This chapter contains the following topics:
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne software is translated into several different languages. Adhering to translation standards ensures that components can be accurately translated. These software components are subject to translation:
Data dictionary items (Alpha, Row, and Column descriptions).
Data dictionary glossaries (used for F1 help).
Menus.
Tasks.
User Defined Codes (UDCs) (Column 1 description only).
Reports.
Forms.
Text variables in forms and reports.
Processing options.
Processing option glossaries (used for F1 help)
Resource files.
Use short, complete sentences. Keep sentences as simple and straightforward as possible. In general, use active voice. Active voice clarifies who or what is doing the action, and is usually more direct and less wordy than passive voice. Compare these examples:
Active voice: Use this program to enter vouchers.
Passive voice: This program is used to enter vouchers.
This section discuses:
Using consistent terminology.
Avoiding telegraphic English.
Identifying placeholders.
Avoiding technical jargon, slang and Americanisms.
Using abbreviations and acronyms judiciously.
Including that in relative clauses.
Avoiding false subjects.
Using parallel structure in lists.
Capitalizing words consistently and appropriately.
Use terms consistently. Use the one term, one concept rule: Avoid the use of different terms to convey the same concept, and avoid the use of one term to convey different concepts. These terms are sometimes used to convey the same concept:
Match and reconcile.
Spread, distribute, and allocate.
Move and transfer.
Change, revise, alter, and modify.
These terms are sometimes used to convey different concepts:
Item
Order
Rate
Schedule
In some cases, a word can be used either as a noun or a verb. In such cases, try to use the word in only one way. For example, use default only as a noun. For example:
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| The system defaults the value. | The system supplies the default value. |
The term telegraphic English refers to writing in which words have been omitted for brevity. Functional words, such as articles and pronouns, are frequently omitted. Adjectives and linking verbs, such as is and are, are sometimes omitted. Telegraphic English is frequently ambiguous. Consider this message:
Empty File
Is Empty a verb (Empty the file) or is it an adjective (The file is empty)? Evaluate error messages, and if they might be ambiguous because of telegraphic English, reinstate the omitted words. This message contains two words that might or might not be verbs:
Quantity Changes Impact Rate Master
If Changes is a verb and Impact is an adjective, rewrite as The quantity changes the impact rate master. If Changes is a plural noun and Impact is a verb, rewrite as Changes in quantity impact the rate master.
When using placeholders (&n), precede the placeholder with a noun that identifies what it is. Translators need to know, among other things, the gender of nouns to effectively translate them. Consider this example:
The &1 of test &2, branch &3, effective &4 through &5, has been approved.
We know what &2 and &3 are, because they are identified by the nouns test and branch. However, we do not know what &1 is. We can assume that &4 and &5 are dates, but that is only an assumption from the context of the sentence, and it could be wrong.
In this example, all placeholders are effectively identified:
The specified month &2 and year &3 have not been defined in the workday calendar file (F0007) for Branch/Plant &1.
Technical jargon, slang, and Americanisms are difficult to translate. The term hyperitem in this example is technical jargon:
The hyperitem option is not valid for the selected row.
Examples of phrases that are Americanisms are on the fly and beef up the functionality.
American English uses abbreviations far more freely than some other languages and cultures. Abbreviations are sometimes misunderstood by translators and sometimes cannot be translated. Some languages do not have abbreviations. Therefore, a judicious use of abbreviations and acronyms is important. Observe these guidelines:
Use only standard, common abbreviations.
Do not overuse JD Edwards EnterpriseOne-created abbreviations and acronyms.
Do not invent abbreviations, not even to meet space requirements.
If you use an abbreviation, use it to mean only one thing.
For example, LT can mean either ledger type or less than.
English allows the omission of the relative pronoun that in many cases. In most European languages, inclusion of the relative pronoun is mandatory. Even for English speakers, the use of that helps comprehension. Consider this sentence:
Verify the draft is at the appropriate status.
Initially, a reader might understand the meaning to be Verify the accuracy of the draft. Including that prevents an initial misreading and speeds comprehension:
Verify that the draft is at the appropriate status.
A good practice is to include that even when you do not anticipate that a sentence will be misunderstood. For example:
Changes that you have made will affect the total quantity requested for this rate.
A false subject is a construction in which it or there appears to be the subject of a sentence or clause, but upon analysis is really a nonsensical word. The true subject is either missing or buried in the sentence, that is, it is not obvious. For example, a common expression in English is It is raining. But what is it? The three constructions that commonly indicate a false subject are It is, There is, and There are.
The use of false subjects in English is acceptable, idiomatic, and usually clear to English speakers. But most other languages have no comparable idiom. Translators have difficulty translating sentences with false subjects because they have trouble identifying the true subject of the sentence.
Most sentences that contain false subjects can be easily revised so that the subject is easily identified. Consider this example:
There are currently no logs on this server.
From the structure of the sentence, there appears to be the subject but the actual subject is logs. The sentence can be revised as follows:
No logs are currently on this server.
