sprints must manage localization.

Utilizing agile localization operates as a part of  the agile software development process. Fundamental distinctions between traditional and agile localization lie in the size of projects, drop frequency of projects, and turnaround.

The agile cycle and sprints

The agile cycle has small incremental sprints which are intensive rounds of activity that yield speedy results. Localization is a continuous component of the agile cycle in contrast to the traditional cycle in which localization only begins to perform a significant role at the finish when the source product nears its international release date.

Agile is a management process with a narrow and compressed range that divides tasks into smaller efforts. The goal is to create product development advancements in short, typically two-week cycles, or sprints. At the end of the sprint, agile cycles result in increased releases over considerably fewer periods of time than with traditional sequences in software production. Advantages of utilizing an agile process include:

• Quicker organizational planning
• Less bottlenecks
• Faster releases
• More frequent user feedback
• Increased speed-to-market
• Integrating testing throughout the lifecycle
• Ability for requirements to emerge and evolve

Establishing and scheduling processes and resources can help sustain a more predictable translation project. The logical conclusion is that agile software development requires agile localization. Ordinarily, team members schedule brief daily meetings to review work progress, define workflow responsibilities, and present overviews of new and existing features. The result is a more flexible development process, better understanding of requirements and final goal, and achieving tighter communication between team members.

Regular and consistent team of translators

Thinking about software localization late in the process will result in a releasable English only product versus a multilingual product. Consistently including a translation team part of the sprints which results in a multilingual product that can potentially be demoed at the end of each sprint. Translators are specialists of the culturally adapted end user experience and can prove beneficial in identifying issues and quality problems. Having them as part of the process provides ample time to implement their feedback and advice.

A change in software development

Agile development represents a change in the way software development is approached. In fact, it has proven advantageous in generating extremely productive outcomes. Efforts take time, money, and a concentrated initiative. The move to agile takes training investments, tools, and new thinking processes. In several organizations, localization has been a developmental afterthought.

Here at Interpro, we understand the critical nature of seamless integration translation software into the development process. Agile localization is ideal for tech-driven, fast-growing software companies so that a business can focus on continuous product development. Agile localization supports quick-turn, dynamic needs. The localization of your sprint content should not be a bottleneck. Have your partner work with your team together for planning and executing the localization of sprints. Our ability to act quickly with our clients as an extension of their product development teams enables Interpro to be an ideal fit for the agile software development cycle.

The post Streamlining Agile Localization: Tips for Optimizing Your Process appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

So what are five challenges software companies experience in the global market?

Challenge One: Language

A leading challenge facing software companies is language. Text within the software would need to be translated correctly and appropriately pitched for the intended users. Incorrect software localization can result in the user having difficulty navigating through the software. This situation frequently leads to an inadequate user experience.

To solve this, many software companies partner with a software localization agency to adapt the product in each of the target languages required. Whatever your specific operating platform may be, a software localization agency will ensure that your software is translated appropriately. Additionally, your users will be more satisfied and proficient in using your product.

Challenge Two: Costs

When your operations become global, some of your projects may be completed in the geographies your business is located in. While in some cases this can be beneficial, as it can lower costs for the development of software, in other cases it can increase costs or cause delays in the completion of projects. It can also be a challenge to budget effectively since international money exchanges are always fluctuating.

Proper budgeting is the solution. Set a price in your native currency and pay that amount to your suppliers. Don’t let the currency exchange rate increase the price.

Challenge Three: Pricing

As with costs, pricing becomes a challenge in a global market. What costs a set amount in one country will not cost the same in another. This is usually down to the value of money in one nation compared to another. Therefore, pricing a product for another country can be challenging. For instance, it may be worth $45 in the US which is negligible compared to the average salary, but in Bangladesh, that could represent a significant proportion of someone’s salary.

To earn sales in other nations, the company might have to either accept a lower valuation or risk not selling any products in that region.

