XLIFF is an XML based file format, designed to be useful for translators.
Some of the features of an XLIFF file are:
It is a bilingual file: it holds the source and target language text.
It separates translatable and non-translatable content, for example it separates translatable text from formatting information.
It structures the translatable content into translatable segments , usually sentences.
It holds useful management information, such as the translation status of each segment.