Re: Foreign language translation of Winhelp rtfs

["Brierley, Sean" <Brierley -at- QUODATA -dot- COM>]

Hallo:

Since you are the sole writer, I think your company would want you up to
your neck in the translation effort. Personally, if I wanted a job to be
done right, wanted to save re-work, and wanted to save a lot of costly
trial-and-error, I would not want to just handing off files.

It is, of course, possible that your company has undertaken to translate the
GUI, that your company has employed authors who are professional writers in
their native tongue, and authors who are familiar with on-line help and the
source files and macros. However, because I have seen it before, I sense
that your employer has a set of secretaries and sales folk lined up to do
the translation, the help codes will get damaged, and the re-work and time
spent will be tremendous. But, hey, I'm cynical <g>.

I've noticed that while many recognize writing in English is a skill, and
that particular training, experience, and education are needed to hone that
skill, those same folks automatically assume that anyone who hails from a
foreign land is automatically capable of authoring in their native tongue.
It's amusing to notice this and even more amusing to point it out to those
who make this mistake. Just as Americans can do poorly in school with
English language skills and writing, so too can Italians do poorly with
Italian language skills and writing . . ..

If 'twere me, and I cared, I'd ask all the necessary questions to get
involved in or feel satisfied with the upcoming translation effort. Please
let us know what plans were made and the direction your company took. I am
holding out hope that I will hear of a company that did things the right way
the first time.

Sean
sean -at- quodata -dot- com

>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Mitchell Gibbs [mailto:gibbs -at- GNV -dot- FDT -dot- NET]
>>>Sent: Friday, April 23, 1999 5:01 PM
>>>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>>>Subject: Foreign language translation of Winhelp rtfs
>>>
>>>
>>>My company is preparing our main product for sales outside
>>>the U.S. To
>>>date, no one has discussed the issue of document translation
>>>with me. (As
>>>the sole technical writer, I'm plenty busy with the English
>>>version, so I
>>>haven't brought it up.)
>>>
>>>A lead developer has just asked me for my winhelp rtf source
>>>files, so that
>>>he can send them to our International Sales coordinator.
>>>That person wants
>>>to have "his translators" begin working on them. I don't
>>>know anything
>>>about the translators' qualifications. I suspect we're
>>>planning German,
>>>Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian versions of the software. I
>>>also suspect
>>>I'll get these translations back and be expected to compile them.
>>>
>>>I told the developer that it would help if the translators
>>>knew at least a
>>>little about winhelp. Knowing that's unlikely, I advised that the
>>>translators make sure they don't erase any hidden text, or change any
>>>context strings, macros, and bitmap links.
>>>
>>>I'd appreciate any other advice or warnings about
>>>translating winhelp rtf
>>>files. (BTW, I "code" help straight up in Word, using my own
>>>macros, so I
>>>won't be able to reap the benefits of any HAT's.)
>>>
>>>Mitchell Gibbs
>>>Technical Writer
>>>Advantage Software, Inc.


 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=