Challenge Four: Global Functionality

When you are creating programs that rely on local knowledge of systems, you are creating a software package that requires a great deal of functionality. For instance, you could have a payroll, accounting or tax software program in development. With each nation’s systems and legal requirements slightly different you either need to develop several versions of your software or one that has all this functionality in one.

Creating multiple versions of your software will create significantly more work and cause headaches to work on updates and maintenance, whereas a program that is adaptable to the geographical location of the user will have to be bulky, require more system resources and be expensive to develop. It can also be challenging to develop an appropriate version if you have little experience of the processes in a foreign country. If your software package isn’t accurate, then it can receive poor software reviews.

Challenge Five: Culture

Cultural values change as you move from one location to another. These values may not seem relevant, but at the very core, they are vital to the success of your business. The look of your software and the way your software interacts with the user is representative your company. The wrong cultural references could mean that you inadvertently insult an audience in another country.

You need to check local values and cultural requirements and that your software is aligned to those values.

Conclusion

As selling your software internationally becomes a reality, you need to consider these five challenges that your software company may face. Instead of limiting your company to one region, you can develop plans to counter the challenges software companies face in a global market.

The post 5 Challenges Software Companies Face in a Global Market appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

In computer systems, characters are transformed and stored as numbers (sequences of bits) that can be handled by the processor. A code page is an encoding scheme that maps a specific sequence of bits to its character representation. The pre-Unicode world was populated with hundreds of different encoding schemes that assigned a number to each letter or character. Many such schemes included code pages that contained only 256 characters – each character requiring 8 bits of storage. While this was relatively compact, it was insufficient to hold ideographic character sets containing thousands of characters such as Chinese and Japanese, and also did not allow the character sets of many languages to co-exist with each other.

Unicode is an attempt to include all the different schemes into one universal text-encoding standard.

The importance of Unicode

Unicode represents a mechanism to support more regionally popular encoding systems – such as the ISO-8859 variants in Europe, Shift-JIS in Japan, or BIG-5 in China.

From a translation/localization point of view, Unicode is an important step towards standardization, at least from a tools and file format standpoint.

• Unicode enables a single software product or a single website to be designed for multiple platforms, languages and countries (no need for re-engineering) which can lead to a significant reduction in cost over the use of legacy character sets.
• Unicode data can be used through many different systems without data corruption.
• Unicode represents a single encoding scheme for all languages and characters.
• Unicode is a common point in the conversion between other character encoding schemes. Since it is a superset of all of the other common character encoding systems, you can convert from one encoding scheme to Unicode, and then from Unicode to the other encoding scheme.
• Unicode is the preferred encoding scheme used by XML-based tools and applications.

Bottom line: Unicode is a worldwide character-encoding standard, published by the Unicode Consortium. Computers store numbers that represent a character; Unicode provides a unique number for every character.

The Unicode Standard

The Unicode Standard is the universal character-encoding standard used for representation of text for computer processing.

Versions of the Unicode Standard are fully compatible and synchronized with the corresponding versions of International Standard ISO/IEC 10646, which defines the Universal Character Set character encoding.

In other words, Unicode contains all the same characters and encoding points as ISO/IEC 10646:2003 and provides codes for 96,447 characters, more than enough to decode all of the world’s alphabets, ideograms, and symbols.

It is platform, program, and language independent.

However, Unicode is a standard scheme for representing plain text – it is not a scheme for representing rich text.

Acronyms and Definitions

Often, while reading about Unicode you will encounter acronyms such as UCS-*, UTF-*, and BOM. Let’s clarify those abbreviations.

UCS-* and UTF-*

The two most common encoding schemes store Unicode text as sequences of either 2 or 4 bytes. The official terms for these encodings are UCS-2 and UCS-4, respectively.

UCS stands for Universal Character Set as specified by ISO/IEC 10646.

The number indicates the number of octets (an octet is 8 bits) in the coded character set. UCS-2 indicates two octets, while UCS-4 indicates four octets.

