Comparison of the two CCMS Desktop localization models

Sequential localization model for CCMS Desktop

The sequential localization model is the simpler of the two models. It creates a simpler content structure in the localization folder with less content duplication.

In this model, each time you localize a source object, CCMS Desktop creates a new object in the target language. This language object is updated whenever a new version of the source object is sent to localization, so there is a one-to-one mapping between the files in localization and their authoring sources. Files in the localization kits are in DITA.

It has the following advantages:

• The localization process is faster
• There is a one-to-one relationship between the files in localization and their authoring sources
• The files in localization have the same names as the files in authoring
• The localization model does not need to remap links
• The files in localization are more independent from each other, which makes it easier to do "localization in advance," that is, localizing some content before the entire document is complete in authoring
• It creates a simpler content structure in the localization folder with less content duplication

As a disadvantage, the sequential localization model does not allow an object to be sent for translation if a previous revision is still being translated. It has to wait for the previous translation to be completed.

This means that new a revision can be sent for translation only if one of the following is true:

• The previous revision has not yet been sent for translation (i.e., its status is Localization:tb translated)
• The previous revision has been translated and reviewed (i.e., its status is Localization:done)

In addition, you can have only one revision of a topic in Localization at a time. For example, say you localize revision 5 of a topic and you need that revision for certain publications. Later you make a few changes to the topic in Authoring to create revision 7. When you localize revision 7 of the topic, it replaces the revision 5 translation.

Concurrent localization model for CCMS Desktop

In this model, each time a new revision of a source object is localized, it creates a new file for that object in the localization workflow in each target language. Each localization creates a new "branch" of the content in localization for each target language.

The concurrent localization model has the following advantages:

• It is more flexible than the sequential model
• You can generate the localization kit in XLIFF and DITA formats
• A flexible auto-translation process can be configured to ignore changes that you consider minor, such as extra spaces, punctuation, and <draft-comment> elements.
• New revisions of the source content can be sent for translation at any point in time
• If two maps use the same topic but they are published with different revisions of the topic, both maps can be translated at the same time, since each will use a different file for the topic

However, the concurrent localization model has the following disadvantages:

• It creates more objects in localization than there are in authoring, so the size of the database keeps growing even if the number of topics in the source content is stable. (The growth rate is multiplied by the number of target languages.)
• New revisions sent for translation before a previous revision has completed its translation may lead to duplicate translations. (The new revision does not pick up the translation from the previous one.)
• Translation managers must carefully control when content is sent for translation to maximize reuse and lower cost.

Node-based localization method for IXIA CCMS Desktop

The node-based localization method is an older variant of the concurrent localization model. In the node-based localization method, when the files were exported to the localization kit, they were always converted into an XLIFF format.

The concurrent localization model replaced the node-based localization method.