Localizing software is a great way for rapidly multiplying your income. We’ll go over the different activities required to localize software and explain how they can be done with ICanLocalize.
1. Localize the software itself
The key to software localization is separating code from texts. This means that the application’s texts are held separate from the program code. This separation makes software localization possible and even easy.
Describing the software, the target audience and the writing style
Don’t assume that translators think like you do. Explain to them what the application does, who it’s intended for and what writing style works best.
This way, the translators would be able to adapt the application’s texts to fit the new language and read natural (and not as translation).
Explaining what texts mean
Once the software has a resource file, holding all texts for translation, documentation is vital to help the translators understand what they’re translating.
For example, how would you translate this text?
%s %d of %d
When you tell the translator that it means, it’s not so difficult anymore:
Page 4 of 12
Go through all the application’s texts, see which ones are not clear by themselves (without any context) and add comments to them.
Software localization using ICanLocalize
In your ICanLocalize account, click on Software Localization and start a new project.
Use the Project description box to describe the application.
You can enter phrases that shouldn’t be translated, such as the program’s name, your company and any other phrases that need to be left untranslated.
Next, upload the application’s resource file. You can choose from a number of resource file formats to match your. If texts include comments, these comments will be added for the translators. Otherwise, you can later go through the list of texts and manually add comments.
2. Multilingual checkout
Most major payment processors feature multilingual-ready checkout. When you send clients to pay for your program, make sure to display the checkout page in the right language. Displaying the checkout pages in a default language and allowing users to change it is a sure way for losing sales.
If you’re sending clients to check-out from your website, make sure to include the language in the checkout link. If clients are purchasing from within your application, the program needs to detect the user’s language and create the checkout link with the correct language argument.
3. Translate purchase fulfillment emails
When clients purchase your application, they need to receive an email with a purchase confirmation and instructions for downloading or activating the program they purchased.
This email must be sent in the client’s language, so you need to record the language in which the client is using the program.
Translating fulfillment emails via ICanLocalize
Go to the Software Localization project you’ve created for the application texts. At the end of the screen you’ll see a link to manually add strings. Click on it and you’ll be able to add texts to the project without going through the resource file.
We’ll give a name to the new string (text), paste the text for translation in the Text box and add a comment to the translator, explaining how to translate this text.
The email will be translated together with the software texts, keeping translation clear and consistent.
4. Translate your website
Just like the software, different websites are built using methods. Some folks prefer to code using plain HTML, others use PHP or ASP and others build their sites using content management systems (CMS).
No matter how your site is built, some principles are always true.
To successfully run a multilingual website, you need to:
- Be able to create translations and maintain them when the site contents update.
- Automate the site structure so that translators don’t need to edit links and navigation.
- Let users choose their language easily.
Website translation by ICanLocalize
ICanLocalize offers several ways for translating websites, depending on how you’ve built it.
- If your site is built using static HTML files, we’ll process and scan your HTML files, create translations and add language links to your original files.
- Sites built using PHP / ASP can be translated like software applications using .po files or other lists of texts.
- If you’re using WordPress or Drupal (leading content management systems), we’ve got solutions that integration professional translation right into the CMS.
5. Be ready to handle support calls in different languages
Every product needs pre and post sales support. If your site is multilingual, you should expect prospective clients to contact you in their languages.
You can get support contacts via email or through contact forms. Contact forms would make it easier for you to route different messages to different supporters based on language.
Multilingual communication by ICanLocalize
ICanLocalize’s support center is great solution for running multilingual support on a tiny budget. You’ll be able to choose which messages to translate using free machine translation and which messages need to be translated professionally.