XLIFF | |
Extension: | .xlf |
Mime: | before 2.0: application/x-xliff+xml (private), 2.0 and after: application/xliff+xml (standard tree) |
Latest Release Version: | 2.1[1] |
Extended From: | XML |
Standard: | OASIS Standard, also ratified as ISO 21720:2017 |
Url: | http://docs.oasis-open.org/xliff/xliff-core/v2.1/os/xliff-core-v2.1-os.html |
XLIFF (XML Localization Interchange File Format) is an XML-based bitext format created to standardize the way localizable data are passed between and among tools during a localization process and a common format for CAT tool exchange. The XLIFF Technical Committee (TC) first convened at OASIS in December 2001 (first meeting in January 2002),[2] but the first fully ratified version of XLIFF appeared as XLIFF Version 1.2 in February 2008. Its current specification is v2.1 released on 2018-02-13, which is backwards compatible with v2.0 released on 2014-08-05.
The specification is aimed at the localization industry. It specifies elements and attributes to store content extracted from various original file formats and its corresponding translation. The goal was to abstract the localization skills from the engineering skills related to specific formats such as HTML.[3]
XLIFF is part of the Open Architecture for XML Authoring and Localization (OAXAL) reference architecture.
The XLIFF Technical Committee is currently preparing to start working on XLIFF Version 2.2.[4] Prior to making of the major new version 2.0, feedback was gathered from XLIFF's user community which was integrated into the following generation version of the standard. Two of the primary methods used included compiling a list of extensions used by XLIFF toolmakers, and compiling a list of XLIFF features supported by each XLIFF tool.
On February 13, 2018 XLIFF 2.1 specification became an OASIS Standard.[5]
In November, 2017 XLIFF 2.0 specification was approved as ISO 21720:2017.[6]
On August 6, 2014 the XLIFF 2.0 specification became an OASIS Standard.[7]
On May 6, 2014, the XLIFF 2.0 specification was moved[8] to Candidate OASIS Standard.[9]
Example of an XLIFF 2.0 document:
Quetzal
An application to manipulate and process XLIFF documents
XLIFF Data Manager
An XLIFF 1.2[10] document is composed of one or more <file>
elements. Each <file>
element corresponds to an original file or source (e.g. database table). A <file>
contains the source of the localizable data and, once translated, the corresponding localized data for one, and only one, locale.
Localizable data is stored in <trans-unit>
elements. The <trans-unit>
element holds a <source>
element to store the source text, and a <target>
element to store the latest translated text. The <target>
elements are not mandatory.
>Cannot find the file.
The example below shows an XLIFF document storing text extracted from a Photoshop file (PSD file) and its translation to Japanese:
>Quetzal
>An application to manipulate and process XLIFF documents
>XLIFF Data Manager