For the term in economics, see Internationalization.

For Windows-specified term,

see Multilingual User Interface. For other uses, see Localization (disambiguati
on).
"Multilingual software" redirects here. For software that is written in multiple
programming languages, see Polyglot (computing).

Screenshot of software programs localized to Italian.

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In computing, internationalization and localization (other correct spellings are
internationalisation and localisation) are means of adapting computer software
to different languages, regional differences and technical requirements of a tar
get market. Internationalization is the process of designing a software applicat
ion so that it can potentially be adapted to various languages and regions witho
ut engineering changes. Localization is the process of adapting internationalize
d software for a specific region or language by adding locale-specific component
s and translating text. Localization (which is potentially performed multiple ti
mes, for different locales) uses the infrastructure or flexibility provided by i
nternationalization (which is ideally performed only once, or as an integral par
t of ongoing development).

Contents [hide]
1 Naming
2 Scope
3 Business process for internationalizing software
4 Coding practice
5 Difficulties
6 Costs and benefits
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Naming[edit]
The terms are frequently abbreviated to the numeronyms i18n (where 18 stands for
the number of letters between the first i and the last n in the word internation
alization, a usage coined at DEC in the 1970s or 80s)[1] and L10n for localization

, due to the length of the words.

Some companies, like IBM and Sun Microsystems, use the term "globalization", g11
n, for the combination of internationalization and localization.[2] Also known a
s "glocalization" (a portmanteau of globalization and localization).
Microsoft[3] defines Internationalization as a combination of World-Readiness an
d localization. World-Readiness is a developer task, which enables a product to
be used with multiple scripts and cultures (globalization) and separating user i
nterface resources in a localizable format (localizability, abbreviated to L12y)
.[4]
This concept is also known as NLS (National Language Support or Native Language
Support).
Scope[edit]

The internationalization and localization process

(based on a chart from the LISA website.)
The main task of language localization is translation. This may involve:
For film, video, and audio, translation of spoken words or music lyrics, often u
sing either dubbing or subtitles
Text translation for printed materials, digital media (possibly including error
messages and documentation)
Potentially altering images and logos containing text to contain translations or
generic icons
Different translation length and differences in character sizes (e.g. between La
tin alphabet letters and Chinese characters) can cause layouts that work well in
one language to work poorly in others.
Consideration of differences in dialect, register or variety
Writing conventions like: Formatting of numbers (especially decimal separator an
d digit grouping)
Date and time format, possibly including use of different calendars
Computer software can encounter differences above and beyond straightforward tra
nslation of words and phrases, because computer programs can generate content dy
namically. These differences may need to be taken into account by the internatio
nalization process in preparation for translation. Examples include:
Different "scripts" in different writing systems use different characters - a di
fferent set of letters, syllograms, logograms, or symbols. Modern system use the
Unicode standard to represent many different languages with a single character
encoding.
Writing direction is left to right in most European languages (e.g. German), rig
ht-to-left in Hebrew and Arabic, and optionally vertical in some Asian languages
.
Complex text layout, for languages where characters change shape depending on co
ntext.
Capitalization exists in some scripts and not in others.
Different languages and writing systems have different text sorting rules
Different languages have different numeral systems, which might need to be suppo
rted if Western Arabic numerals are not used
Different languages have different pluralization rules, which can complicate pro
grams that dynamically display numerical content.[5] Other grammar rules might a
lso vary, e.g. genitive.
Different languages use different punctuation (e.g. quoting text using double-qu

otes (" "), as in English, or guillemets ( ), as in French).

Keyboard shortcuts can only make use of buttons actually on the keyboard layout
which is being localized for. If a shortcut corresponds to a word in a particula
r language (e.g. Ctrl-s stands for "save" in English), it may need to be changed
.[6]
Different countries have different economic conventions, including variations in
:
Paper sizes
Broadcast television systems and popular storage media
Telephone number format
Postal address format, postal codes, and choice of delivery services
Currency (symbols, positions of currency markers, and reasonable amounts due to
different inflation history) - ISO 4217 codes are often used for internationaliz
ation
System of measurement
Battery sizes
Voltage and current standards
Specific third-party services, such as online maps, weather reports, or payment
service providers, might not be available worldwide from the same carriers, or a
t all.
Time zones vary across the world, and this must be taken into account if a produ
ct originally only interacted with people in a single time zone. For internation
alization, UTC is often used internally and then converted into a local time zon
e for display purposes.
Different countries have different governments, meaning:
Regulatory compliance may require customization for a particular jurisdiction, o
r a change to the product as a whole, such as: Privacy law compliance
Additional disclaimers on a web site or packaging
Different consumer labelling requirements
Compliance with export restrictions and regulations on encryption
Compliance with an Internet censorship regime or subpoena procedures
Requirements for accessibility
Collecting different taxes, such as sales tax, value added tax, or customs dutie
s
Sensitivity to different political issues, like geographical naming disputes and
disputed borders shown on maps (e.g. failing to show Kashmir as Indian is a cri
me in India)
Government assigned numbers have different formats (such as passports, the Socia
l Security number in the US, National Insurance number in the UK, Isikukood in E
stonia, and Resident registration number in South Korea)
Localization also may take into account differences in culture, such as:
Local holidays
Personal name and title conventions
Aesthetics
Comprehensibility and cultural appropriateness of images and color symbolism
Ethnicity, clothing, and socioeconomic status of people and architecture of loca
tions pictured
Local customs and conventions, such as social taboos, popular local religions, o
r superstitions such as blood types in Japanese culture vs. astrological sign in
other cultures
Business process for internationalizing software[edit]
In order to internationalize a product, it is important to look at a variety of

