Localisation in Brazil and Reverse Localisation

Localisation in BrazilandReverse Localisation • José Eduardo De Lucca • GeNESS / Informatics • Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina • BRAZIL

Software in Brazil Brazilian software industry Fostering Brazilian software Brazil and Free Software Conclusion

Software in Brazil Large domestic market • One of the world's 10 largest software markets • US$ 8 billion • Software and IT related companies: • 10,713 • Software development and services: • 2,398 • Wide open • “Foreign” software everywhere

Software in Brazil Prominent software segments • Banking automation • World-class financial sector • E-gov • Telecomm • ERP • especially for SMEs • Information security • Internet tools (B2B, B2C) • Turnover e-comm: +US$1 Billion

Software in Brazil Market (Figures) • 24% annual growth rate since 1992 • Products – 44% (revenues) • Package • Customizable • Embedded • Services – 56% (revenues) • Outsourcing • Development • Integration • Consultancy

Sales in US$ million/2002 Source: MIT/Softex Study Software in Brazil Several intl companies with operations in Brazil • Leading companies in SW market • Microsoft (362) • SERPRO* (372) • Computer Assoc (260) • EDS (240) • CPM* (204) • Accenture (194) • Oracle Brasil (182) • SAP Brasil (124) • Politec* (104) • Consist (77) • Microsiga* (72)

Software in Brazil Main clients in Brazil • American companies • BankBoston, Citigroup, GM, MCI, MetLife, MerrilLinch • European companies • Santander, ABN Amro, VW, Telefónica, Deutch Bank • Japanese companies • NEC, Honda • Brazilian clients • Brazilian government, BcoBrasil, Petrobrás

Software in Brazil Users • + 180 million Portuguese-speaking people • Brazilian variation (pt_BR) • Linguistic unity within the country • But orthographic, grammatic and semantic differences compared to Continental Portuguese, used in Portugal (pt_PT) • pt_PT is unacceptable in Brazil • Language is a tremendous barrier • Particularly among lower classes • Localisation is almost mandatory

Software in Brazil Localization into pt_BR • Traditional model • Several providers • Small Single Language Vendors • Freelance translators • Supplying services to large multinationals Multi-language Vendors

Brazilian Software Industry People • 180,000 software professionals • 23,000 IT graduates per year • 101 per million inhab. • 875 undergraduate university courses • 160,000 enrolled • 29 MSc. Courses / 11 PhD. Courses • Índia: 71,000 IT graduates/yr • 69 per million • China: 41,000 IT graduates/yr • 32 per million

Software exports US$ 200 million Brazilian Software Industry Series & Projections • Software imports US$ 2 billion (2005)

Table – Brazil x China x ... 2001 2001 2001 Texto secundário do título

Fostering Brazilian Software National policy programme • Unsustainable situation • Software is strategic: development, quality services, education, industry • In 2004 federal government determined that software is an absolute priority within its development policy • Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation and Export • Goals • Reverse expansion of imports • Promote quality and export actions • Export 2 billion US$ by 2007 (Call up goal)

Fostering Brazilian Software National policy programme • Efforts and investments to prepare • Corporate executives • Software professionals • Sales professionals • Special funding • Promotion of interaction between universities and companies • Emphasis on • Quality & Productivity • Some vertical segments • Education and Training

Fostering Brazilian Software Challenges to export software & services • Brazilian software companies • ~ 80% are “very” SMEs ! • MSEs: micro and small enterprises • Less than 500 medium to large • Less than 50 have some export experience • Decades focusing on our domestic market needs • Large enough • Continuous growth, several years • Government is the largest individual client • 25% of national IT investment

Fostering Brazilian Software Challenges to export software & services • No international tradition/visibility • Brazil = Coffee, soccer players, samba • Technology? Software? • Airplanes (Embraer) • Cars, cell phones and infrastructure • Deepwater oil exploration platforms • No “Brazilian Software” brand/quality • Software professionals • Also focused on domestic needs • Not aware of issues related to I18N / L10N • In other words: • They never care about I18N when developing...

