A Practical Guide to Software Localisation. Bert Esselink. 1998. ISBN 90 272 1954 0 (Paperback). John Benjamins B.V.

 

Generally speaking, my heart sinks when I agree to review books about translation. So often they are hopelessly outdated, limited by an academic perspective, of little relevance to the modern translation market, badly written and overpriced to boot. It all becomes rather depressing for me, giving people the idea that I'm a sour old curmudgeon with nothing nice to say about anything. Which is why I felt a warm and comforting glow less than half-way through the first chapter of this book.

 

Bert Esselink is an authoritative guide, with extensive experience as a software translator, localisation engineer and project manager. He writes in a clear, concise style, taking the reader on a detailed tour of the world of software localisation, methodically explaining the nature and requirements of the process and its clients, what is involved in translating software, online help and documentation, as well as the translation memory tools that can be used in these processes. This is completed by chapters on localisation engineering and project management, including translation-related issues such as glossary translation and terminology management.

 

Localisation is a vast specialised field and this is an ambitious project, aiming to cover it all in 300 pages, and to do so in sufficient depth to make it a localisation manual rather than a simple walk round the garden path that points out what is what. As you can imagine, this has not always proved possible and certain sections of some chapters are able to do little more in the space available than put you in the picture.

 

A further difficulty is that localisation is such a fast-moving field that any book on it risks becoming quickly out of date, especially where professional tools and resources are concerned. Bert has addressed this problem by posting updates and revisions on the Language International Website (www.language-international.com). That's a very good idea, not least of all because a number of areas and the section on translation memory tools in particular are "showing their age". Two update pages with hyperlinks plus a multiple choice test/questionnaire are already available on the Website. Unfortunately, the updates are only in note form - leaving you to do the bulk of the work - but they at least keep you up-to-date and point you in the right direction.

 

Overall, this book is a great success. People with many years experience in localisation may not find it adds a great deal in the way of information regarding their own specialist area, but are likely to find it interesting for comparing notes on the procedures they adopt. They will probably also find it invaluable for exploring how they fit into the wider picture. Anybody contemplating moving into the field, whether as translator, localisation engineer or project/localisation manager, could find no clearer, more comprehensive or more authoritative introduction. It even contains useful information on working on html files and some of the less-known features of Word. Localisation clients will also find it invaluable reading, as will the directors of translation companies contemplating expansion into this lucrative but highly demanding sector. Likewise, universities providing translation courses would do well to select it as their principal introductory textbook to the field.

 

I really can't recommend this book highly enough. At £20.95 for a specialist publication, I'd even say it was good value for money! You can get it from Grant & Cutler (0171 734 2012), who provided the copy for this review.

First published in ITI Bulletin, 2000.