XLIFF y el traductor: ¿Por qué es importante?

XLIFF ha esdevingut el principal estàndard d'intercanvi de dades en localització, que només troba competència en el format PO quan es tracta de projectes de codi obert i que coexisteix amb el format LCX de projectes de localització en entorns de Microsoft. Tanmateix, mentre que cada vegada hi ha més grans empreses proveïdores de serveis d'internet i traducció que ofereixen o demanden traducció automàtica i humanan que acaben arribant a la conclusió que han de donar cobertura a aquest estàndard, els avantatges de l'ús de XLIFF es poden veure limitades si la integració amb els processos d'informació i comunicació multilingües d'aquestes empreses no va acompanyada del coneixement real de les necessitats dels traductors. D'altra banda, el format encara resulta àmpliament desconegut per traductors i aspirants a localitzadors, que són els que haurien de poder contribuir al seu desenvolupament i, especialment, a la implementació i impuls de XLIFF en els seus llocs de treball i en els projectes en què col·laboren. D'aquesta manera contribuirien a augmentar les possibilitats que XLIFF acabi convertintse en una eina cada vegada més útil. Aquesta mancança es deu en part a l'evident manca d'articles acadèmics que tractin sobre el sentit, el significat i la utilitat de XLIFF, que té en compte els problemes principals i el coneixement mitjà del traductor pel que a tasques de traducció i localització es refereix. L'article d'Ignacio García de 2006 titulat "Formatting and the Translator: Why XLIFF Does Matter?" Suposa una de les poques excepcions, tot i que principalment tracta sobre un únic aspecte de la relació entre el format estàndard i el projecte de traducció. L'article es proposa proporcionar una visió de l'estandar que sigui àmplia i alhora accessible per a l'usuari final: els traductors i els estudiants de traducció. En el present article presentem, a través d'exemples pràctics, com l'estàndard pot resultar d'impacte en la rutina diària dels traductors per obtenir el màxim profit del seu ús.XLIFF has become the main localisation data exchange standard, coming up against competitors only in open source projects with the PO format, and also coexisting with LCX in the Microsoft localisation environment. However, while more and more of the big internet services and translation provider companies offering or requiring machine and human translation realise that they must offer support for this standard, the advantages of XLIFF usage can be limited if integration with their multilingual information and communication processes is not matched with a real understanding of translators' needs. On the other hand, the format is still widely unknown by translators and aspiring localisers, who should be able to contribute to the development and, particularly, the implementation and leverage of XLIFF in their workplace and in the projects they are involved in, thus increasing the chances for XLIFF to evolve into a more and more useful tool. This gap is partly due to a glaring lack of academic articles dealing with the meaning, significance and usage of XLIFF which take into account the main concerns and the average knowledge of the translator as regards translation and localisation tasks. Ignacio García's 2006 "Formatting and the Translator: Why XLIFF Does Matter?" is one of few exceptions, although mostly dealing with just one aspect of the relationship between the standard format and the translation job.This paper aims at providing a comprehensive yet accessible view of the standard to its end users: translators and translation students. We will present, through practical examples, how the standard can have an impact in their daily routine and how they can make the most out of it.XLIFF se ha convertido en el principal estándard de intercambio de datos en localización, que solo encuentra competencia en el formato PO cuando se trata de proyectos de código abierto, y que coexiste con el formato LCX de proyectos de localización de entorno Microsoft. No obstante, mientras cada vez hay más grandes empresas proveedoras de servicios de internet y traducción de las que ofrecen o demandan traducción automática y humanan que acaban llegando a la conclusión de que deben dar cobertura a este estándar, lo cierto es que las ventajas del uso de XLIFF se pueden ver limitadas si la integración con los procesos de información y comunicación multilingües de estas empresas no va acompañada del entendimiento real de las necesidades de los traductores. Por otro lado, el formato todavía resulta ampliamente desconocido por traductores y aspirantes a localizadores, que son los que deberían poder contribuir a su desarrollo y, especialmente, a la implementación e impulso de XLIFF en sus lugares de trabajo y en los proyectos en los que colaboran. De este modo contribuirían a aumentar las posibilidades de que XLIFF acabe convirtiéndose en una herramienta cada vez más útil. Esta carencia se debe en parte a la flagrante falta de artículos académicos que traten sobre el sentido, el significado y la utilidad de XLIFF, que tiene en cuenta los problemas principales y el conocimiento medio del traductor en lo que a tareas de traducción y localización se refiere. El artículo de Ignacio García de 2006 titulado “Formatting and the Translator: Why XLIFF Does Matter?” supone una de las pocas excepciones, a pesar de que principalmente trata sobre un único aspecto de la relación entre el formato estándar y el proyecto de traducción. El artículo se propone proporcionar una visión del estandar que sea amplia y a la vez accesible para el usuario final: los traductores y los estudiantes de traducción. En el presente artículo presentamos, a través de ejemplos prácticos, cómo el estándar puede resultar de impacto en la rutina diaria de los traductores para obtener el máximo provecho de su uso

