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When communicating complex information or instructions to a global audience, graphics can convey the message quickly and clearly. Sometimes, though, words are necessary in illustrations. When documents get translated to a target market, those words need to be translated as well. Sometimes it is the images themselves that need to be localized to avoid confusion. Translation is the process of changing text from one language to another. Localization is the adaptation of a product or

In today’s global market, illustrations can save time and money and improve accuracy when producing documentation. But knowing when and how to use illustrations is the key to producing successful documents. Why Use Technical Illustrations Users process illustrations quickly whereas text is always sequential. Users remember and recall images more clearly than text, too. Have you ever reached for the quick-start guide when purchasing a new bicycle, referring to the user manual only when you

A well-translated website is an impressive way to boost your presence in the international market. A high quality translation will make it easier for new and existing partner organizations and customers to access information about your company, services, and products. This article outlines three essential and integral processes—Translation, Localization, and Customization—along with some helpful tips, for how to build a multilingual website that is not only accurate to the meaning of the original text, but

Tips — Writing for translations Applying the following methods will ease translation and help to avoid the misinterpretation that often results in translation errors. Avoid random or unnecessary capital letters. Extra capital letters in English can fool the translator into assuming more words are brand names or proper nouns, changing how the text is translated. Even consider moving your corporate style toward upper case or “sentence case” for heads and subheads. Sentence case (first letter is

Translation Memory: Overview A translation memory (TM) is a bilingual database or software system that stores translated content and automatically suggests these stored translations when used with computer-assisted translation software (aka CAT tools). The entries in the database consists segments of text, such as words, sentences, and paragraphs[1][2]. For example, consider the description below this famous painting by René Magritte: Photo credit: http://museumtv.fr/portfolio/rene-magritte/ Note: This is not a pipe. It is a wonderful piece of