Localization in General

Localization in General

MASARYK UNIVERSITY IN BRNO FACULTY OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND AMERICAN STUDIES ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE DAVID KONEČNÝ CHALLENGES IN LOCALIZING THE MASARYK UNIVERSITY INFORMATION SYSTEM AND WEBSITES B.A. MAJOR THESIS SUPERVISOR: PHDR. JARMILA FICTUMOVÁ 2006 I hereby declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................4 2. Localization Theory..........................................................................................................6 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................6 2.1.1 Terminology Used..............................................................................................6 2.1.2. Translation..........................................................................................................7 2.2. Translation and Localization......................................................................................7 2.3. A Historical Overview................................................................................................8 2.4. Software and Website Localization............................................................................9 2.5. The Need for Website Localization..........................................................................10 3. Issues in Website Localization.......................................................................................12 3.1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................12 3.2. Technical Issues........................................................................................................12 3.2.1. Text...................................................................................................................12 3.2.2. Images and Multimedia ....................................................................................14 3.2.3. Conclusion........................................................................................................14 3.3. Adaptation ................................................................................................................14 3.3.1. Linguistic Issues...............................................................................................14 3.3.2. Culture-Specific Issues.....................................................................................17 3.3.3. Conclusion........................................................................................................18 4. Localization Tools...........................................................................................................19 4.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................19 4.2. Brief History and Overview .....................................................................................19 4.3. CAT Tools................................................................................................................20 4.3.1. TM tools...........................................................................................................20 4.3.2. Software Localization Tools.............................................................................21 4.3.3. Other Tools.......................................................................................................21 4.4. Choosing a Tool........................................................................................................22 4.4.1. Criteria..............................................................................................................22 4.4.2. Choosing a Tool for Localizing the MU Information System and Websites ...23 4.4.3. Meeting the Criteria..........................................................................................24 4.5. Localization with SDL Trados 2006 ........................................................................25 4.6. Conclusion................................................................................................................30 5. Masaryk University Websites........................................................................................31 5.1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................31 5.2. Historical Background..............................................................................................31 5.3. Structure....................................................................................................................31 5.3.1. IRIS MU...........................................................................................................31 5.3.2. Masaryk University Information System (IS MU)...........................................32 5.3.3. Masaryk University Websites – A Selection....................................................33 5.4. Current State of Localization into English ...............................................................34 5.4.1. Websites............................................................................................................34 5.4.2. IS MU...............................................................................................................36 2 6. Survey ..............................................................................................................................37 6.1. Objectives .................................................................................................................37 6.2. Description................................................................................................................37 6.2.1. Creating the Survey..........................................................................................37 6.2.2. The Target Group.............................................................................................38 6.2.3. Versions............................................................................................................39 6.3. Results ......................................................................................................................39 6.3.1. Personal Data....................................................................................................39 6.3.2. Languages Spoken............................................................................................40 6.3.3. Acquiring Information......................................................................................40 6.3.4. Websites............................................................................................................41 6.3.5. IS MU...............................................................................................................43 6.4. Note ..........................................................................................................................46 7. Conclusion .......................................................................................................................47 8. Bibliography....................................................................................................................48 9. List of Figures .................................................................................................................51 10. Appendix: Survey Screenshots......................................................................................52 3 1. Introduction This thesis attempts to bring attention to the issue of localizing the Masaryk University Information System and websites. International students and teachers currently at Masaryk University use its websites on a daily basis. Prospective students from abroad searching for information about our alma mater likewise depend on the content of web pages. Unfortunately, a great majority of foreigners at Masaryk University as well as the greater part of those interested in coming to Brno from abroad do not speak the mother tongue of the university’s founder Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk – Czech. Masaryk University is on its way to becoming a truly international institute; however, much work still remains to be done to fully achieve this goal. One of the crucial steps is making information accessible to people from outside the university as well as those who – although studying or teaching in Brno – may not understand Czech and would prefer to access the various university websites in their own native tongue. Sadly, recreating the original Czech-language sites in many languages does not seem to be a feasible alternative. Therefore it is essential to incorporate such a language which will suit the largest group of users; this language happens to be English. In order to obtain the desired English version of the university websites, many issues will have to be dealt with. These are dealt with in the thesis: The first part of the thesis introduces localization, explaining its principles, historical development, and constituent fields, one of which is website localization. Website localization itself is elaborated on in the next part of the thesis. Its technical, linguistic and cultural aspects are explored with particular reference to the websites at Masaryk University. Practical aspects of localization are described next, with the

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