OASIS announced that its members have approved the XML Localisation Interchange File Format (XLIFF) version 1.2 as an OASIS Standard, a status that signifies the highest level of ratification. Developed through an open process by the OASIS XLIFF Technical Committee, the new standard defines a vocabulary for storing localizable data and carrying it from one step of the localization process to another.

"XLIFF enables interoperability between tools throughout the digital content localization lifecycle. It provides publishers with a standard data interchange container that can be understood by any localization provider," noted Tony Jewtushenko, who co-chairs the OASIS XLIFF Technical Committee with Bryan Schnabel.

"XLIFF is a powerful and concise format for content that needs to be translated," said Schnabel. "Until now, we've had to develop custom mechanisms for data providers and translators to accomplish localization. With XLIFF, we have an open standard that is efficient, predictable, and transferable for tool makers and localization service providers, as well as for content owners."

The new standard defines how to mark up and capture localizable data that can interoperate with different processes or phases without loss of information. Tool-neutral, XLIFF supports the entire localization process, including common software, document data formats and markup languages. It provides an extensibility mechanism to allow the development of tools compatible with an implementer's data formats and workflow requirements. The extensibility mechanism supports controlled inclusion of information not expressly defined in the specification.

"OASIS members have succeeded in reducing the complexity of localizing software by providing a standard, XML-based, end-to-end resource container," explained James Bryce Clark, director of standards development at OASIS. "Software and documentation publishers can extract content into XLIFF and localize it—over and over again—using shrink-wrapped solutions, customized tools or even automated enterprise workflow systems. XLIFF's built-in support for Computer Aided Translation technologies such as translation memory and machine translation add even greater process efficiency."

Successful use of XLIFF 1.2 was verified by Lionbridge, the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA), the University of Limerick Localisation Research Centre (LRC), and SDL, in accordance with eligibility requirements for all OASIS Standards. XLIFF was developed under the Royalty-Free on RAND Terms Mode of the OASIS Intellectual Property Rights Policy, which generally requires committee participants to license their Essential Claims using royalty-free elements.

To encourage widespread adoption, the OASIS XLIFF Technical Committee continues its work defining implementation guides for some of the most commonly used resource formats (HTML, Java Resource Bundles, and Gettext PO Files). Participation in the Committee remains open to all government agencies, companies, non-profit groups, academic institutions, and individuals. Archives of the work are publicly accessible, and OASIS offers a mechanism for public comment.

For more information on OASIS, please contact Kerry Lamond Kerry_Lamond@lpp.com at Louis Paul& Partners.