How is Web Content in Easy Language Localised? Current Trends and Open Questions

[EN]Access to information on the web for all has become crucial in today's digitalized society. Making it available for everyone, including people with functional, cultural and linguistic diversity (FUNCALD) (Rodríguez Vázquez and Torres del Rey, 2020) implies providing, translating and simultaneously releasing content in standard and alternative formats by default, not only by special request or law. In recent times, Easy Language (EL) has turned into a powerful linguistic tool increasingly used to achieve that goal, facilitating participation, learning and bridge building for people with intellectual disabilities (ID), as well as, according to prior work (Hansen-Schirra et al. 2020), multiple other target populations such as people with dementia or second language users, to name just a few. Despite being a key communication instrument, EL content is scarce, very often limited to isolated documents published by governmental institutions or independent organisations serving the needs of very specific population groups. In addition, while efforts have been made at a national and international level to publish standards, tools and recommendations for the creation of EL texts, these have mainly revolved around intralingual translation aspects. In our talk, we will shift the focus to multilingual contexts, paying particular attention to the Web. Concretely, we will review current strategies to create multilingual easy language content and bring forward existing technical and procedural challenges. Our ultimate goal is to pinpoint how EL fits in the web localisation landscape and understand what are the implications researchers and professionals in the field

New insights into translation-oriented, technology-intensive localiser education: accessibility as an opportunity

In this article we look for new insights into the teaching of localisation by defining the academic field as a translation-oriented and, at the same time, technology-intensive discipline. This definition encourages us to reconcile the main objectives of both areas by integrating a user-centred, human-computer interaction approach, where verbal and non-verbal communication of meaning and affordances is central. Disciplinary and technological challenges are reviewed and confronted with some of our strategies to cope with them. By embracing the above holistic definition, and incorporating accessibility as a key factor both for the practice and the teaching of localisation, we try to make the most of the linkages between technology, communication, social and user needs, as well as professional and research-driven translatorial action

The relevance of metadata during the localisation process: An experiment

[EN]In localisation, there is a constant need to automate processes in an attempt to reduce the cost and time associated with those processes. One of the main ways of achieving this objective is to reuse previously localised data and metadata by using standardised translation memory formats – such as the LISA Translation Memory eXchange (TMX) format or the OASIS XML Localisation Interchange File Format (XLIFF). Although XLIFF has emerged as the most desirable format for the exchange of localisation data, much work still needs to be done before it can be generalised to most localisation activities and can be implemented in a straightforward way. Our research aims to study the importance of the localisation metadata associated with the translation suggestions provided by computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools. We analysed the ways in which localisation data and metadata (D/M) can be represented in the current specification of XLIFF (i.e. XLIFF 1.2). We designed a new format called the Localisation Memory Container (LMC) to organise previously localised XLIFF files in a single container. Finally, we developed a prototype (XLIFF Phoenix) to leverage the D/M from the LMC to improve the translator’s task by helping CAT tools not only to produce more translation suggestions easily (similar to bi-text approaches), but also to enrich those suggestions with relevant metadata. In order to test whether the ‘CAT-orientated’ enriched metadata are helpful to the translator, we designed an experimental translation task using Swordfish II. Different levels of D/M were introduced in the same document for the different participants, which enabled us to study the influence of the D/M on the translation decision-making process and on the machine–human interaction. In this chapter, we present our research objectives, the methodology and procedures, and an analysis of the results of the experiment. Finally, we extract some preliminary conclusions about the importance of metadata during the localisation process, both as displayed in our experiment and as an integrated function of the tool’s automated capabilities

