Open language tools
Encyclopedia
Open Language Tools is a Java
project released by Sun Microsystems
under the terms of Sun’s CDDL (a GPL-incompatible free software license) .
Open Language Tools are intended for people who are involved in translation of software and documentation into different natural languages (localisation
engineers, translators, etc.). They are based around common localisation industry standard file formats such as XLIFF
and TMX
.
Open Language Tools consist of the XLIFF Filters designed to convert different source file formats to XLIFF
and the XLIFF Translation Editor which is designed to read and edit XLIFF
files. They are written in Java
and run on Windows
, Mac OS
, or Linux
as long as Java J2RE (at least 1.4.2) is installed.
format. It is currently based around the XLIFF
1.0 specification. The conversion is simple. Launch the filters, drag and drop a source file on the application, and the file will be converted to a .xlz
file in the same directory as the source file.
What basically happens is that the filter:
files. As the XLIFF
format itself is quite complex and not very user friendly (especially to people not familiar with XML), XLIFF Translation Editor was developed to make the translation and editing much more feasible. Upon opening it shows the user two major panes with the source and target language. The text is segmented and marked – whether it is translated or untranslated, whether it has any 100% matches or fuzzy translations suggested from other applications that may have processed the XLIFF
file in the past. The source and target segments are shown in order to give the translator the full context and they are directly editable.
Initially, the translator creates a Project into which either an .xlf
or .xlz
files are inserted. The central part of the editor is the “Mini-TM”, a simple file-based database with all source and target segments from the current project, which is being automatically updated. As soon as the translator starts translating a segment which has already been translated, the target segment is automatically inserted based on the Mini-TM. Similarly, the Mini-TM suggests fuzzy matches. Segments can be marked as approved, reviewed, unreviewed, problematic, Mini-TM translations or user translations. There is also a mechanism to display notes from the source documents (typically from formats like .po files or from other translators).
There is a back-conversion tool integrated into the editor which converts the XLIFF
files to their original format. For each XLIFF
file, it is possible to create a translation memory (TMX
) file, which can be later used to update the central translation database.
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
project released by Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
under the terms of Sun’s CDDL (a GPL-incompatible free software license) .
Open Language Tools are intended for people who are involved in translation of software and documentation into different natural languages (localisation
Language localisation
Language localisationThe spelling "localization", a variant of "localisation", is the preferred spelling in the US and Canada. is the second phase of a larger process of product translation and cultural adaptation to account for...
engineers, translators, etc.). They are based around common localisation industry standard file formats such as XLIFF
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
and TMX
Translation Memory eXchange
TMX is an open XML standard for the exchange of translation memory data created by computer-aided translation and localization tools....
.
Open Language Tools consist of the XLIFF Filters designed to convert different source file formats to XLIFF
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
and the XLIFF Translation Editor which is designed to read and edit XLIFF
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
files. They are written in Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
and run on Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
, or Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
as long as Java J2RE (at least 1.4.2) is installed.
XLIFF Filters
This is an application designed to convert different source file formats to an XLIFFXLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
format. It is currently based around the XLIFF
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
1.0 specification. The conversion is simple. Launch the filters, drag and drop a source file on the application, and the file will be converted to a .xlz
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
file in the same directory as the source file.
What basically happens is that the filter:
- 1) reads and parses the source file,
- 2) separates the translatable portions of the text from the non-translatable portions by breaking the file into blocks
- 3) further segments the translatable blocks into smaller sections, typically sentences, and
- 4) writes the XLIFFXLIFFXLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
file (.xlfXLIFFXLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
) and the skeleton file (.skl) which are further bundled within a zip archive with the .xlzXLIFFXLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
extension.
XLIFF Translation Editor
This is an application which is made for translating the contents of XLIFFXLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
files. As the XLIFF
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
format itself is quite complex and not very user friendly (especially to people not familiar with XML), XLIFF Translation Editor was developed to make the translation and editing much more feasible. Upon opening it shows the user two major panes with the source and target language. The text is segmented and marked – whether it is translated or untranslated, whether it has any 100% matches or fuzzy translations suggested from other applications that may have processed the XLIFF
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
file in the past. The source and target segments are shown in order to give the translator the full context and they are directly editable.
