The term localization, defined as “the process of adapting a product (such as a software program, website etc.) to the language and culture of a particular region” in TERMIUM Plus®, appeared with the creation of the first computers. As the world becomes more and more digitalized, needs for localization and qualified localization translators keep growing. The process generally goes further than a “basic” translation and requires a specific set of skills from the linguist.

For many people, their first exposure to Machine Translation (MT) came through Google’s automated engine. For years, Google Translate has been at the forefront of free, widely available machine translation technology. It also has a reputation. Some will (perhaps justifiably) say the results are never good enough for publication. Others, after comparing throughputs from different engines, will conclude that Google’s is among the most efficient machine translation engine. In the world of machine translation, however, efficiency does not equate to publishable quality. If you have content requiring translation and are wondering whether machine translation is suitable, this blog will help you discover which approach to machine translation would best fit your needs.

Technological advances and a significant improvement in the delivery of reliable internet to millions of homes have created a better eLearning service for students and a more positive user experience (UX), i.e. how a person interacts and experiences a product.

However, despite these advances, there are a few pitfalls that eLearning companies should avoid.

In our previous blog highlighting 5 Technical Tips for Website Translation, we shared the following facts about the impact website translation can have on any globalizing business:

• Over 3 billion Internet users do not speak English
• 50% of all online commerce is conducted in languages other than English
• Internet users are four times more likely to buy products from websites in their own languages

While on a technical level there are several best practices for website translation, there are also several linguistic tactics that can help. Discover 5 linguistic tips for website translation below.

I must admit that I'm not the biggest fan of distance courses because I like the feeling of sitting in a classroom - even those where the desks are not so comfortable! I feel pleasure in being in a classroom, seeing the students side by side, whispering softly to each other so as not to disturb the teacher. However, despite being a huge fan of the traditional classes, I have become an even bigger fan of eLearning courses.

Websites are now key to driving business growth and reaching global audiences. Companies expanding into global markets need to think about customers who do not understand English and/or search for information online in other languages. Website translation can help such companies gain an edge over competition, partly due to the following:

People often ask me, "Is it important that translators have a medical background to translate life science content?" I always answer with a resounding, "Yes!" No content requires more specialization than medical. It is often insufficient to have only a "medical" background, but necessary to have more in-depth knowledge of cardiovascular, orthopedics, pharmaceuticals, or another specialty.

While the knowledge of specialized terminology is vital for translation success, its overuse is one of the greatest pitfalls for patient communications.

What is the difference between subtitles and captions? Well they are almost the same. In essence, they are both text derived from the spoken audio or commentary in videos.

When Machine Translation (MT) is implemented in a Localization workflow, the potential loss of quality in the final translated product can be a concern for all parties involved in the project. Therefore, it is important to make every effort to ensure that at the end of the project the linguistic quality does not suffer.

I have been in the localization industry now for over 18 years. Starting as a Localization Engineer and working my way down the ladder (no jokes around snakes please) to sales. In the early days engineers and translators rarely worked closely together, my knowledge of professional translation was limited to sending out text and putting it back in the right place once it was translated.