Its0504ReqSoftwareResources

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Status: Working Draft (Req Doc)

Author: Yves Savourel

Usage Scenario: Software Resources

Description

Software-related material is now often stored in XML repositories. Examples of this, would be UI resources and message files, comments in the source code to generate documentation, or even temporary XML storage generated from proprietary formats for the time of the localization.

A software developer often needs to provide localization-related information along with the resources that will be translated. For instance, he or she may need to indicate that a string has a maximum length because the program processes it using a fixed-length buffer.

Using a common set of tags in the XML documents to carry such information across the different tools used during the localization process offers better control to the developer. He or she can affect how the resources will be modified, and ultimately prevent some bug or incorrect translation to be introduced.

Localizers also often need to add their own information in the resource material. They do this to complete what has been already set by the developer, or to add their own instructions.

In all these cases, a common set of tags allows the localization providers to develop re-usable verification tools to ensure that the translated material follows the requirements requested by the developers. It also helps the communication, in context, of some information between the different parties.

Stakeholders

This scenario is relevant to:

  • The software developers that create the resources
  • The localization engineers that prepare the resources for translation
  • The translators modifying the data