ENLASO (translate.com) Publishes White Paper on Arabic Translation Challenges

BOULDER, CO – March 24, 2006 – ENLASO Corporation, a provider of translation and localization solutions, today announced that it has authored a White Paper on “Arabic and Bidirectional Challenges for Translation and Software Development.” This free White Paper can be downloaded from ENLASO’s Web site at http://www.translate.com.

ENLASO researched and authored this White Paper in response to increasing demand from North American companies to share content in Arabic markets. “Modern Standard Arabic has an artificially constrained vocabulary, taught as a second language throughout much of the Arab world,” commented Maxwell Hoffmann, ENLASO’s Manager of Applications Engineering. Hoffmann, the paper’s author, continued, “A shortage of standardized technical and computer terms in Arabic is just one of the many challenges facing localization team members.”

Challenges specific to Arabic translation include:

• Reversed table column order and graphic layout
• Contextual analysis for alternate character display
• Rendering and shaping
• Alternate numeric display, Hijri dates
• “logical” vs. “output” order for content display and storage

“Arabic localization requires especially careful thought and resource planning when translating content or software to this language for the first time,” stated Yves Lang, ENLASO’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Simple understanding of Arabic conventions at the development stage can prevent many common challenges,” he concluded.

ENLASO is committed to continuing the education and awareness of relevant linguistic issues for customers expanding their global markets.

About ENLASO Corporation
ENLASO Corporation, an ISO 9001 company with three decades of experience, provides clients with enterprise language solutions. ENLASO delivers multilingual solutions to the information technology, life sciences, legal, financial, aerospace, automotive, advertising, and telecommunications industries. Services include localization of software, Web sites, marketing communications, technical documentation, localization testing, and cultural consulting. Services are supported by the development of language technologies designed to assist in localization processes and projects.

For additional information, contact: Chris Raulf, ENLASO Corporation at (303) 516-0857 or by e-mail at craulf@translate.com