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> -----Original Message-----
> From: nurseferatu_VV -at- yahoo -dot- com [mailto:nurseferatu_VV -at- yahoo -dot- com]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 8:59 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Translations and graphics
>
>
> We are now translating our manuals into 9 languages, and
> translations of
> screen captures have become an expensive problem. What do you
> do in your department?
At a former company, our first task should have been to go through and
get rid of duplicates. After the first couple of languages, that became
real important. Duplicates came about because Visual Source Safe file
sharing was used to share files between help projects and the manual.
Probably seemed like a good idea to the co-worker who implemented it.
The problem with this was two-fold: (1) The duplicate images were
confusing and wasted work. (2) Once the new language screen shots were
done, you had go back and manually establish the _same_ file sharing in
the new language.
I flattened our directory structures, implemented sharing through HPJ
project files or FM books, got rid duplicate images, and got rid of file
sharing through VSS.
It also helps to have a naming convention that conveys (1) the owning
project, (2) the operation being attempted, and (3) the sequence number
within that operation. This way the filenames in the browser didn't have
you jumping all over the place in the GUI (and re-establishing settings
for specific things). It compartmentalizes the operations so that you
can step through them and re-use the settings.
> 2. We translate all our windows, etc. and take new screen
> captures for each manual or Help file.
The best way is to have the GUI translated. Build the program with the
new GUI. Hire a temporary working to do the screen shots.
We hired a Hausfrau who was returning to the workforce for 20 hours a
week. It was slow going at first because we had to show her how to use
the mouse, how to use PSP, how to use our application, etc. My co-worker
was frustrated showing her how to do things.
However, she was invaluable to me because she eventually cranked through
1000 images for each of 6 languages. We copied the English directories
and had her write right over the English files with the language
screenshots. (This gave her an idea of what to shoot for even if she
didn't understand the target language.) She also did other grunt
clean-up task needed to pull this off. She left for greener pastures
shortly after I did and had some useful skills to show for it.
Glenn Maxey
Technical Writer
Voyant Technologies, Inc.
1765 West 121st Avenue
Westminster, CO 80234-2301
Tel. +1 303.223.5164
Fax. +1 303.223.5275
glenn -dot- maxey -at- voyanttech -dot- com
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