Microsoft Language Portal Blog https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/feed.xml News and updates for Microsoft users, customers and developers to efficiently localize software and services. Tue, 16 Apr 2019 06:18:45 GMT en-US hourly 1 Neural networks power speech translations https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/neural-networks-power-speech-translations Fri, 18 Nov 2016 18:22:22 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/?p=3376 Microsoft Translator announced on November 15 that it is now powering all speech translation through neural networks. This means that apps such as Skype Translator and the Microsoft Translator app for mobile devices now use this technology, which is also available to anyone who wants to use the Translator speech API for apps or services. Microsoft Translator supports speech for the following languages, all of which now use the neural networks: Arabic, Chinese Mandarin, English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. In addition, Japanese text translations use the neural networks. Check out the Try & Compare page to see the difference between Statistical and Neural models. For more information, read Microsoft Translator launching Neural Network based translations for all its speech languages on the Microsoft Translator blog.]]> Localization Checker now available for free download https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/localization-checker-now-available-for-free-download Tue, 04 Oct 2016 17:03:45 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/?p=3375 If your role involves handing off files to localization (or handing them back), the Microsoft Office International team just published an Open Source localization checker that you might want to have a look at. The new Resource Static Analysis engine allows localization engineers or PMs to confirm that files handed off to localization provide as much assistance as possible to localizers. For example, the engine can be used to check whether developers have included sufficient context to the source strings. This helps to make the localization process as fast and efficient as possible, minimizing the questions that localizers have for developers when the localizers struggle to understand the context of a given source string. Once the files are localized, the engine also allows engineers and PMs to check that no functional localization issues have been introduced before handing the files back to the development or engineering team. Read more about the Resource Static Analysis engine on the MSDN Localization blog.  ]]> XLIFF 2.0 Object Model is now Open Source on GitHub https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/xliff-2-0-object-model-is-now-open-source-on-github Wed, 11 Nov 2015 09:00:16 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/2015/11/11/xliff-2-0-object-model-is-now-open-source-on-github/ Today we are pleased to announce that the Microsoft XLIFF 2.0 Object Model has been published on GitHub! The source code is now available in the following repo: https://github.com/Microsoft/XLIFF2-Object-Model.

The XLIFF 2.0 Object Model is a .NET library that can be used to build localization tools, platforms and systems, based on the newest open localization standard - XLIFF 2.0.

The value of adopting XLIFF 2.0 is clear for tool makers and organizations. They can benefit from having one format to interchange all of their localization data with partners, avoiding tedious and expensive work to funnel data between incompatible systems.

By releasing the Object Model as open source, the cost required for developers to support XLIFF 2.0 is significantly reduced. The library includes support for all the Core elements of XLIFF 2.0, in addition to all the module elements in the standard, including:

  • Core Elements (xliff, file, group, etc)
  • Change Tracking Module
  • Format Style Module
  • Glossary Module
  • Metadata Module
  • Resource Data Module
  • Size and Length Restriction Module
  • Translation Candidates Module
  • Validation Module

Microsoft has been a long-time supporter of the XLIFF 2.0 localization standard and was an active participant during its development. We are strong advocates for the adoption of XLIFF 2.0 and look forward to a greater proliferation of the standard across the industry.

For more information or questions about the XLIFF 2.0 Object Model, contact Kevin O’Donnell at kevinod@microsoft.com.

]]> Microsoft Translator adds Kiswahili https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/microsoft-translator-adds-kiswahili Wed, 21 Oct 2015 10:08:42 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/2015/10/21/microsoft-translator-adds-kiswahili/ Microsoft's machine translation system Microsoft Translator has added Kiswahili as a new language, bringing the number of supported languages to 52.

Kiswahili machine translations are available directly from the Microsoft Translator web site at https://www.bing.com/translator, and in Windows, Office, Skype, and via a wide range of other products, including Android Wear and Apple Watch. The translation system was created in collaboration with the non-profit Translators without Borders.

Check today's announcement on the Microsoft Translator Team blog, and read more about how Microsoft Translator works on the Microsoft Translator web site.

In addition to machine translation, you can also find Kiswahili terminology used in Microsoft products on the Microsoft Language Portal. The Language Portal offers Kiswahili terminology and user interface translations from Windows 10, Office 2016, Skype, and many other products. A Kiswahili style guide is also available for download to help ensure that the style and tone in localized products matches that of Microsoft products.

]]> What do you think about the Microsoft Language Portal? Take our survey! https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/what-do-you-think-about-the-microsoft-language-portal-take-our-survey Tue, 06 Oct 2015 09:44:49 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/2015/10/06/what-do-you-think-about-the-microsoft-language-portal-take-our-survey/ Today is Customer Experience Day, a global celebration of the companies and professionals that create great experiences for their customers. We thought this would be a good opportunity to get feedback from you on your experience with the Microsoft Language Portal.

Your input will help us gain insights on how we are doing in area such as update frequency, quality, reliability, performance, and overall satisfaction.

The survey has 10 questions and should take around 5 minutes to complete.

Take our survey here!

We greatly appreciate your feedback and will use it to discover how important the portal is to you and what we might be missing.

Thanks in advance for your support!

]]> Microsoft Language Portal updated with Windows 10 translations https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/microsoft-language-portal-updated-with-windows-10-translations Mon, 24 Aug 2015 01:43:07 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/2015/08/24/microsoft-language-portal-updated-with-windows-10-translations/ The Microsoft Language Portal at www.microsoft.com/language has now been updated with the official Windows 10 terminology and UI translations for all the 111 languages that launched on July 29. The portal provides online search and download for thousands of translations you can reference and reuse to develop multilingual apps for Windows.

