By Dominique Trouche, WhP You have switched to DITA and your first localisation project is coming up. Ask your LSP whether it can manage DITA content. If the answer is, "DITA is simple; it’s just another XML", you might have to teach your LSP what DITA is and how to deal with it (in addition to training your staff). At first glance, DITA adds complexity to localisation: extensive reuse, multiplication of files, numerous cross references, conditional text, and specialisation, among other things. It also provides features, such as UIcontrol, key term index, and the Open tool kit, which optimise localization. As customers' content needs mature, DITA localisation paves the way for multilingual dynamic publishing and convergence of DITA outputs, with Marketing and Training. In this presentation, you will learn how to piggy-back localisation onto your CMS, and how your content management teams will benefit from it, both for their morale and your bottom line.

1. DITA and Localisation
Bringing the best together

2. Igor
Localisation
Mgr
The ACME DITA saga
Characters
Characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Amanda
Documentation
Architect, US
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3. Acme company. Amanda the Loc Manager struggles
with Dominique the In-Country Reviewer
Let’s go back two years…..
Amanda is trying to plan her DITA deployment project.
A large part of the ROI comes from localisation.
She meets Igor the Localisation Manager to plan the
migration.
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4. Yes, they had a
look at DITA and
told me it was just
like any XML!
Does our LSP know
how to localise DITA
content?
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5. Is DITA just like any XML?
Usually the answer from any LSP:
It will take 3-6 months to get the process working
New issues will come afterwards at each project
You will teach them how to use DITA
It is not like any XML:
It is a standard
It is rich (it includes many localisation-friendly features)
A publishing engine is available (DITA OT)
But it also brings “complexity” that can lessen your ROI
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6. With DITA the number
of files will increase.
Can our LSP handle it?
I am afraid it will
cost us more and
take more time…
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7. DITA file management
300 pages documents explode into 800 files
Your LSP needs a Server based Translation management
system (server, workflows, …)
Pricing model: File handling, pre- and post-processing fees
Why not a single Xliff file?
Transformation  loss of context
Segmentation rules differ
Need to break up into smaller files with translator teams
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8. What about our
Translation Memories?
We own them.
I hope they have been
updated
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9. Translation memories
Usually you own them
Can be reused and exported as TMX
Cleaning process required, especially with a CAT tool
change
We recommend isolating and cascading them ….
If you re-write content, expect a 20%-30% rise of
localisation cost before getting the full benefit…
100% matching vs In Context Exact matching (ICE)
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10. Shall I filter out the
content which was not
updated and send a
PDF ?
You’d better do it
otherwise it will
cost money
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11. What to send the LSP
No filtering required, provided you have ICE matching
and no handling fees
Having all the files allows to republish locally:
With all the content to be translated (conditional and metadata)
Direct access to the content
Easy to access for the translator
PDF is no longer needed.
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12. Translator’s game
In a Vacuum pump installation guide:
How am I going to find this in my PDF file ?
And the winner is…
Source Target
English source text To be completed by the
translator in his language
Source Target
N ???
N Dyn. Lb.ft/s²
0.5 50,000 3.6
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13. In a CCMS documentation
Is this:
An instruction to create templates or masters ?
A role of experts allowed to run the Build feature?
Something else?
Source Target
Build masters ????
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14. Source Target
Remove either the conduit plug (side) or grommet
(top) for side or top wire entry.
????
In a CCTV Camera installation guide
+ the term is not in the PDF (it relates to another
model)
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15. What about our
software options ?
They will check with
screenshots when the
document is
published
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16. It also applies to index terms
And others such as Glossary terms, system output, User Input…
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A better way to do it

17. Upfront control:
Dita
Files
Extract
tagged
terms
Source Target
To define a new document, enter the name in {1}Search
by Name{2}, and click {3}Add New{4}.
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Key terms management
Term Base
Missing?
Alert !
Pre-translation or guidance:

18. What about quality
assurance?
Our ICR will check
once the document
is published
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19. Quality assurance
Make sure 100% of the deliveries are
technically correct
– Comply with the DTD and the structure
– Upload correctly in your CCMS
Provide your Reviewer with the best solution
The review can be done in full context prior to the
upload in the CCMS
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20. Translates DITA
content with TMs
Translator
Technical
Writer
Reviews and
annotates the
PDF
Check
Changes
Approves in
CCMS
Documentation
Manager
In-Country
Reviewer
Publishes
from CCMS
Published
PDF
Updates the
target Topics
Annotated
PDF
Updates the
TM
Annotated
PDF
Publishes
from CCMS
Published
PDF
Checks TMs?
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21. days12
-67%
Translates DITA
content with TMs
Translator
Documentation
Manager
Technical
Writer
In-Country
Reviewer
Reviews and
updates
Approves in
CCMS
Check
Changes
notification
2567
-84%
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22. Full context review
Web browser access
Bilingual display
Focus on what is to be reviewed
Prevent changes in the rest
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23. Features:
Correction of translations
Communication between reviewer and translator using
the Comments window
Classification of linguistic issues
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24. And track Service Levels…
Keep a simple quality
model
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25. My turn to ask questions.
Have you resolved the
issue with screenshots ?
Issue?
Screenshots…?
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26. Screenshots
Screenshot management can be time consuming and
costly…
1) If you want to keep them in English…
Or if the product is not localized
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27. Screenshots
You can also « draw » the screenshots in a
vectorial format (SVG)
The UI terms are translated using the actual
Software strings from the Term Base

28. And what happens when
the software UI is updated
in a local language?
????
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29. That’s given me an idea…
Single Sourcing…
?????
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30. UI Single Sourcing
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UI table
Software
Documentation

31. You know what? We’d
better look for a DITA
LSP
Yes but there are
not too many…
Maybe at
Lavacon Dublin !
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32. Experts for your global reach 32
Amanda ,
Can we talk about
DITA for my training
content?
Atsuko,
that is another story.

33. www.whp.net
dominique.trouche@whp.fr
+33 4 93 00 13 07
Skype dominique.trouche.whp

34. Cascading translation memory
Source Target
Source string
Product A
Product B
Legacy TM
Source Proposed Target
Source string Target String?
Source Proposed Target
Source string Target String