i18n…really?
Eric makes the observation the localization doesn’t really matter. I have to concur, at least when it comes to development tools and Europe. I don’t know anything about how things are in Asia for example, so maybe it matters there - though I suspect not. See below.
I couple of years ago I had to fight tooth and nail not to waste time with localization on a tool I was writing. This was a tool for programmers, and I *knew* localization was not only useless, it would actually hurt (we would be late and not ship the tool).
Who am I to know that developers don’t want their tools localized? What qualifies me as such an expert? I’d say mostly my background.
I’m a developer, it’s even the only thing I know how to do (though I’ve been known for preparing a mean “Garlic Pasta” and my Caipirinha rocks - I know it does), and in addition to being a developer, English is not my first language. In fact, it’s not even my second language. I’m what they call an ETL. :-)
All the time I spent programming in places like Portugal, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and yes, even Congo, I have never seen and even less used a development tool that was not English only. I would NOT have it any other way.
The question really is, why would anyone want a translated version?
- The English version is more recent
- If a product ships in many languages at the same time, the competition already shipped the English version
- The folks translating the text don’t know the technology, the folks who know the technology only speak English. Don’t even bother, just stick to the language that the people *building* the tool know. This is probably the main reason most developers around the world stick with original versions - you are butchering our language! Stop it!
- 93.4% of the documentation is in English
- APIs *are* in english (if I don’t know any English, I’m going to have a hard time using most programming languages, and therefore I’m not a programmer)
- It’s indicative that the people requesting translated tools, aren’t the ones using those tools
- Technical English is easy! If you’re smart enough to learn how to use computers, you’re more than qualified to learn “technical” English
I can think of a few (bad) reasons for software makers to I18N their development tools:
- Like Eric, they feel guilty. They don’t want to be the ugly American. (little does he know that no one cares)
- Managers are buying the development tools, and the people actually using those tools have no say (poor bastards…I hope they will be able to install the English version as soon as they can…if they can, they will)
- Deciders@BigCorp apply some flawed math. It goes like this: “most of our sales are not in the US, therefore we need to translate our tools”. But for all the reasons above, that other non-US market likes the original version, though they’re not being asked.
Anyway, companies should stop making a fool of themselves, when trying to translate their development tools. No one cares. If those tools were free they would make people laugh. Because usually they have some sort of cost, they make people cry.