Diverse functions for the semaphorin receptor PlexinD1 in development and disease

AbstractPlexins are a family of single-pass transmembrane proteins that serve as cell surface receptors for Semaphorins during the embryonic development of animals. Semaphorin–Plexin signaling is critical for many cellular aspects of organogenesis, including cell migration, proliferation and survival. Until recently, little was known about the function of PlexinD1, the sole member of the vertebrate-specific PlexinD (PlxnD1) subfamily. Here we review novel findings about PlxnD1's roles in the development of the cardiovascular, nervous and immune systems and salivary gland branching morphogenesis and discuss new insights concerning the molecular mechanisms of PlxnD1 activity

Localisation Standards for Joomla! Translator-Oriented Localisation of CMS-Based Websites

[en]For a localiser, the shift from static to CMS-based dynamic websites usually involves assimilating a new editing environment, acquiring administrative rights for the site, and relinquishing the various benefits of using CAT tools. However, the possibility of integrating CAT tools in the localisation process is now becoming a reality by means of localisation standards (mainly ITS and XLIFF). In this paper, we introduce an experimental Java application we have developed for the import/export of multilingual web content for the Joomla! CMS (with the FaLang extension). We go through the workflow and explain the lessons learnt from our experiments with this and other related tools. As our research is translator-oriented, we discuss some current limitations for localisers’ work in the theoretical and practical approaches taken for the multilingual management and translation of CMS-based websites and suggest some alternatives for the futur

Student-Generated Videos to Promote Understanding of Chemical Reactions

Published as part of the Journal of Chemical Education virtual special issue “Teaching Changes and Insights Gained in the Time after COVID-19”.[Abstract] Students were tasked with the creation of videos of ordinary reactions to promote significant learning of complex concepts underlying chemical transformations. Interactive infographics were used to deliver instructions. Afterward, students planned the experimental setup for the reaction execution and video recording using their mobile phones. The videos and an online questionnaire, also created by the students, were shared with other class members using the visual platform Padlet. The reasoning required to elaborate the questions contributed to a better understanding of the principles underpinning the chemical equation. An exit survey showed that planning and performing the activity were not time-consuming for the students. Marks attained by the students in questions related to chemical reactions improved after completing the activity

Localisation Training in Spain and Beyond: Towards a Consensus on Content and Approach

Since localisation emerged in the 1980s as an activity linked to the software industry, its evolution has gone hand in hand with technological advances. In the globalised market of the 21st century, an ever-increasing range of digital products must be localised. While academic institutions are aware of how the increasing demand for localisation is affecting the translation industry, there is no consensus regarding what and how courses and modules on localisation should be taught. This article reports the findings of a survey-based study that adopted a descriptive-interpretive methodology to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from a group of 16 localisation trainers teaching on undergraduate translation programmes at Spanish universities. To contextualise and help with the focus of the survey, a literature review on localiser education was carried out. The results of both the survey and the literature review reinforce the findings of an earlier unpublished study by the same authors that localisation training is keeping pace with technological evolution, despite its scarce presence in translation studies curricula. In addition, respondents noted that one of their main challenges is finding authentic teaching materials and recommended closer collaboration between academia and the localisation

Sistema de control para la asistencia de personal

Sistema de Control para Asistencia Personal es un sistema de detección de rostros creado en el software Matlab. Este proyecto fue diseñado para implementarse en una escuela, en la que los maestros puedan confirmar su asistencia a clases mediante este sistema. El sistema funciona de la siguiente manera: Al utilizar este sistema de detección de rostros por primera vez, se generará una base de datos, en la cual se pedirá información básica del usuario, así como 3 fotografías en las cuales se solicita mantener determinada expresión facial. Esta información, proporcionada por el usuario, se almacenará en la base de datos pasa su uso posterior. Una vez que ha sido llevado a cabo este proceso, el profesor se colocará frente a la computadora, se le pedirá que centre su rostro en el recuadro marcado y se le pedirá que presione un botón para capturar una fotografía, la cual será comparada con las imágenes almacenadas en la base de datos creada inicialmente. La fotografía tomada es comparada, en escala de grises, con las fotografías previamente almacenadas en la base de datos, también en escala de grises. Para realizar esta comparación se utilizan los histogramas respectivos de cada imagen, así como sus valores propios o eigenvalores