Difference between location and internationalization

Question

Sometimes the software developed should be available in more than one language and go through a 'process' of internationalization or localization.

What are the differences between localization (l10n) and internationalization (i18n)?

Answer 1

The terms have no canonical definitions and are used in different ways by different sources.

Internationalization

Also known as globalization is the addition of ability to software to do localization properly. It is the ability to communicate properly with users of various cultures.

This is obtained using:

• Character encoding that allows you to use multiple languages.
• Localisable and universal content separation.
• Flexibility to choose the use of formatting, symbols, pre-defined specific data and algorithms specific to various tasks, depending on culture.
• Adaptability of layout of screens and reports to fit text of different sizes in the same location. This includes the ability to write text in another direction or alphabet form.

There are several techniques to achieve this goal. Here we are talking about these general techniques. We talk about the infrastructure needed to perform the localization.

Internationalization has to do with how diverse data/contents are arranged so that they work well in all cultures. They must be universal or indicate what culture they are in so that they can be converted/adapted if necessary. A software that does not do this has not been internationalized.

Locating

It is the adaptation of the content to a particular culture. It includes:

• Content in the language/dialect of the user and adapted to the specific culture avoiding misunderstandings.
• Adaptation of keyboard shortcuts or names (for functions, for example^*)
• Way to manipulate specific texts and numbers:
  • Currency conversion
  • Comparison (for ordering, for example), the so-called collating
  • Grammatical rules (pluralization, punctuation, cash changeover and capitalization).
• Symbology, staining and forms of data presentation
• Formatting and specialization:
  • Holidays, symbology, conventions, etc.) of
  • Miscellaneous numbers (system, punctuation, symbols, data input direction, etc.)
    • Money
    • Telephone
    • Postcode
    • Documents
    • Accounting classifiers
    • Etc..
  • Dates (punctuation, calendar type, holidays, etc.)
  • Schedules (score, zone, specific rules)
  • System of measures
  • Other miscellaneous conventions.
• In some cases other more specific adaptations are necessary because of legislation and/or regulation or the need for culture:
  • Conventions of first names and addresses in the form of writing and recovery
  • Variation of naming of names, addresses, property, etc..
  • Taxes, fees, contributions and other requirements
  • Documents
  • Accounting, fiscal, administrative, etc., controls and procedures.
  • Miscellaneous common practices
  • Specific routines and formulas
  • Censorship, restriction/prohibition, obligation, transparency requirement, accessibility
  • Availability of information and labelling
  • Packaging and handling standards
  • Need for certification and other evidence
  • Size of papers and other elements containing data and materials, such as pallets, drums, etc..
  • Miscellaneous electrical and media transmission systems
  • Services and miscellaneous products with rules available only regionally
    • Banks and means of payment
    • Telecommunications
    • Transport
    • Maps, search engines, guides, tables (statistics, factual data, agendas, etc.), etc..
    • Traffic information, weather, news and other regional information
    • Etc..

We usually talk about text adaptation, but it goes for all kinds of media present in the software (think of a game that probably has more other media). Not only to meet requirements, but also to better serve what the user expects, to be comprehensive and not offensive or controversial or in bad taste.

Note that the specific adaptations of a business are not considered as a form of internationalization. It does not enter the calculation of the commission of the seller, for example. It enters everything that varies from country to country in a universal way for all uses. So much so that some of the items mentioned may not even be exactly part of the internationalization depending on the case. But there is nothing that regulates comprehensively what is or what is not part of internationalization. There are only a few Isos regulating certain aspects of.

There is a entity that handles it.

Main source: Wikipedia. Secondary.

Useful information.

^*_{But please do not repeat the stupidity that Excel did :) and that politically imbecileright has made people defend it Once again}

Answer 2

Basically, Internationalization is the translation of the software or system as it is for speak other languages, not taking into account the characteristics of the places of origin of these languages.

Already the Locating is the adaptation to the market where the software/system will be used.

Example: A sales system will certainly use means of payment and we will have currency, taxes, etc. In this case, translating only the system will not help so that this software meets the needs of users. Then a location will have to be made.

The location also takes other aspects such as the way of understanding a process, which for Europeans differs from Americans or Japanese, for example.

Localization is usually understood as an extension of internationalization.

I found this reference in Wikipedia about the differences, about i18n, l10n among other things.

There is also another name for the modifications of a system to the Brazilian standards which is the tropicalization

Answer 3

When we talk about localization we have to understand that it is geographically the place where it is. Its very locality. We can see a basic example of location when we open the Groupon site and we realize that it already displays the city in which we meet for research. For this purpose some tools use browser permission or not. For example, the maps Google asks your permission to know the region you are in.

When we talk about internationalization We thought about the idea of providing a service for more than one language. That is, by providing internationalization, we deliver a product that can be completely changed (text, CSS, calendars) to another language. A good example of internationalization is Duolingo that changes all its content according to the selected language.

Basically we see that localization and internationalization complement each other. For more about this and a more complete idea, read: Localization vs. Internationalization