Re: Localizers
Re: Localizers
- Subject: Re: Localizers
- From: David Sinclair <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 12 Sep 2002 13:30:49 -0700
On Thursday, Sep 12, 2002, at 11:56 US/Pacific, Matt Gemmell wrote:
It depends entirely on the localizer. Some will be willing to do the
localization for free (or for something like a credit, or a copy of
the app - common with shareware). Professional localizers will
naturally charge a fee, perhaps per-hour or perhaps linked directly to
the amount of text.
That does seem to be a common answer from the people who have e-mailed
me about this so far. Makes sense; different people have different
goals and expectations.
I'd say it would be very unusual indeed to give a localizer a
percentage of your sales. I wouldn't recommend getting into that kind
of arrangement.
I've had a couple of people e-mail me saying that they do this, and
find it quite acceptable. The main benefit stated was that since they
have some ongoing financial incentive, the localizer is more
responsive, prompt, and thorough. To clarify, it is only a percentage
of sales identified as using the localized language.
Doesn't seem necessary to go to all that trouble, given that OS X apps
can readily have localizations added to them, and that all the online
payment companies can accept payment in god-knows how many currencies.
You're almost getting into international distributors.
True. But coming from another country myself originally, albeit
English-speaking (New Zealand), I know that many people overseas prefer
to deal with a local company, e.g. to send a personal cheque.
One thing I always do when sending a file of localizable strings to a
translator is to provide a brief description of the meaning of the
term or phrase; for example, instead of just having the word "Show",
also mention that the translation should mean "display" or "make
visible". Context and synonyms can be a huge help to translators in
providing an accurate translation.
Also, make sure you're choosing a technically-minded localizer, and
ideally a dedicated software localizer - just the same as
"NSMutableDictionary" would draw a blank stare from my neighbours, any
common-or-garden translator may have insufficient computer knowledge
or experience to provide an effective translation.
Additionally, probably the biggest problem in localization is making
sure that the original text is of good quality. There are a hell of a
lot of apps filled with grammatical errors, long-winded explanations,
and sometimes indecipherable gibberish. If the original text isn't up
to scratch, it's better to employ the services of a physic translator
rather than the conventional kind. ;-)
Good advice for anyone. Thanks for your reply.
--
David Sinclair - email@hidden
http://www.dejal.com/
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