When creating bulleted or numbered lists, ensure that all items in the list have the same structure. For example, all items begin with an imperative verb or all items begin with a noun; all items are complete sentences or all items are phrases
Use capital letters consistently and appropriately. Most technical documentation tends to overuse capital letters. Translators usually assume that capital letters indicate a program, a form, a table, a field, and so on. Use capitalization for:
The first letter of the first word of a sentence.
Acronyms.
Headings and names of things.
In headings, capitalize the first and last words and all other words except articles (the, a, an), conjunctions (and, or, but, and so on), and prepositions (in, to, on, from, and so on).
Capitalize names of things, such as systems, programs, forms, tables, and fields. Always precede the name with the and follow it with what it is. For example, access the Speed Invoice Entry form not access Speed Invoice Entry.
Capitalize names as they appear in the software, even if they do not follow the conventions for headings.
Do not capitalize terms when they are used in a generic sense, even if the same term might be used as a name and capitalized in some other context. For example, in the sentence Enter a pay code in the Pay Code field, the term pay code is capitalized only when it is the name of the field.
This is a list of terms that should be not capitalized when used generically:
address book
automatic accounting instructions
category codes
chart of accounts
company constant
detail area
processing options
user defined codes
multicurrency
general ledger
Use these guidelines to ensure a successful translation of JD Edwards EnterpriseOne software components:
Limit the size of text items to no more than 70 percent of the space allotted to them.
Many words and phrases increase in size when translated; therefore, ensure that all field sizes leave room for text expansion of up to 30 percent. If you exceed the space allotted, you will receive a Warning Message in event rules (ER). Do not ignore this message.
Verify that push buttons can change size dynamically to compensate for any text size increase that occurs in translation.
Use text variables instead of hard-coded text.
Text variables are translated, while hard-coded text cannot be translated.
Do not use contractions.
Avoid long or ambiguous noun strings.
Leave controls visible in the Properties and use the hide/show functionality in ER.
Any control set to hidden in the control's properties (the Visible check box is cleared) is not extracted for translation and, therefore, cannot be translated. If the control is never to be displayed, then clear the Visible option. If the control is sometimes displayed, select the Visible option and use the hide/show functionality in ER.
Whenever Table I/O is used to retrieve user-defined code (UDC) descriptions, ensure that you enable retrieval from either the User Defined Codes table (F0005) or the User Defined Codes - Alternate Language Descriptions table (F0005D), depending on the user's logon language setting.
Translated UDC descriptions and UDC type descriptions are not stored in the same tables for all languages. For the English language, they are stored in the User Defined Code Types table (F0004) and the User Defined Codes table (F0005), respectively. For all other languages, they are stored in the User Defined Codes - Alternate Language Descriptions table (F0004D) and the User Defined Codes - Alternate Language Descriptions table (F0005D).
Use these guidelines when either creating new applications or enhancing existing applications. If you do not adhere to these guidelines, any translation efforts will take more time and, therefore, be more costly.
This table lists the questions you should ask yourself to ensure that translation efforts and costs are optimized:
| Item | Question |
|---|---|
| Abbreviations and Acronyms | Did I use only approved abbreviations and acronyms? |
| Concatenated Text | Was concatenation of text removed? |
| Controls | Are the controls listed in ER selected as visible? |
| Cultural References | Were puns and cultural references removed? |
| Data Dictionary | Were data dictionary glossaries written and formatted according to standards? |
| Font Overrides | Was the font override removed? |
| Hard-coded text | Was hard-coded text removed and replaced with text variables? |
| Icons and other Images | Was text removed from icons and other images?
Are icons generic enough to be understood in all target markets? |
| Sizing of Text Areas and Buttons | Were text areas stretched to the maximum width to provide sufficient room for text expansion when the text is translated?
Were buttons sized wide enough to provide sufficient room for text expansion? |
| Source Text | Is the source text grammatically correct and easy to understand? |
| Terminology | Did I use terminology consistently? |
| Text Variables | Were the text variables assigned to an identifier? |
| UDCs | Do UDCs retrieve the description in user language preference? |
When you create or change a JD Edwards EnterpriseOne component that is extracted for translation, the component is flagged in the system for either first-time translation or retranslation, as appropriate. Changing the layout, tab sequence, or control location for a component does not trigger a retranslation. These actions trigger a retranslation in the system:
Adding text.
Deleting text.
Changing text, including correcting typographical errors and punctuation.
Changing the formatting of text, text alignment, and line indentation.
Adding or deleting spaces between text.
Changing the size of a field and so on.
Adding or deleting line breaks.
Changing menu sequence, even if you do not change the text.
Changing processing option sequence on a processing option tab.
Adding or changing menu toolbar exits.
This section discuses how to:
Identify text strings used in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne software.
Identify approved text strings.
Identify system codes for translating global product solutions.
This section discusses:
Working with noun strings.
Noun strings used in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications.
Approved text strings.
System codes for translating global product solutions.
