What role does technology play in video and software localization?

The world is a global village now and is connected on many grounds. The social trends and norms are no longer confined to certain boundaries and regions. People from all over the world can follow the trends, chip in, and become aware of global happenings. What do you feel makes them connected and interlinked? It’s none other than a bunch of software. Your cellular device is full of all such software and applications that help you connect globally. 

These are some fine examples of localization. Software localization goes a long way. Localizing software orbits around the adaption and modification of audio, video, graphical, and textual content according to the market norms and demands of the intended target audience. It is technology’s power play that we get to enjoy our scoop of minute details from the global arena. 

Technology has become a multifaceted domain. It has its role and say in literally every niche and walk of life. Likewise, it has an immense contribution to accurate and software localization services. It is always team play. They require different experts when they consider products to revamp for a new audience. A lot of effort goes into software localization and technology is always there to play its part. It helps to automate and streamline the process of localization putting efforts into making it more efficient and cost effective.

Here are a few key points that elaborate on the role technology plays in a seamless process of software localization.

Machine translation

Machine translation has come a long way. You can consider it a useful option to translate large volumes of text particularly when you are tight on deadline. A lot of localization experts make smart use of machine translation during the process of localizing software and applications. This undoubtedly offers great support for the basic translation of the software documentation, coding, programming language, and instructions as well as also help with a plethora of technical content. 

However, it’s important to give it a shot rather than denying its importance and the role that it can play. Many experts and linguists who like to play old school consider its use vague. However, machine translation can do wonders and can help with technical translation such as software translation services with the supervision of human translators.

Translation memory

Translating software and localizing it is a technical as well as challenging job. Multiple terms and phrases get repeated and translators have to take every possible aspect into account while translating the content to maintain consistency. Technology comes as a rescue again and offers its help with this great feature of the translation memory. As per this feature, you can easily store previously translated content, text, and threads on the system. 

The translators can use these previous translations every time they work on similar subjects and niches. This emerges as a substantial support that also helps in maintaining the consistency and quality of translation within a minimum budget and time. The software developers who have to deal with software translation and localize it every now and then can find the use of translation memory reliable.

Computer-assisted translation

The world has become advanced and is not going to stop anytime soon. There are new inventions and discoveries every day. No one imagined the tools that could help people translate content from one language to another considering their distinct features, nuances, and dialects. However, a wide range of CAT tools are available now to facilitate translation agencies as well as businesses and software developers who seek translation services and are always on the lookout for a professional translation agency. 

Whether it is about TM integration, managing a glossary list for the industry-based niche and subject, or dealing with quality assurance tools, you name it and they have worked on it to make the process easy and handy for you. These tools not only help to make the process seamless and effective but also bring consistency and precision to the translation process. 

Consequently, an accurate translation lays the foundation of an uninterrupted software localization process, and that too without disparities.

Localization management system

Technology has been accredited for the invention of very useful translation and localization management platforms too. You as a client and business can subscribe to these platforms and these can manage and automate your translation and localization process more conveniently. A TMS is itself software that has been designed and developed considering the translation and localization needs of the businesses. 

It offers a wide range of features that help companies to achieve their localization goals more rationally. It can manage the software localization process for its client. Starting from software translation to allocation of roles for the testing and its deployment, it can do it all. These platforms among their tools have taken over the process already. These help to automate multiple tasks that would have required services for multiple translators and resources manually costing more money and time. 

However, using these tools to localize the software helps improve the efficiency and visibility of the whole operation and also mitigates the risk of errors and mistakes.

Conclusion

Software localization is challenging and demands a lot of effort and dedication. However, technology has made the work relatively easier for translation and localization experts. Using translation tools smartly can help with a better and hassle-free localization process. Technology can help with machine translation and relevant computer-aided tools. It also lends the support of translation memory and enables the developers to enjoy the features of cloud-based translation management platforms.