Software Localization

Software localization is the process of adapting a software product to the linguistic, cultural and technical requirements of a target market. Software localization is the translation and adaptation of a software or website, including the software itself and all related product documentation.

Traditional translation is typically an activity performed after the source document has been finalized. Software localization projects, on the other hand, often run in parallel with the development of the source product to enable simultaneous shipment of all language versions. For example, the translation of software strings may often start while the software product is still in the beta phase.

Translation is only one of the activities in a localization project – there are other tasks involved such as project management, software engineering, testing and desktop publishing.