Initially, the translator creates a Project into which either an .xlf
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
or .xlz
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
files are inserted. The central part of the editor is the “Mini-TM”, a simple file-based database with all source and target segments from the current project, which is being automatically updated. As soon as the translator starts translating a segment which has already been translated, the target segment is automatically inserted based on the Mini-TM. Similarly, the Mini-TM suggests fuzzy matches. Segments can be marked as approved, reviewed, unreviewed, problematic, Mini-TM translations or user translations. There is also a mechanism to display notes from the source documents (typically from formats like .po files or from other translators).
There is a back-conversion tool integrated into the editor which converts the XLIFF
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
files to their original format. For each XLIFF
XLIFF
XLIFF is an XML-based format created to standardize localization. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is v1.2 released on Feb-1-2008....
file, it is possible to create a translation memory (TMX
Translation Memory eXchange
TMX is an open XML standard for the exchange of translation memory data created by computer-aided translation and localization tools....
) file, which can be later used to update the central translation database.
Documentation file types
- HTMLHTMLHyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
- DocBookDocBookDocBook is a semantic markup language for technical documentation. It was originally intended for writing technical documents related to computer hardware and software but it can be used for any other sort of documentation....
SGML - JSPJavaServer PagesJavaServer Pages is a Java technology that helps software developers serve dynamically generated web pages based on HTML, XML, or other document types...
- XMLXMLExtensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
(generic - needs a configuration file for each XML type) - OpenOffice.orgOpenOffice.orgOpenOffice.org, commonly known as OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source application suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software...
: sxw, sxc, sxi - Open Document FormatOpenDocumentThe Open Document Format for Office Applications is an XML-based file format for representing electronic documents such as spreadsheets, charts, presentations and word processing documents....
: odw, odc, odi - Plain textPlain textIn computing, plain text is the contents of an ordinary sequential file readable as textual material without much processing, usually opposed to formatted text....
Software file types
- PO (gettext)
- Msg/tmsg (catgets)
- Java .properties.properties.properties is a file extension for files mainly used in Java related technologies to store the configurable parameters of an application. They can also be used for storing strings for Internationalization and localization; these are known as Property Resource Bundles.Each parameter is stored as a...
- Java ResourceBundleJava resource bundleA resource bundle is a Java .properties file that contains locale-specific data. It is a way of internationalising a Java application by making the code locale-independent.- Benefits of using resource bundles :...
- Mozilla .DTD resource files
See also
- Translation memoryTranslation memoryA translation memory, or TM, is a database that stores so-called "segments", which can be sentences or sentence-like units that have previously been translated. A translation memory system stores the words, phrases and paragraphs that have already been translated, in order to aid human translators...
- Computer-assisted translationComputer-assisted translationComputer-assisted translation, computer-aided translation, or CAT is a form of translation wherein a human translator translates texts using computer software designed to support and facilitate the translation process....
- Office Open XML softwareOffice Open XML softwareThis is an overview of software support for the Office Open XML format, a Microsoft document file format for saving and exchanging editable office documents.The list here is not exhaustive.-ECMA-376 1st edition implementations:...
- OpenDocument softwareOpenDocument softwareThis is an overview of software support for the OpenDocument format, an open document file format for saving and exchanging editable office documents.-Current support:...
- OmegaTOmegaTOmegaT is a computer-assisted translation tool written in the Java programming language. It is free software originally developed by Keith Godfrey in 2000, and is currently developed by a team led by Didier Briel. The name OmegaT is a registered trademark in Germany.OmegaT is intended for...
External links
- Open Language Tools - Official Open Language Tools website
- Open Language Tools download – Download Open Language Tools
- User’s Manual to XLIFF Translation Editor
- XLIFF Translation Editor demo
- Help to improve Open Language Tools