Preparing the translation
This section describes how source lists can be edited in order to optimize the subsequent translation process.
- Editing a source string list
You can perform a translation without ever having to edit the source string list. However, the procedure described here simplifies and supports the actual translation process. - Protecting and hiding strings
Strings in the source string list can be protected or hidden. Protected resources and strings are displayed to the translator but they cannot be edited or otherwise modified. Hidden resource and strings cannot be seen by the translator, and thus are not available for processing. - Maximum length of strings
For the localization of a program it may be necessary to limit the length of strings in the translation. For each item in the source list a maximum string length can be specified, and this restriction can be checked when testing the translation list. See Passolo Error Messages. - Grouping control elements
In complex dialogs it sometimes happens that software developers have placed several control elements on top of each other. To simplify the localization of such dialogs, several control elements can be grouped. Groups, or also individual control elements, can then be hidden during the localization of the dialog. This reduces the number of control elements being shown simultaneously and eases the navigation and selection of control elements. - Using comments
You can add a note to entries in the source string list which will then appear in the Properties dialog during translation. - Status and attributes in the source string list
Resources in the source program can be modified or expanded during the course of a software project. SDL Passolo automatically recognizes such changes and displays them in blue after the source string list is updated. - Menu accelerator tables
A user alternative to the menu structure is the utilization of shortcuts (key combinations with so-called accelerators or access keys) that are initiated with one or more keys. Normally, a shortcut key combination is shown next to its associated menu entry. In the resources of a source application, the actual menu entry and the key combination are separated by a tab (for example, "Paste\tCTRL+V" or "Quit\tAlt+F4"). The actual key combination, however, is filed in a table in its own resource category known as "Accelerator".