Windows 7 Localization Quality: A Journey Ulrike Irmler Principal Group Manager Microsoft Corporation
OEMs 1200 developers Windows Client Managed 1200 testers Devices and media Windows Server 500 program mgrs Search Security User Interface 250 writers DDUEML consumers 1500 developers 100 loc Power. Shell Networking It pros HTML Kernel Silverlight 500 marketers developers AML Internet Explorer Wireless Win 32 Engineering system Subsidiaries of 60+ markets Windows Marketing File System
XP Vista Windows 7 SKU Languages 23 35 35 LIP languages 54 77 57 92 60 95 Internal resources* 250 130 100 Software loc model in-house Mixed Outsourced UA loc model Outsourced Deliverables Box and Online Delta SKU langs 1 ->x 120 days 108 days 0 days Volumes ~1 Million words ~2. 5 Million Words ~11 Million words Releases Client & Server *includes project/vendor management, localization engineering and test
Quality Risk Factors • Aggressive schedule and churn • Localization tools limitations and improper usage • Technical and Linguistic complexity
CHURN MANAGEMENT
LOCALIZATION TOOLS & USAGE
German: Title (as in Ms. /Dr. ) Swedish: Enter (action) Turkish: View (noun form)
Managed Code native Bugs per file
Context Portal
TECHNICAL AND LINGUISTIC COMPLEXITY
Alphabet Kanji Katakana Hiragana Computer 電子計算機 My Computer 私の電子計算機 Music 音楽 でんしけいさんき コンピューター or コンピュー こんぴゅーたー or こんぴ タ ゅーた わたしのでんしけいさんき マイ コンピューター or マイ まいこんぴゅーたー or ま コンピュータ いこんぴゅーた おんがく ミュージック みゅーじっく My Music 私の音楽 わたしのおんがく マイ ミュージック まいみゅーじっく Very specific. For children and not used Foreign and does Sounds cool and new. Not Sounds too formal for grown-ups. This is what not mean anything sure what it means though. and old. the children learn first.
Risk by Language and Market High risk 6 5 Arabic Japanese Potential risk 4 Overall Risk Chinese T. Chinese S. 3 Hebrew; Hindi Potential risk LIP 2 Dutch; Korean; Portuguese Br. 2 French 1 1 Polish Italian; Russian 20 40 60 Market Size German; Spanish 0 0 80 100 120
Mitigation Plan Priority Native Triage Vendor support Add engineers Native functionality test Japanese 1 Y Y Y Arabic 2 Y Y Chinese Simplified 3 Y Y Chinese Traditional 4 Y Y Hebrew 5 Y Hindi 6 Portuguese (Brazil) 7 Y Y Korean 8 Y Y Dutch 9 Y Y Language Y Y LQG Self-Host Customer feedback Y Y Y Y
DEMO: LANGUAGE QUALITY GAME