Variable menus for the local adaptation of Graphical User Interfaces

Interaction with an insufficiently localized Graphical User Interface can lead to a decrease in the ease of navigation through the system. Poor interfaces entail frustration for the user and reduce the system´s usefulness. Thus all elements of Graphical User Interfaces should be subjected to localization and a variable menu structure should be part of the goals of software localization efforts. Considering the extensive use of XML in the implementation of hierarchical menu structures, we propose to use an implementation approach for the local adaptation of menus that is equivalent to the procedure used to create an XLIFF file. The locally adapted menu structure can then be merged with the translated content into a target localized XML document.