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I don't know if this solution has been mentioned, but here's my two cents:
For internationalization purposes, it is a good practice to actually store
all of your UI strings (button labels, window titles, error messages, etc)
in a database and call them at runtime. This means that when you need the UI
translated into, say, Senegalese, you just need to send the language
database to Dakar. Translators aren't routing through your code to find UI
strings.
This also means that writers can easily review these strings. We would
periodically check this database for new strings and review and correct them
without ever bothering the engineers. Of course, this is a job whose tedium
rivals indexing, but that's the easiest way to do it. Thanks. DB.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TDean -at- envirosys -dot- com [mailto:TDean -at- envirosys -dot- com]
> Sent: 06 November 2001 21:27
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Software Text Incorrect
>
<snip>
>
> I was just wondering how other writers handle this?
> Especially in a company where the software screens do not
> heed to any specifications on terms or styles, this is
> something that is frustrating. I read somewhere that the
> technical writer should not try to compensate for the
> software's shortcomings - if the documentation does not match
> the software, then the users get confused. I know I would.
>
> Tina Dean
>
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