A survey conducted by The Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA) in 2005 indicated that customers are most likely to place a high priority on localized software if they need the software to carry out their daily business operations. Any software deployed on the end users' desktops is especially localization-sensitive. Users are able to handle applications adapted to their native language and cultural environment more efficiently and with fewer problems than applications in a foreign language.

High quality software localization requires a comprehensive project team composed of developers, localizers, software testers and other resources. Software localization entails not only translating information into different languages, but also modifying source code components, such as the user interface and resource files. More often that not, developers are in-house resources. The translators, on the other hand, commonly are freelancers or outsourced companies. As a result, the main challenge in software localization lies in coordinating all project activities and facilitating team communication. Biblioso provides all the features required to coordinate localization activities and support seamless team communication in a managed environment.

Localizing software typically includes the following activities:

• Creating a project plan to coordinate the various activities required to localize the product and assembling the project team.
• Translating the software resource files, help files, readme files, screenshots, and graphics.
• Translating supporting software materials, such as user manuals, warranty cards, packaging and promotional material.
• Repeating desktop publishing on translated user manuals and help files as well as recreating, generating, and checking table of contents and indexes.
• Modifying the source code and resizing the user interface to satisfy the needs of the target locale.
• Testing the runtime behavior of the localized product.
• Communicating critical issues found in the original software during localization back to the development team and further on to all the translators localizing the software into other languages.

In addition to software localization, Biblioso can also help you with your globalization processes to design or redesign your products so that they can be localized with minimal changes.