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Originally Posted by pandayanyan
Does translation include localizing the content or just translating the words?
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It really depends.
Technically, "Translating" basically means translating the words for a world market. A manual, say, translated into English could used by any English speaker around the world (in theory).
"Localizing" is translating for a specific "local" market, and the words used are unique to that market.
I am friends with the head translator at Nintendo USA, but his actual job title is "Head of Localization" or something like that, because he only translates for the USA market. Apparently there is a different translator for the UK. Maybe they have multiple one in the UK, I don't know.
So for example, I was part of a team that translated a Tokyo goverment website into English. The intended users are English-speakers living in Tokyo, so that would be a "translation" that should not be "American English" specific. Naturally, I spelled words how we do in the US, but I wouldn't use terms or phrases that were uniquely American.
The one publisher I do most of my work for mostly distributes only in the US. They like to keep the "Japan-isms" in the translations, like "chan" "san" and those types of words, especially for Japan-based (non-fantasy or sci-fi) titles.
Another company I have done some work for wants the work devoid of any "Japan-isms" and encourages any American type terminology. (For that specific title, it wasn't set in Japan, but a fantasy country).
So, for example, the first company keeps the metric system in the translations, where the second one would convert it to inches, feet and pounds.
That's a long answer to maybe not the question you asked.
