ENLASO is a Charter-level contributor to the GALA Standards Initiative.
Articles
Cultural Considerations / Symbols / Icons
|
Font Tactics For Globalization
|
| Author: |
Steve Matteson |
| Summary: |
Selecting the best fonts for an international product speaks volumes about how much a company cares about customers in those locales. Font design aesthetics, technical limitations and cultural requirements should be addressed when creating global software, hardware, documentation, and branding materials. |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Using Symbols and Icons in Localization
|
| Author: |
Yves Lang |
| Summary: |
Products designed for global markets have come to rely on the use of icons and symbols to communicate effectively with international markets. This practice has increased throughout all product assets including: user interfaces, packaging and labeling, documentation, and marketing materials. Through these graphical communications, developers and graphic designers are creating new sets of communications mediums that are transcending traditional verbal language, creating a set of localization issues that are not merely linguistic, but semiotic... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Marketing Communications, Culture, and Localization
|
| Author: |
Yves Lang |
| Summary: |
Woody Allen once said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." As a business person I absolutely agree, and I am certain that global business leaders would agree in regards to their international business efforts. As a localization professional however, I quickly attribute the remaining “20% of success” to “being prepared” with quality products and communications that reflect the unique wants and needs of local target markets in terms of culture, language and user requirements... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Documentation Localization
|
Documentation Localization Process Tune-Up
|
| Author: |
John Watkins |
| Summary: |
Evaluate your documentation translation and localization processes for atrophy caused by the continuous execution of "this is how we have always done it" practices. Working closely (onsite) with many companies with global strategies of various levels, I notice that globalization professionals often focus on their own headlights and not down the road... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Text Expansion and Localized Documentation Design
|
| Author: |
ENLASO's Consulting and Training Solutions Division |
| Summary: |
A technical writer's understanding of the project's globalization strategy is critical in defining style guidelines to accommodate future translations. A critical ingredient in establishing style guides or templates is the understanding of text expansion as a result of language translation and the successful use of document real estate... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
|
Multilingual Flash Production
|
| Author: |
Brooks Kline |
| Summary: |
In the past few years Macromedia Flash has matured into a localization-friendly authoring environment, vastly increasing its power to create and deliver multilingual media content. This article is an effort to suggest an efficient methodology for handling Flash localization projects using version MX 2004 and higher. |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Games Localization
[Top of page]
Graphics Localization
|
How to Economize When Localizing Graphics
|
| Author: |
ENLASO's Consulting and Training Solutions Division |
| Summary: |
Technical documentation, marketing materials, websites and software generally have graphical assets that need to be localized. As important as they are to the meaning of these communication portals, graphics often create additional challenges to the localization process... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Interpretation
|
Interpretation: The Localization Industry's Secret Weapon
|
| Author: |
Yves Lang |
| Summary: |
Having the distinguished opportunity of being part of the language services industry for the past 15 years, I have had the pleasure of witnessing the industry outgrow the business service description of word-for-word language translation. In fact, the concept of language services rightfully matured to become a respected player in nearly every global industry... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
ISO / Quality Assurance / Testing
|
Ensuring Quality Through In-Country Validation
|
| Author: |
Liesl Leary |
| Summary: |
quality localization processes should always incorporate a validation step by an in-country representative of the client. In-country review validation allows clients to provide input on company-specific terminology, target audience, technical specifications of products on the target market... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Quality Programs in Localization Environments
|
| Author: |
Yusuke Kirimoto |
| Summary: |
In localization, quality frequently becomes a product of its environment—an afterthought in the development cycle. Quality assurance steps must be incorporated at every milestone of a global project for a localization vendor to successfully deliver a localized product that meets the expectations of both the client and especially the target markets. Indeed quality is subjective and relative, therefore establishing shared quality objectives and goals is critical to the success of any quality localization process... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Lifesciences and Medical Localization
|
Regulatory Language Requirements and the IVDD
|
| Author: |
Yves Lang |
| Summary: |
Sustaining competitive advantage within the medical device industry involves a global product strategy that recognizes the European market's substantial global market share. Estimated at 30% of the global medical device market, the European community poses increasing regulatory challenges for medical device manufacturers. Regulations controlling the manufacturing, marketing and usage of medical devices in the EU are forcing manufacturers to incorporate language translation and localization into global development strategies as individual Member States demand product information in the language of the local user... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Three Localization Project Managers Share Their Insight on Managing Localization
|
| Author: |
Sara Scarpone |
| Summary: |
Localization Managers are often seen, but not heard, especially by their peers. But do you ever wonder what other localization managers are doing? Earlier this year, three localization managers responsible for driving quality in their localization programs agreed to discuss their experiences with our customers. From the travails of in-country review (we’ve all been there) to the effectiveness of GMS solutions, listening to the three localization program managers who hailed from CaridianBCT, Medtronic and WelchAllyn was richly insightful and refreshing. A few key takeaways we can all benefit from are summarized below:... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Localization Program Management
|
Getting Started: Localization Program Management
|
| Author: |
Erin Vang |
| Summary: |
Congratulations, you’re in charge of localization! …So now what?! It’s bizarre but not all that uncommon that organizations will suddenly realize that they could market their products or services outside the US and Canada, and just as suddenly they pick somebody who doesn’t seem all that busy and put them in charge. This guest article was authored by Erin Vang, Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), owner and principal of Globalpragmatica. |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Inspiring Innovation in Your Localization Program
|
| Author: |
Liesl Leary |
| Summary: |
Big companies get that way because they’re successful but that very success is all too often a barrier to innovation. Why try something new and risky when what you’re doing now works? If it ain’t broken, why fix it? Unfortunately, in an era where we’re having to do more with less—especially with localization—companies seem content to rest on their past successes rather than reduce costs or create novel solutions... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Localization Project Management
|
The Mark of a Good Project Manager
|
| Author: |
Liesl Leary |
| Summary: |
November 4th is officially International Project Management Day. According to the Project Management Institute, there are over 402,675 project managers worldwide today. While a project manager’s role and responsibilities might seem intuitive, many people are fuzzy on the details—especially when it comes to localization project management. Customers are content to pay the project management charges seen uniformly across different vendors’ invoices without really understanding if they’re getting their money’s worth. That charge is there for reason, though, as Project Management not only takes some of the organizational burden off of the customer, it also makes a difference in the final product that is delivered. In honor of Project Management Day, let’s take a look at what makes some project managers more special than others... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
|
Guest Article: Got Integration?
