XLIFF

XLIFF (XML Localisation Interchange File Format) is an XML-based format created to standardize the way localizable data are passed between tools during a localization process and a common format for CAT tool files. XLIFF was standardized by OASIS in 2002. Its current specification is 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.

XLIFF forms part of the Open Architecture for XML Authoring and Localization (OAXAL) reference architecture.

Description (XLIFF 1.2)

An XLIFF 1.2 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.