Translating DITA projects

[AlessandroFrull]

Hi,

Is it possible to use the benefits of XML:TM and XLIFF with Arbortext Editor?

How do you keep track of modified content to be sent to translation services?

How do you upload the translated topics in Windchill?

Below there is a summary of what I find interesting about these technologies

Localization

I. Minimize the cost of translation services by:

A. avoiding to translate parts of a document previously translated and not modified

B. suggesting possible translations with various degrees of confidence and thus different cost

C. obtain translation information from the translation services in order to satisfy the first entry of this list and making less painful switching translation agency

II. xml:tm

Embedding translation memories and hints into the xml document itself

http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2004/01/07/xmltm.html

A. author memory (getting translations from the same document)

1. ICE, In Context exact matches or "perfect matching"

Same segment in same context. Usually it means that the segment has already been translated in the same document. Proofing is not required

2. In document leveraged matching

Same segment from same document but from a different position. Proofing is required but at a discounted rate

3. In document fuzzy matching

Same segment with some different words in the same document

III. XLIFF

http://www.xml.com/pub/a/2004/01/07/xmltm.html?page=2

http://www.maxprograms.com/articles/xliff.html

IV. TM (Translation Memory)

A database containing aligned pairs of source and target language segments from unspecified documents

A. Leveraged matching

Same segment. Proofing is required since the context can be different

B. Fuzzy matching

Same segment with some different words.

[AnicaGodwinStau]

Please find below answers to your questions. I would be happy to discuss your specific use cases further, feel free to contact me directly.

Is it possible to use the benefits of XML:TM and XLIFF with Arbortext Editor?

With the latest release of Arbortext 6.0, we introduced the ability to create XLIFF files with the generated text that’s defined with Styler. Once translated, you can load these XLIFF files to support additional languages in your stylesheet.

How do you keep track of modified content to be sent to translation services?

Windchill like some other content management systems has the capability to create relationships/associations between the objects holding content. By associating the source language content with its translation content at the appropriate level within the content management system, it is possible to track source content and translation content in a manner that allows the facilitation of sending content to and receiving content from translation services.

These associations make it possible to identify which source language content needs to be translated, whether it is the initial version or a subsequent revision. Translation content can be found for source content when the source content is reused using these associations. This makes it possible to identify what source content has changed so that only the new or modified source content is sent for translation.

How do you upload the translated topics in Windchill?

The PTC approach to translation management is:

1. To give Windchill the responsibility for creating the translation objects/topics from the source language objects.
2. To send the translation object content for translation rather than the source object content

Translation objects and their content are created by taking a copy of the source language object metadata and content and setting the language to the translation language to build an initial translation object iteration. Relationship between the source object and the translation object is established. Links in the content and within Windchill are modified as appropriate to mirror the source content equivalent links and structures or to re use non-translated content or images/illustrations.

This initial translation object contains content in the source language but the object and content is identified as being in the translation language. This translation object content is sent for and received back from translation via check out and check in. The text is translated but not the structure or links are not modified.

This approach enables the creation and management of source language and mirror translation language structures in Windchill and content links from initial source language content through all subsequent revision of the source content e.g. DITA maps and topics.