|
| Author: |
Ben Martin, Director of Business Architecture at Flatirons Solutions |
| Summary: |
This guest article was authored by Ben Martin, Director of Business Architecture at Flatirons Solutions. In today’s competitive global market, it is not just who gets there first but who gets there first and delivers a superior customer experience. So while speed to market is still an imperative, harmonizing the experience of the customer, including content deliverables, is the key differentiator. English bleed-through in localized product content, in-country web pages that are only in language at one level of the site, out-of-synch content where training materials are half English and half in language, or the translation of a term varies depending on functional group all result in a jolting experience for the customer and signals a half-baked corporate strategy. |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Okapi Framework: Changing the Localization Software Environment Through an Open Source Platform of Extendibility and Interoperability
|
| Author: |
Yves Lang, Vice President, Sales & Marketing / CSO, ENLASO Corp. |
| Summary: |
In competitive business environments of continuous change and strategic adaptation, it is inevitable to witness the advancement of only a few technologies that ultimately stall at their own limitations. For years, the language technology industry has been controlled by its own acceptance of a few solutions with inherent limitations of long-term extendibility and interoperability. Without generally accepted standards, a polarization of development processes has occurred, with two-ton gorillas cornering the translation and localization industry, and well intentioned grass-root efforts responding with dozens of ineffective over-specialized solutions... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Marketing Localization
[Top of page]
Patent / Legal / Into-English Translations
|
Translation for Information Purposes: When Quality is Challenged by Time and Cost
|
| Author: |
John Watkins |
| Summary: |
The translation/localization paradigm of quality, cost, and turnaround is generally discussed with the assumption that quality is the most critical element. The foundations of internationalization alone imply that quality is a necessity from the earliest of global product development efforts. Sometimes however, the "darker side" of our industry's paradigm—cost and turnaround—reflects the minimal needs of a project. This misunderstood event is what localization professionals refer to as "translation for information" purposes... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Software Localization
|
A Quick Take on What to Consider When Preparing For an OS X Software Localization Project
|
| Author: |
ENLASO's Consulting and Training Division |
| Summary: |
In 1999 Apple released a new operating system (OS) built on BSD Unix called OS X. Apple completely rebuilt the Macintosh OS and chose BSD Unix as the underlying system because it is more stable, powerful and even easier for software development. OS X is also well suited for localization and translation. Some languages directly supported by OS X are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Arabic, Thai, Hebrew, Russian and Greek (among others). By providing support for a wide range of languages and dialects, OS X also increases demand for software translation globally... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Spanish Translation and Localization
|
Marketing to the Hispanic Market
|
| Author: |
John Watkins |
| Summary: |
In the localization industry—or at least in the rhetoric of articles discussing best practices—the perspective and focus is typically that of a domestic company or product entering international markets. As an industry, we are saturated with associations and highly technical standards that primarily focus on the implications of entering foreign markets. However in doing so, we’ve overlooked a significant marketing and localization trend in our own domestic market: marketing to Hispanic communities... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Terminology / Glossary / Style Guide / Translation Memory
|
Translating Translation Memory into Global Success
|
| Author: |
Liesl Leary, Senior Localization Strategist, ENLASO Corp. |
| Summary: |
ENLASO helps clients go global with faster time-to-market, reduced costs and improved quality through high quality language and technology solutions. A common practice that affords ENLASO the ability to share these real world solutions is the effective use of Translation Memory... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Terminology in Localization
|
| Author: |
Yves Lang, Vice President, Sales & Marketing / CSO, ENLASO Corp. |
| Summary: |
Thousands of languages, millions of words, regional, dialectical and technical variations, human language is a vastly complex and messy medium of communication. In a world in which your boss and everyone else seems to want a piece of you, or at least of your time, are issues related to Terminology Management really something you want to deal with? Will they simplify your life, ease your stress levels, save you time, control your budget? Well, actually, given a chance, the answer is YES! |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Translating Multilingual Glossaries into Revenue
|
| Author: |
Liesl Leary, Senior Localization Strategist, ENLASO Corp. |
| Summary: |
Glossaries, like vaccinations, ensure the health of your localization investment and prevent some nasty disorders from ever occurring. But even though conventional wisdom holds that "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," many localization professionals miss the value that glossaries and a sound glossary management philosophy provide. To put this in perspective, imagine the consequences of not vaccinating your child. It is possible that said child may not contract any serious maladies before surviving to adulthood, but the chances are equally good that you may invite some long-term permanent damage... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Website Localization
