Various definitions have been given to website localization depending on the perspective of people who approach it (Folaron 2006:197). Translation Studies scholars approach website localization as a translation modality that can be...
moreVarious definitions have been given to website localization depending
on the perspective of people who approach it (Folaron 2006:197).
Translation Studies scholars approach website localization as a translation modality that can be included in a broadened concept of translation (Gouadec 2007, Nauert 2007, Gottlieb 2005, Pym 2004). From this viewpoint the competences of the website localizer bear many
similarities to those of the translator (Jimenez-Crespo 2012). On the
other hand, the competences of the website localizer also bear many
similarities to the ones required by technical communicators, such as
target analysis, source analysis, development of an overall strategy
and Project Management (Risku 2004).
According to Minacori and Veisblat (2010: 753) one of the basic elements that differentiate technical communication from translation is the fact that in the former the produced text is created from
scratch. On the contrary, translation includes the creation of a target
text on the basis of a source text. Website localization can be viewed
as a form of translation in the sense that there is always a pre-existing
website, usually an internationalized one, that constitutes the starting
point of the process. However, localization very often entails changes
that reach the level of recreation, rewriting and redesign with the aim
to achieve cultural customization and a maximum degree of persuasiveness. Thus, we could assume that website localization constitutes a meeting point for translation and multilingual technical communication.
Based on Minacori and Veisblat’s (2010: 765) comparison of
translators’ competences and technical communicators’ skills, we
will focus on two of these competences, namely intercultural competence/skills and visual literacy. Findings of previous research on
multilingual corporate and NGO websites will allow us to highlight
the crucial role of cultural knowledge in website localization as well
as the need for visual and multimodal literacy development both for
website localizers as well as technical communicators regarding the
corporate and NGO website subgenres.
