Internationalization

In computing, Internationalization and localization (also spelled internationalisation and localisation, see spelling differences) are means of adapting computer software to different languages and regional differences. Internationalization is the process of designing a software application so that it can be adapted to various languages and regions without engineering changes. Localization is the process of adapting software for a specific region or language by adding locale-specific components and translating text.
Focal points of internationalization and localization efforts include:

  • Language
    • Computer-encoded text
      • Alphabets/scripts; most recent systems use the Unicode standard to solve many of the character encoding problems.
      • Different systems of numerals
      • Writing direction which is e.g. left to right in German, right to left in Persian, Hebrew and Arabic
      • Spelling variants for different countries where the same language is spoken, e.g. localization (en-US, en-CA, en-GB-oed) vs. localisation (en-GB, en-AU)
      • Text processing differences, such as the concept of capitalization which exists in some scripts and not in others, different text sorting rules, etc
    • Graphical representations of text (printed materials, online images containing text)
    • Spoken (Audio)
    • Subtitling of film and video
  • Culture
    • Images and colors: issues of comprehensibility and cultural appropriateness
    • Names and titles
    • Government assigned numbers (such as the Social Security number in the US, National Insurance number in the UK, Isikukood in Estonia) and passports
    • Telephone numbers, addresses and international postal codes
    • Currency (symbols, positions of currency markers)
    • Weights and measure
    • Paper sizes
  • Writing Conventions
    • Date/time format, including use of different calendars
    • Time zones (UTC in internationalized environments)
    • Formatting of numbers (decimal points, positioning of separators, character used as separator)

Subjects unique to localization include:

  • Language translation
  • National varieties of languages (see language localization)
  • Special support for certain languages such as East Asian languages
  • Local customs
  • Local content
  • Symbols
  • Order of sorting
  • Aesthetics
  • Cultural values and social context

Vas Technologies is ideally based to support clients in both types of activities. We have ability with internationalization and localization with both existing software as well as ground up development incorporating these functions. Let us help you stretching from the Far East to Europe to the US incorporate these features in your offerings. Contact us now.

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