Additionally, new Language Packs can become available as part of our twice-a-year Now Platform release.
For example, while HR or CSM plugins are not enabled on an instance, the plugins are contained in the Family release. When a Language Pack is installed, it automatically installs all of those translations rather than re-processing after each feature plugin activation.
It's important to note that some store apps are included using this method.
The Language Packs themselves populate the five translation tables with records for their given language in the following way:
sys_ui_message - scripted messages
sys_choice - drop down choices
sys_documentation - field labels
sys_translated - translatable fields
sys_translated_text - translated text/html
More details of how the tables work can be found in blog post here.
Internationalisation (often abbreviated as i18n) ensures that a process or application works without a language or locale dependency. For example, an application to buy a laptop from IT will follow a work process agnostic to the purchaser's location.
Localisation (often abbreviated as l10n) includes adding elements to a process or application specifically for its region without impacting its intended functionality. Using the same laptop example, localisation means offering this functionality in the purchaser's language of choice, local currency, local date format and local language knowledge base articles.
When dealing with a training MT, you typically have language experts help define key "glossaries" and "style guides" defining how the target language is conveyed based on the source. This matters because no two languages are equal, there are potentially unique styles, different genders, different tones and different needs per language pair. Which is to say, what might sound perfectly normal and grammatically correct in English might sound very odd in another language. This is not to imply that all or even any Machine Translation is not good enough, but you should not expect it to be perfect straight away and have processes in place to mitigate the shortcomings.
For example, Articles 5 and 52 of the Charter of the French Language in Quebec require that users have the option of interacting in French. Others require externally facing content to be in the local language and some countries have unions or works councils that stipulate requirements in specific industries. Additionally, many companies require HR content to be offered in their employees' local language.
All localisation resources are available on this Localisation page.
- Start by watching our six-minute video summarising key concepts.
- Use the Executive Briefing Deck to facilitate a customer conversation.
- Read the Support Your Globalization With a Well-Planned Localization workbook and the ServiceNow Globalization Guide.
- Take the Globalization Journey course on Now Learning.
- Watch our globalisation webinar on Now Community for insights into how to roadmap and test localisation implementation.
In addition to our resources, ServiceNow's Customer Outcomes group can assist in planning for and implementing your localisation strategy. Contact your account executive for more information.