How do automotive companies ensure that localized content retains the same technical accuracy as the source content?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Ensuring that localized content retains the same technical accuracy as the source content is paramount for automotive companies when using DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture) for localization. To achieve this, several best practices and strategies can be employed:

Terminology Consistency

One of the fundamental steps is to maintain consistent terminology across all localized versions. Automotive organizations can create and manage a centralized terminology database in DITA. This database includes translations of technical terms and ensures that the same terminology is used consistently in all languages. Terminology management within DITA helps prevent misunderstandings and ensures technical accuracy.

Quality Assurance Processes

Implementing robust quality assurance processes is essential. DITA allows for the inclusion of metadata related to content review and validation. Automotive companies can establish comprehensive review cycles, involving subject matter experts fluent in the target language. Metadata can track the review status, reviewers’ names, and review dates. Automated checks can also be set up to identify potential linguistic or technical issues.

Example:

Here’s an example of how DITA metadata can be used to track and manage the quality assurance process:


<topic id="engine_specifications">
  <title>Engine Specifications</title>
  <metadata>
    <source-language>en-US</source-language>
    <target-language>de-DE</target-language>
    <review-status>Final Review</review-status>
    <reviewed-by>Anne Müller</reviewed-by>
    <reviewed-date>2023-10-20</reviewed-date>
  </metadata>
  <body>
    <section>
      <p>Technical specifications of the engine.</p>
      <table>
        <row>
          <entry>Displacement</entry>
          <entry>3.5L</entry>
        </row>
        <row>
          <entry>Horsepower</entry>
          <entry>300 HP</entry>
        </row>
      </table>
    </section>
  </body>

In this example, DITA metadata indicates that the content has undergone a final review in the target language (German), providing details of the reviewer and review date.