Database of common translated phrases for localization?

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+5 Q:

Database of common translated phrases for localization?

I'd like to localize my app into a few other languages, all of which I can barely order a drink in.

Does anyone know of an online resource for translations of common software menu options, messages, etc. into other languages?

Given the number of developers (both OSS and closed-source) that deal with localization, and the overlap of resource strings between, it seems like a pretty obvious fit for a wiki or open source package, but I can't seem to find anything like this.

I could try to mine the Windows resource files or dig around in resource strings in robust OSS apps like Firefox, but I suspect I'm not the first person to think of this and surely there is a site that I'm just not finding yet.

Update: since nothing exists like this that I could find, I started a feeble attempt at an open-source string library. It's just a boilerplate Google spreadsheet now, so if you want to contribute, please go here:

http://www.xark.org/

+1 A:

I would have Google translate the basic phrases and ask someone who speaks the language to quickly read them over, either from the team or get international beta testers.

I think the likelihood of Google mistranslating single words like: "Menu", "Back", "Add" or simple phrases like "Start a new game", "Log in", etc is quite low.

You could even automate the process using the Google Language AJAX API.

Ben S 2009-11-24 19:31:47

Good answer, Ben. I've already integrated the Google Translate API into my app, but on the content side, not the UI. While Google's method of translation has a good chance of getting common phrases right, there are a number of words where the conventional translation would differ from the translation used in a menu. I was hoping to find a more "definitive" resource, preferably with some sort of discussion behind it when there are ambiguities.

richardtallent 2009-11-24 19:37:49

+3 A:

Launchpad Translations is an online tool used by the Ubuntu community to translate applications. I'm sure you can search it to find common items.

Be cautious when translating an application or a text. If your not native or very experienced in the target language, you can't really do a professional translation. I work for a translation company (as a programmer) and we localize some applications. It is a lot more work than you might think. Usually (and that goes for text, applications or whatever) at least 3 person (translator, revisor, proof-reader) are required to translate something. And they are professional translator, speaking the target language natively.

In resume, I'm don't think you should try to localize your application alone, especially if you don't know the languages you are translating to. Even then, you would be far from what you can call a professional translation.

(speaking of translation, sorry for my bad english)

Mathieu Pagé 2009-11-24 19:42:19

Mathieu, I agree that application translation is hard, and this is why I think there is a need for a database of commonly menu items, error messages, etc. that anyone can use with some confidence. Obviously, application-specific messages remain a challenge, but every developer should not need to reinvent the wheel for basic user actions (File, New, Open, Save, Delete, Search, etc.). Launchpad is a great example of collaborative translation, I'll look at it more, but it appears to treat every application as a separate problem space, which makes reuse difficult.

richardtallent 2009-11-24 20:53:49

You're always best with a human translator, but I wrote a free piece of software you may be interested in. ResourceBlender is open source and on CodePlex at http://resourceblender.codeplex.com/ and can do automatic bulk translation using Google translate.

Echilon 2010-01-02 19:22:39

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Database of common translated phrases for localization?

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