Fostering Brazilian Software I18N and reverse L10N • Internationalisation • A complete novelty to the software industry! • It was not taught at universities • Nor at regular courses elsewhere • In one case, a company created their own I18N support tool • they simply didn't know what to look for

Fostering Brazilian Software I18N and reverse L10N • To export Brazilian software will demand peculiar L10N-related services: • From Brazilian Portuguese into other languages/locales (English-speaking, other European and Asiatic markets) • Reverse Localisation • Trend for the future • Expensive • Uncommom and hard to find • Due to lack of export tradition • Opportunity...

Fostering Brazilian Software I18N and Reverse L10N • GeNESS • IT laboratory at UFSC • Incubator of software companies (spin-offs originated at university) • Technology transfer office • Software quality • Software I18N & L10N • Free/Open Source Software (FOSS)

Fostering Brazilian Software GeNESS - CEGIL • Centre for I18N and L10N (CEGIL) • Education, training and certification • Information: market, standards, products and services • Specialised technical and intelligence services • CEGIL – I18N & L10N National Reference Centre • 2005 - 2008 • IADB (InterAmerican Development Bank) • Softex (Society for Brazilian Software Excelence)

Fostering Brazilian Software GeNESS - CEGIL • I18N & L10N Observatory • http://i18n.geness.ufsc.br • Only in pt_BR (sorry) • LISE 2005 Conference • http://lise.geness.ufsc.br • pt_BR & en

Brazil and Free Software Brazil and FOSS • Brazil is one of the most prominent countries involved in the use and promotion of FOSS (Free/Open Source Software) • World´s largest conference (FISL) • All level efforts in order to use, develop and spread out FOSS • Public Telecentres with Free Software • Government Ministries and agencies, municipalities... • Schools and libraries • Banks, industry, telecomm...

Brazil and Free Software Brazil, citizenship and software • At the same time: • One of the worst world´s distributions of income • +100 million people in poverty • 50 million people in extreme poverty • 75% no/poor literacy • Deep social division • digital division: deeper

Brazil and Free Software National Policy Programme • Digital inclusion • “Popular PC” • Low interest rates for low income people • With 26 free softwares in Braz.Portuguese • $100 notebook (MIT) • 1 for each student in elementary school • Telecentres with free software • To increment software literacy and access to ICT tools • Digital TV • Access to info • About a million new PC's every year in the market

Brazil and Free Software National Policy Programme • Free software is necessary • As a tool to provide better services • As a policy to promote digital inclusion • For the freedom and transparency Government needs • FOSS also contributes to reduce software imports (Policy Programme)

Brazil and Free Software FOSS L10N • Brazilian FOSS community knows I18N and L10N • Natural: to spread the use of software in a country that basically speaks Portuguese • The FOSS community undertakes software localisation on its own • And creates the Brazilian version of every large FOSS project • Web sites, fora, mailing lists, etc. • Remember: Braz. software professionals “never heard about” I18N/L10N • They create software for domestic use and • Use software already localised to Brazil

Brazil and Free Software FOSS L10N • Several very successful L10N projects, run by networks of volunteers • OpenOffice.org.br • Well organized group, well defined processes • Mozilla.org.br • KDE - Gnome • Several GNU/Linux distributions in good Brazilian Portuguese • Companies like Conectiva-Mandrake, RedHat, Suse-Novell

Brazil and Free Software FOSS L10N • Of course • Not professional translators, sw eng. • Some L10N SW present shortcomings • Consistency/Lack of standard terminology • Due to lack of methodology and proper tools • Use of “improper” language and/or incorrect grammar • Few hackers have good command of Portuguese !

Brazilian software Differences • Brazil: A lot of differences • Concepts of L10N • Brand new to Braz. software developers • 2 challenges • Localise software • New users – low literacy • Reverse localisation • Export software

Localisation in BrazilandReverse Localisation • José Eduardo De Lucca • delucca@geness.ufsc.br • Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina • BRAZIL • IADB – InterAmerican Development Bank • Softex – Associação para a Excelência do Software Brasileiro

Localisation in Brazil and Reverse Localisation