Languages

Owned by Jules DELEUZE (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Nov 13, 2019
1 min read

Good to know

What is internationalization?

Internationalization is the design and development of a product, application or document content that enables easy localization for target audiences that vary in culture, region, or language.

Internationalization is often written i18n, where 18 is the number of letters between i and n in the English word.

What is localization?

Localization refers to the adaptation of a product, application or document content to meet the language, cultural and other requirements of a specific target market (a locale).

Localization is sometimes written as l10n, where 10 is the number of letters between l and n.

Often thought of only as a synonym for translation of the user interface and documentation, localization is often a substantially more complex issue. It can entail customization related to:

  • Numeric, date and time formats

  • Use of currency

  • Keyboard usage

  • Collation and sorting

  • Symbols, icons and colors

  • Text and graphics containing references to objects, actions or ideas which, in a given culture, may be subject to misinterpretation or viewed as insensitive.

  • Varying legal requirements

  • and many more things

Localization may even necessitate a comprehensive rethinking of logic, visual design, or presentation if the way of doing business (e.g., accounting) or the accepted paradigm for learning (e.g., focus on individual vs. group) in a given locale differs substantially from the originating culture.