Localization of websites and software

The aim of the present thesis was the observation of the adaptation techniques and strategies that localisers adopt within the context of international corporate website localisation when addressing an english, french and greek audience. We examined the way website content and format is transferred in relation to the addressees' cultural characteristics. Then we tried to find out which verbal means of persuasion are selected with a greek audience in mind and we recognised two main strategies of persuasion. Our main focus was on the study of the metaphorical figure of speech both on a verbal and a nonverbal level of analysis. In our attempt to observe the way optical and verbal metaphors are transferred from one locale to the other we adopted a causative research model which allowed for the connection of adaptation techniques with the receivers' cultural background. The analysis revealed a tendency of maintaining the macrostructure and culturally adapting the microstructure of the website.

The aim of this dissertation was to analyze translation errors found on Polish company websites. Text from thirty randomly selected Polish websites was collected in the corpus used for the purposes of this study. The error typology was mainly based on the TAUS DQF and MQM error typologies from early 2015, with modifications by the present author. Additionally, classification into six segment types was introduced to account for three variables (editability, dynamism and translatability of text), and to later correlate these segment types with error types. The results show a prevalence of errors related to the translators’ poor language skills and lack of attention to detail.

The rapid growth of e-commerce has contributed to the development of website localization activity as a major professional industry. Despite the high volume of website localization practices, there is little research on translators participating in website localization projects. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the position of the translator as an agent in website localization processes in Turkey. In this study data were collected through interviews. Nine interviewees were interviewed face-to-face using interview forms in Istanbul between September 2011 and February 2012. In determining the corpus of interviews, maximum variation sampling was used. All of the interviewees took part in website localization processes as agents but in different positions. The conceptual and theoretical framework of the study comprised functional translation theories by Justa Holz-Mänttäri and Hans Vermeer, and Agency Theory. The study showed that translators in production networks experienced the problem of information asymmetry which affected their performance negatively. It is common to associate low levels of quality with the translator " s incompetence. This study suggested that when the translation/localization product fails to meet the expectations of the initiator, it is more than reasonable to look at not just the translator but the whole production network to find the source of problem.

RESUMEN Las páginas web con diseño optimizado para su correcta visualización en dispositivos móviles han supuesto nuevos desafíos en el proceso de localización. En este artículo, repasamos algunas de las singularidades de este proceso, tanto desde la fase de internacionalización como la de traducción, testeo y gestión de proyectos. Palabras clave: dispositivos móviles, localización, páginas web de diseño optimizado, RDW ABSTRACT Web page designs optimised so that they can be displayed on mobile devices properly have posed new challenges for localisation. This article reviews some of the peculiarities of this process at the different stages – internationalisation, translation and testing phase – as well as project management.

En la última década hemos asistido al crecimiento de las webs dinámicas (que presentan una muy superior complejidad estructural y dispersión física del contenido con respecto a las tradicionales webs estáticas) gracias, fundamentalmente, a la aparición de los sistemas de gestión de contenido web (WCMS), que permiten la creación y el mantenimiento de las mismas sin necesidad de conocer los lenguajes informáticos que la sustentan. Este cambio de paradigma se produce cuando las herramientas de traducción asistida por ordenador son cada vez más eficaces y usables para la gestión y localización de sitios web estáticos, de modo que parecería que estamos perdiendo las ventajas de contextualización visual y funcional de la información, la capacidad de reconstrucción y publicación inmediata de la web, y la ayuda de memorias y terminologías. En este trabajo investigamos, siguiendo una orientación didáctica, el estado de la cuestión, comparando los objetos y métodos de traducción de los sitios web estáticos y dinámicos, y analizando la posición del traductor/localizador en este proceso. Posteriormente, apuntamos hacia la investigación y los desarrollos necesarios para la recuperación del terreno perdido con los nuevos WCMS, incluido el uso de estándares como XLIFF, ITS u otras tecnologías de la web semántica.