A Practical Guide to Localization (Language International World Directory, 4) [Hardcover]

Bert Esselink (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000 | Series: Language International World Directory, 4

A Practical Guide to Localization was written for translators, localization engineers, testing engineers, desktop publishers, project managers, and anyone else who may be involved in the release of multilingual products.

In this second edition, translators can learn more about localizing software, online help, and documentation files, and the latest translation technology tools. Localization engineers can learn all about developing, engineering, and testing software and online help projects. For project managers, there is all the information needed for planning translation and localization projects, finding resources, and ensuring product quality.New to this second, fully updated and revised edition are chapters on internationalization, desktop publishing, and software quality assurance. The book has been designed both as a reference work and a teaching tool.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 488 pages
• Publisher: John Benjamins Pub Co; Rev Sub edition (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588110052
• ISBN-13: 978-1588110053
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as complete as the description implied, February 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Practical Guide to Localization (Language International World Directory) (Paperback)

If you are a translator localizing software under Windows, this book is for you! Buy it first before other books you might get later. However, Esselink views the computing world as if only Windows is worth discussing. A few pages are devoted to the Mac crowd and the only other OS mentioned at all was SunOS, and only in passing. Given Windows' large market share in the desktop market, it deserves substantial coverage. However, it is only one competitor among many in the server and embedded systems markets. With the growth in the markets for wireless access (web enabled cellphones) and PDAs, ignoring other OSs is a serious oversight.

Esselink discusses the tools that will be used in the Windows environment and how to use them effectively. He deserves a great deal of praise for his thoroughness in that respect. I want to reiterate, if you are a translator localizing software under Windows, buy this book!

Programmers will find that the main value Esselink provides is a discussion of deliverables. He stresses some points that are independent of the tools used, such as glossaries and hints to guide the translators. For a programmer, this isn't the first book you should buy on internationalization and localization, but if you are the expert on it in your organization or you are a project manager responsible for scheduling it, buy this book! It won't show you how to write internationalized code. It will tell you what needs internationalization, what to deliver to your translators and when to deliver it.

This is a good book. For the audiences it addresses, it deserves 5 stars. Other audiences simply need to be aware that it may not be the book for them.

18 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Practical Guide, January 2, 2001

By 

A. Bourne (Pleasanton, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Practical Guide to Localization (Language International World Directory) (Paperback)

This is an excellent and practical guide. I found all the chapters very useful. The guide is an excellent resource for translation project managers, localization specialists or anyone else that wants to learn more about the localization process. Easy to read and with information that is current and USEFUL (unlike other authors which go into long and theoretical dissertations about Localization). A much better and updated guide than "Software Internationalization and Localization" by Emmanuel Uren.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory Primer for any Localization Newcomer, December 16, 2001

By 

Bjorn Kommedal "bjornkom" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Practical Guide to Localization (Language International World Directory) (Paperback)

This book is invaluable to any newcomer in the localization industry, whether you aspire to become a wiz engineer preparing RC-files for translation left and right, or a project manager with the need to understand every step of a project's planning process and actual execution. Industry standard methods, techniques and tools are discussed. Tips and warnings are conveyed. Hard to beat this book as a general yet comprehensive introduction. Any drawbacks? All I can think of is the fact that there is no separate chapter devoted to web site globalization - well, Bert, maybe you could add another 100 pages to the next edition to address this issue? I'll be the first in line...