Software localisation, the process of translating and adapting a software product into another language, is by definition an extreme example of target-oriented translation. This strong target-orientation derives from the very particular nature of the textual components contained in a software product. Typically, these are text strings embedded in the software interface and on-line and printed documentation. These components not only transmit operational information but also help in giving the product its commercial appeal. The translation process is thus subject to a double constraint: on the one hand, it must provide a text which is as effective as the original in transmitting information; on the other, it must ensure that the translated product has the same commercial appeal as the original. A cursory survey of the strategies and techniques adopted by localizers in the translation of software applications from English into Italian reveals that the source-language text is often substantially adapted, if not reworked, to meet the stylistic and cultural requirements of Italian users/consumers. Nonetheless, far from being a special case of language transfer, software localisation can be considered as just another example, however extreme, of the cultural and extra-linguistic constraints placed on any act of translation.
"La localizzazione dall'inglese in italiano dei prodotti software: problemi e tendenze" / Palumbo, Giuseppe. - In: RIVISTA INTERNAZIONALE DI TECNICA DELLA TRADUZIONE. - ISSN 1722-5906. - STAMPA. - 4:(1999), pp. 179-198.
"La localizzazione dall'inglese in italiano dei prodotti software: problemi e tendenze"
PALUMBO, Giuseppe
1999
Abstract
Software localisation, the process of translating and adapting a software product into another language, is by definition an extreme example of target-oriented translation. This strong target-orientation derives from the very particular nature of the textual components contained in a software product. Typically, these are text strings embedded in the software interface and on-line and printed documentation. These components not only transmit operational information but also help in giving the product its commercial appeal. The translation process is thus subject to a double constraint: on the one hand, it must provide a text which is as effective as the original in transmitting information; on the other, it must ensure that the translated product has the same commercial appeal as the original. A cursory survey of the strategies and techniques adopted by localizers in the translation of software applications from English into Italian reveals that the source-language text is often substantially adapted, if not reworked, to meet the stylistic and cultural requirements of Italian users/consumers. Nonetheless, far from being a special case of language transfer, software localisation can be considered as just another example, however extreme, of the cultural and extra-linguistic constraints placed on any act of translation.Pubblicazioni consigliate
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