Program Names

Your language team needs to decide if you are going to translate program names. There are a few approaches you can follow to make untranslated program names accessible to non-English speakers.

Simple Policy

Need a simple policy on program names?

Do not translate program names

Pros and Cons of Translating Program Names

Pros The program is shown as a script/pronunciation that the user understands
Cons A user will not find the translated program anywhere on the system. I.e. they will not be able to run the program using its translated name

Some tips

  • Use single quotes. It is quite easy to use single quotes around the program to indicate that it has not been translated e.g. “Click on the ‘KFishMonger’ icon”
  • Change sentence structure. This source string “%s: Can’t init pipe to gdmgreeter” can quite easily be translated as “%s: Can’t init pipe to program gdmgreeter”, note that by adding the word program it adds clarity
  • Use explanatory brackets. If needed add explanatory brackets after the word. You have two options just stick to one method throughout:
    1. Translated_Program (English_Original)
    2. English_Original (Translate/Transliteration).