|
How to Build a Website Without Borders
|
| Author: |
John Watkins of ENLASO and Adam Asnes of Lingoport |
| Summary: |
In creating a site adapted to worldwide customers, there are two major defined steps: Internationalization and Localization. For a site to be localized, giving it the "look and feel" of having been developed in the target market, it must first be internationalized. |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Wireless / Mobile Localization
|
Localization of Wireless and Mobile Technologies
|
| Author: |
ENLASO's Consulting and Training Division |
| Summary: |
The wireless industry is a rapidly proliferating and evolving global environment. Maintaining international competitive advantage in this relatively new industry demands an enterprise localization strategy that not only meets the requirements of local users, but also maintains interoperability with different technologies and manufacturers — while at the same time remaining scalable, efficient, reliable and secure... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
XML and Localization
|
XML I18N with Internationalization Tag Set
|
| Author: |
Yves Savourel |
| Summary: |
As XML is used more and more for storing, transporting and manipulating data and content, it is becoming important to make sure XML applications consider any internationalization issues. The Internationalization Tag Set Working Group (ITS) is the latest effort of the W3C Internationalization Activity in this area... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Migrating to XML in a Localization Environment
|
| Author: |
Maxwell Hoffmann |
| Summary: |
Sure, they work for now, but are your documentation systems clinging to yesterday's solutions? Perhaps it's time to consider migrating to an XML solution? Conversion of legacy systems to a single source system can result in immediate cost and time-to-market savings of 50%. |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Using XML For Localization
|
| Author: |
Yves Savourel |
| Summary: |
XML is one of the safest, most powerful and flexible ways to store, manipulate, localize and present data in different languages. With the vast array of internationalization features and companion technologies, XML provides many advantages in translation and localization projects... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Miscellaneous
|
Globalizing Your Revenue Stream
|
| Author: |
Chris Raulf |
| Summary: |
International sales are integral to fueling company growth. As your domestic markets become saturated, finding new markets with less competition offers increased revenue growth and profit potential. In fact, pursuing a global customer base can be less challenging than driving domestic growth in a saturated market... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Language and the Customer Experience
|
| Author: |
Liesl Leary, Senior Localization Strategist, ENLASO Corp. |
| Summary: |
When was the last time you filled out a customer loyalty survey in another language? The answer is “probably never”. The U.S. language hegemony is a result not only of being the world’s most dominant player in economics, but also of the fortunate coincidence that the former dominating player, England, also spoke the same language. Back in those days, we expected customers to learn English or we just didn’t care about them... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
A Brief Overview of Character Encodings
|
| Author: |
Brooks Kline |
| Summary: |
The ability to recognize, understand, and migrate among different character encodings is an essential skill in localization engineering. As this knowledge comprises the technical basis of any localization project, it is important for localization professionals to have a good grasp of the subject. This article provides a basic introduction to character encoding... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
Best Practices: Taking Your Certification Examination Process to a Global Audience
|
| Author: |
Judith Soloduk |
| Summary: |
Education, qualification and certification are the goals of most certifying boards working with professionals around the world in all industries. Successful certification should not be dependent on fluency in English; due to our expanding global economy, the majority of potential candidates for your exams may eventually have no fluency in English whatsoever! Localizing your certification exam into key target languages greatly expands your pool of customers and helps increase the number of experts certified in your area of expertise on a global basis... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
It's All About Customer Focus
|
| Author: |
Richard Ishida |
| Summary: |
A week or so ago, I listened to a very interesting program on the UK's BBC Radio 4 called "Too Much Stuff". It was making the point that the business environment has significantly changed now that we are in the 21st Century, due to over-capacity on the production side. Whereas twenty years ago new technology such as a printed circuit board could give IBM a 10-12 year competitive advantage, or a monitor could be competitively manufactured for 3 years.... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
|
LISA: Nexus for Companies Going Global
|
| Author: |
Rebecca Ray |
| Summary: |
CEOs overwhelmingly believe that revenue growth is their number one priority: four out of five CEOs (83%) now believe that revenue growth is the most important path to boosting financial performance over the next three years. And what do they see as the two key drivers for this growth? New and differentiated products and services (nearly two-thirds) and new markets (55%)... |
|
Click here to read the article.
|
[Top of page]
Documentation, software, and website translation and localization services into over 100 languages. 
Phone:
Email: 
