After localising a website, there are several aspects to take care of in order to assure the quality of the final product: the localised website. This involves:
- Checking that the navigation of the localised website functions properly
- Checking all links
- Displaying all localised graphics and symbols to see if they are shown properly
- Checking dynamic sites, e.g. that user queries depending on databases function properly
- Trying different browsers for checking that the localised website displays correctly
Since the content of websites changes very often, it is recommended that a localisation workflow is developed and systematised. This is becoming a trend among large companies with very large websites. For these purposes, content management systems (CMS) are used. With these platforms it is possible to develop and manage content, so that new or modified text can be extracted and forwarded to translators. CMS also allows version control, so that for example only the latest versions of the websites are displayed.
Among the tools used for localising websites are:
- WYSIWYG editors for HTML (e.g. Dreamweaver, FrontPage, ColdFusion, Homesite, etc.)
- Text editors (e.g. Notepad)
- HTML editors with text preview
- Translation memory systems
- Software localisation tools
- Graphic editors (PaintShop, Adobe Illustrator, etc.)
- Software for recording sound and video
- Software for creating animations (e.g. Flash, Macromedia, etc.)
(Adapted from Zerfaß, 2005b)