Computer tools in the teaching of translators as website localization professionals

Abstract

Website localization constitutes a new field of study and professional intervention. Localization can be described as a global process in which globalization and internationalization come together in an effort to prepare a particular product for a particular locale. We could define locale as the collection of features of the user’s environment that is dependent on language, country/region, and cultural conventions. Locales usually provide more information about cultural conventions than about languages. As a result, the term localization remains irremediably linked to the concept of culture. Correct localization cannot be achieved without knowing and bearing in mind the locale to which it is directed. It is also necessary to point out that localization is a modality of translation. Localization involves translation of textual content into language and textual conventions of the target locale and adaptation of non-textual content as well as input, output and delivery mechanisms to take into account the cultural, technical and regulatory requirements of that locale. In sum, localization is not so much about specific tasks as it is about the processes by which products are adapted. The translation process requires language professionals to perform various roles, completing each stage on time and undertaking multiple tasks in order to meet the conditions for delivery of the translation in accordance with a series of quality parameters [1-10]. For its part, localization involves a variety of agents in the localization process, though their number may vary from a single person responsible for the entire process to a multiplicity of agents in large organizations, including business managers, localization managers, localization engineers, terminologists, locators, quality control operators and freelance translators, among others. The process also varies considerably depending on the nature of the project, the technologies involved, the resources available and even the type of translation process employed. The particularities of this translation modality make the use of translation tools, also known by the acronym CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) tools, a necessity. Furthermore, we should not forget that these particularities complicate the translation process in terms of the time and effort required. In order to raise the students of the Bachelor's Degree in Translation and Interpretation to the level required by this hyper-competitive market, production times must be reduced, and this is where CAT tools come into their own. While professional website translators-localisers form part of a complex team, they often do not participate in the decisions taken in the primary stages of web localization. With this in mind we must forget the concept of the localiser as an isolated element and begin to see them as an integral part of a complex production chain. With the right training a web content translator may be qualified to carry out several of these functions. In any case they would always have a wide range of CAT tools available to make the job easier. Bearing this in mind, the primary objective of our research t is to define and analyse CAT tools that are useful for training web content translators-localisers at any stage of the translation project. We have done a classification of the best Localization tools according to the different stage of the process.