optimizing focus on process improvement quantitatively managed process is measured and controlled...
TRANSCRIPT
STANDARDIZING THE LOCALIZATION PROCESS
DAVE KIM
LOCALIZATION PRODUCERSONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT
Sony Online EntertainmentInternational Operations and Development (created in 2001)
Current Active Localization Projects EverQuest II, PlanetSide, Pirates of the Burning Sea, Free Realms, The Agency, DC Universe Online, Legends of Norrath, Free Realms TCG, Match Attax, Station.com
Annual Workload Number of Updates: 50~60 updates New English Word Count: ~ 2.0 Million words annually Total Translated Word Count: ~ 8.5 Million words annually
Total Word Count in Translation Memory Database Total English Word Count: ~ 15 Million words Total Translated Word Count: ~ 60 Million words
OVERVIEW
OptimizingFocus on process improvement
Quantitatively ManagedProcess is measured and controlled
Defined Process for the Organization, Proactive
Managed Process for Projects, Often Reactive
InitialUnpredictable, Poorly controlled, Reactive
CAPABILITY MATURITY MODEL INTEGRATION (CMMI)
CMM WAS DEVELOPED BY SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE (SEI), CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY (CMU)
Localization without Standardization• No Translation Engine• No Persistent Unique
IDs• No Standard
Translation Data Exchange Format
• Ad Hoc Localization
Localization with Standardization• Integrated Translation
Engine• English Strings with
Persistent and Unique IDs
• Streamlined Translation Data Exchange Format
• Modern Localization Workflow
Localization with Optimized Standardization• Translation Engine
Captures Lookup Calls• Translation Strings
with Status• Contextual Data
Exchanged• Work Flow
Automation with Feedback
EVOLUTION OF LOCALIZATION STANDARDIZATION
LOCALIZATION WITHOUT STANDARDIZATION
•Problem: Not able to handle dynamic text
•Result: Poor quality translation
No Translation Engine
•Problem: Used English to look up translation
•Result: Translation was lost when the English changed from “Go!” to “Go!!!”
No Persistent Unique IDs
•Problem: Different every time, chaotic
•Result: Lost files, data errors, user errors
Ad Hoc Translation Data Exchange
Format
•Problem: No Translation Database.
•Result: Inefficiency. Delays.
Ad Hoc Localization Work Flow
LOCALIZATION WITHOUT STANDARDIZATION
•6~12 man months of engineering clean up
No Translation Engine
•Excessive retranslation. $10,000’s
No Persistent Unique IDs
•12-18 man months of localization clean up
Ad Hoc Translation Data Exchange
Format
•Labor intensive and error-prone
Ad Hoc Localization Work Flow
INITIAL LOCALIZATION PROCESS
New Content to Localize
Eyeballing the Data
Prepare and Send Batches
Translation and QueriesQA and Bugs
Dev and Bugs
Publish
• The first step is managing the chaos. You can get quite good at each of these steps in the chain.
• Eventually you reach the limits of chaos.• The next step is standardization.
Standardization of process. Standardization of data. Standardization of tools.
• At SCE standardization is LAMS, at SOE it is C*STAR.
MATURATION
IMPLEMENTING STANDARDIZATION
No Translation Engine
Integrated Translation Engine
No Persistent Unique IDs
English Strings with Persistent and Unique IDs
Ad Hoc Translation Data Exchange Format
StandardizedTranslation Data Exchange Format
Ad Hoc Localization Work
Flow
Modern Localization Work
Flow
BENEFITS AFTER STANDARDIZATION
•Improved quality with dynamic grammar
Integrated Translation
Engine
•Ability to track changes in the English text
English Strings with Persistent and Unique IDs
•Simplified import and export process
Streamlined Translation Data Exchange Format
•Centralized translation database and tools
Modern Localization
Work Flow
New Game Assets
Incremental Translation(50% Disc)
Exact Match Translation (70% Disc)
Outsourced Translation
60% workload
Publish(15% Disc)
25% workload
15% workload
BENEFITS AFTER STANDARDIZATION
• Standardization for each project. Standardize the data (content and context).
XLIFF, Java Properties, XML schemas Standardize the tools. Standardize the processes.
• The next step is to measure and optimize your standardization. Create metrics and feedback systems. Optimize based on those metrics and feedback.
• The goal is continuous improvement, in all areas: Cost reductions. Quality improvements. Greater speed and agility.
OPTIMIZATION
OPTIMIZING THE STANDARDIZATION
Integrated Translation Engine
Translation Engine Captures Lookup
Calls
English Strings with Persistent and Unique ID
Translation Strings with Status
Streamlined Translation Data Exchange Format
Contextual Data Exchanged
Modern Localization Work
Flow
Work Flow Automation with
Feedback
Master Tool
PM Team
Translation/QA
CS/Commu
nity
Game Design(new
content)
Publish
OPTIMIZED STANDARDIZATION
• Standardization = Efficiency 40% of translations internally from tools. Saving 2+ man years of engineering per
MMO. Turn around 105K words in 10 days,
pushing daily with no new builds from engineering.
• Optimization = Quality Proper grammar. Better translations from fuller context. Faster, more productive QA.
TAKEAWAY