Localization Guru Language Editor

The Language Editor is used in the following manner. First, the application is developed by the Visual Basic® programmer in his native language using Localization Guru software components. Then, all of the native language text from the application is exported into a Language Database. A linguist uses the Language Editor to translate the application's "Native Text" into one or more foreign languages.

The Language Editor shown below has opened the language database DemoLang.mdb (this is the language database that is used with the sample project that ships with Localization Guru). In this particular language database the native language is English and three foreign language columns (Spanish, French and German) are present.

Of course, the Language Editor itself uses Localization Guru so that it is possible for the Language Editor to be localized to a foreign language. When you purchase a license for Localization Guru you are granted the right to distribute the Language Editor with your own applications so that your customers can perform their own translation of your application (if you so desire). Or, you might want to ship a Language Editor and a language database to a linguist who will translate your application for you. In either case it may be helpful for the Language Editor itself to support foreign languages.

The Used? column indicates that the "Native Text" is still being used in the VB project that exported its text into this language database. It is not uncommon for the programmer to modify an instance of some Native Text string in the application after the language database has been created. When the Native Text strings are subsequently exported to the language database the Used? checkbox will be unchecked for each row of "Native Text" that is no longer used in the application. This allows you to easily delete strings from the language database that are no longer in use.

The Skip? checkbox can be used to cause the "Native Text" string to be skipped for translation when your application runs in a foreign language.

You can rearrange the columns to any desired order and adjust the width of any column with the mouse.

The Language Editor permits you to manage the foreign language columns contained in a language database. Just right click in a language column and a popup menu appears for you to add a new language column, delete a language column, or rename a language column.

You can adjust the height of the rows with the mouse. In the picture shown above the row height has been decreased so that more rows are visible than in the previous picture.

You can quickly delete all of the rows of unused text with the "Edit | Delete Unused rows" command. In the picture shown above the row of "Native Text" near the bottom is not found in the current VB project as indicated by the Used? checkbox. All unused rows of text are about to be be deleted from the Language Database in the picture shown above.

You can export the text from any language column to a text file that can be be used with automated translation software. In this example the "Native Text" column is being exported to the EditorEnglish.TXT file.

Sample of the EditorEnglish.TXT File

{{51}} Export Editor Text to a Language Database

{{31}} Export the (%s) column to text file (%s){\r}{\r}Are you sure?

{{4}} Export the text in the Localization Guru Language Editor to Language database (%s){\r}{\r}Are you sure?

{{30}} Export to a text file

{{5}} Foreign Text

{{32}} Import from a text file

{{33}} Import from text file (%s) to column (%s){\r}{\r}Are you sure?

Shown above is a sample of what the EditorEnglish.TXT text file looks like. Notice that each "Native Text" string occupies one line of the text file and is preceded by a unique ID number. This ID number permits the translated text to be imported back into the correct row in the language database.

Sample of the EditorGerman.TXT File

{{51}} Export-Redakteur Text zu einer Sprache-Datenbank

{{31}} Export das (%s) Säule zu Textdatei (%s){\r}{\r}sind Sie sicher?

{{4}} Export der Text im Lokalisierung Guru Sprache Redakteur zu Sprache-Datenbank (%s){\r}{\r}sind Sie sicher?

{{30}} Export zu einer Textdatei

{{5}} fremder Text

{{32}} Import von einer Textdatei

{{33}} Import von Textdatei (%s) zu Säule (%s){\r}{\r}sind Sie sicher?

Shown above is the corresponding section of EditorEnglish.TXT after it has been translated to German using a commercially available translation software package (since I don't speak German I have no idea of how good or bad a job this particular translation software did). The translated file was saved as EditorGerman.TXT and was subsequently imported back into the Foreign column of the LGEditor.mdb language database that goes with the Language Editor. The picture below shows the Language Editor running in German using this language database to translate itself.

The picture above shows the Language Editor running in German using a Localization Guru language database to localize itself. A commercially available translation software package was used to translate the English text in the Language Editor to German. Since I don't speak German I have no idea of how good or bad a job this particular translation software did.

There may be times when you want to use one font to display the "Native Text" column and a different font (appropriate to a particular foreign language) for the foreign text columns. The Language Editor lets you specify the font and size that you want to use. In this example the WL Greek Times Ancient font (10 point) has been chosen for the foreign language columns (which really doesn't make a lot of sense since the language is Spanish, but hopefully you get the point).

With Localization Guru Pro you can create a text version of the language database. In the example shown above a text language database called Language.dat is being created to support Spanish, German and French foreign languages. The File menu also allows you to repair and compact an Access language database.