The update also includes other recently launched applications (either RTM or technical preview):

  • Windows 10
  • Windows 10 Mobile
  • Office 2016
  • Office for Mac 2016
  • Universal Store 10
  • Universal Apps 10
  • OneDrive + Outlook.com
  • Exchange Client and Server 2016
  • Microsoft Intune
  • Latest Xbox One strings
  • Various Azure components
  • Various System Center components

This collection of terminology and user interface "strings" includes translations of new Windows 10 features such as Windows Hello, Apps Corner, virtual desktop, tablet mode, and many more localized standard phrasings for developing multilingual content and applications.

]]> Free Translation Memory module now available for the Multilingual App Toolkit https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/free-translation-memory-module-now-available-for-the-multilingual-app-toolkit Tue, 18 Aug 2015 10:43:58 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/2015/08/18/free-translation-memory-module-now-available-for-the-multilingual-app-toolkit/ Microsoft’s light-weight localization editor Multilingual App Toolkit (MAT) has just been updated with a free Translation Memory (TM) module, allowing developers and localizers to reuse translations more efficiently.

MAT already provides free machine translation via Microsoft Translator, access to Microsoft’s official terminology and user interface translations, and now adds the LocShare Translation Memory module. LocShare can be installed as a plug-in free of charge from the Visual Studio Gallery.

If you are an existing MAT user, this allows you to create your own private translation memory to recycle translations. Translation memories can be imported in XLIFF format.

LocShare also enables sharing of your TM with others as well as providing a Search feature for finding specific stings in your TM:

Read more about this new TM feature and using MAT to localize apps into other languages on Cameron Lerum’s MAT blog.

]]> Leveraging language diversity: Microsoft employees hacking for good https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/leveraging-language-diversity-microsoft-employees-hacking-for-good Fri, 31 Jul 2015 14:15:00 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/2015/07/31/leveraging-language-diversity-microsoft-employees-hacking-for-good/ Several projects during this week’s annual Hackathon for Microsoft employees focused on using machine translation technology from Microsoft Translator to connect people around the world—whether in business contexts or to help travelers communicate more easily.
 
One of the projects—HackForGood—goes beyond just the technology. It aims at leveraging internal Microsoft employees’ language skills to help non-profits such as Translators Without Borders get information distributed faster in areas where critical information is not available in the local language.
 
The idea behind the HackForGood project is to leverage the diversity of Microsoft employees’ native language and combine this expertise with the custom machine translation engines that are enabled by Microsoft’s Translator hub. “Microsoft speaks every language that our customers do; we’re obviously a very diverse company,” says Paige Williams, director of global readiness for Microsoft.
 
With over 117,000 employees worldwide, and 57,000 of them outside the US, Microsoft has a huge pool of native-speakers in other languages than English. The project aims at mobilizing some of these native-speakers to both help develop local language technologies and to invite them to contribute in crisis situations.
 
Microsoft’s annual Hackathon, which took place this week, gives Microsoft employees the opportunity to think outside the box, to dream big and try to make their ideas a reality.
 
Read the full story about the “HackForGood” project on the Microsoft News Center, and learn more about Microsoft’s Hackathon 2015 on the Microsoft Fire Hose blog.

]]> Windows 10 now available in 111 languages https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/windows-10-now-available-in-111-languages Fri, 31 Jul 2015 09:53:07 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/2015/07/31/windows-10-now-available-in-111-languages/ If you didn't notice already, Windows 10 has now launched and is available as a free upgrade in 111 languages.

We are in the process of uploading the final Windows 10 terminology and translations to the Terminology Search section of the Microsoft Language Portal. This will allow you to find the right translations of the new Windows 10 features in these 111 languages including terms and strings for the two new language versions that were added to Windows 10: French Canadian and Spanish Mexican.

In the meantime, there are a few ways to change your language in Windows 10, and here's one of them:

  1. Go to the Start icon on the taskbar. Choose Settings > Time & language > Region & language.
  2. Choose Add a language and select your language from the list.
  3. Depending on the language and the available support (keyboard support, Windows display language, handwriting recognition), you may need to download a language pack and/or sign back in, like in this example for Danish:

For more info on the language setting in the new Windows 10 Control Panel, check out Scott Hanselman's overview of the language settings, all part of his easy-to-follow Getting Started in Windows 10 tutorials.

In addition to the user interface display languages, Windows 10 supports 53 scripts (Latin, Han, Cyrillic, etc.) and keyboard input in over 500 languages.

]]> Microsoft Translator adds Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian https://docs.microsoft.com/archive/blogs/terminology/microsoft-translator-adds-bosnian-croatian-and-serbian Thu, 19 Mar 2015 09:42:48 GMT https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/terminology/2015/03/19/microsoft-translator-adds-bosnian-croatian-and-serbian/ Microsoft's free machine translation system–Microsoft Translator–has been expanded to include Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian. This brings the number of supported languages to 50. Serbian is supported in both the Latin and Cyrillic script.

The new languages are available to use from the Microsoft Translator web site at https://www.bing.com/translator, directly in Windows 8 and 8.1 through the Windows 8 app, on your Windows Phone, and–for Office–through the free Translator App for Office, enabling you to automatically translate words and sentences directly in Word.    

Check today's announcement about Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian on the Microsoft Translator Team blog, and read more about how Microsoft Translator works on the Microsoft Translator web site.

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