Teaching XLIFF to Translators and Localisers

Abstract

[EN]The XML Localisation Interchange File Format (XLIFF) is the main standard for the interchange of localisation data during the localisation process and the most popular and widely used in the industry. Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools already support its version 1.2. However, the most important end users of the format, i.e. translators, still have limited or no knowledge about the standard and the possible advantages of its adoption (Anastasiou 2010). With a view to bridging this knowledge gap, we have been introducing XLIFF as a topic of study in the translation and localisation studies curricula for the last four years in four different European universities, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, thus satisfying one of the missions of the Promotion and Liaison OASIS XLIFF subcommittee. In this paper, we aim at sharing our experience in teaching XLIFF to translation and localisation students: the curriculum design, the topics covered, the practical exercises and the areas that we have improved and modified based on our experience over this period of time.