maclocalization.org is a non-profit organization with the aim of assisting developers of non-commercial software.

If you wish to help in this effort please read on.

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Languages

Basically, all languages are welcome, although some are in more demand then others.

Most work is for now done from English to the languages supported by Apple (French, German, Spanish, Brazilian-Portugese, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Japanese, Chinese [Simplified and Traditional], Korean). There is also demand for Eastern European languages including Russian and some other languages.

This means we do need people proficient in and native speakers of all these languages. We do also need English native speakers as there are some projects to be translated to English.

The language proficiency needed varies for the different tasks, testers and proofreaders must be native speakers of their respective language and have an excellent command of the language they are working in.

Localizer

As a localizer you will actually localize the software to another language. Part of the strings can be translated by using AG glossaries and leveraging previous translations.

You will need to run Mac OS X on your computer and you can use AppleGlot to do this task.

Tester

Once the software has been localized, it needs to be tested.

You will need to run Mac OS X on your computer and use the system in the target language to do this task.

Translator

Translators are needed for manuals and other documentation, web sites, etc.

It is possible to work on other operating systems, especially if CAT tools are to be used. A solid knowledge of the Mac OS and its terminology is still expected.

Proofreader

Proofreader check translations for their linguistic and technical correctness.

You need strong linguistic skills (must be native speaker of the target language), an excellent knowledge of Mac OS and a good familiarity with the specific area of the software.

Doc writer - Technical writer

Documentation and technical writers are needed to help out with manuals, how-to's and other documentation. Free (open source) software often lacks good documentation which can prevent it from being accepted by users.

You will need good (technical) writing skills and familiarity with Mac OS X.

DTP

DTP people are needed to help format downloadable documentation and printed materials.

You need DTP skills and software and knowledge of Mac OS X.

Web designer and programmer

Help adapting the developers web sites to multilingual content.

Marketing / Search Engine Specialist

Marketing means submitting localized software to regional (language specific) directories, publications etc., writing and adapting press releases, and other steps to promote the localized software in the new market.
SEO is necessary for placement in international search engines.

You need a good knowledge of the specific market (country, region) and/or experience with SEO in your specific language.

Project Coordinator

Projects with several languages and/or several tasks need project coordinators to stay on track.

Project management and/or localization experience and knowledge of Mac OS X needed for this task.

Hardware/Software requirements

This will depend on what you will be doing.

It is highly desirable that you have experience with Apple Macintosh computers and even more that you are working on one. Most of the projects we do require the latest version of Jaguar to be used. The software used for string extraction is AppleGlot 3, which is available for free from Apple. You will also need to have the most recent version of the DeveloperTools installed (also freely available from Apple).

If you are working with a Windows based system, there will still be some things you can do. If you have CAT (computer aided translation) tools you are more than welcome.

Help improve maclocalization.org

If you wish to help improve maclocalization.org itself, please e-mail us with your proposals. We are presently looking for:

• help to build the dynamic parts of the site,
• someone to design buttons and banners for other sites to link to maclocalization.org
• help to recruit volunteers for any languages.