UTF stands for Unicode Transformation Format.

In order to be compatible with older systems that didn’t support Unicode, Encoding Forms were defined by the Unicode Consortium to be a representation of the character in bits.

The number indicates the encoding form that is to be used: UTF-8 indicates an 8-bit encoding form, while UTF-16 indicates a 16-bit encoding form.

What is a BOM?

BOM stands for Byte Order Mark, and is the encoding signature for the file – a particular sequence of bytes at the beginning of the file that indicates the encoding and the byte order.

UTF-32, UTF-16, and UTF-8

Let’s take a closer look at the three character encoding forms known as Unicode Transformation Formats (UTF).

UTF-32

UTF-32 represents each 21-bit code point value as a single 32-bit code unit. (In Unicode, code points are 21-bit integers). UTF-32 is optimized for systems where 32-bit values are easier or faster to process and space is not an issue. It is popular where memory space is of little concern, but fixed width, single code unit access to characters is desired.

UTF-16

UTF-16 represents each 21-bit code point value as a sequence of one or two 16-bit code units.

The vast majority of characters are represented with single 16-bit code units, making it a good general-use compromise between UTF-32 and UTF-8. UTF-16 is the oldest Unicode encoding form and is the form specified by the Java and JavaScript programming languages and by XML Document Object Model APIs.

Each code has 16 bits (two bytes, 2*8 = 16 bits). With UTF-16, we distinguish between Big Endian and Little Endian.

Consider the number 1077 (base 16).

Two bytes are necessary to store this number:

one byte stores the most significant part (10)

the other byte stores the least significant part (77).

But the order of the bytes in memory depends on the processor of the computer. In other words, some computers write “10, 77”, and others write “77, 10”.

The first method is referred to as “Big Endian” and the second as “Little Endian”.

Based on that, there are two UTF-16 representations:

UTF 16 Big Endian

UTF 16 Little Endian.

Microsoft Word’s Unicode, for example, uses Little Endian, while Big Endian is recommended for the Internet. Files that are encoded as UTF 16 usually start with a code which identifies them as Big Endian or Little Endian.

UTF-8

UTF-8 is the default encoding form for a wide variety of Internet standards and represents each 21-bit code point value as a sequence of one to four 8-bit code units. The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) specifies that all XML processors must read UTF-8 and UTF-16 encoding.

In order to differentiate between UTF-8 and UTF-16, a BOM must be present and used by programs as an encoding signature.

Since this encoding scheme has gained widespread acceptance, let’s take a deeper look into it:

UTF-8 is a compact, efficient Unicode encoding scheme. The encoding scheme distributes a Unicode code value’s bit pattern across 1, 2, 3, or even 4 bytes. This encoding is a multi-byte encoding scheme.

UTF-8 encodes ASCII in only 1 byte. This means that languages that use Latin-based scripts can be represented with only 1.1 bytes per character on average. Other languages may require more bytes per character. Only the Asian scripts have significant encoding overhead in UTF-8 as compared to UTF-16.

UTF-8 is optimized for byte-oriented systems or systems where backward compatibility with ASCII is important.

For European languages, UTF-8 is more compact than UTF-16; for Asian languages, UTF-16 is more compact than UTF-8.

UTF-8 is useful for legacy systems that want Unicode support because developers do not need to drastically modify text-processing code. Code that assumes single byte code units typically doesn’t fail completely when provided UTF-8 text instead of ASCII or even Latin-1.

Finally, unlike some legacy encoding schemes, UTF-8 is easy to parse. So called “lead” and “trail” bytes are easily distinguished. Moving forward or backwards in a text string is easier in UTF-8 than in many other multi-byte encodings.

Each encoding scheme has its advantages and drawbacks, but all three encoding forms need at most 4 bytes (or 32-bits) of data for each character.

