An Introduction to Translating Software Documentation Ryan Ginstrom.

An Introduction to Translating Software Documentation

Ryan Ginstrom

What I will talk about today

What is it? Honing skills Tools of the trade The good, the bad, and the ugly

Many different types

Readers Targets

Readers

End users Programmers “Pointy-haired people”

– Marketing– Managers– Purchasing departments…

Target: end users vs. developers

End users Developers

不具合の究明 Troubleshooting Debugging

推奨されない Obsolete Deprecated

X モードでアプリケーションを起動する

Run the program in X mode

Load the application in X mode (run also OK)

Targets

Platform– Microsoft / *Nix / Mac / Web application / mobile d

evices

Layer– Device driver / desktop application / online shoppi

ng cart / Webmail

Purpose– Instruct / inform / publicize

What is good translation?

Should read like a target-language document Not like a translation Write for the reader

– Needs– Expectations

Honing skills

Technical knowledge Knowledge of source language Technical writing

Honing technical knowledge

Read one technical book in our target language per month– Think about that

Learn to program?

Learn to program!

Python– www.python.org– Easy to learn – Powerful

Ruby– http://www.ruby-lang.org/– Powerful– “Made in Japan”

Visual Basic– Pros: Simple, useful– Con: Dead (replaced by VB .NET)

Source language

Know the terminology in the source language Read fluently “Good enough” isn’t

Rite away…

English original (method description):

Performs last rites on the object.

Japanese translation:

オブジェクトに対して最終書き込みを行います。

??

Target language

Technical writing Pretending to sound like you know what

you’re talking about

Weaknesses abound

We’re not engineers We’re not technical writers We’re not native speakers of one of our

languages

We are translators

Humility(but not too much!)

Keep an open mind Constantly learn

Tools of the trade

Dictionaries Technical references Technical style guides Software

Dictionaries

電気情報和英辞典オーム社　編

数学　英和・和英辞典小松勇作　編

和英　コンピュータ用語大辞典Japanese-English Dictionary of Computer(AKA “The Lacker”)

Technical references

O’Reilly’s “In a Nutshell” series Books on software development Textbooks

Mostly target language

Others…

The Windows Interface Guidelines for Software Design

Developing User Interfaces for Microsoft Windows

Technical style guides (online)

Apple Publications Style Guide (PDF) http://developer.apple.com/documentation/

Sun – Writing for the Webhttp://www.sun.com/980713/webwriting/

Technical style guides (dead trees)

Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications

Read Me First!A Style Guide for the Computer Industry (Sun)

From Microsoft Manual of Style

Correct

On the File menu, click Open.

Incorrect

On the File menu, choose the Open command.

Reference:

[ ファイル ] メニューから [ 開く ] コマンドを選択し…

But from Sun’s manual…

Menu option names appear in the document’s default font and do not receive any special typographic styling.

From the Edit menu, choose Paste.(or)Choose Edit Paste.

-- Read Me First!

Microsoft Manual of Style on Usage

application Avoid in content for home users and information workers; use program instead.

button In general, refer to a button only by its label. Correct:Select the file you want to open and then click OK.

computer Not PC or machine or box, regardless of audience.

hint Do not use hint as a heading for a type of note; use tip instead.

input Avoid in all content as a verb; use type or another appropriate verb instead. (c.f. 入力 )

menu item Do not use in content for home users or information workers. Use command instead (c.f. メニュー項目 )

Software

Translation memory Online/electronic dictionaries Text to speech/dictation Gluing

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Sample source and translation You make the call Then look at what I thought when I wrote this

Exceptional

Japanese original

このメソッドでは、要素の取得に失敗する場合、例外が発生します。

English translation

In this method, an exception occurs if the acquisition of the element fails.

UGLY

このメソッドでは、要素の取得に失敗する場合、例外が発生します。

In this method, an exception occurs if the acquisition of the element fails.

This method throws an exception if it fails to acquire the element.

例外の発生 : Throw/raise an exception

Use the source, Luke!

ファイルの保存時に保存元と保存先のファイル内容を比較する

When saving a file, the contents of the save source and save destination files are compared

BAD

ファイルの保存時に保存元と保存先のファイル内容を比較する

When saving a file, the contents of the save source and save destination files are compared

When you save the file, the original file and the file to be saved are compared.

Don’t be afraid to write English

Count on it

この参照カウントは、 LoadLibrary 関数が呼び出されるたびに 1 増加し、 FreeLibrary 関数が呼び出されるたびに 1 減少します。

This reference count is incremented each time LoadLibrary is called and decremented each time FreeLibrary is called.

GOOD

この参照カウントは、 LoadLibrary 関数が呼び出されるたびに 1 増加し、 FreeLibrary 関数が呼び出されるたびに 1 減少します。

This reference count is incremented each time LoadLibrary is called and decremented each time FreeLibrary is called.

参照カウント : reference count1 増加 : increment1 減少 : decrement

More on exceptions

例外 :

XYZException - 引数 foo が null の場合に発生します。

Exceptions:

XYZException – Thrown if parameter foo is null.

UGLY (trick question)

例外 :

XYZException - 引数 foo が null の場合に発生します。

Exceptions:

XYZException – Thrown if parameter foo is null.

Throws:

XYZException – If parameter foo is null.

Convention!

The dating game

このサンプルでは、これらのテーブルを XML データとして保存します。

In this sample, these tables are saved as XML data.

BAD

このサンプルでは、これらのテーブルを XML データとして保存します。

In this sample, these tables are saved as XML data.

In this sample, these tables are saved as an XML file.

データ : File

What’s your destination?

保存先のフォルダを開いて，「 foo. ｅｘｅ」をダブルクリックして下さい。

Open the save destination folder, and double click the “foo.exe” icon.

UGLY

保存先のフォルダを開いて，「 foo. ｅｘｅ」をダブルクリックして下さい。

Open the save destination folder, and double click the “foo.exe” icon.

Open the folder where you saved the file, and click on the “foo.exe” icon.

The user just wants to get the job done

More API stuff

インデックスが範囲外の場合に 黒色 ( 0, 0, 0 ) を返します。

If the index is outside the scope, returns black (0, 0, 0).

BAD

インデックスが範囲外の場合に 黒色 ( 0, 0, 0 ) を返します。

If the index is outside the scope, returns black (0, 0, 0).

If the index is out of bounds, returns black (0, 0, 0).

範囲外 : out of bounds

Thank You