Counterparts Lite and XLIFF

XLIFF is a standard document format for exchanging localized strings between app developers and translators. It’s been supported for some time by Interface Builder’s command line tool, and some developers have built their translation workflows using XLIFF.

The first release of Counterparts Lite last month only supported Cocoa string table files, those with the “.strings” extension. Today I’m releasing a new version capable of opening XLIFF files and editing translations within them.

Editing XLIFF files is the same experience as editing a Cocoa string table with a reference file attached. The XLIFF file contains the key and both the source string and the translated string for each entry. It’s much more convenient for transators who don’t have to open two files side by side. XLIFF can also include comments from the developer for those entries.

There’s been some news sourounding XLIFF at WWDC this week. With better integration for XLIFF in Xcode comming up, a tool like Counterparts Lite will become more useful than ever. XLIFF is a versatile format, and it can include all the strings to translate for all the resources in an application. And Counterparts Lite makes those strings searchable and convenient to edit, which becomes necessary with huge files.

License Leases

With 1.1, I’m also adding a lending option for Counterparts Lite licenses. If you purchase a multi-user license, you can now lend licenses to collaborators (your translators) so they can use the app too. Collaborator license codes will be emitted in their name. More details in the FAQ.