Translating software is often more challenging that regular translation. The tips below will help you tackle those challenges more effectively.
Ambiguity of English
Unfortunately for us translators, many English words are extremely ambiguous. Depending on the context, a word may be a verb, a noun, or an adjective. Here are a few examples from English to Russian translations:
|
Original |
Location |
Translation |
| Context menu command | Отправить по эл. почте | |
| Description of user rights | Работа с эл. почтой | |
| Login field | Адрес эл. почты | |
| Heading of a column with e-mail names | Электронное письмо |
|
Original |
Location |
Translation |
| View | Context menu command | Показать |
| View | Description of user rights | Просмотр |
| View | Menu name | Вид |
|
Original |
Location |
Translation |
| Delete file | Context menu command | Удалить файл |
| Delete file | Check box name | Удалять файл |
| Delete file | Dialog name | Удаление файла |
How are translators supposed to know the right meaning? Sometimes, it is brutally hard to tell the difference, especially because it is tempting to believe that those identical strings have the same meaning, when CAT tools show them as repetitions. Here are things that can help you get the meaning right:
- Finding the actual GUI item in the software. Usually, in translation files, UI items are grouped by the dialogs or menus they belong to, which makes finding those words in the software possible.
- Relying on additional information. More on this below.
- Asking your client. It is important to ask specific questions and avoid general ones such as “What does this mean?” The latter usually result in useless answers, because it might be hard to look at things from your perspective, for a person who knows this software well and is a native English speaker.
Additional information
Software translators can derive crucial information from things normally irrelevant in other types of translation projects. These include:
File names
A file name often gives clues as to what role the strings in this file play in the software. For example, a file name such as Rights.Strings.resx indicates the UI items in this file come from a dialog where administrators configure user rights.
String identifiers
These are usually located somewhere near translatable strings in the software. If strings are extracted for translation into a separate file, these identifiers are usually placed next to them, but to do not require translation.
|
Meaning |
Actual GUI item |
|
| msgIndexName | Message | Index Name |
| cmdRemoveRow | Command | Delete Row |
| gbGroups | Groupbox, i.e., tab or dialog name | Groups |
| chkBurnAnnotationsOnTiffsOnE-mail | Checkbox | Burn annotations onto Tiff files |
It is important not to miss these, because normally you do not see them directly in your CAT tool; you only see the actual text to translate. So make sure to refer to the source files for these comments.
Verbose developer comments
You are lucky if you get these as a translator. Just as with string identifiers, you need to refer to them during translation, usually outside of your CAT tool.
Literal translation can kill
Because software strings are often short and seem deceptively clear, it is tempting to translate them literally. However, successful software localization requires looking beyond the obvious, and this is why experience matters so much in this specialization. When I was just starting out as a translator, I could produce such monstrosities as translating “MAP” literally (as in “map of the world”), while “MAP” actually was an abbreviation for “mean arterial pressure.” Here are a few more examples:
|
Original |
Incorrect translation |
Correct translation |
| Patch Code | Код патча (Although it makes sense without context, it is a gross mistranslation.) | Сканировать в многостраничный документ, используя разделитель (This meaning could be derived from the user manual.) |
| Undock Search Results | Извлечь результаты поиска (The translation is too vague.) | Открыть результаты поиска в новом окне |
| Scan Dialog Window | Сканировать диалоговое окно (True story! Back-translation: To scan a dialog window.) | Диалоговое окно сканирования |
You can find more tips on software localization in my previous article in this series.
