Friday, April 18, 2008

Microsoft Language Portal: Microsoft have set up a website to enable users and language specialists to intereact with Microsoft's own language experts on matters relating to computer technology.

It allows translators and localisation specialists to give feedback on Microsoft terminology issues, for example, or to download a German style guide (interestingly, the English version of the Microsoft Style Guide is only available in print, but it is certainly worth buying if you work in the localization field).

There is also a terminology search function, which accesses the Microsoft Glossaries. This works well on the whole, but when I asked it to tell me the German translation of "You cannot continue unless you install a printer", the system gave me both the expected German translation "Sie können den Vorgang nur fortsetzen, wenn Sie einen Drucker installieren" and also, unexpectedly, the following translation "Dir kënnt nëmme weiderfueren, wann Dir en Drécker installéiert". As a trained translator, I can tell which I need, but there is clearly the potential here for the uninitiated to be led astray.....

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