Avoid long noun strings. A noun string is a group of three or more nouns in succession. Noun strings are difficult to translate because the relationship between words is not always clear. Consider this example:
Manual G/L Transactions Entry
Does this mean manual entry of G/L transactions or entry of manual G/L transactions? A good way to rewrite a noun string is to change the order of the words (often starting at the end and reversing the order) and to use prepositional phrases to clarify relationships:
Manual Entry of G/L Transactions
If any word is a nominalization (a noun formed from a verb), change it back to a verb:
Entering G/L Transactions Manually
If space is a consideration, you can use hyphens to indicate the relationship between words:
Manual G/L-Transactions Entry
Use one of these strategies to avoid noun strings:
Insert helpful words such as of, for, and to.
Add -ing or -ed to indicate what has been or is being acted upon.
For example, depending on the intent, consider rewording Install System Code to:
Installed System Code.
Install the System Code.
Code for Install System.
Install Code for System.
Code the Install System.
The Install System Code example is particularly confusing because both install and code could be verbs. This phrase could be one very long noun, a request for action, or an action already taken.
To effectively translate text, translators often require more information than English readers do. The translator must know who or what is performing an action. Translators also face gender issues. Depending on how the words are organized, a word can be feminine or masculine.
If you are in doubt about how to separate a long string of nouns, ask whether one of the nouns is a verb. If so, then insert a verb helper, like to, the, of, or for, or change the tense of the verb. Consider shortening a long noun string by eliminating words that might not be necessary. For the noun string Install System Code, either Install Code or System Code is easier to translate.
Some noun strings present translation challenges because the translator must first determine whether words contained in the string are nouns or verbs. For example, in the field name Install System, is the word install a verb or a noun? In this instance, install system is a compound noun string. Many developers understand this string because they are familiar with the way in which JD Edwards EnterpriseOne implementations use it. However, for a translator or international user, the meaning of the string is unclear.
This table lists examples of text strings that are currently used in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications and a description of the confusion that each one can cause a translator or an international user:
| Field Name | Question Asked By a Translator |
|---|---|
| Log File Name | Does this mean to log the filename or the name of the log file? |
| Setup Function | Does this mean to set up the function or the function for the setup? |
| Setup Menu | Does this mean to set up the menu or the menu containing setup options? |
| Install Data | Does this mean to install data or data referring to the installation? |
| Install Data Sources | Does this mean to install data sources or data sources referring to the installation? |
| Install Environments | Does this mean to install environments or environments referring to the installation? |
| Install Hosts | Does this mean to install hosts or hosts referring to the installation? |
| Add Following | Add the word following or add after? |
| LineNumber | Why are the words not separated by a space? Is this a parameter or does it mean the number of lines? |
This is a list of approved, standard noun strings. For better understanding, easier translation, and consistent usage across JD Edwards EnterpriseOne applications, refer to this list when you name fields:
| Text String | Usage |
|---|---|
| Data Structure | Data structure is a noun string. Data structure means the structure of the data. The JD Edwards EnterpriseOne tool set contains different types of structures. Any text that precedes the text data structure refers to the type of the data structure and functions as an adjective.
Examples:
|
| [noun] Design | The JD Edwards EnterpriseOne tool set includes many design tools, each of which is a different type of tool for creating a specific object type. For example, the Table Design tool creates a table.
Examples:
|
| [noun or verb] Event | Numerous events or activities exist in JD Edwards EnterpriseOne. The text that precedes the type of event can be a string of nouns, a verb, or a combination of nouns and verbs. In any case, the text string that precedes the word event is an adjective and describes the purpose of the event.
Examples:
|
| High-level Default Trigger | High-level is an adjective for the noun string default trigger. A high-level default trigger is criteria that are automatically evaluated for data in a field. |
| Install [noun] | Install is an adjective, not a verb.
Examples:
|
| Line Number | The number of the line. |
| Menu Revisions | Menu Revisions is a noun string. This JD Edwards EnterpriseOne tool maintains interactive and batch application menus. |
| Object Librarian | Object Librarian is a noun string. This JD Edwards EnterpriseOne tool maintains objects or building blocks that make up applications. |
| Object Type | Object type is a noun string. Object type means the type of object. |
| Process Function | A function of a process. On a form, process function is a noun string, where process describes the function. |
| Process Usage | A usage of a process. On a form, process usage is a noun string, where process describes the usage. |
| Set Up | Set up, when spelled as two words, is a verb |
| Setup [noun] | Setup, when spelled as one word, is a noun or an adjective, not a verb.
Examples:
|
Most software products provide global solutions, and they are translated into all supported languages. The system code assigned to a global solution is also global. It does not specify a country or region. Some software products, however, provide solutions to a specific country or region. The system code of these products must specify the country or region where the products will be used. The system codes indicate into what language the products need to be translated.
These are two examples:
Address Book (system code 01) provides a global solution that is translated into all supported languages.
HR & PR Foundation Canada (system code 05C) provides a solution for a specific country, Canada.
Since Canada has two official languages, English and French, HR & PR Foundation Canada must be translated into French.