Integrated Application Localization

• US 20130227522A1
• Filed: 02/23/2012
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lerum, Cameron B., Nelson, Jan Anders, Capistrano, Alessandro de Matos
• Granted Patent: US 8,789,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/454 Multi-language systems; Localisation; Internationalisation

Abstract

Integrated application localization techniques are described in which support for application localization is provided as an integrated component of a development environment. Localizations for selected languages/locales integrate with application builds in the development environment so that updates are synchronized with project resources for multiple languages. This involves creating and employing localization files corresponding to source content of a project using a designated file format suitable to enable translations. Localization files that are created in the designated format may be exposed in various ways for translation via the system, a developer, a translation service, or other selected translation sources. A single multilingual resource file for an application is then generated to contain resources in multiple languages based on translations made available through the translation sources.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing device, the method comprising:

converting source content associated with development of an application into localization files having a designated file format for one or more selected languages;

exposing the localization files in the designated format for translation;

obtaining translations available for the localization files from a translation source; and

generating a multilingual resource file for the application configured to contain resources in the one or more selected language using the obtained translations.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the designated file format comprises extensible markup language localization interchange file format (XLIFF).

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the converting, exposing, obtaining, and generating are performed via a localization module provided as a component of an integrated development environment (IDE).

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein converting the source content comprises producing separate localization files in the designated format for each selected language that reflect updates made to the source content for a build of the application.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the application comprises a modern application that is written using a dynamic scripting language and operates through a corresponding runtime platform.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein exposing the localization files in the designated format for translation comprises exporting the localization files to a selected storage location and invoking a translator to perform translations of the localization files.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the localization files are automatically updated with changes made to the source content during builds of the application.

8. A method as described in claim 7, wherein translations of updated localization files produced during a particular build of the application are performed asynchronously with the particular build.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein generating the multilingual resource file comprises extracting translated resources from the available translations, converting the translated resources that are extracted from the designated file format into a system format used for development of the application, and combining the translated resources to form the multilingual resource file.

10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein converting the source content comprises producing a log file in a system format that describes resources associated with a build of the application and transforming the log file into a source resource file in the designated format used to populate changes made to the source content for the build to the localization files for the selected languages.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, implement a localization module configured to perform operations comprising:

compiling source content of a project for a build of an application under development;

creating a log file in a system format that describes resources for the project;

transforming the log file from the system format to a designated file format established for translations;

updating localization files included in the project for translations of the application into multiple languages designated for the project using the transformed log file;

converting the updated localization files in the project for which translations are available from the designated file format back into the system format; and

producing a multilingual resource file for the application that incorporates translated resources from the available translations.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 11, wherein the designated file format comprises extensible markup language localization interchange file format (XLIFF).

13. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 11, wherein updating comprises merging changes described by the transformed log file with localization files included in the project for each of the multiple languages.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 11, wherein one of the multiple languages designated for the project is a pseudo language and the localization module is further configured to translate the project into the pseudo language via a pseudo-translation engine.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 11, wherein transforming the log file comprises creating a common source resource file used to populate changes across the localization files for multiple languages included in the project.

16. A computing device comprising:

a processing system;

one or more modules operable at least in part via hardware of the processing system to implement an integrated development environment (IDE) configured to;

ascertain one or more languages selected by developer for translations of an application under development using the IDE; and

during a build of the application via the IDE, create updated localization files for each of the selected languages in a designated file format established to facilitate translations used to generate a single multilingual resource file for the application.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the integrated development environment (IDE) is further configured to:

output the updated localization files that are created to enable asynchronous translations via one or more translation sources;

obtain translations of localization files that are available during the build; and

generate the single multilingual resource file for the build of the application based on the available translations that are obtained.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the designated file format comprises extensible markup language localization interchange file format (XLIFF).

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein creation of the updated localization files comprises:

producing a log file in a system format that describes resources for the build of the application;

parsing the log file to identify and extract localizable resources in the build;

converting the extracted localizable resources to generate a source resource file for the build in the designated file format; and

merging the source resource file with target localization files included in the project for the one or more languages to form localization files that are updated for the build.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the merging comprises, for each target localization file:

comparing resources between the source resource file and the target localization file to find matching resources; and

updating the resources in the source resource file with matching resources from the target localization file to form an updated version of the target localization file that incorporates modifications to resources for the build from the source resource file and previously translated resources from the target localization file.