A design process that ensures a software application can be adapted to various languages and regions without requiring engineering changes. The abbreviation I18N is derived by taking the first and last letters of internationalization and counting the 18 letters in between. This abbreviation is a numeronym, where numbers represent the count of letters between a long word's first and last letters.
Key Benefits
Internationalization is a crucial step for making software globally accessible and usable. It involves abstracting text strings and other locale-specific components (like date, time formats, and currency) out of the source code and using external files or resources that can be easily swapped. This approach allows the same code base to support multiple languages and regional formats, making the software more flexible and marketable globally.
- Market Expansion: By making software accessible in multiple languages, companies can enter and compete in new international markets.
- User Experience: Tailoring software to fit users’ language and cultural expectations in different regions enhances the overall user experience and satisfaction.
- Compliance and Reach: Certain regions have legal requirements regarding using local languages in software products. Internationalization helps comply with these regulations, thus widening the potential user base.
- Cost Efficiency: Implementing internationalization at the development stage is more cost-effective than making changes to accommodate new languages or regions after the software has been developed.
Localization
Localization (often abbreviated L10N) is the process of adapting internationalized software for a specific region or language by translating text and adding locale-specific components. This process uses the infrastructure or flexibility provided by internationalization. Localization can be performed multiple times for different locales, while internationalization is ideally performed once before localization or as an integral part of ongoing development.
Impact on Business Strategy
Internationalization can significantly impact strategies by enabling a product’s reach to expand across linguistic and cultural boundaries, thus broadening the potential customer base and increasing revenue opportunities.