markets that your product will foreseeably enter. Details such as field length f
or street addresses, unique format for the address, ability to make the zip code
field optional to address countries that do not have zip codes or the state fie
ld for countries that do not have states, plus the introduction of new registrat
ion flows that adhere to local laws are just some of the examples that make inte
rnationalization a complex project.[7][8]
A broader approach takes into account cultural factors regarding for example the
adaptation of the business process logic or the inclusion of individual cultura
l (behavioral) aspects.[9]
Coding practice[edit]
The current prevailing practice is for applications to place text in resource st
rings which are loaded during program execution as needed. These strings, stored
in resource files, are relatively easy to translate. Programs are often built t
o reference resource libraries depending on the selected locale data. One softwa
re library that aids this is gettext.
Thus to get an application to support multiple languages one would design the ap
plication to select the relevant language resource file at runtime. Resource fil
es are translated to the required languages. This method tends to be application
-specific and, at best, vendor-specific. The code required to manage date entry
verification and many other locale-sensitive data types also must support differ
ing locale requirements. Modern development systems and operating systems includ
e sophisticated libraries for international support of these types.
Difficulties[edit]
While translating existing text to other languages may seem easy, it is more dif
ficult to maintain the parallel versions of texts throughout the life of the pro
duct.[10] For instance, if a message displayed to the user is modified, all of t
he translated versions must be changed. This in turn results in a somewhat longe
r development cycle.
Many localization issues (e.g. writing direction, text sorting) require more pro
found changes in the software than text translation. For example, OpenOffice.org
achieves this with compilation switches.
To some degree (e.g. for Quality assurance), the development team needs someone
who understands foreign languages and cultures and has a technical background. I
n large societies with one dominant language/culture, it may be difficult to fin
d such a person.
One example of the pitfalls of localization is the attempt made by Microsoft to
keep some keyboard shortcuts significant in local languages. This has resulted i
n some (but not all) programs in the Italian version of Microsoft Office using "
CTRL + S" (sottolineato) as a replacement for "CTRL + U" (underline), rather tha
n the (almost) universal "Save" function.
Costs and benefits[edit]
In a commercial setting, the benefit from localization is access to more markets
. However, there are considerable costs involved, which go far beyond just engin
eering. First, software must generally be re-engineered to make it world-ready.
Then, providing a localization package for a given language is in itself a non-t
rivial undertaking, requiring specialized technical writers to construct a cultu
rally appropriate syntax for potentially complicated concepts, coupled with engi
neering resources to deploy and test the localization elements. Further, busines

s operations must adapt to manage the production, storage and distribution of mu

ltiple discrete localized products, which are often being sold in completely dif
ferent currencies, regulatory environments and tax regimes.
Finally, sales, marketing and technical support must also facilitate their own o
perations in the new languages, in order to support customers for the localized
products. Particularly for relatively small language populations, it may thus ne
ver be economically viable to offer a localized product. Even where large langua
ge populations could justify localization for a given product, and a product's i
nternal structure already permits localization, a given software developer/publi
sher may lack the size and sophistication to manage the ancillary functions asso
ciated with operating in multiple locales. For example, Microsoft Windows 7 has
96 language packs available.[11]
One alternative, most often used by open source software communities, is self-lo
calization by teams of end-users and volunteers. The KDE3 project, for example,
has been translated into over 100 languages, and KDE4 is available in 68.[12] Ho
wever, self-localization requires that the underlying product first be engineere
d to support such activities, which is a non-trivial endeavor.
See also[edit]
Alchemy Catalyst
Bidirectional script support
CJK
Computer accessibility
Computer russification, localization into Russian language
Game localization
Global information system
Globalization
Globalization Management System
Glocalization
Input method editor
International Components for Unicode
Language code
Language industry
Language localization
Pseudolocalization, a software testing method for testing a software product's r
eadiness for localization.
Punycode, translating Unicode into the character sets for network host names
Region code
SDL Passolo
Separation of concerns
Transifex
PhraseApp
Translation
Website localization
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Glossary of W3C Jargon". World Wide Web Consortium. Retrieved 200810-13.
2.Jump up ^ IBM Globalization web site
3.Jump up ^ Microsoft "Globalization Step-by-Step" guide
4.Jump up ^ MSDN.microsoft.com
5.Jump up ^ GNU.org
6.Jump up ^ languagetranslationsservices.wordpress.com[dead link]
7.Jump up ^ Internationalizing a Product: What is Internationalization (i18n), L
ocalization (L10n) and Globalization (g11n)[dead link]
8.Jump up ^ "International Address Formats". Microsoft Developer Network. Micros
oft. Retrieved 10 December 2013.

9.Jump up ^ Pawlowski, J.M. (2008): Culture Profiles: Facilitating Global Learni

ng and Knowledge Sharing. Proc. of ICCE 2008, Taiwan, Nov. 2008. Draft Version
10.Jump up ^ How to translate a game into 20 languages and avoid going to hell
11.Jump up ^ See
12.Jump up ^ For the current list see KDE.org