Generally speaking, a localisation file format can be defined as the layout and organisation of data in a file used for the localisation of software components. When using CAT and/or software tools in a localisation project, localisation files in certain formats are imported as the source files at the project outset.
In order to work with localisation file formats for localising software components, it is necessary first to differentiate between translatable and non-translatable text contained in the files. For this, it is important to consider that according to the software components to be localised (software user interface, web sites, online help or printed documentation), localisation file formats vary.