Documentation: Reducing the Cost of Translation

This workshop begins with a brief description of enterprise-level globalization, a context that has engendered the development of two important processes: internationalization and localization. The workshop then pulls focus to concentrate on the complexity of internationalizing documentation for global markets. While print document is our primary concern, many of the concepts presented also apply to electronic communications.

Document internationalization renders communications as language-independent as possible in order to facilitate localization and meet the needs of different languages and diverse cultures. Using tool-specific, real-life examples, the workshop will demonstrate that internationalization reduces the costs of globalization while increasing overall quality of critical communications.

Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the potential pitfalls of document design and how to avoid them in order to develop communications that will withstand the rigors of eventual localization.