What makes Unicode so beneficial? Arguably that it, in essence, enables any character, letter or symbol to be represented using one single standard.

References

Addison-Wesley, Unicode Demystified: A Practical Programmer’s Guide to the Encoding Standard By Richard Gillam (2002)

The post Unlocking Unicode: An Introduction to the Unicode Standard appeared first on Interpro Translation Solutions.

Translation is the process of rendering text from one language into another and is usually accomplished by a translator who understands the source language and is a native speaker of the target language.

Although the basic process of translation has not gone through significant changes, it has always been adaptive to new technologies. Translation is playing a big part in connecting the world and turning it into one true global village.

There are primarily two main types of translation tool available: machine translation (MT) tools, and translation memory (TM) tools.

A look into machine translation

Machine translation tools work without a human translator and automatically translate text from one language to another, with varying degrees of success. They can be useful in gaining an understanding of foreign content or a foreign website.

What machine translation cannot do is automatically translate documents or web content sufficiently well enough to eliminate the need for a human translator.

Any type of content which is to be translated for public consumption should be translated by a human translator. Indeed, it may be advisable not to translate the content at all rather than risk potentially insulting foreign audiences with an inappropriate automatic translation.

Seamless translations with translation memory tools

Translation Memory tools are software applications used by human translators that store source segments and their corresponding translations in a database, commonly known as a translation memory. (A segment is typically a sentence whose boundary is marked by a period, exclamation mark, question mark, colon, tab character and end of paragraph mark followed by a space.)

Once a segment is translated, it becomes part of the database, and if the translator needs to translate the same segment again, the translation will be pulled automatically from the translation memory.

Translation memories also allow for what is known as “fuzzy matching” which presents the translation of a similar segment if it cannot find the exact match. That fuzzy translation is then modified by the translator to precisely match the source segment.

There are many benefits to translation memory, and translation memory tools are not just limited to the translation of content in text format. Most have built-in filters that let you translate different file formats (such as web HTML pages, spreadsheets, or even Powerpoint files). These filters present only the translatable text, and “hide” all of the underlying code from the translator.

This is an extremely beneficial feature since it allows the translator to seamlessly work with different types of files without having to worry about deciding what should and should not be translated. The hidden code is also “protected” which means that it cannot be altered or deleted during the translation process. This maintains the integrity of the source programming.

Generally speaking, there are two types of translation memory tools: text-based tools and binary-based tools.

• Text-based tools usually work with files that contain text as their main component (i.e., an MS-Word document, or an HTML file, etc.). As long as the translatable text within the file can be isolated and placed in a format that the tool is able to process, it can be translated using the tool. The process of isolating the translatable text, and converting the file into a format that can be processed by the tool is usually done by a localization engineer.
• Binary-based tools are designed to assist in the localization of software user interfaces. They usually work with binary files (the most common types being EXE and DLL program files). The binary-based tool allows for the translation of the text that will be displayed within the application’s dialogs, as well as its embedded error messages. The translation memories of these tools allow you to store more than just the source and target language segments – they also save additional information such as the location and size of the different dialog controls. Dialog resizing is an integral part of localizing any user interface since, for many languages, the length of the translated control text can exceed the length of the source language text. Binary-based tools store the dialog modifications made during the localization process, and can automatically apply them to subsequent updates of the software. This greatly reduces the dialog resizing effort for software updates, and helps to make the entire process much more efficient: time-to-market of the translated product is reduced significantly, the localized product remains consistent from release to release, and the cost to the client is as streamlined as possible.

The two types of translation memory  tools are designed for different types of files, and even though it is possible to translate certain types of files using either tool, it is  more efficient to use the tool that is most appropriate for the types of files that it was designed to work with.

Translation is a fine art, and translation tools are not a substitute for a professional translator. However, professional translators have come to depend on translation tools to assist them in working more efficiently, in remaining competitive, and in providing consistent, high-quality translations. Clients now expect translators to use these available tools for the same reasons.

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