1. Types of IT texts at Unbabel

2. UI relevance

3. To Translate or Not to Translate? How to handle IT items

3.1. Leave as in the source

3.1.1 Examples of common errors

3.2. Localize

4. Examples of IT entities 

1. Types of IT texts at Unbabel

• Software user manuals/guides: Characterised by concise language, step-by-step instructions, and technical terminology.
  
  
• UI Strings: Short texts within software interfaces (buttons, menus, error messages). They require precision and an understanding of GUI (Graphic User Interface) requirements, such as limited space for text when displayed on a screen
  
  
• Website Localization: Translating website content, including marketing materials, product descriptions, and support pages.
  
  
• Help Articles/Knowledge Bases: Troubleshooting guides, FAQs, and online support documentation.
  
  

2. UI relevance

"UI relevance" refers to how important a specific element or piece of text is to the overall user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of a software application or website.

In the context of IT translation, "UI relevance" highlights the need to consider these factors when translating UI strings, buttons, labels, and other elements.
It's not just about translating the words themselves, but also ensuring that the translated text:

• Maintains functionality: Doesn't break the UI (user interface) or interfere with user interactions. 
• Provides a positive user experience: Is clear, concise, and helpful to users.
  
  

For example, introducing extra whitespaces or changing the capitalization of a programming command, a file name, a file path or an URL would break the functionality of the text, as these entities would not work as intended.

Also, translating a button label from "Submit" to a much longer phrase in another language might disrupt the visual balance of the UI. A UI-relevant translation finds a concise and equivalent term that fits the design.

Essentially, "UI relevance" reminds us that translation in the IT domain is not just about linguistic accuracy, but also about understanding and preserving the intended user experience.

3. To Translate or Not to Translate? How to handle IT items

As a general rule, IT items with "coding" syntax (like productID, Your_Client_ID,files:read, C:\Program Files) are meant to be interpreted by a machine, and they use specific characters and formats that must remain intact for functionality.

Conversely, IT items with "language" syntax (like "Save", "File not found", “Select Language:”  are designed to be read by humans, so they use natural language structures and capitalization that should be adapted to the target language for clarity and user comprehension.

3.1. Leave as in the source 

Below are the categories of items that (unless specified otherwise in the instructions) should not be translated. To maintain functionality, these entities have to be kept exactly the same as the source, even though this could include reverting back the MT changes.*

✍️ Leave them untouched if they already look the same as the source

✍️ Edit them back to look like the source if you notice any changes in the machine-translated text, including:

• Extra whitespaces
• Changes in capitalization, punctuation or spelling
• Translated words (even if this means changing glossary terms).

*Note: In some contexts, some of these entities (for example, metadata or URLs) may have a translation, for example if a platform's user interface (UI) is translated in multiple languages. However, making up translations that don't match the user interface (UI) can break usability and create a frustrating experience for users, therefore we ask you to leave them in English if not instructed otherwise.

3.1.1 Examples of common errors

3.2. Localize

Below are the categories that (unless specified otherwise in the instructions) should be translated, if they are usually translated in your language and a widespread and accepted translation of the terms/messages exists.

To make sure functionality is not broken, the translation needs to be both consistent and concise.

Internal consistency

Consistent terminology within a task or between different tasks of the same clients is vital for the users to understand and be able to replicate steps and instructions.
📍Where: On Polyglot 

✍️ How:

• “Find & Replace”: Carefully proofread the translation to ensure all repeated terms have been translated consistently: you can use the "Find" function on Polyglot to locate and verify the use of the repeated terms to ensure no inconsistencies across the text you’re reviewing (more in this article: Find & Replace 🔎).
  
  
• Translation history: check for previous translations of the same Option/Setting/Message by selecting the text in the source and clicking on “Check previous translations” (more in this article: Translation history lookup 🔦)

External consistency

When translating texts such as software user manual or a technical support chat it is important that the terms used are the same that users will see on the interface they need to use.

📍Where: On the client’s website and on Internet in general 

✍️ How: If a client’s website is translated, use it to check how buttons, options, menu items, are translated. 

Style

A concise, clear, direct language should be adopted. A technical translation’s first goal is to be transparent and usable: jargon, overly creative solutions should be avoided. Additionally, an excessively wordy translation could interfere with the visual balance and readability of the user interface, potentially making it less user-friendly.

4. Examples of IT entities

To help you visually recognise different types of IT entities, and navigate what to do when you encounter them, we compiled a diverse list of examples you may see while working on Unbabel tasks.

Many of these entities have UI Relevance, i.e. present important information or require user input. Mishandling them could break functionality or negatively impact the user experience. 

1. File Paths: These indicate the location of a file within a computer's file system.

• C:\Program Files\MySoftware\data.txt (Windows)
• /usr/local/bin/script.sh (Linux/macOS)
• ~/Documents/my_project/index.html (Relative path)

2. File Names: The names given to individual files.

• document.docx
• image.jpg
• archive.zip
• index.html

3. URLs (Uniform Resource Locators): Web addresses used to access online resources.

• https://www.example.com
• http://support.mysoftware.net/faq
• ftp://ftp.server.com/files
• jdbc:sqlserver://1.2.3.4:56789;exampleName=SampleExample

4. Snippets of code in various programming languages, including Variables (Symbolic names representing values) Properties (Data belonging to an object) and Functions

• outline: none;
  width: 1em; (CSS script)
• userName
• productID
• totalPrice
• authentification.loggedIn
• member.contactDetails.firstName

5. Other types of code-like strings and metadata, such as Placeholders, Data Access & Permission strings, API Actions, API Keys, Feature Toggles and Status Indicators

• Your_Client_ID
• files:read 
• access_token
• users:create
• notifications:enabled
• connection:online
  

6. IP Addresses: Numerical labels assigned to devices on a network.

• 192.168.1.1 (IPv4)
• 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334 (IPv6)

7. Registry Keys: Locations within the Windows Registry.

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MySoftware
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop

8. Options, settings, buttons and fields

• Select Language:
• "Cancel"
• Learn more
• “Save”
• “Password”
• Privacy Settings

9. Error Messages: Texts displayed by software to indicate problems.

• “File not found."
• Connection timed out.
• "Error code: 0x80070005"