XLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File Format) is an XML-based standard format for accommodating and carrying the localizable data in the localization process. It provides an extensible and standard way of communicating between developers and translation service providers. As an XML standard and end-to-end tool that is an independent neutral resource container, XLIFF also has great interoperability with various tools in the localization process. We’ll share our experience based on our use of XLIFF and developing the related conversion tools.
We are facing a global marketplace today. The ability of providing systems, software, services and procedures that can process multilingual data and present them correctly in a multicultural environment such as the Internet is highly appreciated. In the whole globalization solution, localization is an important and indispensable part. It is the process of adapting an internationalized product to a specific language, script, cultural, and coded character set environment. The localization process usually involves engineers in different roles and sites and many related tools such as Translation Memories and Machine Translation Systems.
Due to a lack of a standard localization format, translators today receive many different formats of files to be translated such as .properties, .RC, .msg files, and different XML files with many possible DTDs and HTML files etc. With all the different file formats, translators have to maintain several editing tools, be proficient in many file formats and know which parts to translate and which parts to not (developers usually specify this as comments in the files to be translated). It is difficult for the tools such as Translation Memories and Machine Translation Systems to deal with all the different kinds of proprietary formats.
XLIFF is an open and standard way to handle these problems. In this paper, we will first introduce what XLIFF is and demonstate its values. Then, based on our own experience, we will study the issues of adopting XLIFF and the influences that it has.
SHEN Hua Pin, ZHU Ting Yong
Globalization Certification Lab | 
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