How do film organizations handle terminology translation and localization in DITA?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Managing terminology translation and localization in DITA for film organizations involves a structured approach to ensure that content is accurately and effectively adapted for different languages and regions.

Terminology Translation

In DITA, terminology translation begins with creating separate language-specific versions of the documentation. Each translation is typically stored in its own DITA map or publication. For instance, you can have a DITA map for English, another for Spanish, and so on. Here’s an example of how language-specific maps might be organized:


<mapref href="film-documentation-en.ditamap" language="en-US" />
<mapref href="film-documentation-es.ditamap" language="es-ES" />

In this example, the <mapref> element references DITA maps for English (en-US) and Spanish (es-ES) versions of the documentation. Each map contains topics and elements translated into the respective language, ensuring accurate terminology usage for each audience.

Localization

Localization in DITA goes beyond translation and includes adapting content for cultural and regional differences. This can involve changes in date formats, units of measurement, and other cultural nuances. Localization can be achieved through specialization of DITA elements or through the use of conditional processing to deliver region-specific content. For instance:


<topic id="release-notes" translate="yes">
  <title>Release Notes</title>
  <body>
    <p>For the <ph audience="us">U.S.</ph> audience, the product will be available on <ph audience="us">November 1, 2023</ph>.

    <p>For the <ph audience="uk">U.K.</ph> audience, the product will be available on <ph audience="uk">1st November 2023</ph>.

  </body>

In this example, conditional processing is used to present date formats appropriate for the U.S. and U.K. audiences, demonstrating how DITA enables localization adjustments without duplicating content.