Windows 7, Microsoft's next iteration of the Windows client and the successor of Windows Vista, is nothing short of lost in translation. Windows 7 is planned to be nothing more than the evolution of Vista, with the Redmond company promising that the pain brought by the current Windows operating system will prove to be an investment for the future. Indeed, Vista has hit all the bumps on the road past general availability, including incompatibility, poor performance, reliability and stability, lack of driver support, etc.; and, in this regard, Windows 7 is poised to be just a ride in the park. Nevertheless, on top of the kernel, the graphics and audio subsystems, the features, components, capabilities and cloud connection, another aspect which the software giant is looking to catalyze an evolution for is the terminology used in Windows 7, as well as Office 14.

"We just opened another Microsoft Terminology Community Forum. The forum includes terminology that was used in Office 2007 and Windows Vista. If you speak one of the following languages, please consider giving us feedback on the translations we used in your market: Arabic, Brazilian-Portuguese, Chinese (simplified and traditional), French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish," revealed Britta Simon, from the Microsoft Terminology Community Forum feedback project.

Make no mistake about it. Even though the forum is focused on Windows Vista and Office 2007 terminology, Microsoft will not implement any changes resulting from user input for the current versions of its flagship products until Windows 7 and Office 14. The terminology used in either Vista or Office 2007 will be kicked up a notch in the next versions of the Redmond company's main cash cows.

It is only with Windows 7 and Office 14 that Microsoft will take the terminology to the next level. However, an interesting aspect is the short amount of time that Microsoft is allowing end users to provide feedback. The participation of the members of the community will be discontinued in just a single month, on August 22. The short span of time allowed for input is synonymous with Microsoft rushing to introduce the modifications in the localized versions of Windows 7 and Office 14 - yet another indication from the company that the end of 2009 is a much more realistic availability date for Windows 7 and Office 14 than the debut of 2010.

"To enter suggestions, you need to first sign in using your Windows Live ID. If you don't have one yet, you will find out how to do this during the sign in process. Afterwards, you will be able to view the glossary and the links you need to click on in order to enter a new translation or to vote for an existing term. You will be prompted to register for the project before you can actively contribute. During the registration process, you create a 'friendly name' that will be associated with your votes, comments, and translation suggestions. We will display the friendly names of the top contributors on the Terminology Community Forum page once the project is completed," Simon added.

Here are the links to the Microsoft Terminology Community Forum projects:

Arabic
Brazilian-Portuguese
Chinese (simplified)
Chinese (traditional)
French
German
Hebrew
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Russian
Spanish